Zhao Yuman stared at Qinghe. Seeing the girl’s pale face and the frantic terror in her eyes, which didn’t seem feigned, the tight knot of anger in Zhao Yuman’s chest began to loosen. Her brow furrowed, however, as a sliver of unease crept into her heart.

Seeing her mistress’s reaction, Qinghe quickly added, "Everyone outside is saying that Young Master Shen was killed at his home last night. They say it was a horrible death... that the killer twisted his head off, and even... even his brains were... were drunk..."

As she spoke the last few words, Qinghe’s voice trembled, clearly terrified by the rumor.

"Impossible!"

Zhao Yuman still couldn’t believe it. She knew Shen Lie’s strength; an ordinary Martial Artist couldn’t even get near him. How could he have met such an end?

But Qinghe spoke with such conviction, and with the rumor already spreading outside, Zhao Yuman’s heart couldn’t help but pound.

She paced back and forth twice before calling out in a low voice, "Lucky!"

The guard outside the door hurried in. "What are your orders, milady?"

"Go to Anxing Square at once. Find out if something has happened to Young Master Shen. Report back the moment you have any news!" Zhao Yuman commanded, her words rapid-fire and her gaze as sharp as a blade.

"Yes!"

The guard didn’t dare delay. He turned and swiftly departed.

After dismissing the guard, Zhao Yuman turned back to Qinghe. Her expression remained grave, and her voice held a stern warning. "You’d better remember this: if my man comes back and says Young Master Shen is perfectly fine, I’ll make you pay for the crime of spreading false rumors and causing panic. We’ll see then how I deal with you!"

Qinghe shrank back and quickly lowered her head. "Yes... I understand."

Inwardly, however, she prayed that what she’d heard was true. ’It’s not that I want Shen Lie dead,’ she thought, ’I’m just afraid of being punished for this.’

The great hall fell silent. The only sound was Zhao Yuman’s pacing, echoing in the empty room. Her brow remained tightly furrowed.

Clearly, the news Qinghe had brought had cast a dark shadow over her heart.

Zhao Yuman stopped pacing, her gaze falling upon the old locust tree outside the window as her thoughts began to drift.

During the martial competition, Shen Lie had been defeated by Yang Jing.

Ever since then, her opinion of Shen Lie had inexplicably soured.

After all, from her perspective, there was no reason Shen Lie should have lost to Yang Jing.

How long had it been since Yang Jing broke through to the Dark Energy realm? The man she had previously rejected had actually defeated Shen Lie, who was famous throughout Yuhe.

It was like looking down on a former fiancé, only to dump him and discover he was actually more exceptional than your current one.

Regardless, after the competition, Zhao Yuman was indeed somewhat dissatisfied with Shen Lie.

Furthermore, Shen Lie had been recuperating from his injuries ever since. While she still visited him every few days, her visits weren’t as frequent as before. More often, she would simply send a handmaiden with some medicinal herbs, a token gesture of her concern.

But even so, Zhao Yuman was well aware of Shen Lie’s true strength.

His Cultivation was at the Peak of Dark Energy, and his actual combat prowess was exceptional. He ranked among the very best of Yuhe County’s younger generation. Even among all Dark Energy Martial Artists, he was a top-tier expert with few rivals.

Moreover, she knew in her heart that Shen Lie carried immense weight—he was far from being just another Martial Artist.

While the Zhao’s Escort Agency had been relatively stable over the years, it faced threats from covetous branch families within and rival Escort Agencies from without. If she could bring an expert like Shen Lie to her side, both the agency’s overall strength and her own voice within the family would be significantly bolstered.

For this very reason, she genuinely did not want anything to happen to Shen Lie.

In fact, just a couple of days ago, she had been planning to personally visit the Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall once the current shipment to Yizhou was dealt with. She had intended to invite the fully recovered Shen Lie to her home for a meal.

At this thought, Zhao Yuman’s brow knitted even tighter.

’Even if Shen Lie lost to Yang Jing, it was just a momentary slip,’ she thought.

’In a real fight, even my own father—the top expert in the Zhao’s Escort Agency and a Dark Energy Martial Artist himself—might not be a match for Shen Lie.’

’If Shen Lie had actually agreed to dine with the Zhao Family, the reception would have had to be a grand affair.’

’I even had it all planned out. I’d prepare a few jars of aged Daughter’s Red wine and invite several respected seniors from the Martial Arts world to join them. It would show our sincerity and bring honor to Shen Lie.’

The thought had only lingered in her mind for two days, and now Qinghe had brought this news. It was utterly unacceptable.

Zhao Yuman resumed her pacing, her steps now even quicker.

The silence in the great hall was filled by the sound of her footsteps. Each one felt like a heavy thud upon her heart.

「Two incense sticks later.」 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Suddenly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats echoed from outside, growing from a distant rumble to a sudden halt right at the Escort Agency’s entrance.

It was followed by the sound of frantic footsteps.

Lucky, the man sent to Anxing Square for news, burst through the door flap.

He was drenched in sweat, his topknot in disarray, and his face smudged with dust. His expression was just as panicked as Qinghe’s had been, and a lingering terror haunted his eyes.

Seeing him in such a state, Zhao Yuman’s heart plummeted, and she stopped pacing.

Lucky’s distraught appearance said it all.

Lucky stumbled into the center of the hall, bending over and gasping for air, his chest heaving like a bellows. It took him a long moment to catch his breath before he spoke, his voice hoarse. "Mi-Milady... I just got back from Anxing Square... Something... Something terrible has happened!"

He swallowed hard and rushed to explain, "There was a huge crowd surrounding a courtyard—packed three deep. I barely managed to squeeze through and ask around. That’s when I found out... the courtyard belongs to Young Master Shen! It’s crawling with government people. Officials in their black uniforms are going in and out, and there’s even a forensic doctor inside examining the scene..."