Chapter 500: Chapter 499: Xue Ji’s Purpose_1
 

The sky gradually darkened, but Xue Ji still hadn’t made a move.

As the Nanqi Regent had his fill of food and drink and was accompanied by the Wang Clan Patriarch to a firework show, Little Kingfisher grew anxious.

“Master, shall we wait for Xue Ji? We might as well do it ourselves. With me here, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.”

Lin Qingluo was suspicious: “Where is Xue Ji hiding? What is she doing? Why hasn’t she made a move?”

Little Kingfisher couldn’t figure it out either: “She’s been secretly watching from a restaurant across from where the Nanqi Regent was dining, but she hasn’t made a single move.”

“Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Lin Qingluo thought sullenly: “Since Xue Rufeng entrusted her with this assassination mission, he must trust in her ability. We should not expose our identities unless absolutely necessary.”

I can send him to meet the Lord of the Underworld with just a spit of fire sparks!

Why bother with all this trouble?

Little Kingfisher, standing atop the eaves, was utterly bored and muttered under her breath.

“What’s the story with Wang Rong? Why is he being hunted down?”

Frustrated by the wait for the news, Lin Qingluo also wanted to chat and pass the time.

“Wang Rong is an interesting character. He’s the young master of the Wang Clan, but his beliefs and ideologies are completely different from his father’s.”

Mentioning Wang Rong, Little Kingfisher perked up a bit: “His father is a typical clan patriarch, putting the interests of the family first, seeking benefits while avoiding harm, and befriending all countries’ power players to gain enormous profits.”

“Wang Rong is different. He despises interacting with treacherous ministers like the Nanqi Regent and is disgusted by his serve-two-masters behavior. The annexation of Nanqi by Beiqi will inevitably affect the peace of the border, so he chose to cooperate with the Thousand-Mechanism Pavilion, eliminate treacherous ministers, and protect his homeland.”

“As for the assassins who pursued him the day before, they were Beiqi soldiers under the command of the Beiqi general, Yu Yang. Yu Yang had a grudge against Wang Rong and wanted to use this opportunity to settle the score.”

*

“Beiqi soldiers have infiltrated the Fengqi Empire and are openly committing murders.”

Lin Qingluo was outraged, but thinking of how lax the border defenses had become, also felt a sense of sadness.

Little Kingfisher could see clearly: “The monarchs of both Beiming and Beiqi are ambitious, treacherous, and ruthless. Beiqi’s power is growing day by day, posing a significant threat to Fengqi in the long run.”

“Chirp chirp, chirp chirp.”

As they were talking, a bird flew from the direction of Flower Street, chirping anxiously.

“Oh no, Master, we’ve been careless.”

Little Kingfisher exclaimed in surprise: “Xue Ji has left disguised and abducted the Duke of Zhen’s Shadow Guard’s token, she’s heading to Flower Street to assassinate the Nanqi Regent.”

“No good, she’s trying to frame us!”

Lin Qingluo’s heart jolted, not waiting for Little Kingfisher to ask for instructions, she leapt out of the window like a wisp of green smoke, jumped onto the eaves, and rushed towards Flower Street.

“Chirp, chirp.”

The messenger bird led the way ahead.

“Master, I’ll go first.”

Displaying a sense of duty, Little Kingfisher shot across the night sky like a lightning bolt, heading out with great speed.

**

Xue Ji had been loyal to Lin Xiaoyang for a decade, staying in the Duke of Zhen’s residence, and had become extremely familiar with the Shadow Guards protecting him.

She hid herself across the restaurant, hesitating to make a move, waiting for the Duke of Zhen’s Shadow Guard, who was following their Eldest Miss, to appear in Long City.

With her martial arts skills, it was easy for her to secretly snatch the token from the Shadow Guard.

Her aim was to use the token to frame and cause trouble, placing the blame for the assassination of the Nanqi Regent on the Duke of Zhen’s residence.

To be more blunt, she planned to pin it on the Eldest Miss of the Duke of Zhen’s residence who was currently in Long City, Lin Qingluo.