“Haha!”

Long Chi let out one last, brusque laugh. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and a tear fell from the corner of his eye right after that. The girl remained standing upright in his sight, so indifferent toward his death that it made his heart go cold.

“Lu Liangwei, you’re… so cruel!” His eyelids fluttered shut as he toppled backward.

Bright red blood pooled beneath him, and the smell of blood filled the room.

Lu Liangwei did not spare a single glance at the man lying in the puddle of blood.

She only felt relieved after Chu Jiu had confirmed that Long Chi was no longer breathing.

Finally—the male protagonist who eventually ascended the throne in the original story could no longer be a threat to her.

“Let’s go.” Clearing her mind, she turned and headed out into the courtyard.

Chu Jiu sheathed her sword and followed her out.

Long Xuan stood in place for a moment, his gaze fixed on Long Chi. Finally, he sighed and raced out after Lu Liangwei. “Royal Aunt, I have a presumptuous request to make!”

Lu Liangwei stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. “What is it?”

Long Xuan met her gaze steadily and said earnestly, “Long Chi was my brother, despite everything. I know he deserved to die for all the evil he did, but I can’t bring myself to leave him in a foreign kingdom without so much as a proper burial.”

Lu Liangwei already knew what he was thinking.

“You want to take him back to Great Shang?”

“Yes.” Long Xuan nodded pleadingly. “I hope you can agree to it.”

Lu Liangwei did not really care. The man was already dead, anyway.

“If you don’t find it too much trouble, go ahead.”

“Thank you, Royal Aunt!” Relieved, Long Xuan performed a fist and palm salute to her.

“We’ll get going first. Finish what you need to do as soon as possible and catch up with us,” Lu Liangwei ordered, not wanting to delay their return to Great Shang.

“Yes, Royal Aunt,” Long Xuan replied respectfully, then said to Chu Jiu, “I’ll leave the Empress’s safety in your hands.”

Chu Jiu glanced at him and nodded coolly. “You’d better hurry.” They were still in the Yan Kingdom; although Long Chi was now dead, they might still have to face Wanyan Jin and Beitang Rui.

Long Xuan tensed up a little, knowing what she meant. “Don’t worry. After I burn Long Chi’s body and collect his ashes, I’ll catch up with you.”

Without another word, Chu Jiu and her squad of covert guards left with Lu Liangwei.

She and Long Xuan had brought their respective troops on their trip to the Yan Kingdom.

She had brought the elite covert guards with her, while Long Xuan had brought his personal guards. Both their troops added up to more than twenty people.

Long Xuan only kept two of his personal guards with him and ordered the rest to protect Lu Liangwei.

There were already horses prepared outside the farm.

The moment Lu Liangwei stepped out of the farm, one of the covert guards led a horse over to her.

After she mounted her steed, the others mounted theirs as well.

“Let’s go,” she said evenly, then took the reins and galloped off toward the south.

She had intended to say goodbye to Yuan Xin but eventually gave up the idea to avoid creating any extra problems.

Chu Jiu and the other guards followed close behind.

However, they were forced to stop their horses soon after they left the farm.

A rustling sound came from the human-height underbrush nearby. All of a sudden, a group of palace guards armed with bows and arrows jumped out and aimed their weapons at them.

Then came the thunderous sound of hooves on the pavement. Soon, Wanyan Jin and Beitang Rui appeared ahead of them, galloping toward them with another group of palace guards in tow.

Lu Liangwei’s heart sank when she saw them.

Chu Jiu’s hand flew to the hilt of her sword.