Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 274 The Canary Yearns for the Sky (2)

From the perspective of the master's family, a concubine's status was equivalent to that of property.

The death of a concubine is roughly equivalent to the breaking of a porcelain vase.

The living room was quiet; apart from the two of them breathing, there was no other sound.

Perhaps because they shared a similar plight, Song Yan could sense through Kong Xiyan's eyes that she wasn't lying.

Both were born to concubines, so Song Yan could roughly understand Kong Xiyan's panic at the time... She was engaged at fourteen, and her mother died the following year. That is to say, Kong Xiyan was only fifteen years old at that time. Kong Xiyan's situation was also somewhat different from Song Yan's. After all, Song Yan had the soul of an adult in his body, so his resistance was stronger, while Kong Xiyan was a genuine little girl. If she were on Earth, she would probably still be in junior high school.

Waking up to find her mother's battered and bruised body and her father's cold indifference... No one can imagine the impact such a scene had on a fifteen-year-old girl; it might have been a shadow and nightmare she could never erase for the rest of her life.

From that moment on, Kong Xiyan felt nothing but hatred towards the Kong family.

She lived cautiously in the Kong family, trying her best not to let anyone see her true thoughts. She was taciturn and tried to minimize her presence in the eyes of others.

Perhaps she wanted revenge, but the Kong family was simply too powerful, so powerful that Kong Xiyan was filled with despair.

Until this moment, she met Song Yan. She saw murderous intent in Song Yan's eyes, but she also saw hope... Kong Xiyan was not sure whether this was good or bad for her, but she knew that if she missed this opportunity, she might never have the chance to take revenge in this lifetime, so she chose to take a gamble.

She was like a pitiful creature awaiting judgment, agonizingly and fearfully waiting for Song Yan's response.

After a long while, she finally heard Song Yan's voice: "Tell me, how exactly do I obtain enough evidence to crush the Kong family?"

Upon hearing the sound, Kong Xiyan trembled slightly. She pursed her lips and ultimately shook her head: "No."

"If it's about having illicit relations with the Jurchens, we might be able to find some incriminating evidence, but at most we can only execute a few servants in the Kong family. It's not enough to completely destroy the Kong family."

"If it were other crimes... given what these people in the Kong family have done over the years, it wouldn't be too much for them to die ten times over... but the Kong family has handled these matters very cleanly, and very little evidence has been left behind. Although I live in the Kong family mansion, it is really difficult for me to obtain important information due to my status."

"Feel sorry."

"However, I am willing to stay with the Kong family as an inside agent. If the Kong family takes any action, I will find a way to notify you immediately."

Although Kong Xiyan was well aware that doing so might make Song Yan feel that he was not valuable enough, leading to the breakdown of the deal, Kong Xiyan ultimately chose to tell the truth.

She had a feeling that telling the truth now was better than being exposed later...maybe.

Song Yan nodded, not surprised by Kong Xiyan's answer. In a powerful family like the Kong family, there were many things that even the legitimate son, Kong Lingyan, might not know, let alone Kong Xiyan, an unfavored concubine's daughter.

"So, what do you want?" Song Yan's fingers gently caressed the teacup.

Kong Xiyan lowered her eyelids, her pearly teeth clenching her peach-like lips: "It must be revenge. If you are willing, young master, I am willing to serve you... However, when I am old and my beauty fades, I hope you will grant me my freedom." A slightly bitter smile appeared on her lips: "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, young master, but this is the first time I have stepped out of the Kong family mansion in all these years. If it weren't for the Kong family wanting to arrange a marriage between me and you, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have this opportunity."

Song Yan smiled. He had met many girls, but this was the first one who had such thoughts.

The canary in the cage ultimately yearns for the sky.

“Actually… the outside world might not be as wonderful as you imagine.” Song Yan stood up: “But since this is your request, I agree.”

"In addition, if you encounter any danger, you can ask me for help, and I will do my best to protect you."

A genuine smile appeared on her fair face for the first time, and it looked beautiful.

Kong Xiyan didn't take Song Yan's promise seriously. She didn't doubt that Song Yan was being insincere, but Jin and Pingyang were far apart, and even if something happened, it would probably be too late to ask Song Yan for help. This was the only time such a promise had been made since her mother's death, and it gave her a warm feeling of being worried about and cared for.

It's a little unfamiliar, but I don't dislike it.

The door reopened.

Kong Lingyan and Kong Xinghuai both looked in their direction, their eyes filled with scrutiny. They cupped their hands in greeting and led Kong Xiyan away. As martial artists, their hearing was quite good; even from a distance, they could still faintly hear sounds carried on the wind.

"Big sister, what did you talk to Song Yan about?"

"It's nothing more than the matter of taking a concubine... I'm already twenty-seven. If I wait another two years, I really won't be able to get married."

"Don't act on your own like this again. Your family will arrange your marriage."

"I see."

The sound gradually faded away in the cold wind.

Luo Tianxuan appeared beside Song Yan, her small hand quietly grasping Song Yan's large hand. Her face still held that gentle smile, but with a hint of teasing: "What, can't bear to part with me?"

"If my husband likes it, I have no problem with that." Song Yan shook his head. He wasn't so promiscuous as to like every girl he met.

As they spoke, the two headed towards the back of the house.

"By the way, it seemed like that Kong Lingyan was trying to make a move on me?"

"That's outrageous! How dare he covet my wife! I'll remember this grudge and deal with him later."

……

Let's move a little further back in time.

In the darkness, a figure moved silently, almost completely blending into the night, without a heartbeat or breath, like a ghost wandering in the dead of night.

She is a seventh-rank martial artist.

Her strength is quite good, and she is also skilled in concealment. If she doesn't want to, even martial artists who are several ranks stronger than her will have a hard time detecting her whereabouts.

For her, taking someone away from a mansion was an incredibly easy thing.

However, this governor's mansion was far more dangerous than any other place she had ever been. Soldiers clad in black armor patrolled back and forth, and she could clearly feel a strong, murderous aura emanating from them. Even though these soldiers were just ordinary people, not even martial artists, they still gave her the illusion that her head was about to be chopped off and piled up at any moment.

Moreover, these soldiers were extremely sensitive to any unusual activity, and their gazes would frequently sweep over her. If she hadn't hidden herself in time each time, she would probably have been discovered by the patrolling black-armored soldiers long ago.

She knew that these were all iron-blooded warriors who followed Song Yan in slaughtering Japanese pirates and Jurchens. Although the Kong family had also recruited and trained many martial artists as guards, numbering in the hundreds or thousands, she had a premonition that, not to mention the black-armored soldiers in the military camp, just the ones patrolling the governor's mansion, once they formed a battle formation, could probably flatten the Kong family's guards in an instant.

She once again had some doubts about this operation.

Is it really a good idea to offend such a terrifying being?

Thinking this, the woman shook her head. She was just the Third Young Master's servant. As long as she completed the tasks assigned by the Third Young Master, she didn't need to worry about anything else. Besides, she just needed to do it discreetly so that the investigation wouldn't reach the Kong family.
He slowly took a step forward with his foot.

Just as her right foot was about to land, an indescribable fear swept over her entire body. The bone-chilling cold made her feel as if her body was about to freeze. Beneath the metal mask, a pair of eyes widened, filled with an intense fear.

Trembling, he slowly retracted his outstretched right foot.

That was a warning sign.

Her martial arts style wasn't suited for combat, but rather for stealth. Furthermore, her sense of danger was far more acute than that of ordinary martial artists. She didn't know exactly what had just happened, but she had a premonition that if that stomp had landed, it would have instantly awakened some extremely terrifying being, and she would have been annihilated in an instant, with no chance of survival.

Only after retracting his right foot and quietly stepping back, creating some distance, did the fear gradually disappear.

A ninth-rank martial artist.

He was definitely a ninth-rank martial artist; only such a powerful being could instill such intense fear in her.

Worst of all, the source of that fear seems to be more than one.

hateful.

Just how many masters are hidden within this governor's mansion?
Why are ninth-rank martial artists, who are rarely seen in the martial arts world, as common as cabbages here?
There were at least two of them; they were probably asleep but remained vigilant. If it weren't for the warning brought by martial arts, they would probably have died here.

Cursing inwardly, the woman disappeared into the darkness once more. She chose another direction to sneak into the backyard, and this time things went a little more smoothly than before. She silently pushed open a door and saw a petite figure curled up in the blankets. Perhaps still not quite used to the climate of Liaodong, even though she was covered with two thick blankets, her body was still curled up in a ball.

Get closer, and you can see it more clearly.

She really is a very cute little girl.

Her little face was quite delicate, like a finely carved piece of jade, without a single flaw. Even when she was asleep, she looked quite pretty. If she was this beautiful at such a young age, what would she be like when she grew up?
For some reason, just looking at that cute little face, a strong sense of disgust welled up in the woman's heart. One hand stroked the metal mask on her face, and a pair of eyes under the mask were filled with an almost twisted madness. An uncontrollable urge to completely destroy that face surged up in her chest.

Ideally, it should be covered in scars.

It's like the stiffness and distortion after a fire.

The woman ultimately suppressed her impulse. The Third Young Master had not yet tasted this delicacy, and if her face were ruined now, it would spoil his mood.

Ha ha……

Although, for this little girl, having her face disfigured now might still be a stroke of luck.

The woman bent down, a handkerchief appearing between her fingers, and gently covered the girl's nose.

(End of this chapter)