Chapter 44 Be blinded by the love of gain Ⅲ

　　Back in her hometown, the second miss waited for many days before finally seeing her grandfather, He Jing. The bond between them, separated by a generation, was stronger than ever, and the old man's face lit up with joy and doting at the sight of his granddaughter.

　　When He Muyu explained her purpose, however, his anger flared, and he was ready to head to Qingmei Peak that same day. But just as he stepped out of the house, he had second thoughts, recalling the protective nature of third senior brotherr. He knew it would be futile to confront him directly. After some consideration, he decided that the only way to resolve this matter was to seek out his teacher.

　　Knowing that his teacher was currently residing on Feixing Peak with his eighth disciple, he was reluctant to go. Among teacher eight disciples, he held the greatest disdain for eldest disciple, Bai Liang, and the thought of visiting him was as unpleasant as stepping in dog poop with new shoes.

　　After deliberating for two more days, he decided to send his son to Feixing Peak to investigate. If the teacher was still there, they would invite him to meet elsewhere. If not, they would figure out another plan.

　　He Xin felt helpless at the thought of being the one to make the invitation, knowing he had little influence. But he couldn't disobey his father's orders, so he reluctantly agreed.

　　On the peak, the two of them waited and waited. Finally, He Muyu's patience wore thin. With only her sister left to support the prefecture, she couldn't bear to stay away for much longer and decided to return to the mansion early.

　　He Muyu mentioned that He Muxian, the other granddaughter whom the old man doted on, was also left at home. The old man agreed that it wouldn't be fair to leave her alone, so he arranged for escorts to accompany her back.

　　However, before they even left Yue Region, news of her sister's public challenge to find a husband reached their ears. The second miss didn't need to guess to know that it was Qing Hu's doing.

　　When she returned to Beici County to investigate, she found that not only was Qing Hu involved, but also the dry younger brother of her fifth senior brother.

　　Upon meeting her sister in the mansion, she detailed her own experiences. When asked about her sister's side of the story, He Muxian remained tight-lipped and extremely reluctant to discuss it.

　　The reason was obvious to everyone; it was too embarrassing for a young lady of a noble family to publicly announce her own marriage challenge. Especially for the daughter of the prefectural governor.

　　After leaving the prefect's mansion, she immediately sought out Shen Huan and Ji Yanshi, but to no avail. She then considered that Shen Huan might be busy with official duties, and Ji Yanshi was unreliable, so she turned to Zhou Ge instead.

　　By the time Zhou Ge returned to the Tribunal, it was already dark, but fortunately, she was able to see him.

　　After inquiring about the entire situation, she was nearly overcome with fury. She never imagined that her third senior would bully her family to such an extent.

　　She quickly wrote a letter and gave it to the escort who had accompanied her back, instructing them to deliver it to Tingquan Peak.

　　Entering her sister's room, she found her sitting there, seemingly in a daze, with tears glistening in her eyes as if she had been crying.

　　Her sister had always given her the impression of being strict and cold, often intimidating, but now she felt only compassion for her.

　　After a long silence, she spoke in a low, resolute voice, "Sister, they've bullied us like this. Let's face them head-on!"

　　He Muxian wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and said, "Fight? What do we have to fight with? They have an endless stream of supporters, while we have only a few."

　　"Shen Huan will help us," He Muyu insisted.

　　"Last time, third senior brought disciples from the Flying Star Sect. This time, he's brought in outsiders. I've heard rumors of something called the Zhuanyou Mountain. Who knows who else might show up in the future? Even if Shen Huan were made of iron, how many nails could he crush?"

　　"What should we do, then?"

　　"For now, the best course of action is to deny the challenge. Even if everyone in the prefecture recognizes it, I refuse to."

　　Hearing her sister speak like this, the second miss understood that she was truly afraid this time.

　　Back in her own room, she felt at a loss for words and actions. The night seemed endless, and she couldn't bear to wait for dawn to break.

　　As she drifted between sleep and wakefulness, a faint sound reached her ears. She recalled what Shen Huan had told her about such sounds at night, indicating either an animal knocking something over or a thief probing the area.

　　To be cautious, she quietly picked up her sword, donned her quiver, and palmed two crossbow bolts.

　　After waiting for a moment, she heard rustling footsteps on the wall, followed by complete silence. She could now confirm that there was an intruder in the mansion, and they were in her courtyard.

　　Before she could draw her sword, she heard a cry from beneath her window. She immediately opened the door and saw two figures standing there. One was holding a sword and standing upright, while the other was lying on the ground, a nighttime intruder with a dart lodged in his thigh.

　　"Shen Huan, what's going on?" she asked.

　　"Second miss, ask him," he replied as he used his sword to reveal the intruder's face by slicing off his black cloth. He applied a bit more force than necessary, leaving a cut on his cheek.

　　The nighttime intruder cursed under his breath, but remained silent.

　　Both of them had already guessed the general situation. This man had likely been sent by either Qing Hu or the Twin Water Fortress.

　　The second miss came up with an idea when she saw that he refused to speak.

　　She went back to her room and retrieved a wooden crossbow bolt she had played with as a child. Mimicking her sister's technique, she drew an X on his face with it.

　　He Muyu's slashes were made with a sharp iron implement, and the two cuts were fluid and smooth. However, the wooden bolt used by He Muyu wasn't as sharp. While the first cut was smooth, the second one encountered resistance, and when she looked at the wound, she saw that the flesh was turned outward, with wood splinters lodged inside.

　　The nighttime intruder cursed loudly, "Damn little girl!"

　　"Talk. Where are you from? If you don't say, I'll turn you into a cat's face," she threatened.

　　"Fine... I'm from Zhou's Tavern," he grudgingly admitted.

　　"What are you here for?"

　　"To kidnap you!"

　　Shen Huan immediately searched him and found two unfamiliar incense sticks used for inducing unconsciousness.

　　They continued to interrogate the nighttime intruder, and he reluctantly confessed everything to avoid further suffering.

　　His name was Ge Dan, and he came from Yue's fang Mountain, named for its resemblance to a beast's fang. It was located not far from Shuanghuan Mountain, and the locals referred to him and his accomplices as the Four Ghosts of fang Mountain.

　　The leader was the Green Knife Ghost Jia Yong, followed by the Starving Ghost Gan Ping. He was the third, the Lustful Ghost Ge Jing, and there was also the Gambling Ghost Ma Zheng.

　　The Four Ghosts had originally intended to seek refuge with the three leaders of the Twin Water Fortress, but tonight was their first night there. Upon hearing of the beautiful women in the He family, Ge Jing, in particular, was moved by lust.

　　Pretending to be a scout investigating the prefect's mansion, he obtained a rough map from Qing Hu and successfully infiltrated the county mansionwith his considerable martial arts skills. He was about to light the Purple Butterfly Soul-stealing Incense when Shen Huan struck his thigh with a dart.

　　After hearing the details, He Muyu's gaze turned cold. "Shen Huan, I'll handle this one."

　　"Second miss, what do you intend to do?" he asked with concern.

　　"A lustful ghost cannot be spared," she said resolutely.

　　With that, she drove her sword through his heart.

　　Ge Jing stretched out his arms and legs, and his soul departed from this world.

　　Someone heard the commotion in the second miss's courtyard and quickly reported it.

　　He Chong, the steward, led a group of mansion guards to the courtyard. "Second miss, what's going on?" he called out.

　　"It's He Chong. Come in," she replied.

　　He Chong and the mansion guards rushed into the courtyard and found that the intruder had already been dealt with.

　　"Second miss, what...?" He Chong began.

　　"Get a sack, put the body in it, and throw it into the Zhou's tavern."

　　Upon hearing this, two soldiers quickly found a black cloth sack, put the body inside, and carried it out of the mansion.

　　A few minutes later, the news reached the ears of He Muxian.Upon hearing that someone had harmed her younger sister, She could not contain her anger.

　　"You bastard, Qing Hu! For daring to harm my younger sister, I swear I will never let you go!"

　　Little did she know that this was a deliberate move by Qing Hu.

　　His intention was not to harm the second miss of the He family. Qing Hu was well aware of Ge Jing's capabilities. As described by the leader of fang Mountain, the skills of the Four Ghosts of fang Mountain were roughly on par with each other, with some excelling in lightness skills, some in fist fighting, and others in weaponry.If Shen Huan or Ji Yanshi were present in the mansion, Ge Jing would have been in trouble. Even if both were absent, there were still the miss He and the on-duty soldiers to defend the mansion, so the second miss would most likely survive the ordeal with a fright.

　　The real purpose of this act was to force He Muxian to come and face the challenge on the martial arts arena. If she doesn't appeared on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, all their efforts would be in vain. This move was designed to ensure that she took part in the challenge.