Xiao Xun stopped looking at her, turned and strode out, his dark cloak billowing behind him in a gust of cold wind. Xin Jiuwei took a deep breath, suppressing the hidden pain in her chest and the surging blood in her veins, and quickly followed. Xin Kui followed closely behind, her eyes filled with worry and determination.

The tightly closed gates of Jingyuan burst open with a roar. Outside, a biting wind howled, and the night was as dark as ink. Several magnificent warhorses were already waiting, their riders exuding a fierce aura and silent as iron. Xiao Xun mounted his horse with the same swiftness as ever, but Xin Jiuwei still keenly caught the almost imperceptible stiffness in his movements—the injuries from the Northern Frontier and the exhaustion of the past few days had not been entirely without effect on him.

With Xin Kui's help, Xin Jiuwei mounted a gentle mare. The horse's hooves pounded on the quiet street, making a dull thud, and galloped toward the outskirts of the city where the old lady of the Marquis of Zhongyong had been attacked.

The biting wind stung her face like a knife. Xin Jiuwei wrapped her cloak tighter, her body swaying with the galloping horse. A dull ache throbbed from her chest wound, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent. Her gaze was fixed on Xiao Xun's tall yet weary back. This cold-blooded man was now her only hope for revenge. The icy pact between them, under the old lady's dripping blood and Qi Huaiyu's shadow, was forcibly bound them to the same chariot.

The destination was soon reached. It was a relatively remote section of official road, now brightly lit by torches. Officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice maintained order on the perimeter, while the core area was firmly controlled by Xiao Xun's elite personal guards. The air was thick with the stench of blood and burnt flesh (from the remaining torches and signs of a struggle). Several wrecked carriages lay overturned by the roadside, the ground covered with white sheets, beneath which lay the bodies of the murdered guards. The scene was a chaotic and horrifying sight.

Xiao Xun reined in his horse and dismounted. Immediately, a commander of the personal guards stepped forward and quickly reported the progress of the investigation in a low voice: "Your Highness, the attackers were extremely ruthless and well-trained, killing with a single blow, and their target was clearly the Old Madam's carriage. The weapons used were mixed, including military standard issue weapons and poisoned concealed weapons commonly found in the martial arts world. The scene was cleaned up very thoroughly, leaving almost no clues... However, we found this next to the body of the Old Madam's personal maid." The commander of the personal guards handed over a white handkerchief that was mostly soaked in blood.

Xiao Xun took it, and Xin Jiuwei also leaned closer to look. On one corner of the handkerchief, embroidered with extremely fine stitches, was a barely perceptible, twisted datura flower! Xin Jiuwei had seen this pattern on Qi Huaiyu's hidden items in her previous life! It was his signature mark! He was demonstrating! He was announcing that this was his work!

Xin Jiuwei's nails dug deeply into her palms, almost drawing blood. Qi Huaiyu! It really was you!

“Furthermore,” the commander of the guards continued, his voice carrying a hint of unease, “according to the vague descriptions of the caravan survivors who rescued the old lady, when the attackers retreated, the leader was tall and thin, with what appeared to be burn scars on his face, and his left leg seemed to be slightly lame.”

Burn scars! Slight limp!

Xin Jiuwei's pupils suddenly contracted! This description... though vague, instantly struck her memory! In his past life, Qi Huaiyu had deliberately scalded half of his face with boiling oil to avoid his enemies, and then faked a fall that resulted in a slight limp in his left leg! This was one of his most secretive disguises! He actually dared to show his face under this identity! Was it out of blatant recklessness? Or... a clue deliberately left behind?

“It’s him!” Xin Jiuwei blurted out, her voice trembling slightly with excitement. “Your Highness! It’s Qi Huaiyu! He’s used to this disguise! The burns on his face were self-inflicted, and his limp was faked! This is one of his most concealed identities! If he dares to use this identity, it’s either because he’s at his wit’s end, or… he’s deliberately leaving clues to lure us in!” She quickly explained the characteristics and possible intentions behind Qi Huaiyu’s disguise.

Xiao Xun's gaze sharpened like a hawk's as he stared intently at Xin Jiuwei: "Are you sure?"

"Confirmed!" Xin Jiuwei said decisively, "In his previous life, he used this identity to operate in Yingzhou for a long time, and very few people knew about it!"

Xiao Xun's eyes flashed with a cold light! He turned around abruptly and shouted at the commander of his personal guards, "Send the order! A secret search throughout the city! Target: approximately seven feet five inches tall (about 1.78 meters), slender build, with severe old burn scars on the left or right cheek, and a deliberately feigned slight limp in the left leg when moving! Focus on searching all pharmacies, clinics, itinerant doctors, and... dilapidated temples and abandoned houses that shelter vagrants and beggars! Especially the area around the South City and West Market!" He accurately reported the area of ​​characteristics provided by Xin Jiuwei.

"Yes!" The commander of the personal guards accepted the order and quickly went to make arrangements.

With the order given, Xiao Xun's gaze returned to Xin Jiuwei, filled with scrutiny and a complex mix of inquiry: "What do you think of his intentions? To lure us into a trap?"

Xin Jiuwei forced herself to calmly analyze: "There are two possibilities. First, he underestimated the speed of His Highness's swift actions, thinking that Xiao Zhuo could still protect him, hence his recklessness in leaving this mark as a show of force. Second, this is simply a trap! He knows we are eager to capture him, so he deliberately exposed this identity feature to make us focus our attention on searching for this 'Scarred Cripple,' while he may be hiding in a safer place under a completely different identity, perhaps even... right under our noses! Or, he is using the chaos of our high-profile search for the 'Scarred Cripple' to carry out a more deadly operation!"

Xiao Xun's eyes became extremely deep. Xin Jiuwei's analysis coincided with his own concerns. Qi Huaiyu's cunning far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"Which possibility do you think is more likely?" Xiao Xun's voice was low, carrying a hint of inquiry that was almost imperceptible. This was extremely rare in his interactions with Xin Jiuwei.

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