A biting winter wind howled through the empty streets as two shadowy figures darted across rooftops, moving as swiftly as lightning.
Sean Hayes, dressed in night attire, followed closely behind Alexander Hayes. He couldn't help but marvel—after months apart, his general's martial arts had improved even further. If Sean wasn't giving it his all, he wouldn't be able to keep up with Alexander's speed.
The two slipped into the Governor’s mansion courtyard. Seeing his general’s grim expression, Sean thought to himself: The general is furious—Governor Yale is in for trouble.
"Master, you’re not planning to kill that corrupt official, are you?" Sean couldn’t help but ask.
A cold glint flashed in Alexander’s eyes. He certainly wanted to deal with the official who bullied his wife, but he had to keep his whereabouts hidden. If a high-ranking official in Greenfield City died, it would trigger an imperial investigation—and if his identity was exposed, the consequences would be dire.
"Hmph. Tonight, I’ll give him a lesson. When I return to court, I’ll settle accounts with him properly!" Alexander declared.
Sean shivered. The general was truly terrifying when angry.
Under the cover of night, no one noticed as two shadows slipped into Governor Yale’s room.
At dawn, Governor Yale woke up, groggy, rubbing his eyes and instinctively pulling the beauty in his arms closer.
But the beauty’s skin felt wet and cold. Governor Yale looked closely—where the beauty should have been, he found a sow with its belly gruesomely split open!
The sow met a gruesome end—her organs were expertly removed and arranged, one by one, in perfect order atop Governor Yale’s body.
Governor Yale was so petrified that his soul nearly left his body; he screamed at the top of his lungs. The maid waiting by the door caught sight of his face, shrieked, and fainted on the spot.
A large, bold character—'Death'—had been scrawled across Governor Yale’s face.
Governor Yale instantly wet his pants in terror and was dragged out by the guards. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the sow had been carried in alive and slaughtered right there—a feat only a martial arts master could pull off.
To kill a sow weighing several hundred pounds without alerting a soul—just thinking about it sent chills down Governor Yale’s spine. This was an unmistakable warning.
"Sir, should we report this to the imperial court?" the advisor asked, voice trembling.
Governor Yale, still shaken, snapped, "Absolutely not! Keep this under wraps! No one is allowed to breathe a word of this!"
The advisor replied, "Understood. I’ll take men to Clearwater Village and arrest Mrs. Su right away."
"No, absolutely not!" Governor Yale’s legs quivered at the mention of Mrs. Su, almost causing another accident. "Let it go. From now on, no one is to mention Mrs. Su ever again!"
The advisor was utterly confused, but seeing Governor Yale so furious, he dared not question further and quickly ordered the room to be cleaned.
Once everyone had left, Governor Yale opened his palm. There, written in bold strokes, was a chilling message: "Touch Lily Evans and you die!"
Governor Yale silently wiped the sweat from his brow and washed away the message. With skills like that, killing him in his sleep would be effortless. There was no way he’d ever dare provoke Lily Evans again.
Just like that, a looming disaster disappeared as if it had never existed, leaving Lily Evans completely baffled. Only yesterday, Governor Yale was determined to arrest her, yet today he’d dropped the matter without a word.
"Did Mr. Li step in?" Lily Evans wondered aloud. The only person who could overrule Governor Yale was Leonard Li.
Yuan Jie nodded. "Very likely."
Sean Hayes shot a glance at Alexander Hayes, who was glued to Lily Evans’s side, cracking walnuts and peeling them with innocent concentration, as if nothing had happened at all.
By evening, Butler Yuan returned, weary from travel. But this time, he wasn’t alone—he brought with him someone no one expected.