Chapter 93 Chapter Ninety-Three ...

Chapter Ninety-Three: Back Again

The diligent Ling Hao practically treated Fang Yingkan like a time clock, requiring him to clock in every day, otherwise it would be as if the day had never happened. She was happy every day, but the person being clocked in wasn't, though his unhappiness was of no use.

There was another group of dumbfounded people: most of the residents of Kyoto. From royalty to commoners, whether they were江湖人士 (jianghu figures) or ordinary citizens, everyone knew about Fang Yingkan being beaten every day. Such a big deal—it would be rare for someone not to know.

"Did the young master get beaten up again today?"

"She got hit, she got hit. The heroine left after she finished, just like every other day."

"Why do you think this young lady is so determined to pick a fight with the young marquis? This decisive battle is only supposed to happen once, right? But she goes every single day, rain or shine. It's said that the servants of the Divine Power Marquis's mansion are so used to seeing her that they think there's something wrong with their eyes if they don't."

"How do you know what the servants of the Marquis of Shentong's mansion are thinking?"

"My neighbor's second uncle's wife's cousin's neighbor's second uncle is the one who grooms horses in the Divine Marquis's mansion. He knows, and of course I know too. Let me tell you, your heroine always leaves out a challenge letter. Now, if you stack those challenge letters up, they're almost as thick as a palm."

"...This relationship is a bit too distant."

"What you're saying is really going too far. Aren't we trying to figure out why the young lady is targeting the young marquis?"

"Perhaps it's because his love was rejected, and he turned to hate? The young marquis has a good family background, good martial arts skills, and good character. Many girls like him."

"You mean the heroine likes someone who can't beat her? She likes someone she beats every day?"

"..."

"You're brainless. I knew the person the heroine liked wasn't the young marquis, but that handsome young man who came with her every day."

"That young master is indeed handsome. It's the first time I've ever seen someone so handsome. His beauty transcends that of men and women."

"You guys... you've gone off on a tangent again. Weren't we talking about why your lady wanted to beat up the young marquis every day?"

Why did Linghao have to go to beat Fang Yingkan every day? Just like those people at the yamen going on duty, rain or shine. This question had been lingering in everyone's minds. They had guessed all sorts of reasons, but none of them had guessed the real reason.

Fang Yingkan was also confused. He clearly hadn't provoked Ling Hao, so why was she treating him this way? These past few days, he had been fighting every day, losing every day, getting beaten every day, and getting injured every day. Now, apart from recovering from his injuries and being unconscious, he had almost nothing to do.

And his face was bruised and swollen, and the swelling never seemed to go away. Fang Yingkan couldn't take it anymore, but he was completely helpless. Several times, he even abandoned all pretense of dignity and secretly had his men help him escape.

But no matter where he fled, Ling Hao always caught him within a few miles of the Marquis of Shentong's residence. She knocked out all his men, then dragged him to the gate of the Marquis of Shentong's residence, beat him up again, and then left triumphantly.

Fang Yingkan was truly going crazy; he seemed to have gone a bit mad, losing all sense of time. After all, this had been going on for half a month straight, and even the best person couldn't withstand such torment.

"Young Master." There was a knock on Fang Yingkan's door. It was a servant from his household. "The time has come."

Upon hearing these words, Fang Yingkan felt as if he were living a life worse than death. How could another day have passed? How could it be this time again? How... how could he still not be dead? He lay on the bed, motionless, as if he were truly dead.

"Bang—!"

Fang Yingkan's door was kicked open, and a person walked in against the light. "Young Master Fang, why are you still sleeping? This is not good. The early bird catches the worm. You need to get up." The person went straight to Fang Yingkan, grabbed him, and flew him out.

Fang Ying knew who the newcomer was, and remained silent with a gloomy face. He seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, but the next moment, the hidden weapon in his hand flew towards Ling Hao.

"Bang—!" This time, it was Fang Yingkan who was kicked away, flying from inside the mansion to outside the gate.

Ling Hao was furious. "I kindly invited you to spar, and you dared to ambush me?" As she spoke, she took the broken snow and gave Fang Yingkan another beating.

The onlookers, who watched from a distance every day, all frowned, some even gasping in shock. Even after seeing it so many times, they still found it incredibly painful and frightening.

Fang Yingkan, who had been lying on the ground, finally rolled over after a long while. Looking at Ling Hao who had walked up to him, he was still somewhat puzzled. She usually just hit him and left; why wasn't she leaving today?

Ling Hao bent down, smiled at Fang Yingkan on the ground, and said, "Young Master Fang, don't worry, I won't come to beat you tomorrow."

Fang Ying's eyes first lit up with ecstasy, then disbelief, and finally, suspicion. Could this person really be so kind? He refused to believe it.

Ling Hao simply smiled and said nothing. She walked to Gongzi Yu's side. "Yu, is the person arriving yet?"

Gongzi Yu looked at the horizon. "That's about it."

People? Who? Who's coming? Fang Yingkan didn't faint today; his mind was still functioning, but only to a certain extent.

The newcomer was Zhuge Zhengwo. He led Wuqing Tieshou and a whole squad of soldiers, surrounding the Divine Power Marquis's residence.

Fang Yingkan finally realized what was happening and struggled to get down from the ground, but was immediately subdued by Tie Shou.

"Fang Yingkan." Zhuge Zhengwo's expression was somewhat complicated. "The Emperor has ordered the arrest of Marquis Shentong."

Fang Yingkan finally realized what was happening and rushed towards Ling Hao. But she and Gongzi Yu had already left; he only saw their backs.

"Wow, the daily check-in task is finally over." Ling Hao waved her wrist. "The beginning was a bit interesting, but I really lost consciousness towards the end. Fang Ying could see that he didn't react much anymore." Today was a little different, but that hidden weapon was too slow, and she reacted and dodged it in an instant.

Gongzi Yu smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"No, no." Hearing this, Ling Hao felt a little embarrassed. "You're the ones who have to work hard." To eliminate Fang Yingkan's forces and the Six and a Half Hall at the same time, it would probably be difficult for one person to do the work of five.

She just comes out to beat people up every day; it's not hard work for her. "Are you going to continue being busy?"

In truth, Gongzi Yu was almost never by Ling Hao's side. Apart from accompanying her to the gate of the Marquis of Shentong's residence every day, Gongzi Yu's whereabouts were always unpredictable. However, Ling Hao knew that he was either with the Emperor or handling matters.

On the surface, the matter was simple: Ling Hao went to beat up Fang Yingkan every day, and then he was arrested. But in reality, there was a lot more to do, and Gongzi Yu was incredibly busy. Aside from insisting on accompanying her out—ostensibly to relax—he was practically invisible.

At first, Ling Hao was a little unaccustomed to it, because neither Gongzi Yu nor Gongzi Mingyue wanted to be separated from her for too long, and this was the longest separation they had ever had. Every time she turned around and didn't see Gongzi Yu, every time she wanted to talk to him but couldn't find him, she felt a little empty inside.

However, she didn't tell anyone this because she felt a little embarrassed. Being so clingy with her friends wasn't very chivalrous, and she certainly couldn't tell anyone.

"No need," Gongzi Yu shook his head. "I won't be needed anymore." Actually, he had already handled most of the matters that needed to be dealt with and didn't want to continue. In any case, whether it was the people from the Divine Marquis's Mansion, his subordinates, or the people on the Emperor's side, they were all capable, and he wasn't necessarily needed.

Even if it were necessary, Gongzi Yu didn't want to go. He already felt exhausted from seeing Ahao only once a day; if it happened again, he would really lose his temper.

“That’s great,” Ling said with a smile. “You can finally get some rest.”

Gongzi Yu nodded with a smile, "Yes, I can rest now." He was finally able to stay by Ahao's side.

He used to not think those things were so superfluous or annoying, but now he feels that nothing is more important than his Ah Hao. "Any more tasks today?" he asked with a smile.

Gongzi Yu had overheard Ling Hao muttering that beating people had become her job, so he jokingly teased her like that.

“Hmm…” Linghao hesitated for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Gongzi Yu asked, puzzled. "Didn't they find you a suitable candidate for poetry?" In the beginning, when things weren't busy, he was the one who chose the candidates, but later it became the responsibility of poetry.

“No, she already found the two people I was looking for this afternoon.” Ling Hao shook her head. “I suddenly thought of someone, but I don’t know whether I should go and confront him.”

Gongzi Yu asked, "What's so special about him?"

“He’s a government official, I’m worried they’ll be swamped with work,” Ling Hao replied. The affairs of Fang Yingkan and the Six and a Half Hall alone were already keeping them incredibly busy, and the Ministry of Justice was also overwhelmed because of the people she’d sent over. If she were to take action again, she feared they would be overwhelmed.

"No, that won't happen," Gongzi Yu said with a smile. "My sister has more people than she can handle, so don't worry." For an emperor of a country, how could it be a problem to have a few people at his disposal?

Ling Hao's eyes lit up, and she swiftly pulled a challenge letter from her bosom. "That's great! Let's go to the Six Doors." She had now grown fond of this method of throwing out a challenge letter one moment and then launching an attack the next.

Who was Ling Hao going to see at the Six Doors? Obviously, she was going to see Jin Jiuling. At this hour, Jin Jiuling should already be on duty, so she took Gongzi Yu directly to the entrance of the Six Doors and threw the challenge letter inside.

The members of the Six Doors, upon seeing the challenge letter nailed to the pillar, were left bewildered.

"!!!"

Wait, what's going on? Are they seeing things? How did they see Ling Hao's challenge? Shouldn't she be fighting Young Master Fang right now? What's she doing here?

This challenge letter has almost become Ling Hao's trademark; people haven't even looked at the name yet, but they already assume it's from Ling Hao. And indeed, this particular challenge letter really was sent by Ling Hao.

"What's going on?" Jin Jiuling came out from inside.

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Author's Note: Ah Hao: Eating, sleeping, and beating up number two beans.