Hero Saves the Beauty

Carefully sorting the medicine bottles on the table, Fu Zhi looked up at the sky and let out a faint sigh.

A woman dressed in a rose-red long dress pushed the door open and entered. She glanced at the medicine bottles on the man’s table and chuckled softly. “Brother, are you making medicine?” Fu Zhi nodded. “Yes, these are medicinal guides.” Ran Luo pursed her lips and nodded, then suddenly grew serious. “Brother, he’s already left the manor.” Fu Zhi’s silent eyes flickered. After a moment, he nodded. “I know.”

“Leisure Abode” was empty. Beigong Qiyi was not the least surprised as he sat cross-legged on the low couch. The tea on the pear blossom wood table had just been changed. Leisurely, Beigong Qiyi poured himself a cup. Wisps of pale steam curled upward, which he gently blew away before taking a small sip.

Once he finished the cup, Beigong Qiyi rose and lay down on the bed, burying his face in the pillow and inhaling deeply. It seemed he could still catch the faint, cool fragrance that lingered on the man. A subtle smile played at Beigong Qiyi’s lips. Big Brother, I can let you go for a while, but… The boy’s smile grew, a touch of eerie mischief in his expression.

From the birdcage hanging by the window, a pigeon cooed softly. Ximo stood nearby, teasing it with a stalk of wheat. “When did you start keeping pigeons, Ximo?” came Beigong Qiyi’s amused voice from behind. Ximo’s hand trembled slightly, but he quickly composed himself, turned, and smiled. “Young Master, you’ve returned.”

He fetched a soft cushion from the cupboard and placed it on a stool. “Please, Young Master, have a seat.” Beigong Qiyi glanced at the cupboard, lifted his robe, and sat down with a hint of a smile. “When did you develop a liking for cloaks?” Ximo’s smile froze for a moment, then he explained with a touch of discomfort, “It gets dull in the manor sometimes, so I wear it when I sneak out.”

Beigong Qiyi nodded meaningfully, his gaze falling on the white pigeon by the window. He chuckled. “That’s quite a fine pigeon—surely a top-grade carrier pigeon?” Ximo’s smile vanished completely. He looked at Beigong Qiyi and nodded stiffly. “Yes.”

“Ximo, you once told me your parents were members of the ‘Hundred Calamities Palace.’ It seems you weren’t lying.” Beigong Qiyi toyed with the jade pendant at his waist and laughed softly. “But, I suspect your parents were more than just people of minor standing, weren’t they?” Ximo pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze, saying nothing.

“The night before I returned to the manor, I kept an appointment to see Chu Muji. On my way back, I was ambushed. At the time, I was a nobody, and only a handful knew my true identity. Ximo, you were among them.” Beigong Qiyi stroked the jade pendant absentmindedly. “And then, that time when we left the manor together and were ambushed again upon our return—twice now. Surely that’s no mere coincidence?”

Ximo bit his lower lip, then suddenly looked up at the boy and shook his head, clenching his teeth. “No, it was all my doing—I found people to do it.” Beigong Qiyi raised a brow and continued, “Though you never told me the truth, I think I can guess who you are. At my birthday banquet, Qi Yong poisoned my brother with ‘Phoenix Prison.’ I’d touched both the poison on the painting and the ‘Induction’—yet my strength quickly recovered. At the time, I couldn’t quite figure it out, but now, everything is clear.”

He lifted his eyes to Ximo, the boy’s dark gaze devoid of light. “I remember that morning on my birthday, you made a bowl of tofu custard for my brother. I imagine you added something else to it?” Ximo frowned deeply and nodded in silence. “That’s right. The ‘Phoenix Prison’ catalyst was indeed in the tofu custard, and I am indeed from the ‘Hundred Calamities Palace.’ Everything you said is true.”

“There’s just one thing I don’t understand,” Beigong Qiyi said coolly. “After that time we left the manor, you’d obviously given up on hiring assassins. So why, when I left the manor with my brother, did you send the Five Elders after us? And why did you give up before?” Ximo frowned. “I really had given up. The Five Elders weren’t my doing. As for why I gave up…” He gazed intently at Beigong Qiyi, his voice low and steady. “Young Master, do you truly not know?”

Beigong Qiyi avoided his gaze and laughed softly. “As it happens, though I guessed you were from the Hundred Calamities Palace, I don’t actually know your true identity.” Seeing the youth change the subject, the heat in Ximo’s eyes faded instantly. He sat down opposite Beigong Qiyi, back straight, and declared with conviction, “My father is Ao Haojun. My real name is Ao Zimo, and I am the Deputy Palace Master of the ‘Hundred Calamities Palace!’”

Every step sent pain lancing through his wounded body, his limbs weak and heavy. Beigong Juechen frowned deeply as he slowed his pace. Suddenly, sinister laughter echoed from behind. Beigong Juechen stopped and turned to find eight men arrayed in a row behind him. At their head stood a man of about fifty, wearing a tall hat, his face twisted with malice and hatred.

Beigong Juechen asked in a low voice, “Who are you?” The man’s gaze fell on the mark at his neck, and he leered. “Oh, I’m a nobody. How could someone as important as Master Beigong know me?” Beigong Juechen turned away indifferently, unwilling to waste more words.

But the man was clearly unwilling to let this opportunity slip by. Beigong Juechen had barely taken two steps before he was blocked. The man strolled over with a sly grin. “Don’t go so soon, Master Beigong. I have some business with you.” Beigong Qiyi’s brows arched sharply as he said coldly, “If you have something to say, say it quickly.”

Suddenly, the man reached for Beigong Juechen’s neck. Beigong Juechen’s face darkened. He turned, seized the man’s wrist, and his emerald eyes glinted coldly, making the man shudder. Beigong Juechen tightened his grip. The man whimpered in pain, “Ow, ow, let go… let go…” With a mocking laugh, Beigong Juechen released him, shoving him aside.

The man staggered back two steps, clutching his wrist and shaking it furiously, his tone bitter. “Beigong Juechen! Do you still think you’re that revered Master of Lishuang Manor? Others may not know, but I do—you’re powerless now, nothing but a cripple! Hahaha…”

He threw back his head and laughed, but Beigong Juechen’s eyes narrowed, and the laughter broke off abruptly. Then came a thud as something heavy hit the ground. Immediately, the man’s thugs surrounded Beigong Juechen. He looked down coldly at the man writhing in pain on the ground, a sneer curling his lips.

“You… all of you, get him!” The man scrambled to his feet, clutching his backside and howling. The seven thugs charged. Beigong Juechen frowned. He still had the skills but no inner strength; handling one or two might be possible, but so many at once was clearly impossible.

The seven rushed at him, blades drawn. Beigong Juechen moved swiftly, mind racing for a way out.

Just then, he felt an arm wrap tightly around his waist, and in the next instant, someone pressed close beside him. He turned to see who it was. The newcomer smiled, then with a wave of his hand, sent all seven attackers sprawling to the ground.

“You?” Beigong Juechen shook off his hand. Qi Yong smiled nonchalantly. “A beauty in distress—how could I not play the hero?” He narrowed his eyes, then seized the would-be escapee by the collar, chuckling. “Lord Liu, where do you think you’re going?” The man looked at Qi Yong in surprise, forcing a smile. “May I ask… who are you, sir? How do you know me?”

Qi Yong replied coldly, “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is why I’m here.” The man swallowed nervously and asked, “Then, may I ask, sir… what business brings you here?”

Qi Yong smiled, his tone suddenly grave. “To kill you.” The man’s face changed dramatically. Trembling, he begged for mercy, “Spare me, sir, spare me! I don’t even know you, we have no quarrel—why…?” Qi Yong jerked his chin toward Beigong Juechen. “Because, Lord Liu, you touched someone you shouldn’t have.”

“This…” The man looked at Beigong Juechen, who stood with arms folded, cold as a sword encased in ice for a thousand years, unyielding and unbroken. The man trembled even harder. “Spare me, sir, it was my fault, my fault! He killed my only son—my family line was to end with me, but I had only that one son. I was just avenging him, please, spare my wretched life…”

Qi Yong pursed his lips in thought, then tossed the trembling man aside with a meaningful smile. “Very well. I’ll spare your sorry life today. Someone else will deal with you sooner or later; there’s no need for me to dirty my hands.” Before the man could react, Qi Yong wrapped an arm around Beigong Juechen’s waist and leapt away.

The man scrambled up, still shaken, glanced around nervously, then fled in a panic.

After the three had left, a woman in a rose-red dress and a man in white emerged from the shadows. The woman stomped her foot, gritting her teeth. “Damn it, we were still a step too late.” The man’s face remained calm, yet as he watched Qi Yong and Beigong Juechen depart, he allowed himself a faint smile. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll come looking for me sooner or later.”

At these words, the woman also smiled slowly. “Brother, you’re right. After all, this road leads straight to your little tower. If not for a few mishaps, Beigong Juechen would already be in your grasp.”

The man withdrew his gaze and shook his head. “He is not mine to control.” The woman blinked in surprise, but the man had already turned and walked slowly away. She stared at his pristine white robes for a moment, stunned, before hurrying after him.

Author’s Note: Awooo~ Your main character is on holiday! Updates should be more regular from now on!