Qin Kou'er suddenly woke up from her dream.

An instinctive reaction to danger made her tense up. It was a habit she had developed over the years, and she reflexively gripped the dagger that had been hidden in her hand.

The dense foliage kept the surrounding rain out of the world. It was still pitch black all around, but in the distance, faint lights flickered.

Lan Linxue remained crouched in front of her, motionless. But the taut muscles throughout his body instantly told Qin Kou'er that he was a cheetah lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

Qin Kou'er slightly raised her head, not disturbing Lan Linxue, and squinted her eyes to look ahead.

With just one glance, Qin Kou'er gritted her teeth and wanted to kill Lan Linxue.

This was actually Lianjiafang, the place we had just talked about. Lan Linxue was still determined to kill Lan Xiuyuan's men, taking advantage of her being asleep.

What surprised Qin Kou'er even more was that she had slept on Lan Linxue's back for nearly an hour without any precautions, even in the midst of a storm.

The villagers were specially arranged by Qin Kou'er to stay and provide cover in the secret chamber of the Martyrs' Shrine. Although they appeared to be mostly old, weak, sick, or disabled, each of them possessed extraordinary skills. Several were even retired martial arts masters. These people were more than capable of dealing with Lan Xiuyuan's men.

As Qin Kou'er instructed, they were simply to arrest the people. However, Lan Linxue was clearly dissatisfied with this arrangement.

He still remembered Lan Xiuyuan's order: only kill the Crown Prince, spare Qin Kou'er!

Why would he keep Qin Kou'er around? It's either for money or sex! Those are the only two things Qin Kou'er possesses that barely catch Lao Wu's eye. But if he could get both money and sex, who would be foolish enough to forcibly take her?

Therefore, Lan Linxue concluded that Lan Xiuyuan must have been tempted and had become lustful! He absolutely could not let Qin Kou'er meet that scoundrel Lan Xiuyuan, otherwise those flirtatious eyes might lead Qin Kou'er astray somewhere! He could wear any hat, but a green hat was absolutely unacceptable!

Since Lan Xiuyuan is still hiding in the dog hole, his only option is to target Qin Kou'er. Once Qin Kou'er is stained with Lan Xiuyuan's blood, their relationship will be completely over! Only then can his wife sit securely in his bridal sedan chair.

So, while Qin Kou'er was asleep, Lan Linxue went through all sorts of trouble to come over, planning to make a sneak attack soon and slit the throats of all the people Lao Wu had captured to bleed them dry.

However, before Lan Linxue could draw her sword and reach out, she suddenly felt her back stiffen as several acupoints on her back were struck hard, rendering her unable to move or even shout.

Lan Linxue's heart sank. It was all over! Qin Kou'er woke up.

Qin Kou'er grabbed Lan Linxue's belt as easily as catching a chick trying to escape, lifting him effortlessly as they leaped over several dense trees. Only when they reached a place far enough away that the people there would no longer notice them did she roughly throw Lan Linxue aside and release the pressure points on his body.

"What are you doing?" Lan Linxue roared as soon as she released the pressure points, brandishing a dagger and pointing it at Qin Kou'er with a face full of indignation. "Why can't I kill them? They can kill me, but I can't kill them?!"

Qin Kou'er stared at Lan Linxue with a gloomy expression. "They were doing their duty to kill you. You killing them is framing them! Lan Linxue, don't think I don't know your little scheme. I was just wondering why they had to come out to eat steamed buns in the pouring rain, all this fuss about! You wanted to take this opportunity to kill them, make me and Lan Xiuyuan enemies, and then you'd reap the benefits, wouldn't you?"

The thought that Lan Linxue's gentle whispers to her earlier might have been a deception made Qin Kou'er even angrier!

"Why are you saying such nasty things?" Lan Linxue shouted, standing up and walking up to Qin Kou'er. She said defiantly, "I want to kill them! That's right! I want you and Lan Xiuyuan to become enemies, ideally a fight to the death. So what? You think I'm the one who benefits? That's right! My only benefit is that you'll never be able to have any improper thoughts about Lan Xiuyuan for the rest of your life! Ideally, you'd feel like vomiting just looking at him!"

Qin Kou'er was so angry that her face turned white. For the first time in her life, she wished she could bite the person in front of her into pieces of boiled meat.

"You're insane! Lan Linxue! You're an idiot, a moron, a pervert, and shameless! I think liking you means I'm not smart! I'm crazy!"

After saying that, Qin Kou'er didn't even look at Lan Linxue, turned around and strode away.

Lan Linxue jumped up, grabbed Qin Kou'er's arm, and spun her around forcefully, staring wide-eyed in disbelief. "You said you like me?"

"I didn't say that!"

"You said it! You did say it! I heard it all!" Lan Linxue clung to Qin Kou'er desperately, as if she were grasping at a lifeline.

Qin Kou'er smiled slightly, then beckoned with her finger: "Come here, I'll say it again, so you don't miss it?"

Lan Linxue immediately scurried over.

"I just said—"

Taking advantage of the instant Lan Linxue approached, Qin Kou'er unleashed a flurry of punches, striking relentlessly from all sides!

"I'll teach you to be cunning! I'll teach you to eat steamed buns! I'll teach you to be willful! I'll teach you to wear a green hat every day! I'll beat you to death!"

---Aside---

Drunk Cat: My son is so petty! I'm speechless! He deserves it!

Seagull: Look at you, you're such a stepmother! You don't even like your own son. I'm taking you away!