Chapter 112: The Assassination Mission (Thanks to Jiushan Xuanqing and Daoist Ze for their support!)

Upon hearing that Wang Keyue needed to embark on a mission involving the second son of the Xiao family, Xiao Hongyu became visibly unsettled. His concern was entirely for Wang Keyue’s safety; as for the Xiao second son, he held no significance to him whatsoever.

Consequently, in the time that followed, Xiao Hongyu not only dug up every scandalous secret regarding the Xiao second son but even uncovered details as trivial as how often he relieved himself. Wang Keyue’s mouth twitched; Xiao Hongyu’s shadow guards were truly terrifying—they were no less formidable than the paparazzi of her original world.

Four hours passed quickly. Following Xiaobao’s instructions, Wang Keyue lay on the bed, closing her eyes to gather her strength. As soon as the time arrived, she instantly lost consciousness, her mind a blank slate. The duration felt both incredibly long and fleetingly short. When she slowly drifted back to awareness, she was no longer Wang Keyue.

"You wretched girl, how dare you crawl onto the Master’s bed! Someone, drag her out and beat her to death with clubs!" A sharp, shrill soprano rang in her ears, startling Wang Keyue back to reality.

Her cheeks burned with a sharp, stinging pain, and her forehead throbbed with agony. What was happening? Before her eyes, she saw embroidered, pearl-studded satin shoes with gold trim, partially hidden beneath a violet-blue rose-patterned gown. Surrounding her were maidservants and slaves kneeling on the ground just as she was. Not far away stood a carved, gold-painted canopy bed with fluttering curtains; the bedding was a chaotic mess, and a faint, masculine silhouette seemed to be sleeping within.

Before Wang Keyue could observe her surroundings any further, her arms were seized by force, and two burly matrons began dragging her away without hesitation.

What? What was going on? Wang Keyue tried to struggle, but this body lacked even the slightest strength. A low curse from one of the matrons reached her ears: "You brazen little harlot! You’ve got some nerve! Crawling onto Master Xiao’s bed—do you really think the Old Madam is someone you can bully?"

Wang Keyue finally understood. Damn it! This was a disaster! If they were going to find a substitute, they should have picked someone more competent. This one was essentially walking into a death trap the moment she arrived; she might as well have just died!

She only had ten minutes! She couldn't afford to waste time here; she had to find her target, the Second Young Master Xiao! The man on the bed must have been her target’s father. The mere thought that her current vessel had been involved with that old man made her want to die of shame.

***

Wang Keyue was dragged by the two matrons to an open space in the backyard, which served as the usual place for punishing servants. From afar, she could hear a clamor—cries and pleas for mercy echoed incessantly.

"Young Master Xiao, I was wrong! I won’t dare do it again! Young Master, please, spare me!" The shrill, agonizing screams, accompanied by the rhythmic thud of wooden boards striking flesh, made everyone present tense up.

Wang Keyue’s eyes lit up. This man, referred to as the "Young Master," had to be her target, Xiao Zilin. Within the Beiping Commandery government office, he was treated as the true legitimate son, with the entire household addressing him as the Young Master. It was laughable that everyone had forgotten that the true legitimate son was actually Xiao Hongyu, who was guarding the northwest frontier.

"Young Master, save me! Young Master, I am innocent! Young Master!" Feeling that about eight minutes had already passed, Wang Keyue steeled herself. Catching the two matrons off guard, she broke free from their grip. Her only goal now was to finish off this so-called Young Master.

In the ensuing chaos, Wang Keyue stealthily pulled a hairpin from her hair. Putting on a pitiful, fragile facade, she lunged toward Xiao Zilin’s feet. Her plan was to grab his ankles to trip him, then use the hairpin to deliver a lethal blow to his back. It was a vicious, underhanded scheme, but to her surprise, this Xiao was exceptionally vigilant. Before she could even reach him, he retreated with lightning speed.

"What is this monstrosity? How dare you be so insolent!" he cursed while backing away.

Before Wang Keyue could even clearly see Xiao Zilin’s face, a house guard holding a long sword jumped out from the side and roared at her, "Damn assassin!"

The next moment, she felt a chill at her throat, and the metallic taste of blood spread across her tongue. There was a faint, numbing sensation, and then, in the next second, she lost consciousness. When she finally recovered and drifted back to awareness, a gray-white digital screen appeared before her.

"Mission failed. Would you like to spend 10,000 gold coins to restart the mission?" A prompt appeared. Wang Keyue, unwilling to give up, gritted her teeth and selected "Yes."

Once again, darkness swallowed her. Before she could even clear her head, she felt a sharp, rhythmic pain in her backside.

She opened her eyes, and her perspective had shifted. She was no longer that maidservant, but...

Damn it! She had become the servant boy who had been pinned to the bench and beaten with boards just moments ago!

***

At this moment, she could see the body of the substitute maid lying in a pool of blood, her throat slit. Wang Keyue fearfully reached up to touch her own neck; fortunately, it was still intact.

However, her current situation was far from safe; she was in constant danger of dropping dead. And if she did, the one who would suffer the most was her own... wallet!

"Stop for now, and take this base creature’s corpse to be burned!" Xiao Zilin, standing to the side, commanded while pointing at the maid’s body. The two servants carrying out the execution stopped their boards. Wang Keyue finally let out a sigh of relief; she was terrified of being beaten to death right there. Besides the financial loss, it was simply painful!

"You lot, lock these two matrons up. Investigate what kind of monstrosity this is!" Xiao Zilin, still unsatisfied, ordered his shadow guards, his tone chillingly cold.

The matrons were petrified. They never expected that a dead girl would bring such a disaster upon them. Everyone in the Beiping Commandery government office knew of the Young Master’s ruthlessness; falling into his hands meant suffering a fate worse than death.

"Young Master, we are innocent! It was the Old Madam who sent us to beat this girl to death!" The two matrons knelt and kowtowed. They were unwilling to be dragged away for interrogation; the Old Madam had ordered it, and they were merely servants following instructions. Who could have known that the girl would dare to attempt an assassination in her final moments?

Xiao Zilin wouldn't listen to the servants' excuses. Even if it were his own mother’s order, he had to investigate—and he had to do it thoroughly. Otherwise, he would never find peace.

Having finished his orders, Xiao Zilin felt a sense of relief. He looked back at the servant boy still struggling to rise from the bench, his previous irritation somewhat abated. Perhaps having killed someone had calmed his temper.

"Yang Xiaoqi, you’re lucky today. I’ll spare your miserable life for now. If you fail me again, I’ll take your head!" With that, Xiao Zilin prepared to leave.