Having achieved her goal, the older palace maid made no further attempt to conceal her true intentions.

At this point, her voice became increasingly inconsistent with her appearance, clearly indicating that she was disguised from head to toe.

Seeing that she was about to escape, Ji Fengyao quickly stepped forward and grabbed her.

The older palace maid also reacted quickly, leaping back and retreating swiftly with her toes barely touching the ground; her speed was no less than that of Ji Fengyao.

Unable to reach it, Ji Fengyao drew a blood-stained short whip from her sleeve. Since her opponent was skilled in martial arts and clearly harbored ill intentions, she held nothing back, determined to subdue him first.

The two exchanged blows for over twenty rounds, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

In the distance, on a long-abandoned palace, a man shrouded in black robes stood silently, with a servant wearing a ghost mask beside him.

"I never imagined that this bandit would have such impressive skills," the servant said in surprise.

“He’s quite an interesting little fellow,” the man in black robes said with interest.

The servant was even more surprised to hear this. He turned his head to look at his master as if he had seen a ghost, and then looked up at the sky.

His master actually said that a bandit was interesting, and that she was a woman!

The sun didn't rise in the west, is the world starting to become fantastical?

The older palace maid had no weapon, and Ji Fengyao's moves were extremely tricky and strange. Relying on the advantage of her short whip, she slowly gained the upper hand. Every time the whip touched her, it left a bloody mess. After taking several lashes, the older palace maid showed signs of defeat.

"Your Majesty, Dark Oriole is no match for them," the servant calmly declared.

"If your skills are inferior, your death is not a pity," the man in black robes said indifferently, his voice cold and ruthless.

Ji Fengyao lashed the older palace maid's back with her whip again, sending her flying backward with her skin torn and blood ripped open.

The lash landed solidly, and the older palace maid coughed up a mouthful of blood, collapsing to the ground and unable to get up for a long time.

Ji Fengyao approached slowly, holding a short whip, and looked down at her, saying coldly, "Since you don't want to harm me, I have no intention of taking your life. As long as you tell me who instructed you and what your purpose was, I will spare your life."

"All my hard training day and night has been for naught, and I can't even defeat a mere bandit. What's the point of my life?" The older palace maid lay on the ground with a bitter smile. Unable to bear the blow, she bit into the poison sac between her teeth and drank the poison to commit suicide.

Ji Fengyao: "..."

Holy crap, loli voice sister, I didn't even use my full strength because I was afraid of crippling you, okay?

Could you please give me the courtesy of waiting a bit before you die?

Ji Fengyao rushed forward to check on her and try to save her, but found that her pulse and heartbeat had stopped; even a miracle couldn't save her.

Ji Fengyao picked up a dry twig, dipped it in some black blood from the corner of her mouth, and swept it across her nose from a distance. She couldn't help but marvel inwardly, "What a potent poison! This is probably the most potent mortal poison in the world."

"Your Majesty, what is she doing?" The servant was puzzled by Ji Fengyao's actions.

"Identify the poison," the man in black robes said calmly.

"It seems that what she said about learning a few tricks from Doctor Xiao's master is not untrue. But who is Doctor Xiao's master, and how skilled must his medical skills be, that he could make a rough bandit look at him with such respect after only teaching him a few tricks?" The servant's words clearly showed his curiosity about the never-seen doctor's master.

Seeing Ji Fengyao get up to leave.

The man in black robes tilted his head slightly and asked in a calm voice, "Where are the people Gaoqi Kingdom sent to find her now?"

"Your Majesty, most of them are in the Imperial Garden, and some are scattered throughout the palace," the servant replied confidently.