Pei Xiao was scared out of his wits. To bolster his courage, he deliberately cursed.

“What the hell do you want to do? Stay away from me—get lost!”

Ah Qiang acted as if he hadn’t heard the curses. He reached into Pei Xiao’s robes and quickly pulled out an official seal.

Zhou Ye then also took out his own official seal and tossed it.

Ah Qiang caught it steadily, then walked out of the courtyard without a word.

“Miss Yan, what do you think those monks’ reaction will be when they see Master Pei’s official seal and then see mine?”

“…”

At this moment.

Yan Sanhe’s inner amazement was beyond description.

Truly clever!

Two official seals, plus a statement—Master Pei discovered he had wronged Lord Zhou, and now the two have turned enmity into friendship. You’re not needed here—go back!

The monks didn’t want to get involved in official struggles anyway. They wouldn’t ask a single question and would just pack up and leave.

And once the monks left, the six of them…

They wouldn’t even know how they died!

Yan Sanhe narrowed her eyes, staring fixedly at Zhou Ye before her, but in her mind appeared a scene of her playing chess with Yan Xing.

The Chu-Han boundary, sudden winds and clouds rising.

Yan Xing made a flower-heart chariot move. “Check!”

Yan Sanhe was silent for a long while. “I’ve lost.”

“Child!”

Yan Xing picked up her piece. “Until the last moment, don’t easily concede defeat. Look…”

He made a screen horse move. “A chance of life!”

Yan Sanhe shook her head forcefully. Three clear thoughts surged in her mind.

Holding a blade to someone’s throat—that’s what I, Yan Sanhe, should be doing—

That was one thought.

I lit the first stick of incense, but the Bodhisattva didn’t protect me. Was it that the frivolous Xie wasn’t sincere in lighting incense, or does the Bodhisattva only take incense without doing work—

That was the second thought.

How to break this current situation—

That was the third, and most important thought!

Just then, Zhou Ye walked to her side with hands behind his back, bent down to pull up the dagger from the ground, his voice low: “Miss Yan, choose a method of death!”

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly. “Death—can one even choose?”

“One can!”

Zhou Ye said, “Will it be a single sword through the throat, or death by a thousand cuts? Arsenic and poisoned wine, or hemp rope and white silk? Die before these several, or die after them?”

“Your sister—if you’re going to kill, then kill; if you’re going to slice, then slice! What’s with all this nonsense!”

Li Buyan suddenly cursed.

“This lady hates blabbering, chattering birds like you most! Come on, this lady first—hurry up! Whoever doesn’t act is a damn grandson!”

Huang Qi beside her turned green with fear: My lady, have you gone mad?

But Zhu Qing’s eyes flickered: Truly admirable—she’s protecting her master!

Zhou Ye’s face turned iron-blue. Gripping the dagger, he walked toward Li Buyan.

All the hair on Yan Sanhe’s body stood on end.

She whirled around, eyes blood-red as she stared at Li Buyan. The liquid in her blood vessels boiled and burned—not from emotion, but because she saw a thread of life.

Li Buyan was right.

Why all this talk!

Things had reached this point. If Zhou Ye wasn’t killing them immediately, what auspicious day was he waiting for?

Moreover!

He had his subordinate take the two official seals to meet the monks. Wasn’t he afraid Third Master and the monks had some special secret signal arrangement?

Moreover!

He bound everyone else but gave her special treatment, when she was clearly the one performing念化魔—she should be the most dangerous one!

In a flash—

Yan Sanhe suddenly thought of how those black-clothed men in the forest had struck once then retreated; thought of the wine with no added “ingredients”…

Not right!

Something definitely wasn’t right!

In the void, two fragments that had been floating separately in her mind suddenly clicked together.

Where the two fragments connected, some places fit seamlessly; some places were completely mismatched, unable to connect at all.

But so what!

The opponent had already made their “flower-heart chariot” check move. Her “screen horse” could only take one step and see what happens next.

After all, how much worse could it get?

Yan Sanhe suddenly rushed forward, grabbing Zhou Ye’s hand that held the dagger.

“Yan Sanhe!”

Li Buyan’s heart nearly leaped out. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing!”

Yan Sanhe’s speech was abnormally fast. “I just want to ask Lord Zhou one question—you went to such great lengths, step by step luring us here, for what purpose?”

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Each word fell like splitting thunder into everyone’s ears.

Pei Xiao’s eyes nearly bulged out: Brother, what did she just say? Did you hear?

Xie Zhifei’s heart pounded wildly: I’m not deaf!

Zhou Ye looked down, unable to believe what he was seeing from Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe lifted her chin at him. “Lord Zhou went to such great lengths, step by step luring us here—you must have a purpose!”

Two sentences—not a single word changed in the front, but the meaning at the end was vastly different.

“For what purpose” was a question.

“Must have a purpose” was an affirmation, also an answer to the previous sentence.

From Xie Zhifei’s angle, he could just see Yan Sanhe’s hand hanging at her side—that slender, pale hand, thumb and index finger unconsciously pinching together, again and again.

His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but feel nervous for Yan Sanhe.

This girl…

Wasn’t certain either!

Zhou Ye’s hand twisted lightly free. With great interest, he examined Yan Sanhe twice more.

“Miss Yan, do you perhaps have some persecution complex? I lured you? Why would I lure you!”

“Good question!”

Yan Sanhe pointed at a palace lantern nearby.

“The first time I saw this thing was at the Xie manor. Walking all the way, looking all the way—truly beautiful. And expensive too, right?”

Her finger shifted, pointing toward the main hall.

“All yellow rosewood—how much silver must that cost?”

Her finger shifted again, pointing at the wine pot shattered into pieces on the ground. “Even the painting on it was done by a master…”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze turned cold.

“And yet need to steal for those eight hundred taels?”

Zhou Ye erupted in fury. “What evidence do you have that I stole your eight hundred taels?”

“Your words just now are the evidence.”

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly. “I only said eight hundred taels. I didn’t say those eight hundred taels were ours. What is Lord Zhou feeling guilty about?”

Zhou Ye’s old face instantly flushed red. He also sneered coldly. “Is Miss Yan playing word games with me?”

“Can’t compare to you, Lord Zhou, playing ‘fishing like Jiang Taigong—those willing take the bait’ so smoothly.”

Yan Sanhe said, “At that old man’s tea stall, you didn’t need to leave behind that small bundle containing silver at all.”

Xie Zhifei’s pupils instantly contracted then dilated.

“You could have calmly finished your tea, casually chatted a few sentences with the old man as usual. Forget people—even the cleverest ghost wouldn’t suspect you.”

Xie Zhifei blurted out, “Yet he deliberately left the bundle, deliberately put down two coins, deliberately left in haste, deliberately didn’t stop when called.”

Pei Xiao startled: Brother, why are you speaking?

Xie Zhifei’s long lashes lowered: Brother, support her quickly—don’t let her stand alone!

Yan Sanhe calmly glanced at Xie Zhifei, then slowly picked up the thread:

“Did Lord Zhou want us to become suspicious of you that badly?”