Who Is This Man?

Madam Fu anxiously waited in her hall for news from her blackbirds. She received shocking news earlier from a hidden informant.

They told her that someone powerful was in Imperial City.

She knew who came to the city, and this made her all the more nervous. She couldn't be caught by that man, not after what she and the royal family tried to do to him.

Her accomplice from earlier told her they were going to try and eliminate him again. Madam Fu knew better. That man, once you left him alive, he will come back for you. The first time they attempted to kill him, half of the kingdom's forces got wiped out.

That was when he was only thirteen.

A tremor went through Madam Fu at the thought of what might happen to her. She looked at the hall's entrance to see if her blackbird came back yet. She sent her out to see if they succeeded in killing that man. If it went south, Madam Fu wanted to know as soon as possible so she could leave.

When the anticipation was getting to her, a figure in black swiftly landed before her.

"Tell me now, what happened." Madam Fu could not sit still. She waited for her subordinate to speak.

"They failed to apprehend or kill him Madam." Those words were like a death sentence to her. If what her blackbird said was true, it was only a matter of time before that man's forces retaliated.

"Although it failed, they managed to inject a considerable amount of poison into his body. The imperial assassins are still searching the city for him." This sliver of hope revived the life in Madam Fu.

This was the first time that she heard of anything injuring him.

Though this gave her hope, Madam Fu wanted to prepare for the worst,

"That's good. Get Dao Ju in here. I need him to arrange something for me." The blackbird bowed then disappeared like a shadow into the night.

When Dao Ju came before his mistress, the crazed look was tamer this time around. He then knew that the news she received was good.

"Madam?"

"Go and pack up my things. Take all of the treasures out of my treasury as well." Despite the news she received from her subordinate, Madam Fu wanted to be cautious. She knew this man was hard to kill, poisoned or not.

Dao Ju was confused, but he didn't dare to question his mistress. He left to gather a few of his trusted men to carry out her order. It didn't matter what he thought. He didn't care either.

*

Bai Ling did as Xiao Bao told and fed the man the pills. Although she fed him the pills, the man did not move after a long while. Bai Ling examined him and noticed that his breath was shallow and his skin an unusual green colour.

She immediately knew he was poisoned.

Bai Ling learned about various poisons at the academy. She even invented deadlier ones in her free time. After a thorough check on the man's body, she knew what poison she was dealing with.

She took the same hairpin she was going to injure him with and unscrewed the tip that resembled a phoenix. Inside, it held a translucent liquid. The liquid was an antidote to any poison, including the ones she made.

This was all thanks to Xiao Bao. He helped her find a way to break down the poisons into less lethal substances.

Without any gentleness in her actions, Bai Ling plunged the needle in his neck. The man groaned for a bit then settled back down. He eventually stopped moving, and Bai Ling removed the pin from his neck.

The sickly colour that clouded his skin slowly dispersed, indicating that the antidote was working. Now that the man was fine, Bai Ling wondered why Xiao Bao wanted to save the man.

"Are you going to tell me why I saved him?" Bai Ling looked down at the man in her lap. Although he was a man, his vulnerable state suppressed her disgust. Curious as to how he looked, Bai Ling reached out her hand to turn his face around.

Right when she touched his cheek, he sprung up. Bai Ling shuffled back while looking up at his heaving back.

The man sensed her presence and turned to look at her. A hint of surprise was on his face, obviously recognizing Bai Ling.

Bai Ling finally saw his face. He was handsome, but that was of no effect to Bai Ling. A man was a man in her book. The general at the manor was handsome too, and he turned out to be rotten to the core. So, a better-looking guy made no difference to her.

His eyes were piercing, a dignified look deep within them. The blood and grime did little to take away from his imposing aura. Instead, it gave him an even more roguish and wild charm.

He was tall with a muscular build but not in an overwhelming fashion. He looked young but not as young as Bai Ling.

They stared at each other for a few more seconds before he disappeared before her eyes. He immediately left a bad impression on Bai Ling after he left. He didn't even say thanks. Since she wasn't going to see him again, she didn't dwell long on it.

"Xiao Bao, did you find out about that Bao Ming?" Bai Ling stood up and straightened her clothing. When she got up, she looked below and saw what looked like imperial guards closing in on a man's figure. Looking at the clothing, she knew who he was, but she had no thoughts about helping him. He could handle it himself.

[Yes, I uncovered his information. He is the only son of the richest merchant in the imperial city. He lives in the biggest house in the merchant guild's area. His father, Bao Ding, is notorious amongst the commoners and the merchants. I found out that his father loves to kidnap young women and have his way with them. Not only that, his concubines aren't saints either.]

The more Xiao Bao uncovered, the more treacherous the Bao family became. As Xiao Bao went over the information, a man caught her eye.

Du Feng. He was the captain of Bao Ding's personal army and one of the only upright man in the estate. The only reason he and most of his men continued working for Bao Ding was that his fiance and her family had a slave contract with Bao Ding.

Seeing how many misdeeds the Bao family did, Bai Ling's blood boiled.

"These bastards. Why don't we play around with them for a bit? Xiao Bao, I think it's time you come out to play with me; And I mean really play with me!"