She just stood there, silent and eerie—not even seeming human.

Ye Qianning saw Qian Fanji as well. She didn’t hide her killing intent. She had never been a kind person; in her past life, she had spent her entire existence committing evil, receiving orders to either assassinate people or slaughter entire cities.

It was as if she had grown accustomed to it. The scent of blood seemed to activate something deep within her, something that made her feel both excited and frenzied.

She thought she was different now, but she never expected that encountering killing intent and bloodshed would still stir her heart this way...

"You..." Qian Fanji opened his mouth, at a loss for words.

What kind of experiences could give a child such overwhelming killing intent? What exactly had happened in Nanyuan?

’Why have my men never found anything about this?’

"I’m no saint, Minister Qian. You’d best keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind killing you one bit," Ye Qianning said, her voice devoid of any emotion.

’It’s better if he’s afraid of me. It’ll save me from future entanglements.’

"I won’t tell anyone." The tip of Qian Fanji’s nose tingled with sorrow.

Perhaps what they had endured was not even a tenth of her suffering. Just how much had been suppressed inside that tiny frame to make her so crazed?

"Young Miss," Luo Wen and the others said, rushing over.

"It’s been dealt with."

"Understood."

"Let’s go." Ye Qianning took the lead and walked forward.

Luo Wen was about to follow when he inadvertently glanced at the bodies lying on the ground. Shock filled his eyes. The farther he looked, the more corpses he saw.

Even though it was nighttime, they could see clearly. There were no signs of a struggle; it seemed they had all been killed in an instant...

Having followed Ye Qianning for a long time, Luo Wen and Luo Xuan knew in their hearts that their Young Miss was likely responsible. After the initial shock, they felt a surge of pride.

"Minister Qian," Ying Ge said, looking at him in shock.

Qian Fanji said nothing, simply lifting his feet to follow the small figure in the distance.

Gazing at her small back, a wave of sorrow washed over him. He desperately wanted to go up and take her hand, to walk with her, to hold her and dispel the chill that clung to her.

Ye Qianning climbed into the carriage and leaned against the wall. A moment later, Qian Fanji entered as well.

Qian Fanji had so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know where to begin. He had always known she was hiding many things, but he never knew she had a side like this.

A coldness that made one’s heart tremble. He finally understood why, aside from Xiang Minghou, she was so resistant to the other three families.

Ye Qianning couldn’t be bothered to speak. She shifted her body, lay down on the soft couch, and closed her eyes to rest.

"If you’re tired, just sleep. The city gates are already closed. We’ll head back to Four Directions Town for now and return to the city tomorrow morning," Qian Fanji said, reaching out to cover her with a blanket.

Ye Qianning turned over, mumbled softly, and fell asleep.

Qian Fanji watched her in silence, the light in his eyes softening with each passing moment. ’A child should be raised cradled in the palm of one’s hand.’

The dark clouds dispersed, and a rosy glow appeared on the horizon.

「Four Directions Town, Three Sources Inn.」

Ye Qianning had slept soundly in the carriage, only waking up as they entered the town.

Upon entering the inn, Qian Fanji collapsed into unconsciousness. Yesterday, he hadn’t just suffered a knife wound; he had also been poisoned. It was his limit just to make it to Four Directions Town.

Fortunately, he had used his Inner Strength to force out the poison right after being struck. Otherwise, he would have been a goner before he ever met up with them.

Ye Qianning was busy until dawn before she finally returned to her room, feeling slightly exhausted.

Although her stamina recovered well thanks to the power of her space, her aura was somewhat unstable, perhaps because she had used ancient martial arts yesterday.

The killing intent radiating from her body was impossible to contain. She had made her move yesterday, and if she hadn’t eliminated everyone, she would have exposed herself. Once exposed, she would never know another day of peace.

She might be hunted down by others, or perhaps, just like in her past life, she would become a mere tool for killing.

In this life, she wanted neither of those fates. She only wanted to live in peace, to watch the tides ebb and flow, and to live to a ripe old age!

She would have to secretly keep an eye on Qian Fanji. If he revealed any information, she would show no mercy.

Ye Qianning slept until the afternoon. By the time she woke up, the bodies outside Four Directions Town had been discovered, and rumors and all sorts of speculation were spreading like wildfire.

"Young Miss." Luo Wen knocked on the door.

"Come in." Ye Qianning got up.

"The General has left the city. He will arrive at Four Directions Town in two hours."

"Alright. Let’s pack up. We’ll head back to the city with Dad when he arrives." ’I didn’t come back all night; Dad must be worried sick.’ "Has Minister Qian woken up yet?"

"He’s awake. He was just asking about your condition, Young Miss."

"Go prepare some food and bring it to Minister Qian’s room." Ye Qianning straightened her clothes and walked out the door.

Qian Fanji’s room was a few doors down from hers. Just as Ye Qianning reached his door, she heard the sound of something shattering inside and hurriedly pushed her way in.

She saw Qian Fanji wrapped in bandages, his inner robe untied. Hearing the door open, he turned his head and saw Ye Qianning enter.

"Don’t come any closer," Qian Fanji said, afraid she might get cut. He bent down to clean up the shards of the broken cup.

With his injuries, bending over was not an easy task. The moment his fingers touched a shard, it sliced his skin, and a drop of blood fell to the floor.

"...Stop picking them up. You’ll put pressure on your stomach wound and make it bleed more." Ye Qianning came forward and pulled him up.

The shard in Qian Fanji’s hand fell to the floor again. "Be careful, the fragments are sharp. Don’t step on them."

"Just stay to the side."

Ye Qianning couldn’t help but give him a little push to the side before bending down to pick up the pieces herself.

Qian Fanji, unsteady on his feet, reached out to brace himself on the washstand. "Don’t use your hands, you’ll..."

"Hiss..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a shard pierced Ye Qianning’s fingertip.

"Quick, let me see," Qian Fanji said, panicking.

"It’s nothing." ’What a jinx.’

Ye Qianning finished cleaning up the shards on the floor, threw them out, and walked back into the room. She picked up a clean towel from the washstand to wipe her small hand. ’Yesterday I killed more than ten people without getting a drop of blood on me.’

’Today a single piece of a cup makes me bleed. How ridiculous is that?’

"Minister Qian, my father will be here soon to take me home. You and my father have never gotten along, so it’s best you don’t show yourself." Ye Qianning didn’t want to tell her dad about the danger she had encountered.

When she received no response, Ye Qianning draped the towel over the washstand and turned around. "Even if you do run into my father, please don’t mention what happened last night, Minister Qian. We just happened to run into each other in Four Directions Town."

Qian Fanji seemed not to have heard her. His gaze was fixed on the basin of water, his heart pounding violently.

Seeing that he still hadn’t answered, Ye Qianning frowned slightly. She followed his gaze and her own small face instantly froze. In the clean basin of water, two scarlet trails of blood slowly dispersed before finally merging into one.

’This...’

Waves of emotion surged in Qian Fanji’s heart. Beneath his calm expression was a layer of astonishment, barely suppressing his excitement.

Ye Qianning was also shocked. The blood had actually mixed. Although it was the most primitive method and not very accurate, the people of this era firmly believed in it.

"You’re actually... you’re actually..."

"Minister Qian, don’t put too much faith in the blood kinship test. You should know how easy it is to fake," Ye Qianning said, completely unfazed.

’So what if they were related by blood? To her, blood ties really weren’t that important.’

Qian Fanji’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was low. "There’s nothing wrong with the water at this inn."