An Xin said indifferently, "Since we're going to die sooner or later anyway, feeding the scorpions is a good deed." After saying that, she was about to lift An Wan up again. An Wan struggled desperately. Suddenly, there was a hissing sound in the air. Yan Zhen's eyes turned cold. She suddenly raised her fan. There was a "snap" sound. The fan handle trembled. Then there was a "crack" sound. A thin crack appeared.
Yan Zhen's eyes narrowed slightly.
An Wan screamed, "He's here to kill me! Sister! You have to protect me! You have to protect me! I'll tell you anything as long as I'm alive!"
An Xin glanced at Yan Zhen and asked, "Are you alright?"
Yan Zhen glanced at her and said with a smile, "Is Xin'er worried about me?"
An Xin said calmly, "If something happens to you, who will protect An Wan?" As she spoke, she bent down and picked up the thing that had fallen to the ground. It was a plum blossom nail, three inches long and very sharp. If it were injected with internal force and shot into a person's body, how could they possibly survive?
An Xin casually picked up Yan Zhen's folding fan. The handle was already cracked. If Yan Zhen hadn't been so strong that he could use his internal energy to resist many of them, the plum blossom nail would probably have already pierced through the handle and stabbed into Yan Zhen's body!
The plum blossom nail was non-toxic, so it seems that the other party acted without any plan. Obviously, the target was not Yan Zhen, nor her, but An Wan!
But why did that person kill An Wan? Just because she threatened to reveal his identity? Why was that person afraid of exposing his identity? Did she already know his identity? And what is the relationship between this person and the headless corpse? And what undercurrents are hidden beneath the terrifying appearance of the headless corpse?
An Xin stared at An Wan coldly and said, "Have you seen that person?"
An Wan shook her head frantically: "No, that person is elusive, I've never seen what he looks like!"
An Xin narrowed her eyes: "If you've never met him, how could you reveal his identity? Are you lying to me?"
An Wan's face turned pale: "I didn't lie..."
An Xin slowly tightened her grip on An Wan's hand, and said coldly, "Then what did you see that you shouldn't have seen?"
An Wan shrank back, fearfully saying, "Sister, please don't make me tell him, he really will kill me!"
"With me here, no one can kill you." Yan Zhen said, but her gaze swept across the dark night sky, a cold, sharp light flashing in her eyes.
An Wan suddenly trembled and looked at Yan Zhen.
An Xin softened her tone slightly and said, "An Wan, if you don't speak up, you'll live in that person's shadow forever. Don't you want to live a vibrant life? Don't you want to pursue your own happiness? Can you bear to see your parents worrying about you?"
An Wan's eyes suddenly narrowed, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her gaze fell on Yan Zhen. Of course, she wanted to pursue happiness, but would the happiness she wanted to pursue belong to her?
An Wan leaned closer to Yan Zhen, trembling slightly, and whispered, "I said... but you must promise me that I will be protected by the Right Prime Minister until the murderer is found."
An Xin paused, then looked up at Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen glanced at her, and An Xin looked away, saying, "What does Your Excellency mean?" After all, she couldn't represent Yan Zhen's wishes. If he was unwilling to agree, what use would her agreement be?
Yan Zhen said casually, "Okay."
An Wan's eyes suddenly lit up with joy, and then she leaned closer to Yan Zhen and said, "I left back then just out of spite, because I saw a man who was... very beautiful. Ling Xiyao couldn't compare to him. I fell in love at first sight and naturally thought of running away from the wedding. But while I was traveling, I was suddenly kidnapped by human traffickers and sold to an extremely poor village. They forced me to be a mute bride. I tried my best to escape, but I had no money, no food, no water, and I had to escape the covetous eyes of those bastards. Until one time I was caught, that person saved me."
An Xin remained silent, but stared intently at An Wan.
An Wan shrank back and said, "He wore a mask, had a hoarse voice, and was very strict with me. But apart from being strict, he wasn't too bad to me. He gave me food, drink, and clothes, and forced me to learn kung fu. I'm very stupid and could never learn it, but under his pressure, I actually learned kung fu very quickly. But from then on, I never saw his face again. Only once, when I accidentally spilled tea on his arm, he lifted his sleeve and I saw a birthmark on his arm. It was red. When he saw me staring at his birthmark, he got very angry. From then on, he would scold me at the drop of a hat and threaten me with death every time. Until one day, I escaped while he was asleep. When I was fleeing in a panic, it suddenly started raining heavily. I took shelter in an abandoned post station and was then rescued."
An Xin's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she said calmly, "Who saved you?"
An Wan shrank back, then glanced at Yan Zhen and said softly, "It's...it's the Left Prime Minister...He also happened to be caught in the heavy rain and took shelter there. I...I've never seen anyone as gentle as the Left Prime Minister..."
An Xin frowned slightly. From An Wan's narration, it was impossible to determine what the masked person's purpose was!
"Later, the master took me to Shili Pavilion, where I met you, sister," An Wan whispered.
An Xin said expressionlessly, "And then? When did that masked man appear? Why did he want you to act mysteriously? And how did he find you?"
An Wan said anxiously, "I have no idea what he wants me to do. He only told me to make a big fuss about the headless corpse. I happen to have a grudge against you, so I took the opportunity to try to scare you with the headless corpse, but I only scared you twice!"
An Xin's expression suddenly changed, and she abruptly stood up, exclaiming, "What!?"
An Wan shrank back in fright and said, "Sister, the first time was in the alley. That woman was terrified, you know. And the other time was today. I saw you come to the hot springs, so I sneaked in with you. I brought the dog to scare you too. Sister, I didn't expect you to be completely unafraid... and I certainly didn't expect you to think it was a mannequin..."
An Xin's face instantly turned extremely grim. If An Wan had only threatened her twice and knew nothing about the headless corpse that had appeared during that time, then who was it that had been appearing outside her window so frequently these past few days?! Could it be that masked man?!
Chapter 87 Feint to the East, Attack in the West?
Feng Yi has disappeared!
Jinglan confirmed that Feng Yi had not returned to the Right Prime Minister's residence, and Feng Yi could not be found at the Hot Spring Pavilion! According to An Xin's understanding of Feng Yi, he was not the kind of person who would leave without saying goodbye. If he really wanted to leave, he would definitely leave her a clue. But Feng Yi seemed to have disappeared into thin air!
Could it be that masked man?
An Xin's face was solemn. A fragrant piece of Sichuan-style chicken was placed in her bowl. An Xin was startled and looked up. Jing Lan said gently, "No matter what happens, eat something first and then think of a solution. You can't just starve like this."
An Xin picked up her chopsticks, took a piece and put it in her mouth. The delicious taste that usually filled her taste buds was bland this time. An Xin chewed it a couple of times and then swallowed it.
“If Feng Yi disappeared at the hot spring pavilion, then the person who kidnapped Feng Yi is probably related to that masked man…” An Xin paused her chopsticks, frowned, and said, “What I don’t understand is why that headless corpse led me to that alley. Was it trying to tell me something or warn me about something?”
Jinglan said, "Isn't that alleyway pretty empty?"
An Xin pondered, "Hmm, that's something I don't understand either. If he wanted to warn me, why go through all this trouble? His real purpose in doing this isn't that simple..."
"But why did he kidnap Feng Yi?" Jing Lan placed a bowl of sweet soup in front of An Xin. An Xin took a sip and frowned. "It's so sweet." She didn't actually like sweets very much.
Jing Lan casually picked up the bowl and took a sip himself. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, his lips landed right where An Xin had just drunk her porridge. "Hmm, I asked them to add some rock sugar. I suppose they accidentally added too much."
An Xin seemed not to hear his mutterings, her brows furrowed as she said, "This is also what I can't understand. Why kidnap Feng Yi? Are they afraid that Feng Yi will find any clues? After all, Feng Yi comes from the Feng family, known as the 'Upright Officials of the World,' and is not like ordinary people..."
Jing Lan said softly, "I'll send someone to investigate Feng Yi's whereabouts. Miss An, you don't need to worry too much. Since that person kidnapped Feng Yi, he certainly won't harm him easily. We still have a chance."
An Xin was silent for a moment, then nodded and looked at Jing Lan with a smile, saying, "I was so busy talking that I forgot to thank you for your hospitality, sir."
Jinglan smiled faintly, her graceful figure stirring one's heart. "Miss An, there's no need for such formalities. I forgot to ask, how is Miss An Wan?"