Killer Queen + 18

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Rain pounded mercilessly from the sky, so hard it felt like needles against the skin. Xiao Li squeezed her eyes shut against the pain.

She couldn't believe it—she'd only just been reborn a few days ago, and now she was about to die all over again?

Well, fine. If Heaven was this set on screwing her over, then so be it. Let her go back to where she came from. But what a shame—for the parents she'd only just gotten back. They loved her so dearly… if they found out their precious daughter was gone, how heartbroken would they be?

She was drowning in despair, but just then, a new thought flashed through her mind.

If she died, so be it. But there was no reason for the Yu Wen sisters to die with her.

Snapping her eyes open, Xiao Li turned around and shouted toward the carriage behind her, "A'Xue! A'Cai! Jump off! Hurry!"

But the sisters didn't respond. Meanwhile, she was already at the edge of the cliff—

Yep, this was it. She was definitely going to die this time.

Just as she was about to close her eyes for good, a sudden blur flashed across her vision—

"Neigh—!" The horse let out a sharp cry, and then Xiao Li felt a sudden weight lifted from her hands. She instinctively looked up—only to see that the horse was already gone.

Before she could even react, a white flash streaked past her, followed by the sound of wagon wheels breaking apart behind her.

Despite the pain, she pushed herself halfway up from the ground—when a hand suddenly reached out to her.

"Here, let me help you up," came a deep, warm male voice.

She looked up—and froze.

It was him?!

Huangfu Haotian also blinked in surprise. This girl… he was sure he'd seen her somewhere before. But before he could say anything, Xiao Li brushed past his outstretched hand and climbed to her feet on her own.

She stood up straight and, for a split second, felt the urge to step forward and slap the rain-soaked man in front of her. Hard. Twice. That hatred—etched so deep into her bones—she could never forget it.

But now wasn't the time.

Because this man… had just saved all their lives.

The rain kept pouring like a waterfall, but Xiao Li was already numb to it.

She staggered over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. All she could see were sheets of rain disappearing into the abyss.

"The horse had gone out of control. I had no choice but to cut the reins and let it fall alone. Better that than risking all your lives," the man behind her explained. He followed her over and gently steadied her swaying body.

She tried to shake him off, but in front of her was the edge of a cliff, and behind her was his soaked chest. She had nowhere to go. So instead of moving, she slowly turned her head to look at him—his face just as soaked with rain as hers.

"How are the people in the carriage?" she asked.

For some reason, as he looked into her rain-drenched eyes and pale face, Huangfu Haotian felt a strange unease in his heart.

When he didn't answer, Xiao Li raised an eyebrow. "They're okay, right?"

"Hmm?" He suddenly realized what she was asking. Quickly wiping his face, he said, "I haven't had a chance to check yet."

He helped steady her and the two of them moved toward the overturned carriage by the side of the road.

Huangfu Haotian lifted the curtain. Xiao Li poked her head in—and her face changed instantly.

"Sister Xue! A'Cai! What… what happened to you?!"

Inside the carriage, the Yu Wen sisters were in a mess—one slumped on the couch, the other on the floor. Yu Wen Ruoxue had a nasty bruise on her forehead, and Ruocai had blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Neither of them was conscious.

Panic rose in Xiao Li's chest, and she burst into tears. "Sister Xue, A'Cai… they're not… they're not going to die, are they?" She turned around as she cried, her tear-filled eyes locking with Huangfu Haotian's.

He looked at her in confusion. Just a moment ago, she'd stayed calm in the face of danger, bold and decisive—yet now she was a mess of tears?

But judging from her reaction, the situation inside the carriage must be serious. He leaned in to take a closer look—and froze.

Xiao Xue, Xiao Cai?! What were they doing here?

No time for questions. He jumped into the carriage, lifted Ruoxue back onto the seat, and carried Ruocai into his arms. After checking them over, he turned to Xiao Li and sighed, "Don't worry. They're not seriously hurt—just fainted from the shock."

"Master, are you all right?" a voice suddenly called from behind. Xiao Li turned to see two young men in green and gray rushing over. Not far behind them, another carriage was approaching slowly.

Huangfu Haotian hopped off the wagon and turned to the two men. "Listen up. These two girls are daughters of the Prime Minister. They've clearly been through a terrifying ordeal. I want you to take my carriage and send them home immediately."

"Yes, sir," the two men—Qingfeng and Mayi—answered. They waved the other carriage over.

Once they'd helped the sisters onto the new carriage, they peeked out again and asked, "Master, this young lady… is she also from the Prime Minister's estate?"

Xiao Li was about to answer when Huangfu Haotian stepped in front of her. "Your only job is to get Miss Yu Wen safely home. As for this young lady, I'll handle her myself."

Xiao Li's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at him, surprised. "Please, sir. Let me go back with Miss Yu Wen. That would be best."

But he ignored her. He waved the two men off. "Be careful. Go quickly and come back soon."

What the hell?

Fury bubbled in Xiao Li's chest.

Oh, so that's how you wanna play it? Looks like she'd have to give this guy a serious wake-up call.

She shot a cold glare at Huangfu Haotian. You've got guts, buddy. I've been racking my brain on how to get revenge for what you did to me—and now you come walking right into my trap?

He said he had "other plans" for her. Like hell she'd be scared. When the time came, he better not blame her for giving him exactly what he asked for.

She raised her chin and asked coldly, "So? What exactly do you plan to do with me?"

Huangfu Haotian gave her a curious look. She had a cut on her forehead, her clothes torn from the fall, and her whole body soaked. Only her clear, piercing eyes were still sharp—now staring at him with icy hatred, like she was staring at her worst enemy.

He wasn't imagining it—this woman was interesting.

Wiping the rain from his face, he smiled gently and said, "Don't worry. I just thought that, given the state the Yu Wen sisters are in, the Prime Minister might not have time to care for you properly if you went back with them. You might get neglected. It's better if you come with me—I'll have someone take good care of you."

Yeah, right. Xiao Li narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not buying his "kindness." But at this point, she was curious—just what was this bastard really planning?

The Yu Wen sisters had already left. Their own carriage was wrecked. In the downpour, only a blazing red horse and a black-feathered cloak remained—left behind by Qingfeng and Mayi for Huangfu Haotian.

Huangfu Haotian looked up at the sky. "This rain doesn't look like it'll let up anytime soon. If you don't mind, let's ride together. If we wait too long, it might get colder when night falls."

Without waiting for her reply, he grabbed the black cloak, stepped in front of her, and wrapped it tightly around her.

"This cloak's made from the feathers of snow hawks from the highlands. It's warm and waterproof," he explained. Then, with a fluid motion, he leapt onto the red horse and reached a hand down to her. "Come on."

Xiao Li hesitated—then reached up to take his hand. He gave her a small smile and pulled her up.

But the moment he tugged her, she cried out in pain, her brows knotting.

Feeling her hand tremble, Huangfu Haotian frowned. "You're hurt pretty badly, aren't you?" Then he leaned down, scooped her up by the waist, and settled her in front of him on the horse.

"Hyah!" he shouted, and the horse galloped off.

The wind howled, the rain lashed, and the red horse flew like the wind.

Soon, they reached the bottom of the mountain.

In a daze, Xiao Li felt herself being carried into a small courtyard—but her head was heavy, and her eyes wouldn't stay open.

Inside, Huangfu Haotian carried her straight into the inner room, shouting, "Someone get Doctor Mo! Now!"

The guards hadn't even figured out what was happening, but when the master gave an order, they didn't dare delay. One of them grabbed an umbrella and sprinted out.

Doctor Mo lived nearby and arrived quickly with the guard.

After checking her pulse, he said, "The girl's fine. Some bumps and bruises, maybe a little chilled from the rain—but nothing serious."

Huangfu Haotian nodded. "Good. Please write her a prescription, get the medicine, and send it over once it's ready."

"Yes, sir," the doctor replied, getting up. But before leaving, he looked again at Xiao Li's soaking wet clothes and pale face, then turned to Haotian and added, "Master, even though she's fine, she shouldn't stay in those wet clothes."

He glanced at Haotian again and added, "And you too, sir. You should change quickly as well. I'll have someone bring you some ginger tea to warm you up."

After he left, Huangfu Haotian looked down at the unconscious Xiao Li, then at his own dripping clothes, and sighed.

He changed quickly, then returned to her side.

He hesitated.

This girl… he still couldn't figure out why she looked so familiar. But no matter what, she was just a lone young woman. She needed someone to help change her out of those soaked clothes.

The problem was, aside from himself, the only people in the courtyard were all male guards.

He sighed.

Fine. In the end, he'd have to do it himself.

"....."