“Sister, do you think the news that Qingying Hall found is true?”
Han Rushuang asked her sister as they walked towards the inn, her expression unreadable.
“I’m not too sure if that news is genuine either. After all, the Xuanfeng Order is considered a sacred object by everyone in the martial world. If that old man Zhao Tianyu really intends to pretend that the Xuanfeng Order was stolen by the infamous thief Ling Yuer during the Hero Conference, in order to monopolize it, it’s not impossible. But…”
Han Rubing paused for a moment before continuing, “But do you think Ling Yuer is someone who can easily be framed? Moreover, given Zhao Tianyu’s cunning nature, he wouldn’t easily provoke someone like Ling Yuer. Unless…”
She stopped again.
“Unless Ling Yuer has some sort of secret deal with Zhao Tianyu,” Han Rushuang said coldly, finishing her sister’s thought as she noticed Han Rubing’s hesitation.
“Yes, that’s what I think too. But the crime of stealing a sacred object from the martial world is no small matter. Is there really a deal significant enough for Ling Yuer to risk being hunted by the entire Jianghu just to help Zhao Tianyu take the blame? I think the chances are slim, unless she herself is interested in the Xuanfeng Order, and perhaps she agreed to Zhao Tianyu just for convenience during the heist. After all, the Xuanfeng Order is not an ordinary treasure; its guards would be very strict. But if there’s an insider, that’s a different story,” Han Rubing said, a mysterious smile appearing on her lips.
“Zhao Tianyu shouldn’t be foolish enough to overlook the possibility that Ling Yuer might be using him!”
Han Rushuang remarked coldly, observing her sister’s smile.
“Of course, he wouldn’t be so foolish as to miss that possibility. Perhaps he has some backup plan! Or maybe the news from Qingying Hall is false; that’s also possible! Regardless of its truth, everything will be clear by the day of the Hero Conference. Besides, the two of us didn’t come here solely to obtain the Xuanfeng Order, so we don’t need to worry too much about whether the news is true or not,” Han Rubing said with a light laugh as she looked at the inn’s sign, then stepped inside the lobby, heading straight for a room on the second floor.
Noticing her sister’s hurried steps after entering the inn, Han Rushuang couldn’t help but smile faintly and quickly followed her sister’s pace.
They arrived at a door on the second floor, where Han Rubing gently knocked.
After waiting for a moment with no response, she amusingly thought, “I really should have guessed that the little one wouldn’t be up at this hour, yet here I am knocking.”
“What’s wrong, sister?”
Han Rushuang asked curiously when she saw her sister standing at the door, not going in.
“Hehe, it’s nothing,” Han Rubing replied with a light laugh, then pushed the door, finding it only closed and not locked.
With a little force, the door swung open.
However, the moment the door opened, both sisters froze, quickly regaining their composure as Han Rubing darted behind a large screen in the room.
But when she and the still-dazed Han Rushuang saw the figure lying on the bed, eyes closed, with bloodstains on the white inner garments, bedding, and floor, their hearts leaped into their throats.
Han Rubing unsteadily approached the bed, cradling the unconscious girl in her arms, then tremblingly reached out to check Meng Xiaoyu’s breath.
After confirming the little one was breathing steadily, Han Rubing let out a long sigh of relief.
However, upon seeing the bloodstains on the girl’s garments again, she quickly pulled Meng Xiaoyu’s left hand to check her pulse.
“The pulse is steady and strong; it doesn’t seem like an internal injury! Could it be that the little one was hurt on the surface?”
Han Rubing thought, calling her still-dazed sister to the bedside.
Then, under the care of the two sisters, Meng Xiaoyu was stripped down and examined thoroughly several times until they confirmed that her smooth skin bore no marks, not even from mosquito bites.
Only then did Han Rubing and Han Rushuang feel their worries ease.
While their concerns for Meng Xiaoyu were alleviated, a deep confusion soon arose in their eyes.
Since the little one was unharmed, where did all the blood come from?
“Little one? Little one? Wake up!”
Han Rubing gently pinched Meng Xiaoyu’s earlobe while softly calling her name.
Initially, Meng Xiaoyu, who had been sleeping soundly, felt a tickling sensation on her earlobe and then heard someone softly calling her.
However, since she was exhausted from the previous night, even though her ear felt itchy, she simply swatted away Han Rubing’s hand and turned over to continue sleeping.
“Little one? Little one?”
Seeing Meng Xiaoyu swat her hand away and turn back to sleep, Han Rubing pinched her earlobe again, this time applying a bit more pressure and raising her voice.
Perhaps it was the slight pain in her ear or the increase in Han Rubing’s volume, but Meng Xiaoyu finally opened her eyes, albeit reluctantly.
“Hmm, Sister Rubing, you’re back!”
After saying this, Meng Xiaoyu sat up from Han Rubing’s embrace and stretched widely.
Still groggy from sleep, she hadn’t yet realized that she was completely undressed by the two sisters.
It wasn’t until she finished stretching and was about to ask when they returned that she noticed the dark flames of shock in her sisters’ eyes, both staring at her chest.
Following their gaze, she looked down and exclaimed, “Ah… pervert…”
After uttering those three words, Meng Xiaoyu quickly grabbed the nearby blanket and wrapped herself tightly in it.
The two sisters, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality upon hearing Meng Xiaoyu’s scream, their expressions turning dark.
Looking at the little one who had wrapped herself up tightly, Han Rubing spoke in a surprisingly “gentle” tone, “Little one, come out. You’ll suffocate yourself like that. Hurry out; I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Meng Xiaoyu asked softly, peeking her head out from the blanket.
“When your sister and I were away last night, did anything happen in this room, or did anyone come by?”
Han Rubing asked, ruffling the little one’s somewhat messy hair.
“Nothing happened last night! Well, there was that Ye Han who brought me food shortly after I woke up…”
“Was there anyone else besides Ye Han?”
Meng Xiaoyu hadn’t finished when Han Rubing interrupted her.
“Anyone else? No!”
Meng Xiaoyu replied, her tone innocent and confused.
“Yuer, are you sure no one else came by? Or that nothing violent happened?”
Han Rushuang asked uncertainly, seeing Meng Xiaoyu’s bewildered expression.
“Really, there wasn’t! What’s wrong?”
Meng Xiaoyu replied, even more confused, wondering why Rushuang sister was asking this.
“Wow… what’s going on? Did a thief come into this room while I was sleeping?”
Meng Xiaoyu exclaimed in surprise, looking at the broken wooden screen and other damaged items scattered around the room.
“Little one, can you tell me everything that happened after you woke up last night?”
Han Rubing said, observing Meng Xiaoyu’s astonished expression.
“Oh!”
Meng Xiaoyu began recounting everything she did after waking up the previous night.
However, when she mentioned that she had accelerated her internal energy circulation for fun, nearly losing control of her qi, she noticed the simultaneous frowns and cold expressions on Han Rubing and Han Rushuang’s faces, which made her hesitate to continue.
Just as she was about to stop, Han Rubing shot her a cold glare, causing Meng Xiaoyu to continue speaking, albeit nervously.
