I Will Step In

The air fell silent for a long while.

Yu Qinghan said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that. I was too loose-tongued and made a fool of myself before you, young master."

They had only just met. Acting like this would inevitably make people think she was strange.

"It's fine. It was my fault. I shouldn't have asked."

After hearing Yu Qinghan's story, Zhao Huai could not help but look at her with a trace of sympathy.

Now he understood where the strange feeling about this woman came from.

She had killed someone. No wonder her gaze was as sharp as a blade; her state of mind had long since become different from that of ordinary people.

But he would not comfort her. Since she could speak of it, it meant she had already let it go.

And all he could do was listen quietly. What more could he hope for?

Everyone already had a hard enough time living their own lives. Why burden themselves with worry over others?

"Young master, aren't you afraid of me?"

Yu Qinghan was quite surprised by Zhao Huai's reaction.

Though her story had been altered here and there, half true and half false, its overall course was roughly the same. Yet after hearing it, this man was not afraid in the slightest. If ordinary people heard that she had killed someone, would they not be terrified for a long while?

"I'm not."

Zhao Huai shook his head.

"Miss, your heart is broad and open. You have already surpassed others."

A strange glint flashed through Yu Qinghan's eyes as she smiled. "Young master, your words truly take people by surprise."

"It seems you are also a man with a story."

But Zhao Huai seemed not to hear her, remaining silently lost in thought.

To be fair, Yu Qinghan had a good temperament, and speaking with her felt natural and proper. If he set aside her identity as the daughter of a military household, marrying such a woman, beautiful as a flower, would also be a blessing.

If the coins had brought a favorable result, perhaps he would spend more time with her.

Having made up his mind, Zhao Huai took a light breath and finally reached a decision. Calmly, he said, "Miss Yu, I think we still shouldn't—"

Suddenly.

A tremendous bang came from outside, interrupting everything.

"Sir, you really can't go in!"

"We haven't made a single sale today!"

"The entire city is to be searched! Your Marriage Agency is no exception!"

The two exchanged a glance.

Zhao Huai was quick-witted and immediately realized that the search party had arrived.

His brow furrowed at once.

"Don't worry. I will step in."

Seeing Zhao Huai's expression, Yu Qinghan comforted him.

The sounds came from the corridor outside the room.

The gate of the small courtyard was blasted open. A young servant crouched by the entrance, staring in terror at the doorway. Along the corridor that had once symbolized love, planted thick with peach trees, came a group of uninvited guests.

Soldiers clad in fish-scale armor, steel sabers hanging from their waists, jogged inside, their armor making crisp rustling sounds.

They formed two rows in orderly succession. At a rough glance, there were more than a dozen of them.

At their head stood a burly man in a green martial robe. He had a scraggly beard, dark skin, a sturdy build, and a vicious expression.

Clearly, he was the commander of this squad of soldiers.

Standing opposite him was the matchmaker who had just received Zhao Huai.

The matchmaker now wore a face full of misery as she earnestly pleaded, "Sir, our Marriage Agency is an official institution, after all. How could we possibly harbor criminals in secret?"

The commander said coldly, "We carry a search warrant and act under orders. You dare obstruct my men? You truly don't know whether you're dead or alive!"

"If you delay an important matter, ten heads would not be enough for the chopping block!"

"Men!"

The next instant, the commander gave a merciless order.

"Search the place!"

"Find the person Prince Qin is looking for, no matter what."

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers scattered one after another and headed toward the doors.

For a time, the entire courtyard was thrown into complete chaos, with chickens flying and dogs leaping.

There had not been many people at the Marriage Agency today to begin with, and now they were all driven out.

They were dragged out one by one like chicks, their faces filled with tension and fear.

Anyone who did not know better might have thought this was a brothel.

Boom!

Suddenly, a tremendous crash rang out. A soldier flew out of a room and slammed heavily into a nearby wall, cracks spreading across it like a spiderweb.

A figure in white embroidered with plum blossoms slowly stepped out.

Behind her stood a graceful young gentleman.

"What formidable strength."

Zhao Huai looked at the disastrous scene before him in utter surprise, then fixed his gaze on Yu Qinghan.

At first, he had thought the strength she spoke of was merely the peak of external martial training, at most Qi Refining Level 1.

He had not expected that he had still underestimated her.

That palm strike had at least reached Qi Refining Level 3, perhaps even higher.

"Strange. Wasn't the result of the divination sign auspicious? Why did I still encounter this?"

Seeing the commander and his men, Zhao Huai pondered in confusion. Had the coins given the wrong result, or had something he did changed the outcome?

If he acted, he needed only a single breath to subdue everyone present.

But that would undoubtedly expose his whereabouts and draw the Xia Dynasty authorities' attention once more.

When the leading commander saw Yu Qinghan make her move, his face darkened, though a thread of shock also appeared in his eyes.

The lingering fluctuations of True Qi in the air were far more terrifying than his own, having only just entered Qi Refining Level 1.

Who exactly was this person? "Are you the one sent from above?"

Yu Qinghan's voice was exceedingly cold. Her almond eyes narrowed as she questioned him.

At that moment, her gaze brimmed with killing intent. Her presence was domineering, her edge razor-sharp, as though she had become an entirely different person—utterly unlike the gentle woman in the room moments ago.

Though fear filled the commander's heart, he still forced himself to say, "That's right. We act under orders to apprehend traitors. And who are you?"

Yu Qinghan sneered. "A mere Major General. You do not know the roots or the depths, so do not come wading into these muddy waters. You may be used as a spear without even realizing it."

After saying that, Yu Qinghan tossed out a jade token. The commander caught it. After merely one glance, his hands trembled, his eyes widened, and his face filled with horror as he pointed at Yu Qinghan.

"You are—!"

In the commander's heart,

the rank of this token was far too high!

He had only heard of it before. Within the army, once this token was seen, it was an absolute iron command.

"Why haven't you scrammed yet?!"

Yu Qinghan gave a sharp shout, cutting him off.

"This subordinate has been disrespectful!"

The leading commander gave Yu Qinghan a respectful military salute, with not the slightest trace of resentment on his face.

Then he hurriedly led the soldiers behind him away.

Even Zhao Huai was astonished by this sight.

It seemed Yu Qinghan's backing was immense. Otherwise, she could not have frightened away the soldiers conducting the search.

At this moment, Zhao Huai finally understood why the result of the coin divination had been "auspicious."

With Yu Qinghan's background behind him, he had been able to weather this round of searches.

Could those people just now have been sent by her Household? Or perhaps they were subordinates of someone she knew.

In truth, the coins had not been wrong. He had merely drawn his conclusion too early.

"Miss, your origins truly are extraordinary!"

Standing behind Yu Qinghan, Zhao Huai deliberately put on an admiring expression.

"They are only some troublesome matters. I have made a fool of myself before you, young master."

Yu Qinghan withdrew her imposing aura and gave Zhao Huai a faint smile.

"This is..."

The matchmaker beside them stared at what had just happened, utterly stunned.

Compared with Zhao Huai, she was even more bewildered.

"Thanks to the Miss Yu you introduced, otherwise this time would likely have been fraught with danger," Zhao Huai said with a smile.

"This Miss Yu?"

"Miss Yu? I remember that the person I found for you, young master, was clearly surnamed Liu."

The matchmaker was completely at a loss.