Feng Jiu’er knew that the masked man Song Shiniang spoke of was her own man. Her man would never, for the sake of money, make such a heaven-defying, harmful drug.

“Without the formula, even if he finds it, he can’t produce it.” Mao Linye’s indifferent voice drifted out.

Feng Jiu’er took a slow breath, forcing herself to suppress her presence entirely.

“Boss, have you forgotten? They have a Long Jiu’er with them.” Song Shiniang’s tone was heavy. “If they really want to earn that kind of money, they may well find a way.”

“Boss, why don’t we contact the lord of Xiang City first, and have him send people to meet us near the South Mountain Villa.”

“He cares so much about the formula, he’ll surely agree to your proposal, boss.”

“As for the remaining hidden drugs stored at South Mountain Villa — apart from the few who already know, no one will ever be able to find them.”

“By the way, boss, do you really intend to hand the formula over to the lord of Xiang City?”

Song Shiniang had finally said something useful. Feng Jiu’er pressed her ear closer to the wall, afraid of missing anything.

But if the remaining hidden drugs really are at South Mountain Villa — that’s unexpected.

So then, where exactly are these drugs hidden?

“The formula is in my head. Unless I want it to come out, otherwise—”

Knock, knock, knock…

Before Mao Linye could finish, knocking sounded in the corridor.

Feng Jiu’er stared at the soldier who’d come to knock, her gaze practically boring a hole through him.

“Boss, urgent news to report,” the soldier said after knocking.

Soon, the door to the room was pulled open. Feng Jiu’er hid in the topmost corner, trying to minimize her presence as much as possible.

“What is it?” Song Shiniang asked coldly.

“They’ve escaped — Young Miss Xiaoxiao’s two brothers have escaped,” the soldier reported.

Hearing this, Feng Jiu’er didn’t linger any longer. She turned and vanished from the corridor in an instant.

An hour later, a thunderous boom sounded, and a large stretch of forest collapsed. Not long before that, an army had entered the forest…

The next day, in a town some distance from Fenggang Town, an army surrounded an unremarkable inn.

Feng Jiu’er led her brothers in a charge inside. After searching the inn’s ground floor, the men gradually emerged one by one from different areas.

“Young Miss Jiu’er, we found five bodies, all dead from poison.”

“Young Miss Jiu’er, I found three on this side.”

“Young Miss Jiu’er, three more bodies in the kitchen, also poisoned.”

“Young Miss Jiu’er, there are dead people in the guest rooms too, the bodies are still warm.”

Listening to her brothers’ reports, Feng Jiu’er’s heart grew colder and colder. This fox Mao Linye — he really has no shortage of tricks.

The underground chamber had been blown up, and her brothers couldn’t find the escape route, so they had no choice but to conduct a wide search.

An hour ago, they had finally gotten a lead, but Mao Linye kept killing people to unsettle her and slow her advance.

Feng Jiu’er clenched her fists and strode toward the stairs.

“He can’t have gotten far. Pass the word — not even a fly gets to leave. Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find him!”

“Yes!” the men answered, nodding in agreement.

Feng Jiu’er went upstairs, a squad of brothers following behind her. She gave a few instructions, then climbed to the rooftop of the third floor.

That old fox Mao Linye — if I don’t catch him now, who knows how many more will die.

Suddenly, a signal flare burst open above the forest behind the inn. Without a second thought, Feng Jiu’er leapt lightly from the roof to the courtyard wall. She crossed the courtyard behind, left the grounds, climbed a treetop, and quickly arrived at the place where the flare had gone off.

In the forest, the sounds of fighting rang out, and the brothers all around rushed toward the spot.

Standing on the treetop, Feng Jiu’er looked down at the scene below, and holding a short blade, leapt down lightly.

“Get out of the way!” she called out, striking her blade toward the man dueling with Qiao Mu.

Qiao Mu and the others heard her voice and immediately retreated, clearing a space.

A flash of silver light, and a thick tree branch was severed clean. A cold gust of blade-wind rushed forward, and Song Shiniang’s heart lurched — she spun quickly and threw herself in front of Mao Linye.

Shua! The force of Feng Jiu’er’s blade struck Song Shiniang directly. Song Shiniang’s whole body was sent flying, and the force pushed Mao Linye behind her back a great distance as well.

Pa! The two of them slammed into a large tree trunk and fell to the ground together.

Right after, the remaining dozen or so soldiers were either killed or captured. The scene was brought under control in an instant.

Flying branches and leaves scattered down, and finally the forest fell quiet again.

Mao Linye held the gravely wounded Song Shiniang in his arms; he himself was badly injured too.

Qiang! Qiao Mu’s long sword pressed directly against Mao Linye’s throat.

“I told you to kill people!”

Shua! Qiao Mu’s sword plunged into Mao Linye’s shoulder.

“B-boss.” Song Shiniang opened her mouth, and dark blood poured out endlessly.

Feng Jiu’er had only used fifty percent of her strength earlier, and it had still been enough to take Song Shiniang’s life.

“He — he has the secret formula, the formula for the hidden drug. Let… him go! Boss, give… them the formula, keeping… keeping your life is what matters most…”

Song Shiniang used her very last breath to finish her words. As soon as she spoke, her head tilted to the side, and her eyes closed forever.

Mao Linye shook the woman in his arms; seeing her no longer move, he pushed her aside.

Just now, he too had been struck by the wind-force of Feng Jiu’er’s blade, wounding his heart meridian, and his body had slammed hard into the tree trunk — the injury was severe.

“You.” Mao Linye raised his eyes to look at the woman beside Qiao Mu.

“Xiaoxiao? Long Jiu’er? The new lord of Yongshan City?”

“Never thought… haha…” Suddenly Mao Linye threw his head back and laughed.

“I really never thought I would lose to a few women, haha…”

Qiao Mu turned the hilt of his sword, staring death at Mao Linye.

“You lost to justice. A man like you deserves to die ten times over and no one would pity you!”

“Besides you, who else knows the secret formula for the hidden drug?” Feng Jiu’er asked coldly.

Mao Linye met her gaze, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.

“No one,” he said. “The formula exists only in my mind.”

“You know what kind of man I am, don’t you? Medicine this valuable — I would never let anyone else know it.”

“Capturing me is useless. Everyone who knows anything only knows a fragment — no one knows the entire process of making it.”

Mao Linye raised a hand and pointed to his own head.

“The formula, and the entire process of making it, are all in here, right here.” He tapped his forehead.

“Get even one step of the sequence wrong, and what you produce is nothing but pure poison, haha…”

“Long Jiu’er, you’re clever — you should know…”

“Kill him!” Feng Jiu’er cut Mao Linye off coldly.

Everything she’d previously heard about Mao Linye had been secondhand, and it hadn’t moved her much. But chasing him this whole way, what she had witnessed with her own eyes had long since made her want to tear him to pieces.

This man deserves to die!