Zeng Yaxian felt restless and uneasy all day at home, her eyelids twitching constantly.
She held the hot tea in her hands, pressed her wildly twitching eyelids, and looked up at the old woman beside her: "Old woman, where is Hei Yin? I haven't seen her for several days, and there's been no news of her."
The old woman probably noticed Zeng Yaxian's unusual behavior, so she lowered her voice to comfort her: "Didn't Miss Heiyin go to investigate something for you?"
"Perhaps she has found out something, which is why she hasn't sent word for several days. You've known about her skills since she was a child, so there's no need to worry."
Upon hearing the nanny mention the Black Shadow skill, Madam Zhao felt much more at ease.
That's true. When it comes to the skills of stealth, nothing serious is likely to happen.
The two were talking inside the house when suddenly there was a commotion outside.
Zeng Yaxian turned her head and saw Zhao Qingshu carrying a wooden food box, looking travel-worn as he entered.
He wore a high-necked black robe with a cloak draped over his back, and his affectionate eyes gazed at Madam Zhao with a refined smile.
As soon as he opened the food box, an enticing aroma filled the room.
"Ya Xian, today when I was leaving the office, I happened to pass by a street vendor and smelled the aroma of these walnut shortbreads. I remembered that this was your favorite treat, so I brought them to you."
In the past, Zeng Yaxian would have happily hugged Zhao Qingshu, but today, when she accepted the walnut pastry from Zhao Qingshu, she could only manage a weak smile.
"Hurry up and try it, see if it tastes like the food we had when we were young."
Zhao Qingshu urged her on from the side, and Zeng Yaxian, feeling his burning gaze, still took a bite of the warm walnut pastry in her hand.
"Thank you, my husband."
As she spoke, the peach shortbread in her mouth remained stuck in her throat, like wax that she couldn't swallow.
Zhao Qingshu observed her expression, narrowed his eyes slightly, but quickly concealed the gloom in them, and spoke with concern:
"What's wrong? Ya Xian, you don't look too well."
Zeng Yaxian opened her mouth, but when she looked into Zhao Qingshu's affectionate eyes, she couldn't say anything.
She picked up the hot tea beside her, took a sip, and managed to suppress the turmoil in her heart. She smiled again and said, "The weather has been bad lately. I may have caught a cold without realizing it. It's a shame that my husband bought me peach shortbread..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingshu frowned slightly. Before he could say anything, a servant stumbled in, looking extremely flustered.
"Something terrible has happened! Something has gone wrong outside! Please, sir, go and take a look!"
Zeng Yaxian's eyelids twitched, and she quickly looked up at Zhao Qingshu.
Zhao Qingshu was also frowning, looking completely bewildered. He bent down slightly, took Zeng Yaxian's hand, and whispered reassuringly, "It's alright, I'll go take a look now and be right back."
"It's windy now, and it's dark outside, so you shouldn't go out. Look, your hands are so cold."
Zeng Yaxian watched Zhao Qingshu leave, then hurriedly looked up in the direction of the old woman and grabbed her hand: "Why is my husband back, but Hei Yin hasn't returned yet?"
"Isn't Kurogane following her husband?"
The old woman was startled when she felt Zeng Yaxian's hands were icy cold. She bit her lip and said, "Perhaps she was held up by something. It should be over in a little while."
Before the old woman could finish speaking, another servant rushed in. This time, the servant looked as if he had seen something terrifying; he was trembling all over and his face was deathly pale.
"Madam... Madam... Master wants you to go out right now."
Zeng Yaxian shuddered and gritted her teeth: "Is something the matter?"
The servants below hurriedly said, "It's Hei Yin... Hei Yin's body was dumped at the gate of the Zhao residence... There was also a bloody letter saying that if you, sir, do not keep your word, the next person to die like this will be someone from the Zhao residence."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao felt as if her ears had been blasted open. She gasped for breath, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
Only when the nanny rushed forward to support her did she stiffly turn her head and speak with great difficulty, each word distinct: "Nanny...Nanny...Did you hear me?"
"What is he saying? What exactly is he saying?"
Seeing the bloodshot in Zeng Yaxian's eyes, the old nanny trembled all over: "Miss! Miss! We don't know the current situation yet, please don't go out, let this old servant go out and see what's going on."
Hearing the old woman's words, Zeng Yaxian's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died, and tears instantly rolled down her cheeks: "I want to go out, I want to see it with my own eyes."
She stumbled and ran out, on a road she knew very well, but she fell countless times along the way.
Sharp pebbles embedded themselves in her palm without her noticing, until she hurriedly stepped out the door and saw a bloodied and mangled figure in the distance.
The head and the corpse were separated.
All the people stood at a distance, glancing at the scene before them with fear, and discussing it amongst themselves.
When Zeng Yaxian saw this scene, her vision went black and she almost fell to the ground.
At that moment, a warm, large hand firmly grasped her body, helped her up, and pulled her into its embrace.
Zhao Qingshu's voice seemed to tremble slightly: "Don't go over there... don't go over there to look..."
He said, his tone filled with deep sorrow: "Kurokubi died because of me."
Zeng Yaxian's eyes narrowed sharply as she stared at him in disbelief, her gaze almost losing focus.
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