Chapter 184 Assassination by the Man in Black

　　“Young miss, are we heading back to the capital straightaway?” Lan Wu asked. Actually, she hasn’t played enough. Being stuck with that cold An Yi for the last few days, she couldn’t play to her heart’s content. That man was too serious!

　　“Hm, what’s happened in the capital the recent days?” Lan You Nian slowly walked as she asked. Because Feng Yi Xuan kept a close eye on her in the Medical Valley and Lan You Nian only wanted to enjoy the two’s time together, she didn’t allow any news to enter the Medical Valley.

　　Speaking of proper business, Lan Wu became more serious. Recently, the news sent by Lan Ren were all received by her, but they weren’t anything important.

　　“Young miss, Feng Xiao Luo’s face is completely disfigured by the poison on the way to Xue country. Now that she’s married to that Xue country’s whatever wangye, death is better than life. Xue country’s wangye put Feng Xiao Luo in a firewood room, leaving her to die!” Lan Wu said excitedly. They now know Feng Xiao Luo’s poison was applied by fifth young master.

　　Lan You Nian chuckled. Feng Xiao Luo’s poison wasn’t completely cured. During that period of time, she couldn’t feel any wind. If her skin did see any wind, it would cause the poison to act up and she would become disfigured. It seems this Feng Xiao Luo wouldn’t live for much longer. Lan You Nian had to admire Feng Yi Xuan’s planning. First, he made Feng Xiao Luo’s face disfigured to make her afraid and tormented; then, he give her hope to make her believe she will get better; then, he helped Feng Xiao Luo pick a path that didn’t bear any good fruit, but Feng Xiao Luo had no choice but to go for the peace marriage; and then finally, he destroyed Feng Xiao Luo’s everything.

　　Lan You Nian felt a burst of pride. This man acted like a fool in front of her, nor did he play these insidious tricks with her, but it can’t be denied that Feng Yi Xuan, whether it was martial arts or schemes, is unmatched.

　　“She’s on her last leg. There’s no need to spent much thought on Feng Xiao Luo anymore!” Lan You Nian said. Though every country had Wu Qing Pavilion’s business, Wu Qing Pavilion’s businesses weren’t as stable in the other countries. Lan You Nian wouldn’t place unnecessary thoughts on useless people.

　　“Yes!” Lan Wu nodded and continued, “Recently many members of the Empress’s faction have been dismantled by fourth wangye. Even the Prime Minister Manor has been investigated and discovered evidence of bribery and corruption. The Empress’s faction are starting to get desperate!”

　　“So fast?” Lan You Nian was shocked. Of course she knew Feng Xia Qi will deal with the Empress’s faction, but the timing was wrong. The two factions were pretty much split evenly. If one were to forcefully suppress the Empress’s faction, it might be counterproductive. Feng Xia Qi didn’t look to be such a rash person.

　　“Yes, it appears fourth wangye wants to get rid of the Empress’s faction as soon as possible. The Empress’s faction already started their counterattack. Recently fourth wangye bore through some assassination attempts!” Lan Wu said. Actually, she didn’t quite understand these things, but Feng Xia Qi’s actions was obvious to many people.

　　“It seems the capital isn’t peaceful. The sky will change!” Lan You Nian gazed in the direction of the capital with a smile that was as pure and beautiful as always, only

　　“It seems the capital isn’t peaceful-the sky will change!” Lan You Nian gazed in the direction of the capital with a smile that was as pure and beautiful as it always has been, only the warmth in her eyes dimmed a little. The black color glimmered within it, like a quiet pool that was unfathomably deep and cold to the bones.

　　“Hire a carriage; let’s go back to the capital!” Lan You Nian knew the current condition of her body was still very weak, so she couldn’t ride a horse. Lan You Nian will take care of herself, because she wanted to be together with Feng Yi Xuan until old age takes them.

　　Three days later, Lan You Nian’s carriage arrived in the capital…

　　“Young miss, are we going back to Lan manor?” Lan Wu asked.

　　“Go to Zhen Wei Pavilion!” Lan You Nian’s voice was apathetic, and then she said “We’re being followed!” As soon as they entered the capital, Lan You Nian noticed there were people following her. At that time, she didn’t want to startle the snake.

　　“What?” Lan Wu gasped with wide eyes but didn’t blatantly scan around. Instead, she calmly glanced over her surroundings, and sure enough, she saw some people were quietly following their carriage amongst the crowd of people in the streets.

　　“Young miss, should we go faster?” Lan Wu asked. Since they’ve already entered the capital, they were only a few streets away from Zhen Wei Pavilion. If they go faster, they can arrive at Zhen Wei Pavilion, but it will also alert those who were following in the shadows.

　　“No need. Just pretend you don’t know!” Lan You Nian sat in the carriage, with a peaceful expression. It seems a lot of people knew she arrived at the capitol that day. If she didn’t return to Lan manor, it will cause more worry for those people who cared about her, but if she did return to Lan manor, she’ll most likely bring some unnecessary surveillance to Lan manor; Lan You Nian felt it was best to deal with the matter outside.

　　“Young miss, we’re here!” Lan Wu drove the carriage over to the back doors of Zhen Wei Pavilion. Lan You Nian, dressed in white, stepped out of the carriage and said to Lan Wu, “Inform older brother I’m already back. Oh right, give brother Xiao Qi, brother Liu Li and the others a message too, to save them from worrying!”

　　“But young miss, you’ll be by yourself…” Lan Wu said in disapproval. Lan Ren and Lan Feng were all sent out by young miss to deal with some of Wu Qing Pavilion’s affairs, so young miss didn’t have any capable person with her. Lan Wu couldn’t be reassured.

　　“If I’m not by myself, how could they have the opportunity to strike?” Lan You Nian’s voice was cold and ethereal, like ice cold water. Under the guidance of the manager of Zhen Wei Pavilion, she came to her own personal room. Lan Wu already went to report her safety to those concerned parties.

　　Concerning the fact Lan You Nian has already returned to the capital but didn’t go back to the manor, the concerned parties, more or less, had some guess at what was going on. They were especially afraid something would happen to Lan You Nian in Zhen Wei Pavilion while she was by herself, but they knew Lan You Nian had her own thoughts and ideas. If they interfered too much, it would only be a counterproductive move.

　　Lan You Nian had dinner at Zhen Wei Pavilion and then stood in front of the window to watch those who followed her in the morning. On the street that Zhen Wei Pavilion stood on, she saw several people within the crowd, whose eyes kept flickering over at Zhen Wei Pavilion, seemingly afraid she’ll run.

　　Lan You Nian’s room was a remote single room in the back of Zhen Wei Pavilion. Gui San had this living space specially prepared for her. In the past, when they weren’t aware Lan You Nian was Lan manor’s legitimate daughter, they worried about Lan You Nian coming to the capital, so this place was constructed for her.

　　Night quietly arrived. Lan You Nian’s eyes suddenly opened, because she heard some clanking sounds outside her room. Lan You Nian’s charming and alluring eyes were grim. Her eyes rose with heavy waves. They were finally here? Without Feng Yi Xuan by her side, how could she fall deeply asleep? Her martial arts weren’t poor; she was distinctly aware of every one of these people’s moves.

　　Lan You Nian put on the outer robes placed beside her bed and then opened the window. She leapt out, landing on the roof, overlooking the several assassins dressed in black who were outside her room, with blades drawn, and fire and oil out. Lan You Nian smiled serenely. These people actually wanted to burn her to death!

　　Just as Lan You Nian prepared to deal with these people, she suddenly noticed someone else approached the rooftop of Zhen Wei Pavilion. Lan You Nian didn’t know whether the person was enemy or friend, so Lan You Nian’s eyes coldly watched the man clothed in black.

　　The man in black didn’t expect to see Lan You Nian here. His mission was to kill Lan You Nian. This would save him time to go search for her. The man in black, in an instant, emitted killing intent. Lan You Nian was especially sensitive to killing intent, but she wasn’t afraid. After all, who’s killing intent was comparable to Feng Yi Xuan’s?

　　The man in black drew his sword and attacked Lan You Nian. Lan You Nian smiled and didn’t move. Just as the man’s sword was only a finger away from Lan You Nian’s neck, Lan You Nian moved. Her body suddenly retreated; her speed was so fast that the man in black couldn’t see clearly. At this moment, the man in black knew the girl was a martial artist master, but there was no opportunity for him to retreat.

　　The assassin using qinggong flashed over to Lan You Nian, his sword pointed at Lan You Nian’s heart. Lan You Nian took out the dagger she always carried with her. In a blink of an eye, she appeared behind the assassin. The assassin was horrified as he realized the girl who was just in front of him, under the blade of his sword, suddenly appeared behind him. Lan You Nian’s dagger drove down at the assassin’s heart without a sliver of mercy, but the assassin wasn’t an amateur either as he quickly flashed away, so Lan You Nian’s dagger only sliced through the assassin’s arm.

　　Lan You Nian’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the assassin. In those pair of eyes, there was a flood of piercing brilliance, making her eyes appear as blades. The moment the assassin’s glanced at her eyes, he immediately looked away, not daring to continue to look into them. At this moment, the assassin knew he has encountered a master martial artist. He must leave to report to his master to be careful of this Lan manor’s legitimate daughter. This was a dangerous person. With this thought, the assassin circulated his qinggong to escape.

　　Lan You Nian watched as the assassin no longer lingered on the battlefield as he used qinggong to leave. The smile on Lan You Nian’s lips became cunning and evil, appearing especially enticing. Her entire person glowed with brilliance. At the same time, that smile made people fear, not daring to approach.

　　Lan You Nian chased after the man in black. The man ran for a while, and when he thought he had escaped, the assassin’s forehead drenched with sweat. This girl gave him a feeling of extreme danger, making people fear, like a demon summoned from hell. The assassin was grateful he was able to escape, otherwise his life would end here tonight.

　　“Are you tired of running now?” The young girl’s voice gave off a soft and delicate feeling, but in the assassin’s ears, it was the sound of ghosts. The assassin lifted his head, looking at the girl dressed in white who stood atop a tree branch in front of him, unrestrained and carefree as the ink black hair fluttered behind her with a pair of crescent eyes brimming with delight, the two rows of teeth shone under the moonlight, so beautiful that it was impossible to describe. If one were to say she came from the Heavenly plane of celestial beings, it wouldn’t be an overstatement, but at this moment, the assassin’s eyes flooded with horror.

　　The assassin never expected Lan You Nian’s qinggong to be so good, like a spirit as she she appeared in front of his eyes. Such a sudden appearance from a young girl he thought would be easy to kill, the assassin’s heart has already reached the point of terror.

　　The assassin grit his teeth, raising his sword and rushed at Lan You Nian, his expression vicious as he attacked Lan You Nian. Lan You Nian appeared like a celestial maiden of the ninth heaven as she retrieved two strands of silk. The soft silk, in Lan You Nian’s hands, was harder than any sword yet at the same time soft, making it impossible for the assassin to get close to Lan You Nian.

　　Lan You Nian seemed to have become bored of playing, as the long silk seemed to have grown a pair of eyes as the man in black was unable to escape from its attack no matter what he did; then, the long silk pierced through the man’s chest, bringing up a strand of fresh red blood. The man gaped in shock at his chest that was pierced through by the silk and tumbled over.

　　Lan You Nian expressionlessly retracted the silk. The silk which pierced the man didn’t have a shred of blood. The entire silk was clean as white snow, like any normal ribbon that was used by a lady to dance. Who could have known that this was Lan You Nian’s weapon of death?

　　Taking out a vial of medicinal water, Lan You Nian dripped a drop of it onto the body. In an instant, the body melted into a puddle of blood water, as if no such person ever existed in this plane. The blood water absorbed into the dead leaf pile on the soil and disappeared.

　　“Third brother’s dissolving corpse water really is pretty good!” Lan You Nian put away the dissolving corpse water as she muttered to herself; then, she headed towards Zhen Wei Pavilion. She hasn’t forgotten there was a blazing fire waiting for her.

　　At this moment, Lan You Nian was unaware that there were people at Zhen Wei Pavilion who have gone crazy with worry….