Chapter 067: How Dare You Harm My Woman?!

“A heart as venomous as a snake’s? In your eyes, your beloved Qiner has become venomous now? Even if that’s true, it’s because you forced her to be this way!” Qiner’s voice shook as she shouted, “Who is she? She’s only been here for just over two months, and yet she’s stolen away the affection you’ve given me for ten years! Why? Tell me, why does she deserve it?”

Bang! The door was kicked open with a tremendous force; one of its panels crashed to the floor, sending up a cloud of dust.

The two in the room hadn’t even recovered from their shock when a blazing red figure flashed into the room. In the next instant, Qiner, still frozen in astonishment, felt a powerful hand clamp fiercely around her neck.

“Let... go...” Qiner’s eyes widened in terror as she struggled and choked out the words with difficulty, but her efforts were utterly futile. Xiaojiu, standing to the side, was so stunned by the scene that he forgot even to react.

“You—dare—to—harm—my—woman?!” Mo Yan narrowed his eyes, spitting out the question word by word, each syllable grinding with rage. In his brown eyes, a fire seemed to blaze, growing ever more intense.

Qiner stared at the strikingly handsome yet furious man before her, terrified and bewildered by his words. She wanted to explain, but no sound would come.

His grip tightened; she could almost hear the faint cracking from her throat. Her chest burned with suffocation; she felt certain she was about to die. What could she do? Who would save her? She didn’t want to die!

As Qiner’s eyes began to roll back and her struggles weakened, Xiaojiu finally snapped out of his daze. He rushed forward, desperately prying at Mo Yan’s hand and shouting anxiously, “Mo Yan! Let go! She’s my junior sister! Let go!”

Mo Yan shot him a venomous glare, then looked at the asphyxiating Qiner. With a cold snort, he flung her aside with a violent wave of his hand.

Thud! Her head struck the leg of the table; blood instantly welled up, and she collapsed in a motionless heap.

“Qiner!” Xiaojiu cried out in horror and darted over, while Mo Yan merely cast a cold, indifferent glance, utterly devoid of pity.

Once Xiaojiu had carried Qiner to the bed and bandaged her wound, Mo Yan spoke coldly. “Where is she? Where did she go?”

“Who?” Xiaojiu asked in confusion. He still couldn’t fathom why Mo Yan had suddenly appeared, or why he had acted so ruthlessly toward Qiner.

“Who else? Jiner!” Mo Yan’s glare was thunderous as he barked her name.

Xiaojiu was startled. “Jiner? You know her? How do you know her?”

“That’s none of your business! I’m asking you, where is she now?” Mo Yan leapt up from his seat, so furious he looked about ready to strike him.

Xiaojiu frowned and sighed helplessly. “She left. We don’t know where she went. We’ve been searching for days without a trace.”

“Damn it!” Mo Yan rolled his eyes in anger and slammed his fist down on the desk.

He’d overheard the argument between Xiaojiu and Qiner from outside the door, and could guess most of what had happened. He’d noticed Qiner’s cold treatment of Jiner once before, but hadn’t thought much of it. Never did he imagine she’d dare go this far...

Mo Yan glared murderously at the unconscious Qiner lying on the bed, itching to strangle her himself.

Damn it! Jiner was poisoned—if anything were to happen to her... Mo Yan dared not finish the thought. He took a deep, ragged breath and said coldly, “You’d better pray nothing happens to her. Otherwise...” At that, his gaze hardened on Qiner, and with a dramatic sweep of his sleeve, he stormed out.

“Hey—” Xiaojiu scrambled after him, but by the time he reached the outside, the fiery red silhouette had already vanished.

How did he know Jiner? And just now, hadn’t he said to Qiner, “You dare harm my woman?” What did he mean by that? Was Jiner his... What on earth was going on?

Xiaojiu’s brow furrowed in confusion, a strange and inexplicable ache taking root in his heart. He stood outside the door for a long while before staggering back into the room, slumping into a chair and staring up at the rafters, his mind in turmoil.

——————————————

“Brother Yifan, well? Do you still dare to look down on Ying’er?” Liu Ying ran over to Chu Yifan, beaming triumphantly after demonstrating every move he’d taught her the other day. She tipped up her chin with a proud little smile.

Chu Yifan smiled and gently tapped her nose. “Very good. I must say, you’ve really improved in just a few days.” As he spoke, his gaze drifted, seemingly by chance, toward Jiner, who stood nearby.

Jiner, who had been watching them, caught Chu Yifan’s glance and felt her heart skip a beat. Hastily, she feigned nonchalance and turned her gaze elsewhere.

Why was he looking at her?

Liu Ying, caught up in her own excitement, failed to notice any oddness between the two. She cheerfully slipped her arm through Chu Yifan’s and began recounting with sweet pride how diligent she’d been these past days, looking all the more endearing for it.

Chu Yifan listened with a smile, offered a few words of praise, and then prepared to teach her the next sequence of sword techniques.

Liu Ying was delighted. She tugged him toward the center of the platform, and, not forgetting her friend, shot Jiner a meaningful look, urging her to pay close attention.

Jiner, of course, understood her friend’s intentions. She smiled and nodded, reassuring Liu Ying to rest easy.

Thus, Liu Ying was once more lost in the sweetness of close training with Chu Yifan, while Jiner stood quietly in the corner, absorbing every move without blinking.

After Chu Yifan left, Liu Ying ran up to Jiner, brimming with excitement. “Well? Did you memorize it all? He seemed to teach even more today!”

Jiner smiled, took the sword from her, and said, “Watch.” With that, she began to mimic the sequence from memory. Though her movements lacked some fluidity, she hadn’t missed a single technique.

From behind a nearby rockery, Chu Yifan, dressed in white, watched the petite figure flawlessly reenact his swordsmanship. A gentle smile curved his lips. What a prodigy—she was, if anything, even more gifted in martial arts than he’d been in his youth.

He smiled to himself, then turned and walked away at an unhurried pace, idly tapping his white fan against his leg, his mind pondering a question that had troubled him for a long time.

Who was she, truly? And why had she come to the Liu household?