Li Man'er subtly rubbed her fingers, "What does Miss Qian Er mean?"
"I know this person is quite important to you," Qian Fangruo, believing she had found Li Man'er's weakness, smirked triumphantly. "Do you believe it or not, if I take him back and say he's your lover, you, Li Man'er, will become the laughingstock of the entire capital."
Ziyan's face turned red with anger. "You wretched woman, how can you be so vicious? A renowned talent, they say! Bah, without virtue or looks, slandering my lady with mere words, you are simply... worse than pigs and dogs."
Though Qian Fangruo had reached a point of desperation, she couldn't tolerate a mere maid scolding her. She shouted angrily, "Dang Nu, aren't you coming out yet?"
From the shadows emerged a robust figure.
This person stood over seven feet tall, broad-shouldered and stout, with a ferocious countenance. As she emerged from the shadows, she appeared like a mobile wall, standing beside Qian Fangruo and making her look like a child.
Upon seeing this person, Ziyan's heart trembled, and she murmured, "My heavens."
If this person were a man, it would be no surprise. But she was distinctly a woman, dressed in a skirt and with her hair styled in a bun. Yet, the flesh on her face and her powerful physique were constant reminders to others that she was no ordinary woman.
"Dang Nu, what are you waiting for? Kill her."
Qian Fangruo's eyes were red. Today, between her and Li Man'er, it was a life-or-death battle, with no room for compromise.
The strong woman named Dang Nu patted her own shoulder, emitting a dull thudding sound. Ziyan was terrified and quickly pulled Li Man'er, urging her to flee.
"Miss, if we run faster, we should be able to escape, right!"
Li Man'er had no intention of running. She pushed Ziyan aside, "Get out of the way, hide yourself properly. I have a way to deal with her." She could tell that this Dang Nu seemed to have some mental impairment and was extremely obedient to Qian Fangruo.
Her abnormal state didn't seem natural, as if she had been transformed through some secret technique.
Ziyan knew she couldn't help and could only find a corner to hide, trying not to be a hindrance to Li Man'er.
The side room was spacious, with very little furniture, not even a single chair, so the two could move freely for their confrontation.
Li Man'er knew that someone like Dang Nu possessed no rationality, so as Dang Nu charged forward, Li Man'er used her agility and dexterity to maneuver around her. As Dang Nu blundered forward, Li Man'er danced above and below, evading Dang Nu and toying with her. A direct confrontation might not be disadvantageous to Li Man'er, but a guerrilla tactic would be extremely detrimental to Dang Nu.
Dang Nu was tall and strong, but her unmethodical wild attacks were exhausting. Coupled with Li Man'er's nimble movements, after fighting for a long time without even touching a corner of Li Man'er's clothes, she grew furious, emitting bellows of rage. Sweat broke out on her body, and her breathing became erratic.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Li Man'er produced several silver needles. She leaped behind Dang Nu and, with swift and accurate movements, pricked several major acupoints on Dang Nu's body.
Dang Nu's skin and flesh were thicker than those of ordinary people, but Li Man'er's acupuncture technique and strength were far beyond ordinary. Moreover, her needles were not ordinary silver needles, making the process quite smooth.
Several needles were inserted into Dang Nu's major acupoints, causing her to cry out in agony and rage. She tried to grab Li Man'er but found her movements restricted, her body feeling as if it were being held captive. She could only move stiffly, inch by inch, until finally, she lost all control of her body and crashed to the ground with a clang.
Li Man'er clapped her hands. "Done."
Qian Fangruo was so enraged her teeth were almost grinding to dust. This Dang Nu was her last resort, and now that Dang Nu was useless, was she truly unable to defeat Li Man'er?
"Well, Miss Qian, do you have any more tricks? Bring them all out!"
"You, I'll kill him." At this point, Qian Fangruo had abandoned her previous ideas. Since she couldn't discreetly kill Li Man'er, she might as well go for a mutual destruction.
"Go ahead and kill him!" Li Man'er spread her hands. "After all, he's neither my kin nor my friend. What concern is it of mine if you kill him."
Old Sun, bound like a mummy, was almost angered to death.
Miss Qian Er, however, began to laugh. "Neither kin nor friend? If that were truly the case, why would you send him a message to accompany you to Mobei? Miss Li, don't think your little secrets can be hidden from me. I've been watching you for a long time."
Li Man'er's face suddenly turned cold. She simply said, "You're looking for death yourself, don't blame others."
"Hahahaha~" Miss Qian Er laughed until tears streamed down her face. "Li Man'er, I dare to kill you, but do you dare to kill me? Do you think your visit to Yaowang Temple is truly unknown to anyone?"
"Then, Miss Qian Er's visit to Yaowang Temple, is anyone aware of it?"
Qian Fangruo's expression suddenly turned to one of horror, as if she had realized something. She had come stealthily to set a trap for Li Man'er and naturally intended to conceal her movements. No one knew she was at Yaowang Temple. If Li Man'er were to kill her, it was likely no one would ever find out.
Qian Fangruo broke out in a cold sweat. While she was distracted, Li Man'er's silver needles shot out rapidly, piercing Qian Fangruo's neck.
Miss Qian Er's eyes rolled back. Before she could utter a word, she fainted.
Li Man'er quickly stepped forward and rescued Old Sun.
Old Sun took a few breaths before saying, "You did it on purpose, didn't you? You wanted to suffocate me."
"How could that be."
"I think you did it intentionally. With your martial arts prowess, dealing with a woman who knows nothing about combat should be simple, yet you dragged it out so long, just to suffocate me."
Li Man'er tossed the untied rope onto the ground. "I think you deserve it. You claim to know martial arts, so how did a mere woman get the better of you?"
Ziyan also quickly approached and asked softly, "Temple Steward Sun, are your fellow disciples alright?"
"Oh, I almost forgot." Old Sun said quickly, "I must go check on them immediately, lest they suffocate too."
He ran off without looking back, nearly tripping as his legs were numb from being bound.
Ziyan shook her head. "Miss, this Old Sun is too unreliable. Can he be of any use if he follows you to Mobei?"
"Don't worry about that. Ask him later; it's likely Miss Qian Er used some trick to deceive them all."
Ziyan nodded. "Then what about Miss Qian Er? And this one..." Ziyan pointed at the immensely large Dang Nu. "She's so terrifying, I wonder what she eats to grow so big."
Li Man'er's mind stirred, and she instructed Ziyan, "Ziyan, go down the mountain, take a carriage back, and deliver a message to Madam Qian, telling her to come and redeem her."
Redeem her?
"Tell her..." Li Man'er whispered something to Ziyan.
Ziyan nodded. "Your servant will leave immediately. Miss, rest assured."