exchange

Although Jiang Chaoyu did not know who that person was, she had never heard of Zhao Village outside the city before.

Now that she hears it seems to be related to that Zhao Dongjia, she wants to find out the truth.

Li Yuanxiu knew Jiang Chaoyu was impatient, but everything carries risks. She couldn't let Jiang Chaoyu take such risks, so she flatly refused. "No, how do you know there's no trap involved?"

Looking around, he pulled Jiang Chaoyu to the backyard. Xu Ninghui followed them into the backyard.

Seeing Jiang Chaoyu's anxious expression and noticing that no one was around, Li Yuanxiu comforted her, "Xiaoyu, I know you're very anxious. Even this Shijin Manor belongs to that Zhao Dongjia."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Now that I'm in, why should I drag you in too?" Despite Jiang Chaoyu's strong desire to go, Li Yuanxiu kept persuading her.

"Otherwise, I'll go." Seeing the two senior sisters arguing about this matter, Xu Ninghui spoke up.

But this one sentence immediately earned him a refusal from his two senior female classmates: "No way!"

Xu Ninghui, who was directly rejected, had no choice but to lower his head and listen quietly to his two senior sisters' conversation, standing obediently to the side.

"So what do you plan to do?" Jiang Chaoyu frowned and looked at Li Yuanxiu. Since she had been rejected, Jiang Chaoyu wanted to ask Li Yuanxiu if her method would work.

"Don't you find it strange? A new store is opening late at night, why would anyone come to make wedding dresses? Isn't this just trying to lure people in?" Li Yuanxiu reminded Jiang Chaoyu with these questions, reminding her that behind what seemed reasonable, every step was actually quite illogical.

Hearing Li Yuanxiu say this, Jiang Chaoyu seemed to understand in an instant that she had been too impatient. Upon closer reflection, she realized that there was something amiss behind it all.

“Since they didn’t set this trap, then we should dismantle it.” Jiang Chaoyu suddenly realized, looking at Li Yuanxiu, she had a bigger plan in mind.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ninghui also became curious. "Senior Sister, what's the plan?"

To avoid being overheard, Jiang Chaoyu pulled Li Yuanxiu and Xu Ninghui closer, and the three whispered to each other.

And so, a perfect scheme began.

The next day, Jiang Chaoyu came to the Second Prince's residence again. She quietly climbed over the side gate in the backyard and, while everyone was having their meal, quietly entered Zeng Chenhua's bedroom. After looking around and seeing that no one was paying attention, she pushed open the door a crack and gently went inside.

A bamboo couch sits by the window, with tea sets on a small table beside it. On the other side, a bookshelf holds scrolls, and wisps of white smoke drift slowly from the incense burner on the table. Seeing no one around, he carefully flips through the scrolls, checking for any important information.

However, no matter how many scrolls Jiang Chaoyu flipped through, she didn't find a single useful piece of information. There was one scroll in particular where she couldn't understand the characters; it resembled modern oracle bone script. She only recognized one character – 心 (heart). She didn't understand the others either, but since she didn't know, she would have to take it back and study it.

Then she put the scroll in her sleeve. Just as Jiang Chaoyu finished reading it, she suddenly saw the jade staff from last time by Zeng Chenhua's bedside and hesitated whether to take it.

After thinking for a while, I just grabbed it. Before leaving, I looked around and, finding no one there, quietly closed the door.

Upon exiting the backyard, they found the mansion deserted. Although Zeng Chenhua had ordered his servants not to approach his bedroom and study, the absence of anyone was truly unusual. It was mealtime, yet there was not a sound.

She walked quietly forward, but still saw no one. Jiang Chaoyu pondered for a moment, then realized she'd fallen into a trap. No wonder she'd been able to enter Zeng Chenhua's bedroom so easily; it turned out he'd set her up.

Hearing a noise to her right, Jiang Chaoyu quickly changed her position. Looking to her right, she saw Yun Qi, the Second Prince's personal guard.

Jiang Chaoyu knew she had been discovered and could no longer remain. However, she couldn't perform a spatial teleportation technique in front of a living person, or she would be discovered.

So Jiang Chaoyu had no choice but to flee back to where she was. As she slowly retreated, she looked back and found that several more people had come up behind her, all of them carrying weapons.

Thus, Jiang Chaoyu was now surrounded. Looking at the maid before him, Yun Qi said rudely, "Who are you? What brings you to the Second Prince's residence?"

Jiang Chaoyu didn't answer. She drew the soft sword from her waist. Seeing that her path was blocked, she had no choice but to find another way. In her other hand, she held the jade staff. Now that she had finally obtained it, she was determined to keep it.

Seeing that the man didn't answer, Yun Qi didn't hold back and directly drew his sword, thrusting it towards Jiang Chaoyu. "Don't blame us for being impolite!"

Seeing the incoming sword, Jiang Chaoyu dodged to the side, then used her soft sword to snatch the sword from Yun Qi's hand. She leaped up and kicked Yun Qi, forcing him to retreat.

"Let me go, you are no match for me." Afraid of being exposed, Jiang Chaoyu deliberately lowered her voice. To outsiders, it sounded hoarse.

But to Yunqi, these words sounded like a provocation: "Miss, don't speak so confidently."

He then said to the people behind him, "Go! The Second Prince must be alive."

The others also set out, and Jiang Chaoyu could only conclude that she had underestimated herself. She thought to herself that it seemed she had been exposed yesterday; since that was the case, she had no choice but to leave.

Straightening the soft sword in her hand, she saw a group of people approaching her. As they drew near, Jiang Chaoyu brandished the sword, saying, "Since you won't listen to advice, don't blame me."

Then, with a flick of her wrist towards the group, she moved like a nimble, venomous snake, trembling gently in the breeze. Jiang Chaoyu's face was cold and stern, her eyes resolute and sharp.

One of them rushed forward, his knife aimed straight at Jiang Chaoyu's shoulder. Jiang Chaoyu dodged the attack, her soft sword instantly striking the man's knife. The sword tip then drew a graceful arc in the air, piercing the man's chest.

Before the man could dodge, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and the soft sword, like a nimble snake, bypassed his blade, gently flicking it to cut a deep wound on his wrist. The steel sword clattered to the ground.

Seeing this, the others roared and charged forward.

Jiang Chaoyu was not afraid at all. She lightly touched the ground with her toes and leaped up as lightly as a swallow.

The soft sword in her hand was as flexible and free as her arm, and her sword moves were unpredictable and elusive.

One of the men brandished a stick, attempting a sneak attack from the side. Without turning her head, Jiang Chaoyu swung her sword backhand, thrusting the soft blade into the man's chest, forcing him to fall to the ground and roll around.

None of the others who fought her were a match for her; they were all knocked down. Seeing them all fall, Jiang Chaoyu sheathed her soft sword and casually said, "I told you, you are no match for me!"

When Yun Qi said those words earlier, he thought it was arrogance. But now, after fighting, clutching his chest wound, he realized it was real. He was facing the prospect of not being able to go back and report.

A figure emerged from elsewhere like a gust of wind, sword pointed directly at Jiang Chaoyu. Jiang Chaoyu, seeing this, blocked with her soft sword. The figure swiftly changed her stance with her longsword, clashing it against Jiang Chaoyu's soft sword with a crisp sound.

He was forced back by the blow, and the person standing before him appeared. His face was cold and stern, and he held a long sword.

Jiang Chaoyu's gaze paused, a faint surprise appearing in her eyes. This person was Zeng Chenhua. Seeing that he was not hiding his legs, she was also somewhat surprised, but she quickly composed herself.

But then he thought to himself, if someone can stand in front of me without hiding their legs, then this must be a life-or-death battle.

Zeng Chenhua's eyes narrowed, he sheathed his long sword and asked directly, "May I ask what brings you to the Han residence? And why are you carrying my jade staff?" His gaze went directly to the jade staff in Jiang Chaoyu's hand, and then he looked around, where guards who had been beaten to the ground were lying on the ground.

Zeng Chenhua said coldly, "Take these people down. If they're not as skilled, they'll have to train more!" He said this to Yun Qi, who was standing to the side, but his eyes were still fixed on Jiang Chaoyu.

Upon receiving this order, Yun Qi immediately accepted it, saying, "Yes." He then led his men away.

Thus, only Jiang Chaoyu and Zeng Chenhua remained on the field.

Upon hearing Zeng Chenhua's words, Jiang Chaoyu realized that she still held his jade staff in her hand. However, having already obtained it, she couldn't easily put it down. So she straightened the soft sword in her hand, looked at Zeng Chenhua, and prepared for a battle at any moment.

"I heard that your esteemed household is searching for a treasure. I merely wished to lend a hand, but I never expected Your Highness to treat me with such hospitality. It is truly disheartening. Now that Your Highness's leg has healed, it seems you no longer need this jade staff. Please do not give it to me," Jiang Chaoyu said politely. She had heard that the Second Prince was searching for something, and her purpose in coming to the residence was twofold: first, to investigate the Second Prince's relationship with the merchants, and second, to inquire about the treasure.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Chenhua was surprised that the news had been leaked. It seemed that the Crescent Moon Sect was indeed powerful, as they even had connections.

"It seems I misunderstood, but there's no need for such kindness. My legs are just fake anyway, so I'll have to return the jade staff. Now that you know this, it seems you'd be better off coming to my residence to rest." Upon hearing this, Zeng Chenhua immediately attacked, striking at the hand holding the jade staff.

Jiang Chaoyu kept a close eye on Zeng Chenhua's movements. As soon as he spoke, she understood his intention. It seemed that if he couldn't win today, he couldn't escape.

"I appreciate Your Highness's kindness, but my family is anxious, so I must go back." Although Zeng Chenhua's swordsmanship was superb, almost overwhelming Jiang Chaoyu several times and causing her to drop her jade staff, Jiang Chaoyu's swordsmanship was even more exquisite. Her sword moves were unpredictable, and even Zeng Chenhua sometimes found it difficult to predict the direction of her attacks.

In a fierce exchange, Jiang Chaoyu seized an opportunity, her soft sword slithering around Zeng Chenhua's blade like a serpent, the tip pointing directly at Zeng Chenhua's throat.

Zeng Chenhua's expression changed, and he quickly retreated to avoid the attack. He took a deep breath and looked up to find that Jiang Chaoyu had run away, leaving only the words, "Farewell, Second Prince!" before disappearing from sight. In just an instant, she vanished without a trace, just like at the bathhouse last time.

Zeng Chenhua stood quietly, but he found himself inferior in this sparring match and couldn't even beat Jiang Chaoyu. He smiled slightly and chuckled softly.

Jiang Chaoyu felt relieved after escaping, realizing she had just managed to seize the opportunity to escape. She hadn't been able to climb over the wall, so she used her spatial teleportation technique the moment she saw Zeng Chenhua lower his head.

It's a pity about the jade staff; I didn't get my hands on it again...