Chapter 6

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Seeing the gleaming short sword, Old Li was so frightened that he retreated several steps, his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground. Gu Yan Fei remained unfazed as she sheathed the sword, her movements crisp and decisive, thinking: It is indeed a good sword!

Juan Bi stood there dumbfounded.

“Juan Bi, let’s go.” Gu Yan Fei smiled slightly, her smile charming. She lifted her skirt and stepped over the high threshold, maintaining an elegant and upright posture. Juan Bi was a moment behind before she caught up.

As the master and servant just entered, a stern and severe female voice reproached them:

“Second Miss, look at you! Do you still look like a noble lady of the Marquis’s residence?”

Not far off, a matron dressed in a rust-colored patterned robe led three or four maids, advancing toward them aggressively. The leader was a matron in her early fifties, with drooping eyes and deep wrinkles at the corners, her brow showing a hint of arrogance.

Juan Bi hesitantly called out, “Xu Momo.”

Three months ago, it was this very Xu Momo who had been sent by the Marquis’s Old Madam to Huaibei to bring Gu Yan Fei here.

Xu Momo walked straight up to Gu Yan Fei without any intention of greeting her. Her scrutinizing gaze swept over Gu Yan Fei from head to toe, noting her slightly disheveled hair and the mud on her skirt, frowning as she thought to herself that this Second Miss was truly lacking in decorum, even worse than the first and second rank maidservants of their Marquis’s residence. If not for the marriage arrangement between the Marquis’s family and the Fang family…

Xu Momo collected her thoughts and said sternly, “Miss Gu, the Old Madam had you stay here to learn proper manners. Is this how you’re learning them?!”

You’re of age now, and as a young lady, you should be reading The Book of Etiquette and The Book of Instructions at home, and practicing your needlework. Look at you now—disheveled, coming and going at odd hours, and just now… Sigh! If this gets out, it will only make people laugh at the Gu family’s failure to raise their daughter properly.

You truly have disappointed the Old Madam’s good intentions. She even wrote to ask how well you were learning, hoping to bring you back to the capital soon.”

Xu Momo shook her head, unable to hide her contempt. Her lofty attitude and tone made it seem as if she were the master and Gu Yan Fei was the servant.

“Xu Momo, you misunderstand.” Juan Bi hurriedly explained about the accident, mentioning the deaths of the driver and the maid, her eyes reddening.

Xu Momo’s frown deepened, and her expression grew colder. She scolded Gu Yan Fei, “Miss Gu, if you hadn’t insisted on going out, this wouldn’t have happened!”

This statement effectively placed the blame for the driver and maid’s deaths on Gu Yan Fei, who raised an eyebrow, her gaze fixed on Xu Momo’s face.

In her previous life, she awoke from her coma the next morning, burning with fever and weak, with no sense of relief but only deep fear. At that time, Xu Momo had also scolded her in this way, blaming her for the deaths of Juan Bi and the driver. She believed it, as Xu Momo wanted, and took all the blame upon herself… For many years afterward, she lived in guilt and self-blame, becoming increasingly insecure and cautious.

But now, she would no longer be so foolish. She knew who was truly at fault and who should pay the price. She would not blame herself for others’ mistakes.

“Xu Momo, how can you…” Juan Bi hurriedly tried to defend Gu Yan Fei but was interrupted by Gu Yan Fei saying, “Juan Bi, enough.”

She locked eyes with Xu Momo, her gaze deep as a chasm. Xu Momo, believing she had the upper hand, smirked and her brows took on a hint of scorn. Could she not deal with a country bumpkin?!

Xu Momo casually flicked her sleeve and turned to Juan Bi, “Juan Bi, the Old Madam had you attend to the young lady to properly advise her. Instead, you’ve been encouraging her to stay away from home! I’ll punish you with thirty slaps.”

Xu Momo slowly curled her lips into a cold smile, planning to set an example.

“Juan Bi, let’s go,” Gu Yan Fei said, not wanting to waste any more words with Xu Momo, and walked away.

Unbelievable!! Xu Momo’s face darkened immediately, and she shouted, “Don’t you dare leave!”

“How do you think your body compares to the door, Xu Momo?” Gu Yan Fei continued walking, glancing at the half of the door on the ground, and smiled brightly, clearly showing her intent to challenge.

The surroundings fell silent; Old Li and the maids were all dumbfounded.

Xu Momo felt as if she had been publicly slapped, her anger rising rapidly. Having served in the marquis’s residence for decades, even the young masters and misses showed her some respect, but now she was humiliated by a lowly country maid.

“Young lady!” Xu Momo’s voice was icy, and her gaze was as sharp as a knife. “If you continue to make trouble, don’t even think about returning to the marquis’s residence!”

Xu Momo made no effort to hide the threat in her words, confident that the other party would back down. However—

Gu Yan Fei remained completely unmoved, shrugging nonchalantly, “Then I won’t come back.”

The evening breeze lifted a few strands of hair at her cheek, the ends gently brushing her delicate face, giving off an aloof and indifferent feeling. Juan Bi, ever obedient, immediately followed.

Xu Momo’s eyes widened in disbelief. Over the past three months, she had guided and suppressed her step by step, gradually taking full control of this naive and timid country maid. How could this maid change so drastically after just one day out?

As she passed by Xu Momo, Gu Yan Fei casually remarked: “You’re in for a streak of bad luck; you’ll be facing some bloody disasters.”

“Do you dare to curse me?!” Xu Momo instinctively raised her voice, her brows furrowing.

Gu Yan Fei had nothing more to say and flicked her sleeve as she walked away.

“Stop right there!” Xu Momo’s face was rigid, her chest heaving violently as she started to chase after her.

However, she forgot about the broken door lying on the ground. Her right foot caught on it, causing her bulky body to lose balance, and she screamed as she fell forward.

Everything happened too quickly for anyone nearby to help; they could only watch in stunned silence as Xu Momo fell heavily to the ground. Her chin struck the doorboard heavily, filling her mouth with blood as she screamed in pain and spat out a tooth. Her hairpin was crooked, and her thinning, graying hair was half disheveled, making her look like a madwoman, utterly disheveled.

One maid, stunned, tugged at another beside her, nearly falling to her knees in shock. Just now, Miss Gu said that Xu Momo would have a disaster, and it came true so quickly!

This… this… is just too amazing!

“Xu Momo, are you alright?”

After a moment of silence, the surroundings became chaotic. Some rushed to help Xu Momo off the ground, others hurried to fetch a doctor, and some shouted for the doorman to repair the door…

Gu Yan Fei was indifferent to all this.

*

Back in her room, she was alone.

The room was simple and elegant, with a medium-sized lacquered bed against the wall, draped with a sky-blue canopy. On the east wall was a dressing table and a black lacquered display cabinet with gold accents. By the east window was a large dark-red writing desk, facing a small pond outside.

Gu Yan Fei sat at the writing desk by the window, her eyes half-closed, observing her nose, nose observing her mouth, and mouth observing her heart, focusing intently on trying to sense the surrounding spiritual energy.

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