Calling to Account

“Little Qing? Little Qing!”

“Ah!”

Ning Qingzhu snapped back from her thoughts, offering an embarrassed smile.

Truth be told, that night had been far too thrilling. It had made her feel like a true jianghu expert, and the thrill of walking the razor-thin edge between life and death left a deep impression that she still couldn't shake.

Seeing her like this, the red-robed woman across from her smiled softly. Her tone carried a touch of earnestness as she spoke.

“Little Qing.”

“Do you... want to travel the jianghu across the world with me?”

Ning Qingzhu froze slightly at her words, followed by a surge of longing that had been buried deep in her heart for a long time.

Seeing the yearning in her eyes, the red-robed woman smiled as expected and continued, “You are so young; you shouldn't be trapped here. The jianghu is vast, and it is wondrous!”

Saying that, she quietly waited for Ning Qingzhu's reply.

However, the answer she received was not the one she had anticipated.

“Sister Qiu...” Ning Qingzhu looked up, her gaze fixed steadfastly on the red-robed woman. “I can't leave.”

Her voice softened, yet it remained remarkably firm. “If I'm not around, my Young Master is too lazy to even wash his face in the morning...”

“And his clothes—he always tosses them around everywhere. He's also such a foodie. If I'm not here, who's going to buy wine for him? And...”

The girl chattered on endlessly, recounting mundane little things—the very trivialities that occupied her heart the most.

The red-robed woman looked at her with a complex gaze, listening to the reluctant affection woven into every word.

It seemed someone had tied her down.

Tied down her heart.

The red-robed woman sighed softly. In truth, over the past week, she had already arranged for someone to secretly send the sword away. There was another reason she was leaving so soon.

Her eyes flickered with mixed emotions as she watched the still-chattering girl. Her lips parted slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.

Underneath the table, her fingers lightly caressed each other, as if reminiscing about that night when her fingers carefully traced the blade.

She remembered that a shallow indentation had appeared on the blade.

That sword had been forged by her uncle, crafted with his own hands as a gift for a longtime friend he had met back then—a man said to be a famous swordsman as well.

She had seen that swordsman test the blade with her own eyes; it could cut through iron like clay, indestructible and unstoppable.

What a pity... even with a divine weapon in hand...

...it could not overcome the treachery of the jianghu, and he ultimately met a grim end.

Bringing her thoughts back, a trace of anxiety flashed deep in her eyes. There had been a fifth person that night.

Just who was it...?

...

The teapot was refilled once more, and she poured herself a cup.

Outside, the sky was gradually darkening. Ning Qingzhu had already departed, and once she finished this pot of tea, she ought to leave as well...

A gentle breeze fluttered the tips of her hair, carrying a cool fresh scent of grass mingled with a faint aroma of peach blossoms.

Her hand holding the teacup froze in midair as she stared blankly at the man sitting before her...

“This tea doesn't taste good,” Jiang Moran said with a tone of distaste.

“When did you...!?”

The red-robed woman surged to her feet, her left hand sliding into her skirt. Her dark eyes were filled with wariness; she had no idea when the man before her had sat down...

This meant he could have killed her without her ever noticing!

Jiang Moran seemed completely oblivious to her posture, simply taking another distasteful sip of tea.

Yet the red-robed woman grew increasingly uneasy. As long as Jiang Moran made no further moves, she could only maintain her guarded stance, plunging the two of them into a strange standoff.

Cup after cup of tea was drained until Jiang Moran finally set down his cup after finishing the last drop.

He looked up impassively at the red-robed woman. His expression betrayed no emotion, yet the words that left his mouth sent a chill straight down her spine.

“If I hadn't followed you that night, do you know what the consequences would have been?”

The red-robed woman's hand tucked inside her skirt froze. She looked at the man before her in utter disbelief.

It was him!

The fifth person who had never shown his face that night!

“Who are you?” the red-robed woman asked guardedly.

“Little Qing is my maid.”

The red-robed woman's eyes widened. “You're... the Young Master Little Qing talks about?”

Jiang Moran raised an eyebrow without denying it, merely looking at her calmly.

An ominous feeling washed over the red-robed woman in an instant. She had coaxed someone else's maid into helping her steal an item and almost gotten her killed, and now the master had come knocking on her door.

What's more, just moments ago, she had tried to convince her to run off and travel the jianghu...

Just as she was trying to figure out how to explain herself, Jiang Moran slowly rose from his chair.

Under the red-robed woman's watchful eyes, he approached step by step. With every stride he took, the chill in his eyes deepened, until he stood right in front of her.

The overwhelming pressure crashing over her made the red-robed woman involuntarily take a step back...

“If I hadn't followed, she would already be dead.”

“And you, along with anyone remotely connected to you, would all be dead.”

The red-robed woman felt her breath hitch. Facing the man before her, an unaccountable terror seized her. Fighting the uncontrollable trembling of her body, she opened her mouth:

“I... Pfft!”

She had barely uttered a single word when a tearing, excruciating pain exploded in her abdomen, followed immediately by a spurt of fresh blood!

The red-robed woman flew backward uncontrollably, crashing through all the tables and chairs inside the inn before smashing through the outer wall and tumbling onto the street outside.

The patrons drinking tea inside the inn were startled out of their wits. Only when the dust settled did they clearly see the woman lying out on the street.

“Isn't that the Red-Clad Assassin, Qiu Zhiya?!”

“It's her! That red robe of hers is far too easy to recognize.”

“What on earth happened? How did she end up in a fight with someone... Doesn't she know the rules of this inn?”

The crowd gossiped frantically, yet not a single person stepped forward to help. After all, in the jianghu, being beaten to death due to inferior skill was a dime a dozen.

However... the rules of this inn had been broken.

In an instant, everyone wore expressions of gloating amusement.

“Cough... cough!” A few feeble coughs sounded out. Her brilliant red robe was stained with dirt, making her look exceptionally disheveled.

Yet she didn't care about any of this, for she felt like she was on the brink of death...

From just a single kick, she had been severely injured, her abdomen throbbing with agonizing pain as if it had been pierced straight through.

Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying...

This was the sole thought remaining in her mind. A few loose strands of hair fell messily over her face, and the blood smearing her lips gave her a hauntingly tragic beauty.

Regrettably, Jiang Moran was in no mood for appreciation.

Watching the man stride toward her step by step, she closed her eyes in despair.

Letting the rhythmic tempo of death echo in her ears...

The footsteps drew closer and closer, and the aura of death enveloped her entire body. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, the excruciating pain in her abdomen continuously ravaging her senses...

...making her tremble uncontrollably.

“No fighting in the inn.” A cold voice rang out, instantly interrupting the rhythmic footsteps.

She opened her eyes in confusion, only to see that Jiang Moran's emotionless eyes were no longer fixed on her, but had turned toward the inn's staircase.

Was that... the waiter?!