Qin Guo'er left.
Leaving behind that single sentence, she vanished without a trace.
Along with the ground full of corpses.
Which also completely disappeared.
If it weren't for the lingering pain radiating from his neck and stomach, and the glittering golden dagger still lying in the snow.
He would have suspected that everything that just happened was merely a hallucination.
Climbing out of the snow crater.
Yang An tentatively called out to the surroundings a couple of times: "Princess, Your Highness! Are you still there?"
After waiting a moment with no response.
Nearly suffocating from the pent-up frustration, he cursed furiously, "You dog of a woman! Just you wait! If you ever fall into my hands one day, I'm going to smash your fucking [BEEP][BEEP][BEEP]—"
Suddenly, a cold wind blew past, rustling the green branches of the pine trees.
Swish, swish. A few wisps of white snow fell.
Sending a chill down Yang An's spine, he decisively changed his tune, "Previously, I had only heard of Her Highness's reputation for beauty that moves the world. Seeing her today, she is actually ten thousand times more beautiful than the rumors claim!"
"Even the fairies in heaven cannot compare to Her Highness!"
"Not only is Her Highness beautiful, but she is also kind and merciful! Even if this lowly one had to die for her, I would do so willingly!"
After shamelessly kissing up to thin air for a long time.
When the surrounding wind died down.
And there was still no movement, Yang An finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He didn't dare to continue cursing like a street thug.
He ran back to the edge of the snow crater. The dead black eagle was still lying inside. He jumped down and searched beneath the eagle's body.
He quickly found the giant eagle's last egg!
Unfortunately.
Having fallen from such a high place, the egg had shattered. Much of the fluid had spilled into the snow. Not wanting to waste anything, Yang An drank the remaining fluid from the shell, and then even ate the snow that had soaked up the egg liquid.
Nourished by the egg fluid.
The injuries on Yang An's body soothed significantly, and he recovered a great deal of stamina.
"Tomorrow at the hour of Chen, I have to go to the Princess's estate to accept my death."
"There isn't much time left. I must hurry home before the sun sets."
Yang An took a deep breath and tried to lift the ten-meter-long black eagle onto his shoulders. The moment he tried, he realized the eagle weighed several thousand catties.
It was absolutely impossible for him to carry it.
He didn't force it. Picking up the golden dagger Qin Guo'er left behind, he simply butchered the giant eagle, cutting out about two hundred catties of meat from its best parts.
He tied it up securely with a rope.
Looking at the black eagle's remains, seeing that there was still a lot of meat left, Yang An said, "It's too much of a pity to leave it here for the wild beasts to devour. Even if I won't have the chance to eat it in the future, burying it and leaving it for my sister and brother-in-law is good too."
With that thought, Yang An pushed snow to fill in the crater.
He then stood on top and stomped on it a few times, ensuring no traces were left and no scent could be detected.
He hoisted the two hundred-plus catties of meat onto his back, took a deep breath of the dry, cold air, and set foot on the journey home.
Yang An didn't notice.
On a mountain peak not far away, the phoenix carriage had not yet left. Sitting upon it, Princess Anle watched him gradually walk further and further away.
A green-robed figure flew over.
Bringing Manman along, they knelt on one knee before Qin Guo'er.
"Reporting to the Princess, the corpses of Lin Hao and his men have been dealt with. No traces were left behind," A'lan, the leader of the eight female officials—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum—reported respectfully.
"Mm."
Qin Guo'er gestured for her to rise.
A'lan and Manman returned to Qin Guo'er's side. Following her gaze, they saw Yang An. A'lan asked in confusion, "Princess, you are usually the most cautious when doing things. Why spare this man's life? Furthermore, this man has a foul mouth and acts with reckless audacity. What if he leaks the matter of Lin Hao?"
"In this servant's opinion, he should have been executed right here!"
Qin Guo'er said nonchalantly, "Who killed that insect from the Lin family? That little hunter killed him. What does it have to do with this Princess? Where could he possibly leak it to? Leak it to Lin Yeping to commit suicide?"
A'lan thought about it and found it made sense.
Yet she still insisted, "But... leaving this hunter alive is ultimately a hidden danger, Princess."
Watching Yang An's figure receding further into the wind and snow.
Qin Guo'er tapped her vermilion lips with her fingertip, hummed for a moment, and then giggled, "If he just ran away directly, then he would indeed be a hidden danger. But if he actually obediently comes to accept his death, now that would be interesting."
A'lan had been by Qin Guo'er's side for many years.
Although not as intelligent as Qin Guo'er.
She could somewhat guess a little of her thoughts. Surprised, she asked, "Princess, could it be... you want to groom him?! But he's a man, and don't you hate men the most?!"
By this time, Yang An had completely disappeared into the wind and snow.
Qin Guo'er withdrew her gaze.
Lounging lazily in the phoenix carriage, she rotated the ankle that Yang An had gripped earlier, the amusement in her eyes growing dark. "When did this Princess ever say I was going to groom that dog? He offended this Princess repeatedly. I'll just kill him first thing tomorrow morning."
Now that's our Princess. A'lan breathed a sigh of relief.
Getting back to important matters.
"Princess, although we handled the matter with Lin Hao cleanly, we ultimately won't be able to hide it from Lin Yeping for long. Should we report this matter to the Divine Sovereign first? Given how much the Divine Sovereign favors you, she will surely unleash her thunderous wrath and severely punish the two of them."
Mentioning the Divine Sovereign.
The joyful expression on Qin Guo'er's face instantly vanished without a trace.
It became even colder than the pale snow covering Yunling Mountain.
"The Divine Sovereign favors this Princess the most? Heh, this Princess's trip to Yunzhou was specifically ordered by Grandmother Divine Sovereign." Qin Guo'er rubbed the little maid Manman's head and said, "Manman, do you think the venerable elder knew about Lin Yeping and Royal Father's little schemes all along? And that's exactly why she sent this Princess to Yunzhou?"
Manman didn't understand what Qin Guo'er was talking about.
She just habitually nodded in obedience.
A'lan, however, broke out in a cold sweat from shock. "Princess, you mean to say... the Divine Sovereign deliberately used you as a pawn, throwing you into Yunzhou to bait those two big fish, Lin Yeping and Prince Jing?!"
"Not only that."
Qin Guo'er, who had long seen through everything, spoke with assurance. "Since Grandmother Divine Sovereign inherited the grand lineage, the most vocal opposition over the years has come from the Qin royal clan. The venerable elder has always lacked an excuse to thoroughly purge the entire clan."
"Pity my Royal Father and Lin Yeping, those two idiots."
"Still fantasizing about using this Princess as a smokescreen to confuse Grandmother Divine Sovereign, playing games like 'deceiving the heavens to cross the sea' or 'mixing fish eyes with pearls'. An inescapable eighteen-layered net has probably long been cast around Chang'an City, just waiting for them to dive headfirst into it."
"When the time comes, the venerable elder will conveniently use the pretext of my idiotic Royal Father's rebellion to direct the fire toward the royal clan, wiping out all dissenting voices in one fell swoop, perhaps even..."
A cold glint flashed in Qin Guo'er's eyes.
She lost the mood to continue speaking.
A'lan's little face was already deathly pale, her whole body trembling with lingering fear. It wasn't hard for her to imagine how tragic Qin Guo'er's fate would have been if she had fallen for the trap.
A'lan's eyes turned slightly red, and she called out with heartache, "Princess..."
Qin Guo'er didn't mind it much. She had long grown accustomed to the cold-bloodedness and callousness of the imperial family. After all, the very act of a father scheming against his biological daughter had just occurred to her not long ago.
What else was there that she couldn't accept?
"Family, huh~"
Qin Guo'er, who should have just laughed it off, thought of Yang An again.
She thought of the words he had spoken when pinned beneath her foot: 'As long as my family can live on, I am willing to die.'
Qin Guo'er's expression darkened a few shades.
"A'lan, do you think that little hunter was telling the truth or lying? Could he really sacrifice his life for his family?"
"I don't know."
A'lan shook her head, taking the opportunity to puff out her full chest to show her loyalty. "But this servant is willing to sacrifice her life for the Princess!"
Qin Guo'er glanced at the eye-catching curve on her chest.
She looked down at her own.
Although far superior to ordinary women, it still couldn't compare to A'lan's.
She tried to push her chest out, but still fell short. Furious, Qin Guo'er scolded, "Who told you to puff your chest out? Pull it back in! Shameless thing!"
A'lan let out a weak "Oh."
And silently pulled her chest back.
"From now on, you are not allowed to stand up straight in front of this Princess!"
"Oh."
Only when A'lan's size looked inferior to hers did Qin Guo'er feel satisfied. Crossing her elegant jade-like arms, she said indifferently, "If that little hunter dares to deceive this Princess, let alone his sister and brother-in-law dying, not a single person related to him in the entirety of Yunzhou City will live."
Within those plain words.
The killing intent was chilling, so cold it seemed to freeze the surrounding snow and ice!
As they were talking.
After about a quarter of an hour, two green-robed figures approached, treading lightly on the snow. It was Qiu'er and Dong'er. At this moment, the two had already removed their faceless masks, revealing their true appearances. Round eyes, round faces—they were strikingly an adorable pair of twin sisters.
Seeing the two return.
Qin Guo'er, who had long wanted to raise a Snow Civet Cat, said quickly, "Where is the Snow Civet Cat? Bring it out quickly and let this Princess see it!"
A'dong obeyed the order.
She carefully lifted the Snow Civet Cat from her storage bag and presented it.
As Qin Guo'er was about to take the Snow Civet Cat, an awkward expression appeared on her face when she saw what it looked like, and her outstretched little hand hesitated.
She saw that the creature, reputed to be the most beautiful ferocious beast.
Was completely bald without a single hair. Its skin was wrinkled and a hideous shade of pink.
It was ugly to the extreme!
"This is a Snow Civet Cat?!"
Unable to accept this, Qin Guo'er said, "Didn't they say the Snow Civet Cat is the most beautiful ferocious beast in the world? With fur as white as snow? What is this thing? Did you catch the wrong one!"
Just like their names.
Qiu'er and Dong'er's personalities were as bleak as the chilling winds of autumn and winter. The two responded in unison, their faces devoid of expression, "Reporting to the Princess, this Snow Civet Cat was just born. We presume it will become beautiful once it grows its fur."
"Is that so?"
Qin Guo'er reluctantly accepted this explanation.
Glancing at A'lan, who had secretly puffed out her chest again, she said dryly, "A'lan looks like someone who is good at nurturing. Dong'er, give the Snow Civet Cat to her. She will be raising it from now on."
A'lan felt she was being targeted by the Princess.
Looking at the ugly Snow Civet Cat.
She aggrievedly hugged it to her chest, not daring to utter half a complaint.
"Return to the estate."
Everything that needed to be done was done.
Following Princess Anle's command, the two Blue Phoenixes spread their wings. Glowing with mysterious light and radiating like the dawn, they pulled the phoenix carriage and the accompanying eight female officials up into the clouds.
...
The sky gradually darkened; night was about to fall.
Yunzhou City, Wanshou Ward, the Li family.
"It's getting late, why hasn't he come back yet?"
"The bow and arrows at home are gone too. Erlang must have gone up Yunling Mountain! Why is he so disobedient? What if something happens to him, how am I supposed to live! When he gets back, I'm absolutely going to beat him to death!"
Yang Ning paced around anxiously, clutching her rolling pin.
Lying on the sickbed, Li Yan could guess with his toes that Yang An had gone into the mountains to gather herbs for him.
Feeling both moved and anxious, he said, "We can't wait any longer. With the heavy snow sealing the mountain, every extra minute is an extra minute of danger. If he encounters a ferocious beast, it'll be trouble. A'ning, quickly take the silver and go find Old Hunter Zheng!"
"At this time of year, only he dares to go up the mountain. Beg him to go save Erlang!"
"But that silver is your last money for medicine." Yang Ning bit her lower lip tightly.
Li Yan said, "Save Erlang first. If something happens to Erlang, I won't have the face to keep living either. Go quickly!"
Just as Yang Ning grabbed the silver and was about to leave the house.
Knock, knock, knock.
A sudden knocking sound came from the courtyard gate.
The husband and wife looked at each other. "Is Erlang back?!"
Overjoyed, Yang Ning quickly ran to open the door.
"Er..."
The door had just opened.
Yang Ning's joyful voice caught in her throat.
There was no Yang An outside the door.
There was only a group of fierce-looking thugs holding sticks. Standing in the middle of them was a middle-aged man wearing a black dog-head felt hat. A scar running horizontally across the bridge of his nose was particularly eye-catching.
Yang Ning recognized him.
The boss of the Wang Family Moneyhouse.
Wang Gou'er.
Because of his ruthless methods and fierce reputation.
Most of the commoners in Yunzhou City called him Lord Gou (Dog).
Lord Gou looked Yang Ning up and down and smiled. "Madam Li, I haven't seen you in a few days, and you've truly become even more beautiful."