The Stunning Mad Empress: The Useless Third Miss - Chapter 22

The moment Little Pearl heard the sound, she was so frightened that her whole body stiffened.

The feeling of being caught while stealing was actually due to guilt.

Even a divine beast couldn’t escape being caught red-handed.

“Uuu, what should we do, Master?”

Little Pearl was so scared that her fur stood on end.

Xiao Qingcheng, however, calmly extended her finger and rubbed Xiao Zhenzhen’s claw that was sticking out of the box.

“No worries! Don’t panic! At worst, they’ll stew you.”

At this moment, some rustling sounds could already be heard outside the tent.

Among the crowd, Nan Gongyu’s anxious voice was clearly distinguishable.

Xiao Qingcheng glanced back through the tent.

“Xiao Zhenzhen, hand me the mandrake flower. Quickly! And the venomous heart grass too!”

With a flick of her claw, Little Pearl handed over the herbs that Xiao Qingcheng had asked for.

Xiao Qingcheng tore off some of the mandrake flower and quickly stuffed it into the copper bell.

She then smeared the edge of the box with venomous heart grass.

After that, she took a step back, gripped her dagger tightly, and leaped high into the air.

“Xiao Zhenzhen, protect yourself!”

The next second!

Xiao Qingcheng, with her fierce and brutal style, used her primal energy to smash the box from above.

She then swiftly scooped up the two rare fruits inside the box, along with Xiao Zhenzhen, and flipped out of the tent.

Almost at the same time, Nan Gongyu burst in with his men.

Seeing the mess in the room, Nan Gongyu’s face turned ashen.

“Search! Find them for me! Kill the fruit thief! Retrieve the fruits for me!”

Xiao Qingcheng, who had rolled into the bushes, tightly held Little Pearl and the two rare fruits in her arms.

Listening to Nan Gongyu’s roar in the distance, a flicker of doubt crossed her eyes.

“Wow, Master, you’re so amazing!”

Little Pearlnuzzled against Xiao Qingcheng’s neck affectionately, cooing.

“Put these two rare fruits into your personal space. Better safe than sorry.”

Although Little Pearl did as she was told, she still looked very pleased with herself: “Master, that wretched man is no match for you. We have nothing to fear from him!”

“He’s not terrifying. But it’s obvious that there’s a formidable person behind him.”

Xiao Qingcheng’s tone was quite serious.

Recalling the copper bell hidden behind the box earlier, Xiao Qingcheng felt a chill down her spine.

She had failed to detect the bug inside the bell.

There were usually only two reasons for this.

Either there was no bug in the bell at all.

Or the person who placed the bug had a deeper understanding of poison and bug techniques than she did.

Clearly,

the answer was the second one.

She believed that Nan Gongyu could produce more than just this one box.

She deliberately smeared venomous heart grass to erase the residual scent of herself and Xiao Zhenzhen.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t run into that master poisoner.

Poisoners had the most venomous hearts, and their methods of killing were also ruthless.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qingcheng quickly took Little Pearl and rolled down the grassy slope to the distant shrubbery.

Then, using her second-level primal energy, she flew all the way back to Xiao Family Town.

She found a secluded corner and changed her dress.

After putting on her tattered clothes again and using two pieces of jade-black grass to dye her face into a grayish-yellow, Xiao Qingcheng finally climbed over the wall into the backyard of the Xiao residence.

“Master, should you put some freckles on your face? Your features are still too delicate,” Xiao Zhenzhen, out of boredom, tried to help her master look uglier.

“Hmm, good idea. Come on, crush this poisonous plant into juice and smear it on me.”

…

After returning to her dilapidated courtyard, Xiao Qingcheng grabbed her smooth hair and made it look messy.

Then, she patiently waited.

“Master, what are you waiting for?” Little Pearl lay on the round table, watching Xiao Qingcheng who kept looking outside the door, and asked curiously.

“I’m waiting for Xiao Ze!” Her words were tinged with a hint of helplessness and reluctance.

Little Pearl tilted her head, looking at Xiao Qingcheng standing by the moonlight with a puzzled expression.

At this moment, Xiao Qingcheng appeared proud and aloof.

Yet, she was also profound and inscrutable.

“Master…” Xiao Zhenzhen’s voice was filled with a mix of worry and curiosity.

“I’m fine. You lie down and take a nap,” Xiao Qingcheng smiled at Xiao Zhenzhen, her eyes filled with an inexplicable tenderness and indulgence.

Whether it was Xiao Qingcheng’s gaze that was too warm or Little Pearl really needed sleep?

In no time, a very regular snoring sound could be heard.

Xiao Qingcheng, who had been standing by the window, turned around and picked up Little Pearl and placed her on the bed.

Then she heard an extremely faint “creak” from behind.

She got up and looked back.

Outside the window, there was a tall and slender figure walking with a desolate gait.

“Qingcheng, Qingcheng, are you there? Brother Ze has come to see you. I’ve brought some delicious meat buns for you!”

Despite his tattered clothes and haggard face, he still radiated warmth and joy.

Standing in the dark room, Xiao Qingcheng pursed her lips as she watched this scene.

Such a Xiao Ze made her heart ache.

“Qingcheng? You’re in the house! Brother has been looking for you everywhere these past few days. Where have you run off to? Let brother have a look, are you alright?”

Xiao Ze, with his second-level primal energy and exceptional vision, entered the courtyard and took five or six steps forward. Through the fleeting moonlight, he saw Xiao Qingcheng inside the main house.

“Brother Ze, I’m fine,” a voice as clear as a lark’s chirp rang out, tinged with gratitude.

Xiao Ze’s first reaction upon hearing the voice was delight, followed by a moment of stupefaction.

After a while, Xiao Ze, holding the buns in one hand, pushed open the door and walked in with the other.

Seeing Xiao Ze, Xiao Qingcheng took the initiative to meet him halfway.

“Qingcheng, you must be starving. Eat the buns first,” Xiao Ze squinted his eyes, looking at Xiao Qingcheng with a puzzled expression.

It was more like he was scrutinizing her rather than just looking.

Xiao Qingcheng was quite open about it; she just let Xiao Ze stare at her.

“Thank you, Brother Ze. These buns are delicious,” Xiao Qingcheng trustingly opened the paper bag and took a bite of the meat bun.

The wafting meat aroma made Little Pearl on the bed jump up with a sudden lurch.

“Master, I want some too,” Xiao Zhenzhen’s consciousness conveyed into her mind.

Xiao Qingcheng turned around, picked up Little Pearl from the bed, and handed her the paper bag.

“Leave some for me, don’t eat them all,” Xiao Ze, standing not far away, watched this heartwarming scene and subconsciously asked, “Are you really… Qingcheng?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingcheng was slightly taken aback, then smiled at Xiao Ze, “Brother Ze, Qingcheng’s mind is fine now.”

“Fine? Really fine? But how could it be?”

Xiao Ze took two steps forward excitedly but stopped himself from saying more.

Xiao Qingcheng frowned slightly, “Why not? After I was poisoned by Xiao Qingqing, I ran to the back mountain and lay there for a few days, and then I was fine. Hmm, it’s probably what you call fighting poison with poison, and all my previous memories are still there.”