Little Pink Starfish

Even in Death, She Won’t Let Go

The squad of guards who had just arrived didn’t even get a chance to shout before Yu Xiaoxiao slapped each of them to the ground like she was swatting flies.

Watching the princess knock people down as easily as brushing lint off her shoulder, the second-in-command rushed to the gate, peered toward the street, and then ran back to her. “Princess! Those Huixin guards all ran away. Did we pull off the frame job?!”

“They all left?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

He nodded earnestly. “All gone.”

“Then I think we succeeded,” she said.

The second-in-command patted his chest in relief. Success, thank heaven.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at him. “Why are you coughing blood?”

“Am I?” He wiped his mouth and found his whole hand red with blood.

“You’re injured?” she quickly helped him lie flat.

As he coughed more blood, he asked, “Princess, are we just… staying here in the Zhao estate?”

Yu Xiaoxiao began pulling at his clothes to check his injuries. This kind of sudden bleeding couldn’t be minor.

“No!” The second-in-command desperately clutched his waistband, resisting even harder than Gu Xinglang had. He wasn’t afraid of being seen naked—what did he care? But if Gu Xinglang saw him get stripped by the princess, the man might kill him!

Just then, another patrol of Zhao estate guards reached the front gate. They saw a pile of bodies and what looked like a man and woman “in a compromising act.” After a beat of stunned silence, they all started yelling.

“Who goes there?!”

“How dare you!”

“State your names!”

“Guards! Intruders!”

“Shameless!”

…

Their shouts rang out across the entire compound, and in moments, the Zhao estate lit up like a military garrison, with people shouting everywhere.

The second-in-command lay stiff on the ground. “Princess… are we about to fight the entire Zhao estate? Because I don’t think I can fight anymore…”

Yu Xiaoxiao was still focused on his injuries. “Don’t worry about that. Where exactly does it hurt?” The guy was acting like a chaste maiden—how was she supposed to help if he wouldn’t let her examine him?

“I was trying to help our old boss, and then… I swear I was inside the courtyard, but when I woke up, I was lying in a flower bed outside. Princess, what happened to me?”

Yu Xiaoxiao curled her lip. With a brain like this, how did he ever survive as a pirate? No wonder Xiong Xiong never made it big. “You got beat up,” she said bluntly. “Where’s it hurt?”

“I’m not dead yet, but could you please look around us first?” he pleaded. “We’re surrounded!”

Meanwhile, in the Zhao estate’s inner chamber, Prime Minister Zhao Qiuming lay weak and barely breathing. “We’ve been invaded?”

Second Son Zhao’s face was grim. “Two intruders—one man, one woman.”

Zhao Qiuming let out a bitter laugh. Is this what it’s come to? The mighty Prime Minister of Fengtian, bullied by street riffraff?

Third Son Zhao said, “Father, we’re not in a good place right now. Are they really just thieves?”

That one sentence sobered the others. The Zhao family had made many enemies in court. Could these two be revenge-seekers?

“Take me there,” Zhao Qiuming ordered.

The two sons were about to protest—You’re so injured, what could you possibly do? Yell at them? Fight them?—but then Fourth Son Zhao burst into the room.

“Father! Third Sister is missing! The maids searched the entire estate—she’s gone!”

Zhao Qiuming nearly fainted again.

“It’s the middle of the night! Where could she have gone?!” Second Son shouted.

The real Zhao Yingqin was supposed to be hidden away in the estate while her fake double stayed in the palace. Now the real one had disappeared?

“The fake’s still imprisoned at Yongsheng Temple for trying to assassinate Grandmaster Fenglin,” Third Son groaned. Can we catch a break, please?

“Keep a close eye on Yingyao,” Zhao Qiuming ordered his youngest. “Ask her where Yingqin went.”

Fourth Son nodded and rushed out again.

“You,” Zhao Qiuming said to his third son, “take people out and find her. Tell everyone we’ve had an escaped servant.”

“Father!” Second Son protested.

“What, are you trying to imitate your reckless elder brother now?” Zhao Qiuming snapped.

Third Son sighed and saluted before heading out.

Zhao Qiuming drew a deep breath, then turned to his second son. “What are you standing there for? Come with me to the front gate.”

By now, Yu Xiaoxiao had flattened nearly all the guards who had rushed her. She glanced at the endless stream of reinforcements and sighed. How many people live here, seriously?

The second-in-command, still lying on the ground, couldn’t see well from below. He pushed himself up just enough to peek. “Shall we go?” he asked as the last five guards fell to the ground.

Before Yu Xiaoxiao could answer, another group swarmed in and surrounded her.

“Why are you people like this?” the second-in-command said sympathetically. “You can’t beat her!”

The guards wanted to cry. We know! But if we don’t try, Prime Minister Zhao will kill us!

Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head. No helping it—guess I’ll keep hitting people.

In the middle of the fight, Zhao Qiuming and his second son finally arrived at the gate—just in time to see Yu Xiaoxiao smacking people around like swatting mosquitoes. Zhao Qiuming vomited blood again. That technique… he’d seen it before. Too many times. “Yu…” he choked. Yu Linglong… even in death, she won’t let me go!

Right at that moment, Gu Xinglang charged into the Zhao estate with a squad of Gu family guards.

“Gu Xinglang?!” Second Son Zhao shouted.

Gu Xinglang awkwardly rubbed his face. Crap. I forgot to wear a mask.

Zhao Qiuming looked at Yu Xiaoxiao, then let out a bitter laugh. “Your Highness, visiting my humble estate so late at night—I must apologize for the poor hospitality.”

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to look at her Little Gu. What’s with this slippery fox suddenly being so polite? Something’s off.

At the same time, in the wine shop next door, Prince Jingmo stood over the corpses of Master Jijing and his fellow monks. In a voice as cold as ice, he ordered his trusted guards, “Burn the bodies to ash and scatter them.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” they replied in unison.

As Jingmo stepped out of the cellar, he heard the chaos in the Zhao estate.

“Did someone finally raid the Zhao residence?” he asked his men.