Jingxiang must have discovered the secret Qin Ming used to set up Li Shan.
She must have taken the squid ink sac to report him.
Qin Ming quickly bid farewell, carrying the coal on his back as he sprinted toward Taiyin Palace!
Jingxiang had just left, and she had no cultivation.
With his Turtle Breath Technique, Qin Ming was much faster—he should be able to catch up!
But what he couldn't figure out was—
The Eldest Princess had already conducted a bloodline test on Jingxiang.
She had even entered the Demon Suppression Tower.
How could she possibly be a time traveler?
But if she wasn't—
How did she notice the disappearing ink secret?
Could it just be a coincidence? A mere curiosity?
Impossible.
What kind of girl would randomly take interest in such an ugly, pitch-black thing?
Qin Ming dashed to the entrance of Taiyin Palace.
To his surprise—there were no footprints!
There was only one way into Taiyin Palace.
With such heavy snow, it was impossible for someone to enter without leaving any traces.
There was only one explanation—
Jingxiang hadn't returned yet.
She was either delayed or deliberately avoiding him!
At this thought, Qin Ming sprinted about three hundred meters down the palace path and hid behind a rock formation.
His guess was spot on.
Half a quarter of an hour later—
A figure in a rose-red dress and embroidered white shoes slipped out from the imperial garden nearby.
Jingxiang cautiously looked around, as if making sure the coast was clear.
Seeing no danger, she quickened her steps toward the entrance of Taiyin Palace.
Just as she passed by the rock formation—
Qin Ming leaped out in a flash!
Before she could even scream, he covered her mouth and dragged her behind the rock.
Without hesitation—he grabbed her throat!
"Qin... Qin Ming, w-what are you—?"
"What are you doing with the squid ink sac?"
"Ink sac? W-what ink sac?"
"Playing dumb, huh?!"
Qin Ming tightened his grip.
Jingxiang's breath hitched. Her fair face flushed red as she struggled, her hands frantically slapping at his arms.
"I... I can't... b-breathe..."
"Did you deceive Li Shan? Were those four words 'Yu Xiu Gong Xi' written by you? If you dare lie, I'll snap your neck right now."
Jingxiang coughed several times and nodded weakly.
Her eyes were filled with blood.
"Qin... Qin Ming, you're a time traveler, right? I... I'm a time traveler too.
Don't kill me, we're one of us! I brought back the ink sac just in case, not to report you!"
"Qin Ming, please let go of me. It's so cold tonight, you must be cold sleeping alone.
Come to my room, I'll keep you company. Don't kill me!"
Qin Ming's eyes flashed with coldness, and he increased the pressure with his left hand.
"I don't trust you! If I really went to 'Yu Xiu Gong Xi' last night, you would've killed me already!"
Qin Ming squeezed with both hands, and Jingxiang was nearly suffocating.
Her arms desperately beat against his arms.
Just then, a voice shouted from afar.
"What's going on over there?"
Qin Ming was startled by the voice and turned his head.
In the distance, General Tie Hu was rushing over with twenty White Feather Guards.
Jingxiang seized the opportunity to take a deep breath.
"Let go of me!"
Her eyes glowed with joy.
She was finally saved! Finally saved!
Damn Qin Ming, he almost crushed her to death!
The White Feather Guards would tear Qin Ming apart, and the Eldest Princess would make his soul scatter.
Then she, Jingxiang, would be rewarded with martial arts and money.
From then on, her life would be different!
As a time traveler, she would no longer be a powerless palace maid in the court.
She had been waiting for this day!
But little did she know, in the next breath...
Qin Ming suddenly grabbed the golden hairpin in her hair.
With a whoosh, it plunged forcefully into her neck!
In an instant, blood gushed from Jingxiang's neck.
She was in so much pain that she couldn't utter a word. Her right hand clutched her throat tightly as she collapsed to the ground in agony.
[Detected the blood of a time traveler, talent replication triggered! The target's talent: Concealment (Talent Sequence 103), effectively conceals one's bloodline and aura]
Qin Ming finally understood!
This was why, as a time traveler, she could evade the Princess's detection and even enter the Demon Suppression Tower.
[Concealment talent, replicate?]
"Replicate!"
[Talent Sequence 103: Concealment, replication successful! Can effectively conceal bloodline aura]
The footsteps of the Baiyu Guards grew louder and closer!
Lying on the ground, Jingxiang grasped her neck, her eyes filled with unwillingness and mockery, as though she had already anticipated Qin Ming's fate!
How will you explain killing me with a golden hairpin, Qin Ming?
You will die a fate worse than mine!
However!
At times like this, Qin Ming's mind was extraordinarily calm.
Jingxiang had just been avoiding him by taking the garden path!
Qin Ming had coincidentally thrown the ink pouch into the dry well of the Imperial Garden half an hour ago!
In that instant, he had already come up with a plan.
As the Baiyu Guards rushed over,
Qin Ming turned around and stabbed the golden hairpin into his chest three times, instantly spilling blood!
He pulled out the dark ink pouch from Jingxiang's sleeve and, while she wasn't paying attention, threw the whole ink pouch into his mouth.
At the very moment the Baiyu Guards arrived,
Qin Ming desperately swallowed the ink pouch without chewing it!
He clutched his chest in agony and pretended to collapse on the ground.
While everyone was distracted, Qin Ming took several bites of snow, quickly clearing the ink from his mouth!
General Tie Hu, leading 20 Baiyu Guards, surrounded the area heavily.
At that moment,
a powerful killing intent swept over them like a storm.
Out of the corner of his eye, Qin Ming saw that the person approaching was none other than the Princess, dressed in black!
Jingxiang tightly clutched her neck, unable to speak, struggling for faint breaths.
Her eyes were filled with hatred and unwillingness.
Even in death, she wanted to see Qin Ming executed by the Princess!
The Princess descended from the sky, causing the surrounding snowflakes to scatter in all directions.
General Tie, leading the 20 Baiyu Guards, knelt down.
"Greetings, Your Highness, the Princess!"
"What happened?"
"Reporting to the Princess, this subordinate was patrolling when I saw the two causing a disturbance here. By the time I arrived, they were both on the ground."
The Princess, upon seeing the situation on the ground, immediately thought:
She had conducted a bloodline test on Jingxiang, and Jingxiang was definitely not a time traveler.
Now, with the two of them fighting like this, it was clear that Jingxiang had discovered something strange about Qin Ming.
"Little Qin, you're a time traveler?"
A gleam of gloating flashed in Jingxiang's eyes.
She trembled all over, biting her teeth tightly, her breathing growing weaker.
Even in death, she wanted to see Qin Ming buried with her!
Two Baiyu Guards stepped forward to seize Qin Ming.
Qin Ming, supporting himself with his hands, slowly turned around.
His left chest was covered in blood, his face pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Princess, Jingxiang is a time traveler!"
At these words, the entire room was shocked!
Even Jingxiang, on the brink of death, found Qin Ming's words absurd.
Who would believe you?
"Preposterous! Little Qin, Jingxiang is an attendant in the Demon Suppression Tower. How could she possibly be a time traveler? From what I see, you are the time traveler! Quickly confess!"
Qin Ming slowly spoke:
"Princess, tonight, Lingyin fell ill and lacked coal, so I went to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch coal.
By chance, I overheard that Jingxiang had taken an ink pouch from a squid!"
The Princess's brows furrowed slightly, not understanding what this meant.
"Although I don't know what the squid ink pouch is used for, I've heard that it is poisonous.
I couldn't allow someone to bring such a toxic item into Taiyin Palace, so I immediately followed her and confronted her.
She claimed that it wasn't meant to poison anyone, but to suppress souls!"
The Princess's expression was cold, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Jingxiang, trembling on the ground, was stunned!
As she watched, Qin Ming's story became more and more absurd.
But she couldn't find the words to speak.
At that moment,
eight Demon Suppression officers and an elderly man in white approached.
The old man had white hair and eyebrows.
The Princess spoke to him with a bit of courtesy.
"Grand Elder Wang Lin, is it true that the squid ink pouch is poisonous?"
"Yes, Princess, the squid ink pouch is indeed poisonous."
"What about the claim that the ink pouch suppresses souls?"
"I've never heard of such a thing."
The Princess's sharp gaze fell on Qin Ming again.
"Princess, when I heard this, I realized that in our world, there is no such thing as an ink pouch that can suppress souls.
Jingxiang must definitely be a time traveler."
Jingxiang was so enraged that she almost couldn't catch her breath!
Blood continuously flowed from her mouth!