FID – Chapter 946

Chapter 946: Dragon Heir? 

In the capital, the six main city gates were suddenly put under heavy guard, and the people coming and going were subjected to strict inspections. For a time, the citizens were filled with anxiety and fear, not knowing what had happened.

In every street and alley of the city, soldiers could be seen conducting house-to-house searches.

Such a show of force was terrifying and even silenced the normally gossip-loving townspeople into stunned silence.

Over at the residential compound in Yanhua Lane, the commotion was no less intense than outside.

Wei Zi, accompanied by several members of the Shadow Guard Battalion and a squad from the Warden’s Offices of the Five City Wards, had tightly sealed off the innermost residence of the lane. They turned over every corner of the courtyard in a thorough search.

Eventually, they discovered something unusual in the outhouse.

What appeared to be an ordinary latrine revealed a hidden staircase beneath the planks. The steps led down to a narrow tunnel that could only accommodate one person at a time, and it extended all the way beyond the city walls.

Suburbs Dock.

By the time Wei Zi and his team arrived, there was no trace of Shan Lai or Ling Xiang to be found.

The Imperial Study received the report an hour later.

Feng Mohan remained speechless for a long time. Even after some time had passed, he still felt nauseous in his chest.

“They actually built a tunnel under a latrine pit. How could they come up with something so disgusting?” His mocking tone was laced with gritted teeth.

“That wasn’t a latrine pit. It was just a disguised entrance beneath an outhouse.” Feng Qingbai glanced at him calmly. “You’ve been feeling nauseous for quite a while.”

Feng Mohan wiped his face and tried to regain his composure. He asked, “So what do we do now? They’ve already escaped. The suburban docks have boats heading in every direction. We have no idea which way they went.”

“If we can’t catch them, then let it go for now.”

“Uncle?” Feng Mohan asked, puzzled.

“The people behind this have been plotting for over a decade. Do you think they’ll give up after a single failure?”

“Of course not. Just like Xue Zhong, who was crippled but was still running wild, ambition isn’t something that disappears easily.”

“Exactly. So all we can do is wait for them to make their next move,” Feng Qingbai said. “In the meantime, send someone to investigate Miaojiang in the northwest. Gu technique originates from there. Even if they’re not directly involved, they’re bound to know something.”

“Miaojiang…” Feng Mohan furrowed his brows, murmuring the words softly.

At that moment, aboard a boat sailing southwest down the canal, inside the cabin:

Two women sat facing each other. One was extremely thin, but under her long skirt, her belly was noticeably swollen. She was clearly pregnant.

“Right now, the capital must be in chaos with all the searching. The Emperor must be furious.” The dainty woman covered her mouth with a laugh. All traces of her former timid demeanor were gone. Looking at the woman opposite her, her eyes sparkled with schadenfreude. “Your plan failed before it even got off the ground. Now you’re returning with that big belly. What do you think our master will do to you?”

“Smack!”

The woman across from her raised a pale hand and slapped the smirk off her face.

“Ling Xiang, don’t act so brazen in front of me. In the palace, you were my maid. Outside the palace, your status is still beneath mine. If you want to step on me to elevate yourself, wait until I’ve truly fallen.”

Ling Xiang clutched her burning cheek and stared coldly at the calm-faced woman opposite her, venom glinting in her eyes. “Fine. I’ll wait for that day! I will return this slap!”

Seeing how utterly unmoved the woman remained, Ling Xiang swallowed her resentment and forced a smile. “You act high and mighty now, but not for long. Master wanted you to give birth to the dragon heir in the palace, yet now you’ve fled with the child. You’ve ruined everything. Master will make you pay for this!”

“That’s none of your concern.” The woman raised her eyes, her gaze as faint and distant as water. “A word of warning though, don’t provoke me. If you do, I have a hundred ways to end your life before we even return.”

As she lifted her hand again, Ling Xiang instinctively flinched back several steps, putting distance between them. The flash of fear on her face lingered, refusing to fade.

Shan Lai slowly withdrew her hand. The look she gave Ling Xiang was filled with cool mockery, making Ling Xiang’s face flush red with shame.

“Get out,” she drove indifferently.

With a cold snort, Ling Xiang stormed out of the cabin in anger.

Once she was alone, Shan Lai retracted the mockery in her eyes. She leaned against the window rail, gazing out at the churning waters of the canal below.

Dragon Heir?

That word brought a cold smile to her lips.

It meant nothing. When the child was eventually born, it would be nothing more than an unwanted burden. Tossed about by fate, a life full of hardship, destined to suffer all the miseries of the human world!

With Shan Lai’s escape, the capital gradually appeared to return to a state of calm.

The authorities conducted a thorough investigation under the pretense of the prison break case, but ultimately found no further suspects. And since they had failed to apprehend the fugitive, the case was left unresolved, to be closed only if new developments emerged in the future.

After half a month of recovery, Xue Qinglian was finally able to get out of bed.

The first thing he did was flex his limbs and pat his chest and back to make sure everything moved freely without stiffness. Once he confirmed he had fully recovered, he immediately launched himself into a scuffle with Qian Wanjin.

“You bastard! The first thing you do after getting up is ambush this young lord?! Let me tell you, I was only going easy on you because you just got better. Otherwise, I’d beat you flat anytime, anywhere!” Qian Wanjin thrashed and shouted in fury, pinned underneath.

“Only useless fools bark the loudest. You’re just hiding behind that stone-hearted woman Shi Xianrou! And you still dare challenge me? I’ll crush you, you hear me?!”

“You shameless jerk! Have you forgotten who kept you company during your boring days in bed? Damn it, get off me!”

“Kept me company? You actually said that out loud? Who was it that moved the chamber pot to the foot of the bed while I was relieving myself, making me aim and miss, and then charging me a thousand silver taels for it?! Why don’t you just crawl into a pile of money and live there?!”

……

Inside the room, Liu Yusheng, Shi Xianrou, and Feng Qingbai were all present.

After watching the two grown men wrestling childishly on the floor, they simultaneously covered their faces with their hands in exasperation.

“Someone, call a few servants in here,” Feng Qingbai said as he massaged his temples.

Immediately, the two on the floor grew alert and lifted their heads in unison. “Feng Qingbai, what are you trying to do?”

“You two seem to really enjoy this little pile-up game. It’s not as fun with just the two of you. I’m calling in a few servants to help pin you down,” he said coolly.

Xue Qinglian scrambled to his feet, staring at Feng Qingbai in horror. “Did you forget that I just recovered from a serious illness? Are you trying to have me break my bones again?!”

Feng Qingbai’s lips curled slightly, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You should be grateful I didn’t cripple you outright. And now you want to bargain with me?”

“…” Xue Qinglian and Qian Wanjin exchanged a look, racking their brains for what they might have done to offend this madman.

Next thing, the two bolted for the door, fleeing before the servants arrived.

From a distance, their bickering could still be heard:

“You knew he’s a psycho, so why’d you bring up the chamber pot in front of him? You corrupted Lucky Nannan’s ears. Serves you right for getting dogpiled!”

“If you hadn’t provoked me, would I have ended up on his radar?! You’re the real culprit here!”

Inside the house, two jade beads flew out from nowhere, smacking squarely into their behinds, followed by more wailing and howling.

Shi Xianrou covered her eyes, unable to bear watching. She didn’t even have time to come to their rescue.

Really now—why would anyone mess with Feng Qingbai for no reason?