“Who’s there?” The bearded man’s shout blended with the howling wind and sudden downpour, enveloping the two sisters.

Jiang Yi’s face turned deathly pale as she tightly gripped Jiang Si’s hand.

The long-robed man looked at the bearded one. “Someone there?”

The bearded man’s expression tensed as he strode towards the large tree where the sisters were hiding.

Jiang Yi trembled violently, instinctively pushing Jiang Si behind her.

The wind grew fiercer, violently shaking the tree branches. As the bearded man approached, a branch snapped off in the wind, falling right in front of him.

He stepped on the fallen branch, absently grinding it with his toe, and continued towards the back of the tree without pause.

Jiang Yi covered her mouth tightly, barely able to control the urge to scream.

At this moment, she was terrified.

Even if they had just happened to gather here to avoid the rain, such a man would make her heart race. How much worse now that she had heard such chilling words?

What should they do? If this man discovered her and Fourth Sister, would he silence them?

No, no matter what, she couldn’t let anything happen to Fourth Sister.

The approaching footsteps sounded like a death knell to Jiang Yi, driving her to find great courage in her despair.

Jiang Yi reached out to push Jiang Si away, urging her to flee, but her hand met empty air. Looking closely, she saw Jiang Si had somehow moved in front of her.

“Fourth Sister!” The cry was choked in her throat by overwhelming fear. Jiang Yi felt like a leaf in the storm, desperate and helpless.

But the young woman shielding her exuded an eerie calmness.

Jiang Si watched a pair of black cloth shoes appear beside the tree, and without further hesitation, released her Phantom Firefly.

The barely visible Phantom Firefly flew into one of the bearded man’s ears like a shooting star and out the other.

The bearded man who appeared before the sisters had a moment of confusion in his eyes.

He was a martial artist, and such people often have strong willpower. Without appropriate verbal guidance, it was difficult to use the Phantom Firefly to induce hallucinations.

Jiang Si knew this well. She hadn’t expected to make him hallucinate but waited for this moment of disorientation.

Almost as soon as the bearded man lost focus, Jiang Si thrust forward a sharp needle she had been gripping, stabbing it into the man’s arm.

The bearded man’s whole body shuddered. To his horror, he found himself unable to move. Before he could even clearly see what was happening, some powder flew into his eyes.

A burning sensation assailed him. The bearded man’s face contorted in agony, but he couldn’t make a sound. The numbness spreading from his arm seemed to control every part of his body, preventing him from even crying out in pain.

“What’s wrong?” The long-robed man in the pavilion was puzzled to see his companion standing motionless by the tree.

The bearded man’s eyes trembled in pain from the unknown powder, tears streaming down his face.

The long-robed man called out again: “Did you find something? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Only the sound of wind and rain answered him.

“What’s going on?” The long-robed man finally couldn’t resist walking towards his bearded companion.

By now, the bearded man’s eyes were too painful to open, but his hearing was exceptionally acute. Hearing his companion’s footsteps drawing nearer, he was frantic with urgency, but the numbness throughout his body hadn’t subsided, and his throat still couldn’t produce a sound.

It was only a few steps from the pavilion to the tree, and the long-robed man quickly approached.

A stick swung towards him, striking him directly on the forehead.

The long-robed man’s vision went black as he toppled over, falling right onto the bearded man. Both men collapsed to the ground.

This rapid series of events left Jiang Yi completely dumbfounded.

The long-robed man and the bearded man hit the ground with a muffled thud.

Without hesitation, Jiang Si gave the bearded man another whack with the stick, then tossed aside the iron-tipped rod and grabbed Jiang Yi’s wrist, breaking into a run.

As they burst out from under the tree’s canopy, the curtain of rain instantly surrounded them. But Jiang Si had no time to worry about that now, pulling Jiang Yi along at breakneck speed.

The rain intensified, making the muddy, slippery ground feel like a quagmire with every step.

“Fourth Sister—” As soon as Jiang Yi opened her mouth, rainwater rushed in.

Jiang Si gripped Jiang Yi’s hand tightly, not pausing for a moment.

Jiang Si’s determination made Jiang Yi temporarily push aside all questions and panic, quickening her pace to keep up.

She should have been the one protecting her younger sister, but now she relied on her sister to escape. If she held her sister back now, she would never forgive herself.

The sisters supported each other as they ran for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, they saw two green umbrellas floating like unfurled lotus leaves in the endless wind and rain, drawing closer to them.

“Aman!” Jiang Si’s heart steadied.

Her greatest fear had been getting separated from Aman.

If Aman had gone to the pavilion and encountered those two men, things would have turned dire.

Jiang Si wasn’t sure how long the long-robed man would remain unconscious from the blow, but the bearded man’s paralysis wouldn’t last too long. The extra hit she’d given him wouldn’t be fatal, and given a martial artist’s physical condition, he might wake up soon.

The needle Jiang Si had stabbed into the bearded man was only a few inches long, its tip coated with a toxin. This toxin, secreted by the detoxification insects she raised, could cause instant full-body paralysis with just a skin prick. Unfortunately, its effects didn’t last long, but it was enough for a crucial moment.

As for the wooden stick that had knocked out the long-robed man, Jiang Si had snatched it from the bearded man’s waist—a case of using an enemy’s weapon against them.

Though it takes a long to describe, all this happened in an instant. Even now, Jiang Yi felt as if she were in a dream, unable to utter a word when she saw Aman and Aya rushing towards them.

Aman was shocked to see the sisters soaked to the bone. She quickly opened the umbrella tucked under her arm to shield Jiang Si, asking urgently, “Miss, didn’t we agree to wait for us in the pavilion to avoid the rain?”

Meanwhile, Aya opened her umbrella for Jiang Yi, supporting the weak-kneed woman.

At this moment, Jiang Si was exceptionally calm and decisively said, “Let’s talk after we return to the guest room.”

The opened umbrellas swayed wildly in the wind, barely blocking the slanting rain. By the time the four made it back to the guest room, Aman and Aya, who had been holding the umbrellas, were half-soaked, while the Jiang sisters were in an even more miserable state.

Water quickly dripped from hair tips and clothing hems, forming puddles on the floor.

Aman folded her umbrella and stamped her feet. “Miss, this servant will go fetch hot water for you to wash up.”

Jiang Si raised her eyes to look outside.

Raindrops formed curtains of water along the eaves, showing no signs of stopping. Occasionally, shadowy figures could be seen hurrying past the distant moon gate.

This sudden downpour had trapped many people.

Jiang Si glanced at Jiang Yi, who was soaked through and pale-faced, then nodded. “Go ahead.”

Seeing Aman go for hot water, Aya quickly said, “Madam, this servant will go with Sister Aman to fetch water.”

Jiang Yi nodded vaguely.

But Jiang Si spoke up: “You stay.”