The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 453 - 452 No Bottom Line, No Principles (One More)

Chapter 453: 452 No Bottom Line, No Principles (One More)

Dressed in night clothes and wearing a mask, Qu Ting stared at the person on the bed, feeling a sense of unease.

Yuchi Si knew he had committed many evils and was extremely afraid of death, with numerous skilled warriors by his side—how could they let themselves be taken so easily?

It all went too smoothly.

Qu Ting said to the people beside him, "There’s been a change in plans, leave quickly, I’ll go and investigate."

"But..."

"Go now!"

As the group of people in black was about to leave, a voice came from the bed, "None of you will leave today."

With that, the man on the bed sat up—it was an unfamiliar face.

At the same time, several robust men emerged from behind the curtains and screens, each holding a sharp blade.

The man on the bed stood up and arrogantly declared, "We have been waiting here for a long time."

Just then, a multitude of torches suddenly lit up outside the house, casting chaotic and noisy shadows under their glow.

The vast room seemed to be encircled by the fierce flames.

The next moment, the door was violently kicked open, and a group of soldiers clad in black armor, holding weapons, marched in an organized fashion.

The clashing of armor and weapons pierced through the cold autumn night, chilling to the core and making one shiver involuntarily.

The soldiers split to both sides, creating a wide path.

The first to appear were the world-renowned experts Zheng and Yu, with Shang being out on business and not yet returned.

Murong Ce, holding a folded fan, strolled in leisurely, the torchlight casting his pale, handsome face in a bronze hue.

Qu Ting watched Murong Ce with cold eyes—that bewitchingly handsome man.

Who would have thought that a man with such good looks could be heartless and more venomous than a serpent?

In his quest for power and profit, Murong Ce had orchestrated countless family annihilations, among them was the Ministry of Personnel’s Secretary Qu You.

As Qu You’s youngest son, Qu Ting naturally couldn’t escape the calamity.

If it weren’t for Li Xianyun’s rescue, it’s likely the grass over his grave would have withered and bloomed for many years.

Following behind Murong Ce was a man of about fifty or sixty, Yuchi Si.

Yuchi Si, a man of cruel officialdom, was exceedingly lean and dark, with shadow-filled eyes that seemed ghostly fierce.

He was Murong Ce’s right-hand man—and most who underwent his interrogation lost their lives, and those who survived wished they hadn’t, either becoming paralyzed or driven insane.

Yuchi Si was not only brutally inhumane but also petty; he had eliminated the entire family of an official who displeased him with a glance, under trumped-up charges in a single night.

Officials in the court lowered their gaze and appeased Yuchi Si at sight, while the common people scattered like birds and beasts at the mere sight of his carriage, terrified of displeasing him and losing their lives.

Despite Yuchi Si’s tyrannical and lawless behavior, he was extremely afraid of Murong Ce, acting as docile as a grandchild around him, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Murong Ce looked at Qu Ting, a faint smile always playing at the corner of his mouth, as if nothing could ever make him panic the slightest bit.

Qu Ting looked at Murong Ce with cold eyes, "So you let us succeed time and again from the start, waiting for this very day?"

Murong Ce tapped his fan lightly against his other hand, creating a slight sound.

Such a leisurely gesture, such a condescending attitude.

"You’re not too stupid. If you hadn’t tasted victory, how could I have caught you, the big fish, Hall Master Qu?"

What he called ’tasting victory’ was the lives of his subordinates.

Such a person truly had no principles and no bottom line—utterly terrifying.

Murong Ce glanced at Zheng beside him, "Leave them alive."

"Yes!"

As Zheng moved towards Qu Ting.

Qu Ting and the people in black tossed poison powder at Murong Ce and his party.

People in the Hall of Healing are skilled at using poison, which makes it hard for outsiders to get close.

However, this time was an exception, Murong Ce’s men were not only unharmed but had even started laughing arrogantly.

Qu Ting’s face was filled with fury.

There was a traitor among their group, someone had given the antidote to Murong Ce.

Sure enough, a man in black walked over to Murong Ce’s side and tore off his masked veil, revealing a face full of terrifying burn scars.

Qu Ting and the other men in black were beside themselves with anger.

"Zhang San, if the Hall Master hadn’t treated your burns, you would have died long ago. The Hall Master was good to you, why have you betrayed the Hall Master?"

Zhang San looked straight at Qu Ting and said coldly, "The Hall Master is just a hypocritical scoundrel. She saved me just so I would be indebted to her and do her bidding loyally. She might as well have not saved me, letting me die rather than having to live each day like this, despised by everyone, a fate worse than death."

"Nonsense," retorted Qu Ting, "the Hall Master gave us a choice back then, take a sum of money and live a comfortable life, or seek revenge with her. You chose revenge. Besides, didn’t you have an irreconcilable enmity with Murong Ce? And now you betray us for your enemy, how could you face your dead family members?"

"Shut up!" Zhang San snapped. "Don’t try to sow discord here! His Majesty has promised me a high position and great wealth; he is my savior. I am utterly loyal to His Majesty and will never betray him."

Murong Ce was obviously getting impatient and glanced at Zheng.

Zheng and his men leapt into action.

Instantly, both sides were locked in close-quarters combat, entangled fiercely with each other.

The people of the Hall of Healing were well-versed in poisons, and except for Qu Ting, who excelled in martial arts, the others were not as skilled in combat.

A swarm of soldiers clad in black rushed in, and the men in black stood no chance of resisting; within moments, gleaming blades were held against their throats.

Only Qu Ting remained uncaught, but he was tightly entangled by Zheng, making it impossible for him to escape.

Qu Ting and Zheng were evenly matched, both sustaining injuries.

Murong Ce had completely lost interest and glanced at Yu.

Yu bowed to Murong Ce and then pounced toward the fighting duo.

Against two, Qu Ting was quickly subdued, with Yu holding a sharp blade firmly against his throat.

Without hesitation, Qu Ting lunged towards the blade’s edge with all his might.

To die would be to end it all, sparing him from being used by Murong Ce to threaten Li Xianyun.

But Murong Ce did not grant him the chance to die.

Murong Ce threw his fan, knocking the blade to the ground while the fan returned steadily to his hand.

Murong Ce’s extraordinary martial skills astonished onlookers.

Yuchi Si could not help but hold Murong Ce in even higher esteem.

"If you dare to die, the children at Three-Inch Grass Hall won’t be spared either," Murong Ce said indifferently.

Zhang San had told Murong Ce everything.

Hearing this, Qu Ting glared at the traitor Zhang San, his eyes bloodshot and nearly spitting fire.

He struggled like a wild beast, "Traitor!! Traitor!! May you die a terrible death!!!"

Qu Ting wished he could tear Zhang San’s flesh from his bones, chew it to bits, and swallow it down.

Qu Ting, aside from his duties to the Hall of Healing, also aided orphaned children in his spare time.

The Three-Inch Grass Hall was established at Li Xianyun’s request.

There were over a hundred children there, the youngest being only two or three years old and the oldest barely eleven or twelve.

And yet, these beasts used these pitiful children to blackmail him, leaving him no choice but to live.

With a flick of his fan, Murong Ce signaled his soldiers, who promptly took Qu Ting and the rest of the men in black away.

Zhang San spat toward the direction where Qu Ting was being dragged away, then looked up to meet Murong Ce’s deep and profound eyes.

Murong Ce’s lips curled into a faint smile as he looked at Zhang San with amusement, and raised his hand.