RPDPHW Chapter 26

In front of the mourning hall, Gu Qingyin stepped past the fallen Tang Clan members and approached Zhong Shujin. When she saw the words carved into the coffin lid, her brows furrowed.

“Ajin, leaving your name like this—aren’t you just asking for trouble?”

Gu Qingyin had originally thought Zhong Shujin just wanted to set a few more fires and cause some mischief. She hadn’t expected to be dragged straight to Zhu Xing’an’s mourning hall—where Zhong Shujin was now carving words into the coffin lid!

If it were just any words, it might have been fine. But what Zhong Shujin had left behind was:

“If you dare to offend the Bloodflame Cult again, this will be the fate of your entire Tang Clan!”

Such blatant provocation—wasn’t this practically claiming responsibility for poisoning Zhu Xing’an and setting fire to the Tang Clan’s medicine warehouse?

“What’s there to be afraid of? Once we leave Sichuan, what can they do to me?”

Zhong Shujin reversed her grip on the blade, sheathing it behind her back, and used her free hand to pull Gu Qingyin along as they walked out. She scoffed coldly, “I have a powerful cult behind me—I’m not afraid of them coming for revenge! But you, wandering the Jianghu alone, if they set their sights on you, you’ll be the one at a disadvantage. Rather than letting them trace things back to you in the future, it’s better for me to take all the blame now! We’re already enemies anyway—one more grudge won’t make a difference!”

Now that Zhong Shujin had left her name behind, the furious Tang Clan wouldn’t stop analyzing how the Bloodflame Cult had managed to poison Zhu Xing’an. Such a blatant provocation, such an insult carved into the coffin lid, combined with the burning of their medicine warehouse, would only fuel their rage.

Blinded by hatred, the Tang Clan would focus all their vengeance on the Bloodflame Cult alone. Even if they later realized that Gu Qingyin had also been in Sichuan during this time, they wouldn’t suspect her at all.

Even if—by some slim chance—they did suspect Gu Qingyin, they would only assume she was working with the Bloodflame Cult.

By then, no matter what, the Tang Clan’s revenge would still be directed solely at the Bloodflame Cult.

Thinking this through, Gu Qingyin let out a helpless sigh. “You… you’re still so foolish.”

Hearing this, Zhong Shujin merely curved her lips into a slight smile, offering no rebuttal.

To her, as long as Qingyin wasn’t targeted by the Tang Clan, nothing else mattered.

However, they barely had any time for a quiet conversation. Just as they stepped out of the mourning hall, they were unlucky enough to run straight into some Tang Clan disciples.

“Quick! Someone comes! We’ve found them!”

The disciples guarding the sect quickly surrounded the two of them.

Fortunately, most of the true experts had already been sent out to search for them—leaving behind only a handful of ordinary fighters.

Zhong Shujin curved her lips into a faint smile, narrowing her eyes as she watched the Tang Clan disciples charge toward them.

Killing intent filled the air, yet Zhong Shujin remained utterly unshaken, merely observing them with an amused gaze.

Only when they were within ten steps did she finally shift her stance slightly. With a composed motion, she brought the Yanling Blade forward from where it had been resting behind her back. At the same time, she casually wrapped an arm around Gu Qingyin’s waist and slid a step to the side.

One arm holding her close, the other wielding a blade—yet she still faced the incoming enemies with perfect ease.

The sharp, relentless blade technique sent waves of lethal energy slicing through the air, cutting down the surrounding Tang Clan disciples with deadly precision—each strike ruthless and decisive.

After swiftly dealing with the six fighters who had first surrounded them, Zhong Shujin did not linger in battle. Instead, seizing the moment while the remaining enemies were still in shock, she immediately pulled Gu Qingyin close and leaped onto the nearby rooftop, sprinting along the ridges with agile movements.

She ran away so quickly!

One moment, she had been slaughtering enemies without hesitation; the next, she had taken off without warning.

Who would have expected Zhong Shujin to act like this?

The disciples left behind were utterly furious!

The leader shouted, “Go inform the Clan Master immediately!”

Without hesitation, he led his men in a relentless pursuit, chasing the two figures darting across the rooftops.

Despite the looming danger, Gu Qingyin remained completely at ease, leaning against Zhong Shujin without the slightest intention of suggesting she could run on her own. Instead, she allowed herself to be protected, watching Zhong Shujin’s focused gaze as she scanned their surroundings. A soft smile tugged at her lips.

Ah Jin, when serious, looked even more beautiful than usual.

Beyond the Tang Clan’s territory lay an empty street.

With no rooftops ahead to leap across, Zhong Shujin had no choice but to gather her energy and descend gracefully to the ground.

Fortunately, they had already left the pursuers far behind, allowing Zhong Shujin to run freely with Gu Qingyin through the empty streets.

However, before they could even make it halfway across the open road, Tang Shifeng had already led a team of riders in pursuit from within the Tang Clan compound.

Four legs were undeniably faster than two.

In no time, Tang Shifeng, his face contorted in rage, had closed the distance between them.

​Clearly, the chaos they had caused inside the Tang Clan had utterly infuriated him.

Gu Qingyin could no longer afford to stay idle. She swiftly withdrew her hand from Zhong Shujin’s grasp and, without hesitation, flicked a silver needle straight toward Tang Shifeng, who was closest to them.

The silver needle pierced the forehead of Tang Shifeng’s black horse, instantly sending the beast into a wild frenzy.

Even with Tang Shifeng’s exceptional riding skills, he couldn’t control the maddened horse in time.

As the horse reared up on its hind legs, Tang Shifeng swiftly slapped its back, propelling himself into the air. In mid air, he twisted his body and landed steadily behind one of his disciples riding alongside him.

However, in just that brief moment of delay, the two fugitives had already widened the distance between them.

Tang Shifeng quickly signaled for someone to stay behind and subdue the frenzied horse before seizing the reins from the disciple in front of him and urging the horse into a full gallop.

Yet, before he could close the gap again, the two had already leaped onto the rooftop right before his eyes.

Seeing the two figures already scaling the rooftops, Tang Shifeng refused to give up. He immediately dismounted and signaled for a few disciples with decent qinggong skills to follow him in pursuit.

The rest of the disciples remained on horseback, continuing the chase from the streets below.

By now, they had entered a residential area.

A few pedestrians on the road, startled by the commotion, quickly stepped back and hid, allowing the mounted pursuers to continue unimpeded.

As the leader of Tangmen, Tang Shifeng’s martial prowess was naturally formidable. He managed to stay close behind Zhong Shujin and Gu Qingyin, but the disciples following him struggled to keep up, falling further behind.

The chase continued relentlessly, and before they knew it, Tang Shifeng had pursued them all the way to the bustling main street.

During the chase, the two figures ahead neither managed to shake him off, nor did he succeed in catching them.

However, at that moment, Tang Shifeng suddenly noticed that their speed seemed to slow down slightly.

A surge of excitement rose in his heart—surely, he would be able to catch them now!

Unfortunately, before he could celebrate, the woman in white ahead suddenly flung a handful of powder toward him.

At the same time, Zhong Shujin’s excited voice rang out,“

Wow! “Where did you get Bone-Melting Powder?!”

Tang Shifeng’s heart clenched. He had never heard of this so-called “Bone-Melting Powder” before, but just from the ominous name, his first instinct was to immediately retreat a few steps.

Immediately, he raised his sleeve to block the powder attacking him.

If it truly was Bone-Melting Powder, getting hit by it would be disastrous!

However, he had underestimated them.

When he finally realized that the powder clinging to his sleeve was nothing more than ordinary wound medicine, the two had already evaded the mounted pursuers and leaped down to the street on the other side of the rooftops.

Tang Shifeng was so furious he nearly choked on his anger!

Wasting no time, he immediately gathered his energy and followed after them.

Yet, by the time he landed, the two had already vanished without a trace.

On this street, apart from the bustling pedestrians, the only notable presence near their landing spot was an approaching procession.

The leader of the procession rode atop a red horse, dressed in striking red attire. Despite the feminine adornments, her demeanor was bold and commanding, exuding an air of strength and resilience.

This was Lin Ziyan, the third young mistress of General Lin’s household in the city.

For a woman to bear a name from the Lin family’s male generation, it was evident how highly she was regarded within the family.

Tang Shifeng quickly adjusted his attire, stepped forward, and clasped his fists in a respectful salute to her.

“I have long heard of Third Miss Lin’s great name. I did not expect to meet you here today. Might I ask if you have seen two suspicious-looking women pass through just now?”

Lin Ziyan remained seated on her horse, her fingers gripping the reins as the steed shifted beneath her. Her voice was cool and composed as she replied, “I have not.”

Tang Shifeng cast his gaze toward the palanquin being carried by four blade-wielding guards within the procession.

“Might I ask who is seated inside this palanquin?”

“What business is it of the Tang Clan’s leader?”

Such an arrogant and dismissive response made Tang Shifeng, as the master of a great sect, seethe with anger. However, as a seasoned leader, he restrained his displeasure, merely furrowing his brows slightly.

Meanwhile, on another street, the Tang Clan disciples who had been pursuing on horseback finally circled around and arrived.

In an instant, the Tang Clan’s forces swelled to around thirty men, whereas Lin Ziyan’s group only had a little over ten, making her side appear significantly weaker.

Tang Shifeng stepped forward slightly, maintaining a smile.

“Might I have the honor of taking a look at the person inside the palanquin?”

“Tang Clan Leader, are you suspecting me of something?” Lin Ziyan’s gaze was as sharp as a blade as she swept her eyes over Tang Shifeng. My fifth aunt is gravely ill, and this is the doctor I personally invited! If you delay any further and worsen her condition, can you bear the consequences?”

That overwhelming aura of killing intent—despite all the bloodshed and storms Tang Shifeng had weathered—made him involuntarily shudder.

He had long heard that this Third Miss of the Lin family had followed General Lin onto the battlefield since childhood. Now, it seemed the rumors were indeed true.

Only the murderous aura honed on the battlefield could unsettle someone as skilled as him.

It was only after being reprimanded by Lin Ziyan today that Tang Shifeng truly erased her from the category of frail, pampered noble people in his mind.

This woman was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

The situation instantly grew tense, with hidden killing intent lurking beneath the surface.

Tang Clan disciples instinctively reached for their weapons, awaiting their leader’s command.

At the same time, the dozen or so soldiers accompanying Lin Ziyan moved in unison, drawing half of their blades from their scabbards. One word from Lin Ziyan, and their weapons would be fully unsheathed.

“Heh, the Third Miss must be joking. How could I dare delay Lady Fifth’s treatment?”

With that, Tang Shifeng took a few steps back and barked an order at his disciples, blocking the way.

“Well? Make way for the Third Miss!”

A wise man knows when to retreat. In Sichuan, the Tang Clan wasn’t the only force that held power.

After all, those were soldiers, while they were merely members of a martial sect. The reason they had coexisted peacefully until now was simply because both sides had been willing to give each other face.

As the saying goes, civilians should not go against officials.

Even though Tang Shifeng was certain that his targets were hiding inside the palanquin, he had no choice but to let them pass.

With no one blocking their path, Lin Ziyan kept her cold expression and led her team forward.

Inside the palanquin, the two people crammed together in the tight space finally let out a sigh of relief.

“We’re safe!”

However, just as Zhong Shujin was about to enjoy the thrill of their escape, a woman’s voice from outside shattered her good mood.

“Qingqing, did you get it?”

“Mm. Everything went smoothly. Let’s head straight to your residence.”

After Gu Qingyin finished speaking, she noticed Zhong Shujin’s furrowed brows.

The two were extremely close at the moment, and with such proximity, how could Zhong Shujin’s every expression escape Gu Qingyin’s eyes?

“What’s wrong? “We’re safe now—aren’t you happy?”

She reached out to smooth the crease between Zhong Shujin’s brows, asking with a hint of confusion.

Zhong Shujin pressed her lips together and turned her head away, avoiding Gu Qingyin’s touch.

That single “Qingqing” had left a bitter taste in her heart. Unable to hold it in, she finally let out a soft huff and muttered, “Who is she? “You risked everything alone just for her, didn’t you?”

That voice was muffled and sulky.

Gu Qingyin was momentarily stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Her gaze toward Zhong Shujin became even more tender.

hi readers, i hope you’ll hang in there and wait for my updates every chapter. I’m trying best to upload more chapters today. thankyou for waiting. enjoy reading ❤️❤️