The night air held a slight chill, the stars shining brilliantly.
Within Jingyang City, a carriage unassuming in appearance but lavish within flashed past like a sudden gale, leaving behind only a faint, fleeting afterimage in the air.
Inside, a woman reclined against a pale lilac pillow, her eyes lightly closed. A simple, moon-white garment draped her recumbent figure, rendering it pristine as snow.
Her ink-black hair was bound by a ribbon of the same color, the loose strands winding down along her left shoulder to tumble over her chest. That flawless, delicate face was exquisite and petite, beautiful with a brazen abandon. The thick, dense lashes veiling her midnight-star eyes were as dark as feathers. Below her jade nose, a small, cherry-like mouth was tightly pursed. In that instant, she was breathtakingly captivating.
Outside, the one driving was a slightly plump middle-aged man. At this moment, he hung his head low, somewhat wanting to look inside, yet utterly lacking the courage.
"How is Lin Ruoyu?" The woman inside suddenly spoke, her voice as indifferent as water, leisurely and composed.
"She has already drunk the tampered cup of water and is now in the Orchid Courtyard of Yuyang Tower."
"Is the man ready?"
"As per Ninth Miss's instructions, seven days ago we spread word throughout Jingyang City and the surrounding towns, offering a heavy reward to recruit numerous men. Up until yesterday, one man who feared neither death nor exhaustion, who was willing to sacrifice and devote himself, expressed a willingness to give it a try..."
"One?"
Feng Jiuge suddenly opened her eyes, her brows creasing almost imperceptibly.
A reward of one hundred thousand gold coins, plus a beautiful woman thrown in to share a spring night—yet after seven days, only one man was willing to come?
Had the men of the Mingyue Dynasty all lost their minds?
Bi Hu carefully offered a smile. "Mainly, Miss Lin's reputation has grown too fearsome as of late. Everyone knows she is the Eldest Young Master's woman and can be considered half a Feng Family member. With the Feng Family's prestige right there, who would dare touch her?"
Indeed, what sort of status did the Feng Family possess?
The Feng Family was none other than the Xijing Family—one of the four great clans of the Mingyue Dynasty.
They dominated a quarter of the western territory of the Mingyue Dynasty, their influence seeping into every minute detail. Even if one hid at the ends of the earth, they had thousands of methods to make one return obediently of one's own accord.
With such a resounding reputation brought to bear, not having one's legs turn to jelly was already doing well—who wouldn't hurriedly flee for their lives?
Feng Jiuge glared at Bi Hu but wasn't angry. "If you couldn't recruit more, so be it. One is enough."
"But..."
But what if even this one didn't come through?
Bi Hu kept his head low, only daring to use the corner of his eye to glance toward his "notoriously ill-reputed" Ninth Miss, his expression timid.
"Hmm?" Feng Jiuge's beautiful willow brows arched, her eyes gleaming like obsidian, sharp and pressing.
"That man was too excited last night and ended up unable to catch his breath, fainting. Right now, he's lying in a medical clinic and still hasn't woken up..."
"You..."
"Boom—"
Before the words could leave her mouth, a massive muffled explosion sounded in the distance, interrupting Feng Jiuge.
She raised her eyes to look ahead. Within the dark canopy of the sky, a blue light suddenly streaked across, flashing for half a second before plunging rapidly into the green mountains ahead.
Half a second later, several streaks of purple light flashed past, chasing after the blue light ahead, as swift as meteors crossing the heavens.
"Meteor shower?" Bi Hu rubbed his eyes, muttering uncertainly.
It was no meteor shower.
Since when were there blue and purple meteor showers?
Feng Jiuge's eyes abruptly narrowed. She snatched the reins from Bi Hu's hands and jerked the horse to a halt. "Get out."
"What?"
"Get out!"
"Ninth Miss, even if I failed the task, you can't punish me like this. We're in the middle of nowhere..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly felt an impact at his waist. Their Ninth Miss had actually kicked him out of the carriage without a word. Then, with a flourish of the whip, she sped away in the carriage!
Bi Hu took deep breaths facing the dust kicked up by the carriage.
"Stay calm, stay calm. It's already a blessing that Ninth Miss didn't skin me alive or tear out my tendons..."
Meanwhile, Feng Jiuge drove the carriage straight toward the place where those lights had fallen.