"Lory, where are we going?" Zhao Li Xin was confused. He didn't know what exactly happened. The only thing that concerned him was that Lory was involved in an explosion yet the woman didn't seem bothered by it. "Don't run like this. You will get hurt?"

"It's a setup!" Lory shouted in anger as she dragged him. She shook her head in confusion at her second thought. "But I don't know why they wanted to kill me?"

​​

"KILL YOU? They?" Zhao Li Xin halted. The news hit his core. The idea of someone trying to kill her inside his own home infuriated and shamed him. What was he good for if he couldn't ensure her safety in his own home?

"It is not your fault! You can't always protect me," Lory guessed what he was thinking. She gave him another glance and pulled him once more. "People make their own choices and this is mine!"

Her smile was bright and beautiful. There was no hesitation in her features as she spoke. Zhao Li Xin let out a long sigh. It wasn't like he was oblivious of Lory's behavior when it came to danger, but he couldn't help himself when it came to her protection. Although it was useless, he couldn't stop wanting to protect her. Asking him to stop was like asking him to stop breathing.

"You know who did this?" Zhao Li Xin could tell Lory knew more.

"Yang Qiong Yan. He drew you away and used Qian Mu Ting to get inside the manor and caused the commotion so that they can be able to get Yuan Xue An. The target has always been Yuan Xue An," Lory answered without hesitation. She was also upset to have fallen into his trap easily.

"But I don't know why they needed to kill me?" This was the point that puzzled Lory. Why would they kill her in an exaggerated move if their goal was to cause a commotion and kidnap Yuan Xue An? Did they do this to agitated Zhao Li Xin?

"Lao Min Na?" Zhao Li Xin hissed in a cold voice.

"Her? Again!" Lory heard Zhao Li Xin's words and gasped. She didn't understand why Lao Min Na was fixed on her. She didn't think she had ever done anything awful for Lao Min Na to be adamant about killing her. Unless Lao Min Na disliked her because of her relationship with Zhao Li Xin. Was Lao Min Na another admirer of Zhao Li Xin?

Lory sighed inwardly. If she was to get a tael for every woman who admired Zhao Li Xin, she would be a tycoon!

____________________________

The blast shocked Qian Mu Tings. She didn't expect it to be very loud. She heard footsteps coming to her direction a few seconds after the blast happened. The women disguised as her maids drew out their weapons as their demure expression changed instantly.

When the Hei Shen Sect's servants opened the door, Qian Mu Ting's maids exchanged a glance and charged at the same time. The Hei Shen Sect's male servants were nimble enough to evade the surprise attack as they released the hidden knives from their sleeves. Qian Mu Ting and her maids were startled by the servants' actions as they didn't expect them to be well-armed in their own homes. The maids quickly dodged the attacks but Qian Mu Ting was not that lucky as the hidden knives managed to cut her arms.

Qian Mu Ting's fake maids didn't bother to check on her condition as she wasn't their real master, and their real master didn't instruct them to watch over Qian Mu Ting.

"I'll take care of them. The rest of you should find Yuan Xue An," One of the fake maids said.

The rest jumped out of the window without hesitation. Only one fake maid and the bleeding Qian Mu Ting remained. Some of the Hei Shen Sect servants tried to chase after the escaping maids but was held back by the fake maid's quick actions. The room turned chaotic as they fought. The furniture was soon destroyed while Qian Mu Ting cowered in a corner.

Qian Mu Ting never thought they would easily abandon her. She realized she had been used by Yang Qiong Yan when his subordinates left without hesitating. It soon dawned to her that she would not leave the manor alive as Zhao Li Xin would not spare her but at least…at least she had killed the eyesore woman. Tears fell on her cheeks as she sneered. Lory's death was the only consolation she could get.

Chaos ruled inside Yong Heng manor. They servants first worried about their madam when the blast happened, but they were soon confused by the unending fire. They had tried everything but it kept raging with anger. Everyone was frantically running around that they didn't notice the four strange maids sneaking behind the wall.

"You are sure this is the place?" One of the fake maids couldn't help but feel anxious. They only had one chance as failure meant death.

"Yes, I saw someone taking medicine to this courtyard," Another fake maid answered with certainty.

"Let's hurry before someone notices us!" The oldest maid remained them.

The four maids snuck into Yuan Xue An's courtyard. The courtyard was far from the main building and the sound of the commotion was faint. The place was quiet and peaceful. It was the best place for a sickly Yuan Xue An. The small pavilion was surrounded by a small pond. A woman dressed in peach was looking down while sipping tea. The wind blew through her hair and she coughed lightly. The woman softly patted her chest to ease her pain.

The four maids smile with triumph. They found Yuan Xue An. The looked around to make sure she wasn't being guarded. There could not feel any fluctuating Qi around the place. It was possible everyone was worried about the other woman's safety or were digging her corpse out of the ruins to care about others.

The four fake maids surrounded the pavilion stunning Yuan Xue An. The teacup fell from her hands and shattered on the floor. Yuan Xue An staggered back and covered her mouth with shock and fear.

"Miss Yuan, please follow us and you will not be hurt," One of the maids said.

"No. Go away!" Yuan Xue An shook her head, stumbled and fell to the floor.

"Don't make this harder or we won't be so kind, Miss Yuan," Another maid lost her patience. They needed to leave immediately.

Yuan Xue An looked down and shook her head. The four maids exchanged a glance and the oldest said, "Tie her up! We don't have much time!"

"You made me do this!" The youngest maid pulled a rope from her waist and approached Yuan Xue An who lay limp on the floor. The maid scoffed at the weak woman. She snorted in contempt, bent over and grabbed Yuan Xue An's wrist harshly. Yuan Xue An lifted her head and her eyes glinted ferociously.

"No. You made me do this!" Yuan Xue An twisted the maid's wrist and strongly punched her in the stomach when she winced at the sudden pain. The poor fake maid's body flew like a leaf in the wind and struck the wall. A giant crack formed on the wall. The other maids were unable to react in time.

"Look what we got here," Yuan Xue An rose from the floor and clapped her hands casually. She smirked, removed the bracelet from her hand and placed it on the table next to her.

The other three maids' hearts dropped to the ground. The woman in front of them was not the feeble woman, Yuan Xue An. They could feel the overflowing Qi around the woman.

'Emperor Cultivator!'

Their legs turned soft as they could barely withstand the pressure. Their faces turned ghastly pale.

"You… You… You are not Yuan Xue An…" A fake maid trembled. She was petrified.

"Who… Who are you?" The other maids stuttered with fright.

The woman cracked her knuckle and smiled wickedly at them, "Your worst nightmare!"