Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1771 Repayment
“Lord Liu, I’ve noticed that your Liu family really won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin.” Dugu Ming’s expression was displeased. The man still covered his ears, looking indifferent to the world. “Man is the butcher, and I am the fish. It’s all fate.”

Dugu Ming was too lazy to get entangled with the man, so he immediately ordered his men to guard the Liu family and then left.

Fang Zilan hid in the shadows until Dugu Ming left, then she concealed herself and quietly began searching the Liu family's residence.

As she searched, she pondered what had just happened. The man's words were half true and half false. The remains of Prince Rong'an should all be in Suzhou Prefecture. However, Cheng Zhiyan had somehow found some flowers and trees that had consumed some of them, and she had handed the rest over to Li Qiyou.

However, Li Qiyou hesitated and has yet to produce Rong'an Prince's remains in court. But the man was right; trying to do anything with Rong'an Prince's remains is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

She had thought that if Li Qiyou produced the remains of Prince Rong'an in court, along with the clues about poisonous insects and herbs that Xiahou Yunzhao had discovered, even if he couldn't identify the heads of the various prefectures, he could still thoroughly investigate the five families in Lingnan. At that time, by peeling back the layers, he wouldn't have to worry about the heads of the various prefectures involved not being caught.

But now, Li Qiyou has yet to take any action, Xiahou Yunzhao is imprisoned, and the five major families of Lingnan have been largely wiped out. The fire at Zuiyue Tower only affected Yin Quanzhang and implicated the siblings Hongtai and Honghe. However, the bandits have not been eradicated, and the powerful families and nobles who colluded with them, seemingly in dire straits, are actually sitting on the sidelines, and Xie Chen cannot do anything about them…

Mountain bandits? As if a flash of inspiration struck, Fang Zilan looked at the ledger in her hand. There was no name at the end, only the name of the mountains, but if you looked closely under the light, you could find the character "莽" (mǎng, meaning reckless or wild) hidden in it.

She remembered Hong Tai saying that Qian Wenxiang had a strategist under him, a military advisor from Mangshan. However, this person was elusive, and she had never met him. Could it be…?

"Although I am a member of the Liu family and live a life of luxury, I still know a bit about the current situation and understand the importance of acting according to the situation. If something really happens, I will always be able to escape faster than the average person."

The man's words kept replaying in Fang Zilan's mind like a revolving lantern. Her intuition told her that if she didn't go to find him soon, he would escape.

Thinking of this, Fang Zilan closed the ledger, put it in her inner bag, and quickly went out.

The rain hadn't stopped outside, and it was still pitch black with hardly any light.

Fang Zilan hid under the eaves, her heart pounding like a drum. The faint smell of blood around her indicated that something bad had happened.

She closed her eyes and relied on her ears to search for the subtle sounds hidden beneath the rain, and finally she found them.

When she arrived, the banana tree next to the artificial hill was littered with corpses lying haphazardly, all of whom were people brought by Dugu Ming, judging from their attire.

She went over to check and found that the stones next to the artificial hill had been moved. So she tried to push them, and the artificial hill opened up a crack.

A secret passage appeared before her, and she cautiously stepped inside. However, the passage seemed endless. She didn't know how long she walked, but she felt increasingly cold, and her legs began to feel weak.

Just when she was about to give up, some light gradually appeared in the distance. She could vaguely see figures, so she stood close to the stone wall and observed them in secret.

"If I don't retreat, will General Xiahou kill me?" Murong Qing smiled slightly. Fang Zilan behind him frowned, placed her hand on his shoulder, and said in an unyielding tone, "Get out of the way. This is my business."

"Fang Zilan..." Murong Qing had barely begun to speak when Fang Zilan interrupted him, "Listen to me. You don't actually think General Xiahou wouldn't dare kill you, do you?"

Murong Qing's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. "General Xiahou can kill me, but if she wants to destroy the Xiahou family..." "Your Highness is threatening me?" Xiahou Yunzhao sneered, his long sword already pressed against Murong Qing's chest, as if he would pierce him if he said another word.

Fang Zilan pushed Murong Qing away, reached out and grasped Xiahou Yunzhao's sword, letting the blade cut her palm and blood flow profusely, but she seemed completely unaware.

“Since General Xiahou has come for me, then speak your mind.” Fang Zilan remained unmoved. “Why make things difficult for the young master?”

“Since the Crown Prince’s wife is so straightforward, I’ll get straight to the point.” Xiahou Yunzhao suddenly drew her sword, blood splattering on the ground, streaks of crimson.

Fang Zilan clenched her injured hand into a fist, gently raised it, and made a gesture of invitation.

"The late Duke of Yue, Miss Fang the Third, and the Heir Apparent's wife," Xiahou Yunzhao said slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "The last descendant of the previous dynasty, which identity truly represents you?"

Fang Zilan's expression hardened. She was still able to remain composed when Xiahou Yunzhao uttered the first half of the sentence, but once the words "orphan of the previous dynasty" were uttered, she could no longer remain indifferent.

"Who she is is none of your business!" Hong Tai's voice broke in at this moment, but before he could say anything more, Fang Zilan snatched the plum sword from him and casually stuck it in front of Xiahou Yunzhao. "General Xiahou, why don't you guess again..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiahou Yunzhao's sword was already at her neck. "Well, now I realize it was you."

"It's me." Fang Zilan said calmly. Xiahou Yunzhao felt a surge of anger and shouted, "Draw your sword!"

“General Xiahou, if you want to fight me, you need to make it clear.” Fang Zilan did not move, staring intently at Xiahou Yunzhao. “Who exactly is the opponent you want?”

"Zi Xiu." Xiahou Yunzhao squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, and with a swift movement of her sword, a strand of Fang Zilan's hair that had fallen onto her shoulder was cut off.

Fang Zilan didn't even frown, nor did she show any intention of drawing her sword. Seeing this, Hong Tai wanted to step forward, but heard her say, "A life for a life is a matter of course. I have nothing to be aggrieved about."

"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish." Xiahou Yunzhao raised her sword again, and Fang Zilan stood still, but her sword never pierced her body.

"Why?" Xiahou Yunzhao couldn't help but ask. Fang Zilan remained looking at her, her gaze unwavering. "What's done is done, and I won't make excuses. As for the reasons..."

She paused, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "I've killed too many people to remember them all."

Xiahou Yunzhao's hand holding the sword trembled slightly. Fang Zilan curled her lips and said, "As long as I remember that I killed someone, and I admit it, that's enough."

"Why must you make a sword?" Xiahou Yunzhao's voice lowered, tinged with an indescribable bitterness. Fang Zilan chuckled softly, "Then General Xiahou, why must you come here?"

"This is Yan'er, from the Xiahou family..." Xiahou Yunzhao began to speak, but Fang Zilan interrupted her, "This is my fate, I accept it."