"How bad I am~"
Watching the two figures growing more distant ahead, Mu Qinglan's expression was playful.
"But bad children are the ones who get liked easily, especially pretty bad children like me."
She smiled, not feeling the slightest bit that her actions were excessive.
Although she had indeed deceived the little princess's feelings, Jiang He had also gained happiness!
According to the original plot's development, that princess would leave Heyang in a few years due to endless ostracism, and then, after experiencing who knows what in between, when news of her appeared again in the game, it would be during that catastrophic flood.
Theoretically, all of this would happen in the future.
But now that she knew herself, it wouldn't be easy for her to be ostracized anymore.
Because her loyal and reliable good friend Mu Qinglan would help her eliminate the bad people within the royal family one by one, returning her to a peaceful world.
This also aligned with Mu Qinglan's interests.
So what was the price?
Of course, it would be this little princess's wholehearted friendship.
This was an innate destiny trait after all, an existence far stronger than the acquired destiny traits obtained through major boundary rituals.
It could be said that people with innate destiny traits, as long as they didn't die young, would definitely become heaven's favored children in the future.
It's just that such people in the game were mostly villains.
And now, what Mu Qinglan had to do was collect them, conquer them, and finally, make them serve her.
'But right now, I need to deal with that assassin first.'
'I still have no clue about my highest rating.'
'However, since Jiang Jiang is Jiang He, that task to protect my close friend shouldn't be a worry anymore. With her strength, protecting herself shouldn't be difficult.'
But why hasn't that assassin come yet?
Mu Qinglan frowned slightly, feeling impatient about why he hadn't come to deliver himself to death yet.
But she didn't know that the assassin was still pondering why his identity had been exposed! With more on his mind, his actions slowed down.
Sitting in the carriage, the white-haired girl's face was expressionless.
After dealing with the assassin, she still had to find the city lord who guarded the city and interrogate him thoroughly for information.
—Although she had already guessed who the mastermind was, if she didn't ask personally, Mu Qinglan really couldn't swallow this grievance.
"Hmph, what a scheme!"
In the historical conclusion of this event, no intelligence was sent out from Dingwu City.
The entire city just lost contact from Great Xia's territory for a day and night.
By the time people discovered the anomaly, the battle had been going on for almost a day, and the guards at the mansion had suffered near-total casualties under the demons' frenzied pursuit.
Eighty percent of the guards died on the spot.
Even General Yuan, a fourth-rank warrior, was left with lasting injuries and had to retire from the battlefield to become a mere steward.
Her mother in this life had even split up to cover for her, only to be brutally killed by demon experts in the end.
Such tragic results.
Mu Qinglan believed this was inseparable from that defending general.
Perhaps her father suspected the same.
He just never found evidence.
—After all, he was a diligent and conscientious defending general. To kill him based on mere suspicion would inevitably chill people's hearts.
It wasn't until half a year later, when Prince Qi's power waned, that this person revealed his hideous face beneath the mask, openly defecting to the royal family and becoming a civil official general in the Imperial Guards.
But by then, no one could judge him anymore.
Mu Qinglan's eyes flickered slightly.
Since no one could judge this traitor in the future, then let her judge him, and preferably let the royal family, let everyone see this scene.
See... what the price of making a move against her truly was.
But before that,
She had to perfectly clear this Human Gate ritual first.
"Still missing Task Two and Task Four..."
Mu Qinglan lowered her eyes, her blood-red pupils deep as an abyss:
'Why hasn't that useless eighth-rank come yet? Don't tell me he was scared off by that girl surnamed Bai. That would really be laughable.'
'Forget it, I'll wait a bit more. If he still doesn't come, I'll go find him myself.'
'You're a demon profession after all, don't disappoint me too much.'
○
Under the moonlight.
Two fine horses galloped along the official road.
Their speed was so fast that it even stirred up whistling winds, sounding like ghosts weeping softly in the deep night.
"Less than half an hour left. Watch out for ambushes."
Bai Yuyu said grimly.
"Mm."
Jiang He nodded lightly. Without her saying so, she would naturally do her utmost to safely deliver Miss Qingqing's plea for help.
Suddenly, Bai Yuyu's eyes sharpened:
"They're here! Be careful!"
From the darkness, dozens of armored soldiers surged forth! The leader was burly with a hoarse voice:
"General's orders, kill without mercy!"
"Kill!"
For a moment, battle cries shook the heavens!
○
"Kill and kill and kill and kill, all the bad people must be killed~"
"All killed, all dead~"
In the tranquil moonlight, a clear singing voice suddenly rang out.
The voice was beautiful and melodious, but unfortunately, the lyrics were perhaps a bit too ominous.
It made people's hearts turn cold.
On the official road.
A pack horse was straining to pull a carriage.
However, because its companion pulling the cart had been ridden away by someone, this carriage's speed couldn't be called fast—it could only be described as taking a stroll, highlighting a theme of "I know you might be anxious, but don't be anxious just yet."
Inside the carriage, the white-haired girl was humming her newly composed song, her expression utterly bored.
She even had nothing better to do than call out the drowsy Ah Qi for some petting.
After all, she'd need to use her soon anyway, so better to wake her up early. (tl/n: will refer to Ah Qi with feminine pronounce from now on)
Thinking this, until a certain moment, the soft and frightening ghostly song in the black night suddenly stopped, and the singer now turned her head to look at a swift horse galloping behind her.
"Finally here..."
Mu Qinglan sighed quietly.
In just a few seconds, the distance between the two horses halved. Accompanied by the pressing sound of hoofbeats and the dust kicked up by wheels, she seemed to see the cold smile hidden behind the black veil and hat of the assassin behind her.
So she too curved her lips in a cold smile.
"Hello there, Mr. Useless!
And then, farewell forever!"
Accompanied by a crisp snap of fingers, spiritual power activated, and the skills 'Light Wisp,' 'Shadow Pierce,' and 'Mechanist Arts' lit up simultaneously.
Blinding light burst forth.
Slash—
The next instant, a sound like a rag doll being torn apart cut through the black night.