The car air conditioner was already set very low, but Qin Yan's hands were numb from the cold while Qin Hanyue in the back seat was like a fiery furnace.
The man sat leaned against the seat with his eyes closed tightly, his jawline gradually tightening with his teeth clenched.
The car sped along, the back window wide open, letting in gusts of cold wind that did nothing to suppress the rising heat Qin Hanyue felt inside. He forced himself to listen to the roar of traffic outside the window to distract himself.
Meanwhile, Kala, left alone in the private room, belatedly realized something was wrong with her body when she noticed the aroma in the corner.
She finally understood what Qin Hanyue had meant when he called her "despicable."
"It wasn't me..."
Feeling panicked and afraid from the unbearable heat in her body, Kala had her butler rush her to the hospital without wasting time figuring out who had left the incense.
The private residence was far from the busy parts of the city, surrounded by landscaped gardens and this inviolable building clustered together.
Other than this residence, there were no other buildings visible within hundreds of meters. It was a dark and windy night, perfectly silent.
Just as Qiao Ying had said, even if she healed Karina's face, Karina would not let her go, so this was the place Karina had specifically chosen for Qiao Ying's grave.
Qiao Ying could not escape, and no one would come to rescue her.
No matter how loud she screamed, no one would hear.
At this moment, those cries and pleas for help emerging from the depths of her soul seemed so helpless and hopeless.
The usually arrogant Karina was finally so frightened her legs went soft.
She watched as Qiao Ying slowly stepped over the corpses towards her and retreated back in fear. After just two steps back she tripped over a warm corpse.
Karina fell back onto the body with a thud. She scrambled up in panic and stumbled back to the floor. Looking around, there were only the two living people left in the hall, with corpses strewn horizontally and vertically everywhere, spine-chilling. Karina shook violently. "Don't come any closer... Don't come..."
His necktie was loosened, the top button of his shirt undone, revealing abnormal flushed skin beneath the open collar.
His tightly set jawline was as sharp as a blade.
Qin Hanyue's brow furrowed deeply, the veins in his temples pulsing as his hands clenched into fists in his lap without him realizing it.
The very air around him seemed to crackle as if burning.
Karina looked at Qiao Ying with a frightened demonic gaze. What had just happened exceeded what she could endure. She desperately wanted to flee but her body would not obey.
"You can't kill me. My father is the king, I am a princess. If you kill me, you won't get away with your life either. Lin Cheng won't be able to protect you. He would be implicated too, even his title stripped."
The overpowering bloody smell tore at Karina's nerves. Surrounded by corpses, she could barely speak coherently as she stammered threats, trying to scare off Qiao Ying.
As Qiao Ying drew nearer, the images of her mercilessly killing people fully aroused the terror in Karina's heart. She could not suppress an intense shriek of fear, bracing her hands on the floor to crawl away.
But the bodies around her left no way to retreat.
Karina, who always looked down on others, now sat terrified on the floor looking up at Qiao Ying who had come to stand in front of her.
Qiao Ying stopped and crouched down before her.
Qiao Ying's closeness completely shattered Karina's psychological defenses.
The girl's red lips parted slightly as she spoke slowly, "Ripping off your face, cutting out your tongue, chopping off your legs - we'll start with your legs so you can't run."
As she spoke, the muzzle of her gun was already pressed against Karina's thigh.
Karina's whole body shuddered violently, then froze, not daring to move. She swallowed hard, eyes filled with terror.
"You wouldn't dare..."
Bang!
Before Karina could finish speaking, a bullet hole opened up in her thigh. Karina's blood-curdling scream rang out as she clutched her leg and collapsed to the ground, emitting screams from her throat that made one's scalp tingle.
Qiao Ying moved the muzzle down and fired again without mercy.
This shot cut off Karina's shrieks. She slumped completely limp to the ground, the pain leaving her unable to scream.
Yet Qiao Ying remained expressionless, looking at her as if she were a corpse.
She continued to move the muzzle down.
This woman was insane. Her status as a princess meant nothing to her. She would probably dare to kill even Karina's king father.
She was completely unafraid of the consequences of killing her, a princess.
Whether she had the capability herself or was fearless relying on Lin Cheng, in any case, Karina was utterly terrified.
So Karina began begging for her life.
Shaking her head with tears in her eyes, but Karina had no idea the person before her was a cold-blooded killer.
As long as she wanted to kill, Karina's piteous pleading meant nothing, no matter how miserable or sincere.
Just as Qiao Ying was about to pull the trigger to fire a third shot, her phone vibrated again in her pocket.
She had no choice but to take the call first.
It was Lin Cheng.
Having finally contacted Qiao Ying, Lin Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. After confirming she was alright, Lin Cheng told her to hurry back right away.
Qiao Ying said languidly, "Got it."
Hearing her careless tone, Lin Cheng could only inform her further, "Mr Qin seems to have gotten into trouble."
Qiao Ying raised an eyebrow, her tone not very good. "Seems?"
Lin Cheng said, "Kala drugged him."
Guessing the call was from Lin Cheng, Karina summoned her full strength and shouted, "Duke Lin, save me!"
Her tearful cry in a trembling voice allowed one to imagine the terror she had experienced.
Lin Cheng's brow furrowed slightly and he pondered briefly before responding to Qiao Ying, "Please spare Ms. Karina's life."
Qiao Ying directly hung up the call and stood up.
Thinking she had dodged death, Karina breathed a sigh of relief.
The next second, she saw Qiao Ying raise her muzzle again.
Before Karina could react, Qiao Ying left another bullet hole in her other thigh then turned and strode away.
Qiao Ying slammed her foot on the gas. The car shot away like an arrow leaving the bowstring.
After receiving Lin Cheng's news, Qin Yan immediately informed Qin Hanyue, "Third Master, Ms. Qiao made contact. She's rushing to the Duke's manor."
Qin Hanyue panted roughly, "...go back to the Duke's manor."
Qin Yan said "Yes" and immediately redirected their route from the hospital to the Duke's manor.
Qiao Ying drove the business sedan like a racing car, leaving only blurry afterimages in the streets.
Turning an hour and a half long drive into just half an hour, Qiao Ying raced back into the castle grounds.
Qin Hanyue arrived back at the castle first.
Lin Cheng had already returned and was waiting there along with his private doctor. Seeing Qiao Ying's return, her coat splattered with blood, Fourth Master rushed forward first.
Lin Cheng was left behind. "Are you hurt?"
He wanted to tell Qiao Ying about Qin Hanyue's condition since his doctor could not handle it, but Qiao Ying swept past them like a gust of wind without replying, heading straight for the stairs.
Fourth Master followed Qiao Ying upstairs.
Lin Cheng waved the doctor away, "I won't be needing your services anymore."
Left locked outside the room, a nervous Qin Yan was soaked in sweat. Seeing Qiao Ying appear he looked as if he had just seen a life saver. He immediately walked forward to greet her, though his legs were still a bit soft from driving at top speed for the first time in his life. Grabbing the wall for support, he dragged his feet with an awkward gait and braced his waist.
"Ms. Qiao, you've finally returned! Please hurry and save Third Master!"
Seeing Qin Yan's strange way of walking, Qiao Ying wondered about it.
The drug shouldn't have been that potent. Qin Hanyue's endurance shouldn't have been that weak. Qin Yan shouldn't have sacrificed that much, right?
No, it shouldn't be that bad.
A few strange thoughts flashed through Qiao Ying's mind but her footsteps never stopped. Actually she really wanted to pause to ask Qin Yan about it.
The door wasn't locked. It had been left specifically open for her.
She went in, immediately locking it behind her before Fourth Master could follow her inside. Crossing the living room, she headed straight for the bathroom where the sound of running water was coming from.
