Senior brother is so awesome!

Time flies, and the triennial martial arts tournament has finally begun in full swing. Qin Yuechan was unable to participate, nor did she want to. She sat quietly under the corridor, gazing at the place where heroes from all over the world gathered, her beautiful expression filled with melancholy.

Whether she was being too sensitive or because too many things had happened recently, there was a vague sense of foreboding.

A gentle breeze brushed her cheek, causing a tickle. She reached out to brush it away, but suddenly her beautiful eyes turned sharply to the side. A strong gust of wind swept in, and at the same time, Nuan Yue, who was serving beside her, quickly leaped up and caught the hidden weapon that was coming towards her face!

Before I could see who was on the wall, a dark shadow swept past, and the spring sunshine remained bright and clear, without a trace of gloom!

Nuan Yue stared at the silver cone in her hand, her cold eyes growing even more ruthless. "Master, look, there's a letter here."

Qin Yuechan took the letter pulled from the silver cone, flipped through the yellowed paper, and something suddenly fell out. When her eyes fell on the black cloth, her heart clenched and she suddenly couldn't breathe!

Her trembling hands picked it up. The familiar golden dragon pattern hung on the black brocade, and the hem of the dress that always fluttered in front of her eyes appeared before her along with that devilish face!

At this moment, Qing'er, who had gone out to chase after them, returned. Her gloomy face revealed the result, and she said with guilt, "Qing'er is useless. I didn't find any trace of the thief."

She was brought back to her senses by Qing'er's clear voice, and tremblingly opened the letter, only to see a row of blood-red characters written in a flamboyant style! The shocking color strongly stimulated her eyes, causing them to widen and turn bloodshot.

To save Situ Ze's life, they went to the dense forest behind the mountain.

If he dares to tell anyone else, he will die!

He suddenly clenched the letter into a tight ball, unconsciously gripping it so tightly that his palms ached, but he didn't notice the panic and heartache in his heart!

Why did the Fierce Tiger Gang send her? What is their purpose? And why did they choose the day of the martial arts tournament?

There was no time to think too much; nothing was more important than Situ Ze's life!

But her steps were stopped. When she looked up, she saw Nuan Yue's numb face. "The Crown Prince instructed that you cannot go out."

Qin Yuechan stared at her face for a long time, then turned and went into the house expressionlessly. Qing'er and Nuan Yue exchanged a glance and followed her.

Although they follow their master, in essence, they are still sent by the regent and the crown prince to protect their master.

The sun shone quietly into the Snowfall Pavilion, and the old swing in the courtyard swayed gently in the wind; everything was as still as a sorrowful silence…

In the dormitory, Qin Yuechan looked at the two guards lying on the ground, her eyes filled with deep guilt. She stroked the exquisite bracelet on her wrist and smiled self-deprecatingly. Her second senior brother was worried that someone would harm her, so he specially developed and made this hidden weapon bracelet. It contained a sleeping drug, but she never thought that the first time she would use it would be on her closest maid!

But she had no choice; Situ Ze's life was in danger, and she had no other option.

He hurriedly walked out of the courtyard. The guards surrounding him stood there dumbfounded, their eyes blankly staring ahead. They had obviously been acupunctured. They were always like this, like statues without any expression. Even now, no one could tell that something was wrong.

It seems someone has already paved the way for her, just waiting for her to walk into the trap.

The fact that she hadn't seen a single person along the way confirmed her suspicions. Her face turned icy, and she hurried toward the back of the mountain.

That was the place she least wanted to go, because stepping into it would fill her with intense fear. The reason for this was thanks to Hundred Flowers Valley. Although her master had saved her from that incident, she still had a lingering doubt and a feeling that things weren't so simple. The blood from her injuries that day was too strong, and even after several washes, something unusual could still be detected.

Everywhere there are lush trees, the sunlight is blocked by the towering trees, layer upon layer of obstruction, only a few lucky spots of sunlight can shine in, dappled and unable to illuminate the dark forest.

Qin Yuechan's skirt was quickly torn in several places by the bushes, but she couldn't care less about that now. All she could think about was Situ Ze's devilishly handsome face with a half-smile, and some of the ambiguous sweet nothings he had said before.

Finally, with my heart pounding, I walked to the open space and found that someone had been waiting there for a long time.

The man had his back to her, and the black robe he wore looked exactly like the Grim Reaper from the comics she had read in her past life. His hat covered his head, and his tall figure, a dense black, stood out starkly against the green, sending chills down her spine.

As if hearing her footsteps, the man in black robes said slowly, "You've finally come."

Her sharp, hoarse voice was extremely unpleasant. Her already furrowed brows deepened, and she clenched her fists, saying coldly, "I want to see Situ Ze."

He chuckled upon hearing this, but his voice sounded as if it came from the deepest part of hell, chilling like being in an ice cellar.

"You have so many men, what difference does it make if you lose one? Why risk coming here?"

Qin Yuechan said indifferently, "Don't bring up other things, I want to see Situ Ze!"

“He won’t even talk to me, haha, never mind…” he said, and started walking forward. When he couldn’t hear her footsteps, he reminded her, “If you want to see him, come with me.”

"Wait! How do I know you're not lying to me!"

The man in black robes stopped in his tracks, took a handkerchief from his sleeve, and held it in his hand with his back to her. "Isn't this enough?"

On the snow-white handkerchief, a cicada character was embroidered crookedly. It looked incredibly familiar; who else could it be but her own handiwork? Suppressing her panic, she followed the man in black robes.

The trees were still lush and green all around. She had to walk quickly to keep up with the man's pace, but the longer she walked, the more she felt that the man's walking posture was a bit strange, like someone who had just learned to walk and was a little unsteady. But despite this, he walked very fast.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a dark cave appeared before them. The small entrance was hidden by trees, and without someone leading the way, no one would have known that this place existed.

The man in black robes walked in without saying a word. Because the entrance to the cave was too small, he had to bend over. The rocks on both sides kept tugging at his loose black robes. She was shocked to find that this man was not strong at all, but rather very thin. In fact, judging from the width of the tugging at his robes, he was frighteningly thin.

Passing through the narrow cave, a sudden burst of light appeared before her eyes. It wasn't the intense sunlight, but the dazzling glow of luminous pearls. Qin Yuechan discovered that the walls around her were inlaid with luminous pearls, and the dark, shadowy rocks had been artificially carved into a hidden space.

Several men in black stood inside, and upon seeing the man in black robes arrive, they all displayed respectful expressions, or even fear.

"leader!"

His voice echoed in the empty cave. He slowly hummed in agreement, then said, "Bring the person out."

Several men in black, their faces covered with black cloths, bowed in response to the order. One of them touched a button on the wall, and the ear-piercing sound of chains scraping against each other rang out. Her nerves tightened at the sound, but when she saw the person hanging in mid-air by chains, it felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart!

His hands were suspended in mid-air by black iron chains hanging above his head, and his white undergarment was stained red with blood! His head hung limply, and his black hair, whether wet with blood or sweat, clung to his face in strands, revealing only a pale corner of his face!

"Fourth Senior Brother!"

Her lips trembled uncontrollably as she stared at him in disbelief, receiving no answer, and a sharp pain suddenly surged in her heart!

"What did you do to him?!" She roared at the man in black robes like an enraged lioness, her fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging deep into her flesh, yet she felt no pain.

That dashing, spirited man had been tortured beyond recognition by this devil! She wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces and kill him!

The man in black robes kept his back to her the whole time. His seemingly tall but actually thin body exuded a chilling aura. When he heard her roar, he didn't react much, but just let out a harsh and unpleasant laugh, as eerie as an owl's hooting at night!

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"What on earth are you going to do!"

He seemed not to hear her question, continuing his leisurely stroll, "How could a fickle woman like you understand the feeling of pain?"

"Um……"

A faint murmur pulled her back from the brink of rage. She looked up in surprise and saw Situ Ze looking in her direction. She quickly called out, "Fourth Senior Brother! It's me, Chan'er!"

"Cicada..." The cracked lips managed to utter two words with difficulty. The eyelids, which were swollen and red from the beating, were forced open with all their might. The unfocused gaze finally settled on the light red figure on the ground, and for a moment, it could not be looked away!

As his confused consciousness gradually returned, Situ Ze suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. With all his might, he shouted at her, "Chan'er... run! Run!"

The faint glow of the luminous pearl illuminated the cave. His face was covered by his long hair, so his expression was not visible, but she could still feel his concern. He did not want to get hurt!

Qin Yuechan's tears, which she had been holding back, finally spilled over, and she shouted through sobs, "If you're here, I'm not going anywhere!"

Situ Ze's dry lips tugged at a bitter smile, "Chan'er, my darling, how could you be so foolish..."

"Enough!" she roared in a hoarse voice. She looked at the man in black robes and saw that after he shouted, his body swayed as if he could not withstand the anger within him.

Finally catching his breath, he said coldly, "Just now I was thinking of letting him live... Now, I want him to die a horrible death!"

Upon hearing this, her petite body trembled. "I came as you said, you must let him go, you can't go back on your word!"

To everyone's surprise, he laughed dismissively, "Honesty is for the living, and I no longer qualify..."

After saying that, he shouted to his subordinates, "Kill him!"

"No!" Qin Yuechan screamed in terror, her eyes fixed on the man in black robes, her voice trembling as she said, "I'll give you anything you want, but please, don't hurt him!"

By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably. The thought of Situ Ze dying right in front of her made her heart ache so much that she could hardly breathe, and she wished she could die with him!

---Aside---

There will be a major plot twist in the next chapter!