Feng Jue was a man whose wickedness was etched on his face. Not only was his appearance frightening, but his eyes held a bloodthirsty and ferocious glint, like that of a wild beast. Even when he spoke normally, people regarded him as a ghost; when he was ferocious, he was undoubtedly a malevolent spirit.
Others feared him, but Li Man'er was not afraid.
"What, do I need your permission to decide if I want to live or not?" Li Man'er sneered coldly. "You really think you're someone important? A maggot crawled out of a cesspit, surviving is already a divine blessing, yet you dare to bark orders at me."
Li Man'er could see through the Ghost Doctor Feng Jue at a glance. In her past life, she had seen too many people like him, who had clawed their way up from the bottom and whose consciences had been corrupted by hardship. Initially, they were the victims, but at some point, they changed. Their kindness vanished, and they became as cruel as those who were ruthless, even more so.
Li Man'er's words did not enrage Feng Jue. Instead, he cackled, "You're an interesting girl. I'd like to see if you have the ability to save Li Shu's life."
However, Li Man'er saw through his intentions immediately.
"You plan to poison my father?"
A flicker of admiration crossed Feng Jue's eyes. "You save him, I harm him. I want to see if you can unravel all the skills I've learned in my lifetime."
"How can you do this?" Liu Ya couldn't help but exclaim. Did such a person deserve to be called a doctor? Even with the word "ghost" in his title, he was still a doctor, how could he harm people?
Feng Jue said proudly, "Let's see who's more capable. Within seven days, whether the Marquis lives or dies will depend entirely on your skill, little girl."
Li Man'er coldly sneered, "Fine! I was feeling bored anyway. Let's have a match then."
Feng Jue exclaimed, "Spirited! You've got guts, girl." He said this with a laugh and then left, still chuckling.
Liu Ya broke out in a cold sweat. "Miss, is this man mad? The Xiao family inviting such a person to treat the Marquis is clearly ill-intentioned."
"Who cares! Whatever tricks he has, I'll face them."
"But Miss, he doesn't seem like a normal person. Even if you truly cure the Marquis, he probably won't admit it, will he?"
Li Man'er took a sip of her now cool tea. "Do you really think I intend to compete with him?"
"You don't?"
Of course not.
Li Man'er said, "You'll know soon enough."
The prefectural office was Xiao family territory, and the Xiao family had many informants. News of what happened here would reach them within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. If they truly wanted to control Feng Jue, would that old ghost dare to be so arrogant?
Feng Jue was the Xiao family's pawn, and today's events were clearly sanctioned by the Xiao family.
The Xiao family had not only resorted to underhanded tactics but had also devised a clever plan. However, Li Man'er never waited to exact revenge.
"Miss, you're not planning to..." Liu Ya's voice trailed off, dreading that she had guessed the truth.
"You guessed right."
"Again..." Liu Ya made a gesture as if leaving.
This time, Li Man'er didn't speak, only nodded, and then made a throat-slitting motion.
She intended to kill Feng Jue...
As night fell, Li Man'er once again donned her stealth attire.
With the experience from last time, she left her room more skillfully this time, first incapacitating the two guard posts like wooden stakes before heading straight for the main courtyard.
The Xiao family valued Feng Jue greatly. While he was known as the Ghost Doctor, his greatest skill was not in saving lives, but in taking them. His skin had been treated with poison and refined; others couldn't detect it, but Li Man'er could.
This man was a limitless threat. She would choose the most unexpected moment to eliminate him.
With her spatial abilities, Li Man'er had the confidence to do so.
To ensure Feng Jue's safety, the Xiao family had arranged for him to stay in a side room within the main courtyard. Several guards were stationed at the entrance of the room, as if Feng Jue's life were particularly valuable.
Li Man'er knew that while sleeping pills or smoke were effective against others, they would not work on Feng Jue. That old man had clearly survived by being immersed in potent concoctions; ordinary sedatives would likely have no effect on him.
Making him fall prey was not an easy feat.
Li Man'er had great patience. She knew that tonight, the Xiao family would remain compliant and would not investigate her as they had yesterday. Xiao Qi Niang, while appearing simple, was actually cunning and deep-thinking; she would not take another risk without certainty.
Li Man'er found a hidden spot and entered her spatial realm. She refused to believe that Feng Jue would stay put in his room all day.
That man exuded a strong scent of blood, and an aura of gloom that ordinary people couldn't perceive, indicating he had taken many lives recently. Such a bloodthirsty and killer-inclined person would not stay idly in his room?
She didn't believe it.
The guards at the entrance were diligent, constantly observing their surroundings, forcing themselves to stay awake even when tired.
Guards were human, and fatigue was hard to resist. They couldn't drink tea or alcohol, so sometimes they could only chat to stay alert.
"Look at the weather, it's going to snow again." One of the guards leaned against a pillar, trying to relax, and yawned.
Another chimed in, "Yes, when it snows, it's always the coldest. And the snow falls endlessly, it's so annoying."
"It would be nice to have some wine right now." Alcohol could relieve fatigue and ward off the cold. Although drinking was forbidden on duty, a small sip to warm the body was permissible, otherwise, one could easily fall ill from the cold.
Both guards glanced towards the room. "That old guy looks ugly, but he lives like an immortal every day."
"Exactly. Not only does Miss Qi provide him with good food and drink, but she also..."
"Enough, say less!" A guard standing on the corridor warned. "Be careful he hears you and poisons you both."
This Feng Jue was extremely capricious and disregarded human lives. Previously, a guard had offended him, and he had poisoned him to death. Yet, Miss Qi had dismissed it with a casual remark, dooming their brother's life.
No one wanted to be the next victim, so they all kept their mouths shut.
Listening to their conversation, Li Man'er grew even more curious about Xiao Qi Niang's intentions. What was Feng Jue's use to the Xiao family that they treated him like an honored guest?
Saving lives? Taking lives?
It certainly wasn't related to these two abilities; for Feng Jue, they were his most ordinary skills.
Just as Li Man'er was pondering Feng Jue's secrets, a scream suddenly came from inside the room. Judging by the sound, it was Feng Jue. His howl was incredibly tragic, as if he had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil.
"Here we go again!" The guards said helplessly. "Should we go in and check?"