However, because this person was named Xia Xianning, his actions did not seem ridiculous, but instead brought great pressure to Zhu Caiwei.
Sundaban said, “Just him alone. I know you don’t want to see him, so I’ve already led him to another place. I told him to rest for a night, and we’ll have a meeting tomorrow to give him an explanation.”
Zhu Caiwei pulled Sundaban aside and whispered, “How can tomorrow work? There’s not enough time to prepare!”
Sundaban gave a bitter smile, “He’s not easy to fool. I really… don’t dare to make excuses in front of him. Whenever he looks at me, I feel like I’m completely frozen.”
Zhu Caiwei took a deep breath, feeling a painful tightness in her chest. She was not respectful to Sundaban and said irritably, “So what now? You’ve left him here, are you trying to let him find me? He’s definitely coming for me!”
Unlike Sundaban, who was entirely on Zhu Caiwei’s side, they had lived in the Chi Qiong clan for many years, had wide connections, and were of high seniority. They missed the peaceful life of the past.
“Clan leader, madam,” an elder spoke after their discussion, addressing Sundaban and Zhu Caiwei, “I have a suggestion. I hope you two personally apologize to that young man from the human race.”
Zhu Caiwei remained silent, and Sundaban said, “Go on.”
The elder carefully chose his words, “Actually, we don’t have a deep hatred with the Changliu Sect. Madam said that when she was young, she was oppressed after her father’s death, and I deeply sympathize with that. However, it didn’t cause any substantial harm, and it was a long time ago… Your current life is happy. If you can let go of past grievances and live well, it would be more rational than seeking revenge.”
His words were quite pertinent, but what Zhu Caiwei wanted to say was simply “nonsense.”
Because she knew very well that the situation she told the Chi Qiong clan members was itself false. Her conflict with the Changliu Sect was not just a simple grudge, but more like a deep-seated hatred, especially after severely injuring Luo Mingbai. Xia Xianning had already come to Meng Chou Hill and would definitely not let her off.
But now, her grand plan was not yet complete. She couldn’t leave.
Zhu Caiwei had made up her mind. She took a breath and spoke to the elder, “Uncle Zhao, I understand your words, and I know you mean well. But I still have some unresolved issues. Since Xia Xianning has agreed to rest here tonight, let others entertain him. I also need to calm down.”
Her willingness to listen was remarkable. The clan members felt satisfied. Uncle Zhao said, “That’s good. Remember, we still have many people detained on their mountain. We must get our clan members back to Meng Chou Hill as soon as possible.”
Zhu Caiwei said, “I understand.”
Her actions had been excessive. Using the Chi Qiong clan members for personal revenge and then trapping them had caused dissatisfaction. But now, her reasonableness had somewhat restored her image. Others nodded satisfactorily and gradually took their leave.
Only Sundaban and Zhu Caiwei remained in the room. Zhu Caiwei picked up a teacup from the table and smashed it forcefully on the ground, feeling her suppressed anger dissipate with the sound.
Sundaban, not knowing what to say, tried to comfort her, “Anyway, you don’t care about those detained people. In the end, it’s just about a person from the Changliu Sect. He’s in the Meng Chou Hill territory, and his life and death are completely under our control. There’s no need to panic.”
A fleeting look of disdain crossed Zhu Caiwei’s eyes. She said coldly, “You’ve never seen Xia Xianning, so stop making such cold remarks. What you need to do is complete the task I assigned you and not waste my cultivation of you.”
Zhu Caiwei said, “I haven’t figured it out yet. For now, find someone to keep Xia Xianning in check. At the very least, ensure nothing goes wrong tonight. Beauty, alcohol, banquet – anything works, just keep him from finding me.”
Just as Sundaban was about to agree, the door suddenly made a light creaking sound. Zhu Caiwei, extremely sensitive at this moment, stood up immediately. Sundaban opened the door to find one of the clan members who had been in the previous meeting.
The man said, “I left something here and came to retrieve it.”
Sundaban made way and let the man enter. Brother An picked up the item from the table, nodded to Zhu Caiwei, and was about to leave.
At that moment, Zhu Caiwei’s hand suddenly and unexpectedly rose. A silver light flew past Sundaban’s face and instantly pierced through Brother An’s back!
An Da Ge hadn’t yet reacted to what was happening when he suddenly collapsed, his head hitting the doorframe with a muffled thud before sliding to the ground, motionless.
Even Sundadan’s face was grazed by the sharp silver light, leaving a faint trace of blood, but beyond the slight pain, he felt fear deep in his heart.
His heart raced, body rigid, until Zhu Caiwei said “bring him inside” and he came to his senses, realizing he was drenched in cold sweat.
Sundadan had no time to think further, dragging An Da Ge’s body into the room, then slowly straightening up and glancing at Zhu Caiwei.
Zhu Caiwei held a small silver crossbow, and the arrow on An Da Ge’s body was identical to the one she had used to ambush Xia Xianning last time. At this moment, she was staring at the person on the ground, her eyes filled with killing intent, her lips tightly pressed, as if looking at an enemy with whom she had an irreconcilable hatred.
Sundadan said: “You, do you have a grudge with him?”
Zhu Caiwei glanced at him, slowly putting away her weapon, and said with a smile: “No.”
He said: “The Chiqiong tribe never kills their own people. If there’s no grudge, why did you kill An Da Ge! He clearly didn’t hear us talking just now!”
Zhu Caiwei said: “Didn’t hear?
Hmph, you’re not him, how can you guarantee he didn’t hear? He’s usually talkative, but after entering, he said nothing and was about to leave so quickly. I think he’s hiding something.”
Sundadan said: “That’s just suspicion!”
Zhu Caiwei stood up, pulled out the small arrow, wiped off the blood and put it away, slowly saying: “Moving forward single-mindedly toward my goal and clearing away all obstacles is the way to a better life. If I feel his existence might affect me, I’ll treat him like my most hated enemy.”
Sundadan said: “You, you are really…”
“What?” Zhu Caiwei spread her hands. “Put away that look of moral indignation, or you might be classified as an enemy too – the tribal leader has been impersonating for so long, still pretending to have brotherly love? By the way, the one with blood on their hands right now is you, not me.”
Sundadan felt this woman was like a demon. He suddenly lowered his head and discovered that he indeed had blood stains from moving the body.
Sundadan was silent for a moment, then asked calmly: “How do we handle the body? How do we explain his whereabouts?”
Zhu Caiwei slowly curled her lips, her cold tone turning gentle: “Just bury him somewhere. You’re the tribal leader, why do you need to explain to anyone?”
Just say you sent him out to handle some temporary matter. If he accidentally dies outside and his body is nowhere to be found… that’s not your fault, right?”
Sundadan paused, then said flatly: “You’re right.”
Xia Xianning was eating.
This was the most uncomfortable meal he’d had in his entire life.
As previously discussed with Luo Mingbai, his conspicuous appearance here was intentional. Given Zhu Caiwei’s personality, being able to stay in this backward, isolated place for so long meant she must have a reason she had to stay.
So Xia Xianning’s appearance would first cause her to panic, yet she would be unable to leave due to some reason.
