Hearing this name, Luo Wanqing’s eyes widened.

Qin Jue?

Was this Qin Jue?

The target of Fengyu Pavilion’s assassination this time, the future second director of the Supervision Department?!

Luo Wanqing stared at him in a daze. The other party observed her expression and asked puzzledly: “Miss, do you know me?”

“No,” Luo Wanqing came back to her senses and quickly denied, “I don’t know you.”

She couldn’t let anyone discover that she had any unusual reaction to Qin Jue; otherwise, if Qin Jue were ever assassinated in the future, she would become a suspect.

But she still felt somewhat unwilling and couldn’t help saying: “You’re not Nine Frost, so why did you respond when I called you that?”

“This…” Qin Jue didn’t dare look at her and said stiffly: “I was just going along with what you said, Miss.”

“Then what about your internal energy?” Luo Wanqing keenly remembered and reached out to grab his wrist. As soon as she touched it, she discovered this person’s internal energy was extremely weak.

Luo Wanqing looked up in surprise and saw Qin Jue innocently raise his hand, placing his other hand on his arm. Instantly, his pulse showed powerful internal energy.

Luo Wanqing looked at him incredulously. Qin Jue smiled awkwardly: “A little martial world trick.”

“You…”

Luo Wanqing opened her mouth to curse, but thinking that while the person before her wasn’t suitable for friendship, it also wasn’t wise to make an enemy of him. She gritted her teeth, held back for a long time, and finally restrained herself. Without paying attention to him, she controlled her anger and turned to look at the man holding the heavy sword, bowing: “My apologies, there was some misunderstanding earlier. If the hero wants this room, I’ll leave immediately.”

“Smart of you!”

White Rat immediately spoke up, then turned to bow to Nine Frost: “Thank you, big brother.”

Luo Wanqing’s expression was ugly. She said no more and went back into the room to pack her things.

Seeing this, Qin Jue quickly followed in with his teacup, asking puzzledly: “Xiniang, you’re just letting them have it like this?”

“If you want to stay, find your way. I’ll sleep in the woodshed myself.” Luo Wanqing finished packing and turned to leave.

Qin Jue quickly followed her out, trailing behind Luo Wanqing: “Xiniang, how could I bear to let you sleep in the woodshed alone? If you sleep in the woodshed, I’ll have to…”

“Don’t follow me!” Luo Wanqing turned back to stop him, saying coldly: “I was looking for Hero Nine Frost and have no relationship whatsoever with Young Master Qin. Young Master Qin deceived me first—I won’t hold it against you, but I hope you’ll respect yourself and stay away from me.”

“Xiniang, speaking like this hurts my feelings.” Qin Jue sighed. “Just because I’m not Nine Frost, you’re unwilling to help me anymore?”

“How can you ask such a thing?” Luo Wanqing controlled her urge to strike, frowning tightly. “Is it fun to toy with me?”

Hearing this, Qin Jue’s smile faded somewhat, and he became more serious.

He thought for a moment, bowed, and apologized: “Deceiving you was indeed my fault, Miss, and I apologize. However,” he looked up and persuaded, “what Miss seeks is just greater assurance of passing the Supervision Department examination. Nine Frost can help you, and so can I. I indeed need someone to look after me along the way. I think we each get what we need—this transaction should be able to continue?”

Luo Wanqing listened to his words and pondered.

Whether Nine Frost would enter the Supervision Department, she wasn’t clear.

But Qin Jue would indeed become the second director of the Supervision Department in the future. Looking at his confident manner, he should have some way to enter the Supervision Department.

However…

Just because Qin Jue could enter the Supervision Department didn’t mean she could too.

This person had too many variables around him. Fengyu Pavilion was targeting him. If she stayed too close to Qin Jue, Fengyu Pavilion might actively seek her out, and her chances of exposure would be too great.

Once she was exposed, not only would she most likely die, but she would also implicate Liu Xiniang.

Her death would have little meaning.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Jue prompted: “Miss?”

“No need.” Luo Wanqing turned to refuse. “I don’t cooperate with liars.”

With that, Luo Wanqing turned and left.

Qin Jue was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed, continuing: “Xiniang, think about it some more. Think about just now—how capable and impressive you were when I guided your fighting! Won’t you reconsider? I’m no worse than Nine Frost. Nine Frost is just a martial world brute. My Qin family has been high officials for three generations—we have money and power. I’m just temporarily in trouble. When my grievances are cleared in the future and my Qin family regains its prestige, I absolutely won’t treat you poorly.”

Luo Wanqing ignored him and turned the corner to walk to the woodshed. Qin Jue continued chattering behind her: “I have connections to pass the Supervision Department examination. Trust me—I absolutely won’t deceive you this time!”

As Qin Jue shouted, Luo Wanqing pushed open the woodshed door, stepped inside, and turned to close the door.

Qin Jue quickly blocked the door with his body, showing an ingratiating smile: “Xiniang…”

“Get out.” Luo Wanqing looked up. “Or don’t blame me for taking action.”

“Well,” Qin Jue hesitantly glanced outside, “all the rooms are assigned now. If you don’t let me sleep in the woodshed, I’ll have nowhere to sleep.”

Luo Wanqing paused. Qin Jue quickly said, “I promise not to harass you. I just need a place to sleep.”

Luo Wanqing looked up at him. Qin Jue showed a sincere smile, but before it could fully bloom, Luo Wanqing suddenly lifted her foot and kicked him out, slamming the door shut.

“Get lost!”

She shouted harshly.

Then she locked the door, turned around to find a place in the woodshed, leaned back with closed eyes to rest, and calculated what to do next.

The medicine she brought had been mostly consumed by Qin Jue. She had spent silver on him and even had conflicts with the real Nine Frost’s people for his sake. Now, if she tried to join Nine Frost, it probably wouldn’t be reliable.

Moreover, the news about the Supervision Department’s preliminary test requirements seemed to be known by many people. Nine Frost also knew his advantages. It was only the first day, and he had already recruited so many followers. Her chances of relying on Nine Frost to enter the second round didn’t seem very promising.

So now she could only rely on herself.

She took a deep breath and stopped overthinking. Following the method Liu Xiniang had taught her, she closed her eyes to meditate and guided her internal energy to circulate.

The internal energy Liu Xiniang left her with was extremely powerful, but her meridians could barely support it. During her time in death row, she rarely used internal energy in fights—not only to train her physical abilities, but also because she discovered that whenever she circulated the technique, her meridians would ache severely.

This was the flaw of forcibly inheriting someone else’s internal energy, and this flaw needed a long time to slowly remedy.

She pondered while guiding herself into meditation.

Just as her thoughts had calmed down, she heard “Qin Jue’s” voice from outside: “Xiniang, the guards brought some meat. Did you request this for me? Thank you so much, I…”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing’s anger flared up again. She couldn’t meditate at all. She stood up and yanked open the door to see a young man sitting cross-legged at the entrance, holding a bowl of chicken.

Hearing her movement, Qin Jue turned around, and his eyes lit up.

Luo Wanqing looked at him coldly and reached out: “Give me the meat. It’s mine.”

“I know it’s yours. I didn’t touch it.” Qin Jue smiled and handed over the bowl of meat. “But I still thank you.”

Luo Wanqing said nothing. She took the meat and immediately closed the door again.

Having eaten steamed buns all day, she was hungry too.

Now that she had to travel and practice martial arts, she ate seriously every day. She would eat meat when she could.

She hadn’t been like this in the past.

She didn’t like eating meat and only enjoyed vegetarian dishes and pastries.

For her, meat was more of a flavoring.

Thinking of the past, she couldn’t help thinking of her family. She wondered how they were doing, where Liu Xiniang had gotten to, whether they had met Liu Xiniang, and whether they recognized her.

If they recognized her, they would learn of her death, and her family…

It would be very sad.

The more Luo Wanqing thought about it, the more her heart ached.

She controlled her emotions and lowered her head to grab the meat, planning to eat it in big bites. But as the meat reached her nose, she immediately smelled something wrong.

Heartbreak grass.

A deadly poison that kills upon contact with blood.

Luo Wanqing froze, immediately put down the meat bowl, and quickly opened the door with her hand that hadn’t touched the meat, then rushed to the well in the courtyard.

The young man sitting at the door saw her movements and quickly asked: “What’s wrong with you?”

“Did you touch that bowl of meat?!”

Luo Wanqing immediately inquired. The other quickly waved his hands: “Don’t worry, I didn’t steal any. I…”

“Did you touch the meat?!”

Luo Wanqing interrupted him. Qin Jue shook his head, sensing something was wrong: “What happened?”

“Quickly draw water.”

Luo Wanqing directed Qin Jue. The young man obediently drew water. Luo Wanqing stretched out her hand and had Qin Jue stand where the water couldn’t reach him, having him hold the water bucket to rinse her hands.

The young man looked quite scholarly, but his strength was considerable. He lifted the water bucket to waist height very easily.

As soon as the water touched Luo Wanqing’s hands, it turned red. The young man looked surprised: “What is this?”

“Heartbreak grass.” Luo Wanqing explained. “One of the fastest-killing poisons. Right now, we have no other way to deal with it except diluting it with water. Otherwise, even the soil here would contain deadly poison.”

After rinsing with one bucket of water, Luo Wanqing immediately said: “Another one…”

Before she finished speaking, Luo Wanqing felt dizzy. The young man beside her immediately dropped the bucket to support her, saying urgently: “What’s wrong with you?”

Luo Wanqing said nothing. Only then did she smell the faint medicinal scent and the bloody smell in the air.

She had been too nervous earlier and hadn’t noticed at all. Only now did she realize—sleeping drug.

These assassins had released sleeping smoke over a wide area in this courtyard.

They put deadly poison for Qin Jue and sleeping smoke for the entire courtyard, plus the bloody smell…

Luo Wanqing shook her head, using her remaining rationality to consider the current situation. Fengyu Pavilion undoubtedly wanted to kill Qin Jue, but with this sleeping smoke, did they plan to target just the guards, or everyone?

But Luo Wanqing had no time to think more. Her body began to weaken. Qin Jue supported her and said urgently, “Xiniang, what’s wrong with you?!”

“Run…”

Luo Wanqing supported herself and said through gritted teeth: “You should leave quickly.”

Stay away from me.

Luo Wanqing didn’t say these words aloud.

She just used actions to push Qin Jue beside her, but Qin Jue’s expression became unusually serious as he only said, “No, if we’re leaving, we leave together.”

As they spoke, voices could already be heard from outside. Qin Jue gritted his teeth and scooped up Luo Wanqing, stumbling toward the exit. Holding Luo Wanqing, he touched the ground with his toes, took advantage of the chaos to leap over the wall, and rushed into the dense forest on the outskirts while carrying her.

His martial arts were extremely poor. He half-flew, half-ran all the way, stumbling and staggering.

Luo Wanqing was carried by him away from the area with the sleeping smoke. Leaning in his arms, she felt a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance coming from the young man. After resting for a while, she felt much better mentally and her body gradually recovered. She said hoarsely: “You… put me down and go by yourself.”

He was the most dangerous one here. She needed to stay away from him.

However, the young man frowned and said seriously, “No, Xiniang, I absolutely cannot leave you at this time.”

“No…”

Before she finished speaking, Luo Wanqing sensed cold arrows whistling toward them. Her eyes widened as she suddenly hugged the young man tightly, all her strength exploded, and she plunged downward, dragging Qin Jue to roll to the ground.

In that instant, two black-clothed figures caught up to Luo Wanqing and Qin Jue, raising their swords to strike.

Qin Jue pushed Luo Wanqing forward. A black-clothed figure’s wrist happened to be exposed right in front of Luo Wanqing. She instinctively reached up to grab the black-clothed figure and twisted hard. While seizing the blade, she instantly kicked the black-clothed figure away!

The other black-clothed figure chased after Qin Jue with his sword. Qin Jue rolled toward the trees while the black-clothed figure slashed dozens of times, but couldn’t hit Qin Jue. Finally, one slash got stuck in a tree.

In the moment he pulled at the blade, Qin Jue took the opportunity to turn and run. He ran extremely fast and was behind Luo Wanqing in an instant.

Luo Wanqing had just grabbed the blade and stood up when she felt someone behind her grab her clothes and say urgently, “Xiniang, it’s all up to you now!”

At this moment, the assassins had also caught up and surrounded the two of them. Luo Wanqing held the blade, collected herself, and said calmly: “Gentlemen, this Young Master Qin behind me and I are neither relatives nor friends. If you want to kill him, I absolutely won’t interfere. Please spare my life.”

“Xiniang?” Qin Jue turned around in shock. “I just saved you, and you’re this heartless?”

However, these words didn’t move the arriving assassins. They looked at Luo Wanqing and simply waved their hands. The leader said coldly, “Kill them all.”