Chapter 16

The room was deathly silent, the air seemingly frozen. Watermark GG Test Watermark GG Test

Qin Xiao sat by the bed, motionless, without lighting the oil lamp. In the dimness, he seemed like a stone statue.

With his eyes closed, in the frozen air, Qin Xiao finally heard an extremely faint breathing sound, coming from just outside the curtain of his room.

Living alone, Qin Xiao's room did not have a wooden door but a hemp curtain, making it easier to enter and exit.

Qin Xiao stared at the curtain, having already determined that someone was standing quietly behind it.

Who could it be?

Could it be the mysterious person he had been waiting for nearly two hundred days, suddenly appearing?

This thought flashed through his mind, and his excitement was instantly replaced by reason.

Although he desperately hoped to see the mysterious person again, deep down he knew that the person would not reappear unless it was a critical moment.

Since drinking blood could suppress his cold illness, the person had never shown up again, indicating that the person knew the cold illness no longer threatened Qin Xiao and there was no need to intervene, so they would not appear easily.

If it wasn't the mysterious person, who could it be?

Qin Xiao furrowed his brows, staring intently at the curtain. He suddenly thought of the hooded man he had encountered in the market. Could it be that he had offended the hooded man, and the hooded man had come to seek revenge?

The breathing outside was light and not easily noticeable.

But the silent reminder from the old black dog, combined with the silence in the room, allowed Qin Xiao to focus and determine without doubt.

Qin Xiao knew the old black dog had likely been tampered with, its fate unknown, but the person outside clearly had ill intentions.

After a moment of silence, Qin Xiao suddenly stretched, deliberately yawned, hoping to show that he hadn't noticed anyone in the room. However, his hand reached halfway under the bed and then he suddenly realized he had made a mistake today.

Qin Xiao worked at the Jiazi Supervision, and naturally carried a sword.

Usually, he would wear his uniform and carry his sword home, and he had a habit of placing the sword under the bed, which made him feel more secure while sleeping.

But today, because he had to check on the Jin Gou gambling den, he had changed into ordinary clothes at the prison and left his sword there.

Without a sword on the bed and no other weapons nearby, he was unarmed.

If the person outside was there to cause trouble or even to take his life, without a sword to defend himself, he couldn't rely on his body-strengthening Baji Quan to fight.

The wooden bed was against the back window, and Qin Xiao glanced at it, noticing the window latch was secured from the inside.

The person outside still stood motionless behind the curtain. Qin Xiao didn't know why they hadn't made a move—was it because they lacked confidence or had no intention of harming him?

Could they be waiting for him to fall asleep before making their move?

He pretended to be indifferent as he took off his boots and got into bed, quietly approaching the back window. He reached out as lightly as possible to unlatch the window.

Outside the back window was a small alley. Regardless of the person's intentions, he could only assume the worst.

If he was in an unpredictable danger, he needed to think of every possible way to escape, which was one of the six wisdoms.

Clearly, he was in an unpredictable peril, and he

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had to jump out of the back window to save his life.

Just as his hand was about to touch the window latch, he heard a cold voice say, "If you try to escape, you'll only die faster." The voice came from behind him, and Qin Xiao turned to see a figure standing in the room.

The person was dressed in black, with a mask covering their face. Their left hand held a sword, the blade still in the sheath. In the dim light, their eyes, like those of a venomous snake, stared fixedly at Qin Xiao.

His plan to escape through the back window foiled, Qin Xiao turned around and feigned surprise, "Who are you?"

"Don't pretend." The person's right hand suddenly gripped the hilt, and with a "clang," the sword was drawn. They coldly laughed, "We only parted ways a day ago, you shouldn't have forgotten who I am so quickly."

Qin Xiao looked into the person's eyes and finally smiled bitterly, "Ghost Hand Three!"

In fact, from the moment the person spoke, Qin Xiao recognized the familiar voice and quickly guessed who it was, but he didn't dare to be sure immediately. After the person spoke again, he was certain it was Ghost Hand Three, a guard of the Zhen Hou's mansion.

The person pulled down the mask, revealing a face—it was indeed Ghost Hand Three.

"I ask the questions, and you answer. If you play any tricks, I'll kill you immediately," Ghost Hand Three stared at Qin Xiao's eyes coldly.

Qin Xiao said, "Was it the young master who sent you? I didn't expect a nobleman to resort to such despicable means."

Ghost Hand Three was a guard of the Zhen Hou's mansion, naturally following orders from Zhen Yujian.

Last night, Qin Xiao found the imperial Buddha statue in Mr. Lang's house, not only foiling Zhen Yujian's plan to frame the Duwei Mansion but also making him look foolish and humiliated.

Qin Xiao knew that the people of the Zhen Hou's mansion must hate him, but he didn't expect them to send someone to deal with him tonight.

"He's just a stupid pig," Ghost Hand Three coldly laughed. "He does indeed want to kill you, but since you are from the Duwei Mansion, without a solid reason, he wouldn't dare to act rashly."

Qin Xiao was taken aback. He had thought Ghost Hand Three was sent by Zhen Yujian, but these words suggested there was more to the story.

Ghost Hand Three, who ate the Zhen family's food, was cursing Zhen Yujian as a stupid pig, which made Qin Xiao feel bewildered.

"If he didn't send you, then are you here to kill me?" Qin Xiao asked, puzzled. "What grudge do I have with you?"

"Enough nonsense." Ghost Hand Three pointed the sword at Qin Xiao. "I ask you, how did you know the Buddha statue was in Mr. Lang's house last night?"

Qin Xiao was startled, his eyes twitching.

He hadn't told anyone the secret of the blood.

Even his most trusted friends, Captain Han and Chief Meng, hadn't been told a word. Last night, Captain Han had asked the same question, and Qin Xiao had given a vague answer, which Captain Han hadn't pursued further.

But Qin Xiao knew that the answer he gave to Captain Han wouldn't fool Ghost Hand Three.

"Few people knew where the Buddha statue was hidden," Ghost Hand Three's eyes were filled with suspicion. "You shouldn't have known its location, but you found it. What's the real story? If you tell the truth, I might spare your life. Otherwise..."

His eyes flashed with a cold light, filled with murderous intent.

Qin Xiao looked at the cold blade and suddenly smiled, "I thought it was a big deal, Lord Three. I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you."

"Hmm?"

"It's nothing special, just a gamble," Qin Xiao said. "I knew the Zhen Hou's mansion was trying to frame the Duwei Mansion, but the imperial Buddha statue was too precious to be hidden just anywhere. I guessed it would either be in Zhen Yujian's house or Mr. Lang's house. I chose one, and it turned out to be the right choice."

"Nonsense," Ghost Hand Three coldly laughed. "You're still lying. Do you really want to die?" He pushed the blade closer.

The blade was now inches from Qin Xiao. With Ghost Hand Three's skills, if he decided to kill, Qin Xiao would have a hard time escaping.

"Lord Three, it's all over. What's the point of you trying to find out how I found the Buddha statue now?" Qin Xiao smiled bitterly. "Is Zhen Yujian trying to figure out what happened?"

Ghost Hand Three's face was full of hatred, and he said coldly, "That stupid pig Zhen Yujian thought I had revealed the location of the Buddha statue to you, and he wanted to kill me. Today, he deliberately sent me out of the city with two people, and halfway there, they tried to kill me. If I hadn't sensed something was wrong, I would have been dead by now."

Qin Xiao was stunned, feeling both surprised and amused. Last night, he had found the Buddha statue to save Chief Meng, but he hadn't expected it to implicate Ghost Hand Three.

"Lord Three, he suspects you?" Qin Xiao feigned anger. "This has nothing to do with you, why would he blame you?"

"Last night, when you entered the mansion, I led you in," Ghost Hand Three said angrily. "Zhen Yujian must have thought that only I had the chance to reveal the location of the Buddha statue to you, so he wanted to take my life. That stupid pig didn't even think about what benefit I would gain from doing that."

Qin Xiao sighed, "I see. Lord Three, you are loyal to the Zhen Hou's mansion, but he wants to kill you just because he suspects you. Such a stupid pig, you shouldn't serve him anymore."

"Do you think I came to see you tonight to serve him?" Ghost Hand Three coldly laughed. "I was wronged and can't let this go. Enough nonsense, what's the real reason?"

Qin Xiao said helplessly, "Since Lord Three wants to know, I will... Hey, who are you?" He looked behind Ghost Hand Three, suddenly exclaiming.

Ghost Hand Three, hearing the shock in his voice, couldn't help but turn around. In that instant, Qin Xiao grabbed the blanket from the bed and threw it forcefully at Ghost Hand Three, then jumped onto the bed and kicked the back window.

Qin Xiao knew that if Ghost Hand Three had come to his door tonight, he must have had a strong intention to kill. Even if he told the truth, this person would not leave and would certainly try to kill him.

He knew that as a guard of the Hou's mansion, Ghost Hand Three must be skilled and armed with a sword. Even if he had a sword, he would not be a match for Ghost Hand Three.

With no other choice, he had to break the window and escape, perhaps giving himself a chance to survive.

Ghost Hand Three, not an ordinary person, sensed something coming as he turned. He shouted and gripped his sword tightly. Before he could see what was thrown, he slashed with his sword. His strength was immense, and the blanket was cut in half before it even touched him.

Seeing Qin Xiao kick the window to escape, he leaped onto the bed, and without hesitation, his sword swung down from behind, aiming at Qin Xiao.