Senior brother is so awesome!

Zhong Zhichen wasn't really blaming him; he just couldn't help getting angry when he thought about the consequences of her acting on her own initiative.

With a stern face, he explained to her how he had followed her. It turned out that after the incident at the inn that day, his second senior brother had started to scheme against the people around her. He had given some holy medicine that could prevent all poisons to Qing'er and Nuan Yue. So today, the two of them pretended to be stabbed unconscious. Nuan Yue followed closely behind, while Qing'er went to inform him.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuechan blushed slightly and murmured, "It's all my fault, I was too rash."

Upon seeing that note, I was already extremely anxious, only hoping that my fourth senior brother would be safe. I didn't think too much about anything else. Fortunately, my second senior brother had taken precautions, otherwise the consequences would have been dire.

Zhong Zhichen didn't really blame her. Seeing her sincere apology, he felt pity for her and looked at her with his hawk-like eyes, saying in a deep voice, "Come here."

He exchanged a glance with his second senior brother, then slunk over to him. "What?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Zhichen stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his arms, his large hand tightly gripping her slender waist, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Qin Yuechan felt uncomfortable being held so tightly by him, and she twisted her body slightly, complaining, "Can you be a little gentler?"

He was never one to follow orders blindly, and his grip tightened even more as he looked up at his second senior brother. He said coldly, "Something's fishy about this, second brother. What do you think their intentions are?"

Qin Yuechan also looked at her second senior brother and saw his gentle yet worried gaze fixed on her. He parted his thin lips slightly and said, "Their target is Junior Sister, but the reason is puzzling."

Zhong Zhichen narrowed his hawk-like eyes, gazing intently at the little figure in his arms with wide, open eyes, and sighed silently, "Since they failed once, they must have a backup plan. From now on, you are not allowed to leave Luoxue Pavilion even a step, understand?"

She nodded. Her fourth senior brother would be recuperating at Luoxue Pavilion for the next few days, so she didn't want to run around!

The next morning, Qin Yuechan was applying medicine to her fourth senior brother's body. His bare body was covered with hideous wounds, which made her tears fall. Yesterday, her second senior brother had been too protective of her and had not let her see his injuries. If it weren't for the martial arts tournament today to determine the final leader, and her second senior brother really couldn't leave, she would never have witnessed such a heartbreaking scene.

Holding back her tears, she moved her hands as gently as possible, afraid of hurting him. From beginning to end, the fourth senior brother kept his eyes tightly closed, letting her do as she pleased without a trace of life.

With Qing'er by his side, he had been through countless battles since childhood, and bloodshed was commonplace for him. With her help, he quickly bandaged the wound again, his skillful and efficient technique was remarkable.

"sorry."

Carrying the blood-stained copper basin, Qing'er paused, turned back with a smile, and said, "Protecting you is our duty. Just remember not to be so impulsive next time." She then walked out, but stopped just as one foot was about to leave the doorway. "You have no idea how anxious the Prince was when he heard the news."

The person had already disappeared through the door, but Qin Yuechan felt a warmth in her heart. Yesterday, in the critical moment, she was overjoyed and relieved to see Zhong Zhichen descend like a god. He had always been wise and composed, and he was always confident in everything he did, as if nothing could escape his grasp. But this time, was he also afraid?

Lost in thought, Qin Yuechan heard a woman making a fuss outside. She frowned slightly. The area outside Luoxue Pavilion was heavily guarded by purple-clad guards. Who could be making such a fuss?

She glanced worriedly at her fourth senior brother's unconscious face, tucked the blanket around him, and turned to leave the dormitory.

As soon as they stepped onto the veranda, they could clearly hear the woman's clear, chattering voice, as if she wanted to come in, but the guards at the door wouldn't allow it, and an argument ensued.

Sui Xin hurriedly went forward to ask, and when the door opened, she saw a flash of bright red. Someone came in to report, and a guard dressed in dark purple ensemble respectfully bowed in her direction, said a few words to Sui Xin, and then opened the door and went out.

"Qin Yuechan, open the door for me! Hand over Brother Ze!"

Hearing this, she knew who it was. Sure enough, she walked over and said, "There is a woman outside the door, who is said to be Young Master Situ's... fiancée."

Sui Xin said somewhat indignantly.

Qin Yuechan smiled helplessly. This Miss Zhao was too outspoken! But if she saw her fourth senior brother's current state, he would inevitably wail and scream. Not only would it affect him, but if the news got back to the White Tiger Kingdom, it would probably cause a huge uproar.

But how did Zhao Youfang get up the mountain? If we ignore her, there's a dance competition happening right outside, and we don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. After a moment of contemplation, he instructed Suixin, "Let her in. You and Qing'er guard the bedroom door and don't let her barge in."

Zhao Youfang, dressed in a fiery red riding outfit, stormed into the courtyard, cursing and swearing. She glared angrily at the guard who had blocked her way, her large, round eyes filled with a condescending arrogance. "You'd better watch out! My elder brother is the Great General of the White Tiger Kingdom! He'll deal with you sooner or later!"

Seeing that the guard remained expressionless and no longer looked at her, she felt a strong sense of dissatisfaction. However, the most important thing right now was not to punish the guard, but to find her Ze-gege! She couldn't let him be with that vixen!

She strode into the courtyard in her little riding boots and immediately spotted a radiant woman sitting gracefully by the stone table, pouring tea. The midday sun shone brightly, making her fair, jade-like skin appear even more luminous, as if even the sun could not steal her radiance.

Compared to her usual hasty and undignified demeanor as the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, she couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. She strode over, slammed the ruby-inlaid dagger on the stone table, and asked condescendingly, "Where did you hide Brother Ze?"

Hearing her words, Qin Yuechan smiled and looked up, gazing innocently at the angry little face, and said, "Your brother Ze has legs and feet, how could I hide him?"

Zhao Youfang retorted angrily, "You're talking nonsense! He's clearly in your yard. You can't hide your lies from my eyes!"

"Hehe..." she chuckled, pointing to the stone bench beside her, and said softly, "You must be tired from rushing here. Have some tea first."

Zhao Youfang didn't want to talk too much with these lowly commoners, but she had come all the way from the capital and climbed the mountain with great difficulty. Despite her martial arts skills, she was thirsty. So she reluctantly sat down, picked up the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp. When she finished, she noticed that the cup in her hand was icy cold and emerald green. She exclaimed in surprise, "A jade cup!"

"Yes." Qin Yuechan nodded with a smile. This was brought from the Regent's Palace, which she felt was a bit extravagant.

"It must have been given to you by Brother Ze, otherwise how could a commoner like you get such a nice thing!" Even her father, the dignified Duke of Zhenguo, wouldn't dare to use it!

Qin Yuechan neither denied nor confirmed, but smiled faintly. She was right; without those six men, she was indeed nothing.

The jade cup contains top-quality Longjing tea, its vibrant green color quite appealing.

With a gentle smile, she said, "Miss Zhao, you dare drink my tea like this? Aren't you afraid I'll poison it?"

Zhao Youfang's body stiffened instantly, her large, round eyes widened like an angry bull, yet a hint of fear lingered in them. The jade cup slipped from her hand and was about to fall to the ground!

In an instant, Qin Yuechan stood up abruptly, and in the blink of an eye, the jade cup landed in her fair palm. She glanced at her and smiled, "Be careful, it would be such a pity to break such a beautiful cup."

Zhao Youfang was amazed by her skills, but she was skeptical of her claim of poisoning. She had seen a lot of treachery and deceit in the backyard with her mother, but no one dared to poison her so openly unless she was crazy!

Once she understood, she raised her beautiful face and cursed fiercely, "You think you can fool me with such a small trick? If you dare to poison me, be careful my father will raze your Sanqing Mountain to the ground!"

Arrogant and domineering!

The smile faded from Qin Yuechan's delicate face, and she said coldly, "Is your stomach a little sore?"

Before she could say anything, Zhao Youfang, still somewhat suspicious, placed her hand on her lower abdomen. Suddenly, her expression turned strange; her eyes widened in terror, and she slumped onto the stone bench, her trembling finger pointing at her. She wanted to yell at her but couldn't muster the strength, and could only grit her teeth and say, "You're despicable! I have no grudge against you, why did you poison me?"

"Why?" she sneered. "If you tell me who brought you here, I'll give you the antidote!"

"Are you crazy?! It's just a mountain! Anyone who wants to come up can come up!"

There's always been a Bagua formation set up halfway up Sanqing Mountain. How could someone as incompetent as her possibly break it?! After yesterday's events, everything strange would arouse her suspicion. Moreover, Zhao Youfang has a faint aura of death about her, an aura she had already seen on the black-robed man yesterday!

She leaned down, looking down at the increasingly distorted expression on his face, and said, word by word, "What did he ask you to do? If you don't tell me, don't blame me for disregarding Fifth Senior Brother's feelings."

Although Zhao Youfang's mother was a concubine, she was treated no differently from the principal wife in the household. Spoiled and pampered since childhood, she had never encountered anything like this before. Her stomach pain intensified, and fearing that further delay would cause the poison to take effect, she quickly said, "No, I'll tell you! I'll tell you! A strange man in black clothes took me up the mountain! Ah..."

As she spoke, she clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. Qin Yuechan quickly fed her the painkiller from her sleeve. Actually, it wasn't poison, but a detoxifying medicine. It would cause abdominal pain after taking it, but it would then eliminate waste from the body. Of course, she hadn't even taken it yet, and it all went to Zhao Youfang!

After taking the medicine, the pain subsided, and she glared at her with malice again: "Hmph, why pretend to be kind? Even if I die, my brother won't let you off the hook!"

"Tell me, what did that man in black want you to do up the mountain?" Qin Yuechan said expressionlessly.

"I won't say anything, anyway, the poison has been neutralized."

Just when Qin Yuechan thought she was losing patience, a dark blue figure appeared behind Zhao Youfang without her noticing, and a cold female voice rang out: "Are you tired of living?"