He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 217 Unwilling to Conceal

After changing into her new clothes, Yan He was still a little dazed. Was she dreaming? Where were her injuries?

As she walked, she suddenly stopped and slapped herself, then covered her face; it hurt.

Could it be that the whipping incident was fake?

Yan He racked his brains and realized that he had been given too much medicine on the way, which had made him confused.

She managed to give herself a reasonably plausible explanation, and quickly walked to Meng Fuqing's side.

"Qingqing, you have to believe me. Even if they soaked me in the stinking water of the dungeon, I didn't betray you. Right? I betrayed someone else..."

As the two emerged from the artificial hill, Yan He's gaze swept over them inadvertently, but the rest of his words remained stuck in his throat.

She couldn't help but rub her eyes, realizing that the round human head on the ground and the three people whose fates were unknown were not her imagination; the scene was somewhat horrifying.

The capital city is located in the north, and even though it was springtime, it was still very cold. Although she felt cold, her heart was warm.

"Qingqing, thank you..."

Besides her master, who else would travel thousands of miles to the capital just to save her life? Who else would care about her so much?

Before long, she was so moved by her own imagination that she couldn't stop herself from being touched.

Meng Fuqing finally stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

She had made it so obvious, yet the other party didn't suspect a thing? She opened her mouth, but then stopped herself from speaking.

"Didn't you notice something was wrong?"

Yan He blinked and said, "Something is a bit off..."

She leaned closer to Meng Fuqing and said suspiciously, "I suspect that the brother and sister who kidnapped me on the way to the capital gave me some strange medicine. Maybe I took too much, because I keep having hallucinations... When you found me, did I have any injuries?"

Meng Fuqing remained silent for a long time before deciding to leave the place first.

Pointing at Yang Ren and the dying Imperial Advisor, he said, "Do whatever you want with the one surnamed Yang. Spare that bald monk's life; he'll be useful."

When faced with an enemy, Yan He would naturally not show mercy. But just as she was about to make her move, she suddenly realized that although the man had fainted, he was able to stand against a tree without the ropes binding him.

In an instant, Yan He's heart sank. Looking at the human head on the ground, he felt extremely horrified.

She steeled herself, took out a dagger, and stabbed Yang Ren several times. Each stab was not fatal. Only when he regained his senses from the pain, and could only scream and struggle in vain, unable to leave the tree, did she realize that something was indeed strange.

Just as the person was about to die, she slit their throat and, after confirming they were no longer breathing, turned to Meng Fuqing and said, "Let's hurry and leave; this place seems rather eerie..."

Meng Fuqing glanced at her, walked past her, covered the Grand Preceptor's head with a black hood, and directly put the person into her spatial storage.

Watching someone disappear right before his eyes was a huge shock to Yan He.

She pinched her thigh hard again, only to find, to her dismay, that she was still not dreaming.

She didn't speak again for the rest of the way, but followed Meng Fuqing silently with a stiff expression, watching her ransack the mansion. After leaving the Yang family's house, she couldn't help but speak.

"Are you a god or... a monster...?"

She spoke the word 'monster' very softly, and as soon as the person in front of her stopped, she also stopped in time.

"What? Are you afraid of me?" Meng Fuqing turned around and asked her calmly.

She's caused so much trouble in Shengjing; she wouldn't just kill the Yang family and leave. Her secrets can't be hidden anymore, and she doesn't want to hide them any longer.

Yan He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before raising his head again, his expression more serious than ever before.

"I really was injured, wasn't I? You healed me? Do you believe I didn't betray you?"

Meng Fuqing overheard the conversation between Yang Ren and the Imperial Preceptor, so she naturally knew who Yan He had tricked and who Yan He knew about her birth date but hadn't revealed it.

"If you don't believe me, I won't have come all this way to save you."

Because of this, Yan He sniffed and said with a slightly nasal tone, "Whether you are a god or a monster, Meng Fuqing, as long as you don't absorb my life essence, I swear to follow you to the death!"

Meng Fuqing's calm expression crumbled, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You should read less of those storybooks."

As she spoke, she conjured a carriage out of thin air and tossed it to Yan He to drive. The two then found a secluded place to spend the night together.

Yan He, who usually slept well, couldn't fall asleep for a long time this night. One reason was the strange behavior of Meng Fuqing, and the other was that even though she was covered with a blanket that Meng Fuqing had somehow produced, she was still very cold.

But when he opened his eyes to look at Meng Fuqing, the other party sat motionless as if he were not feeling the cold.

Early in the morning, she looked at Meng Fuqing, who had woken her up, with dark circles under her eyes.

"A cold wave is coming, put this on." A thick winter coat was thrown in front of me.

Holding the winter clothes, Yan He couldn't help but think to himself, how could such a person be a monster? He was clearly a god descended to earth.

Having accepted that Meng Fuqing was a deity, Yan He was no longer surprised that Meng Fuqing could conjure up anything out of thin air.

After the two finished their simple, hot breakfast, Meng Fuqing spoke up: "I need you to pledge allegiance to Wu Xin as one of Meng Fuqing's confidants and gain his trust."

"Wu Xin?" Yan He quickly realized that this was a general who had betrayed the court. "Do you know where he fled to?"

Meng Fuqing had heard people say in teahouses and taverns that "he has occupied Changping Prefecture, declared himself the Prince of Zhenbei, and is recruiting soldiers everywhere, seemingly planning to establish his own independent regime."

Having not slept well, Yan He's mind was working slowly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You want me to sow discord and make him attack the capital as soon as possible?"

Meng Fuqing nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, now that he has betrayed us, he will not be satisfied with the title of 'King of Zhenbei'. What you need to do is to help him and nurture his ambition."

To gain Wu Xin's complete trust, you only need to give him this one thing. As for why you defected to me, I don't need to tell you, do I?

She handed the prepared brocade pouch to Yan He.

Yan He took it and smiled, "Isn't it just a lie? I'm best at dealing with these important people, so please rest assured, my lord."

Thinking of something, she suppressed her smile. "And what about you? Will you stay in the capital? What if the Yang family's affairs lead back to us?"

"You'd better worry about your own life. It's not easy to go into the enemy camp alone."

Remember, if things go wrong, saving your own life is the most important thing. As long as you're not seriously injured, I'll find a way to save you.

Yan He was moved again, and his gaze toward Meng Fuqing became more and more eager. "Qing... my lord, I want to apologize to you. I tricked Xie Jin before, saying that you were just his puppet and that he was the one who intended to rebel, the Prince of Jing'an."

I did this to protect you, you won't blame me, will you?

Meng Fuqing shook his head and solemnly instructed, "You can say the same thing to Wu Xin; it will sound more believable."

Yan He was dumbfounded, "You two are barely even dating and you're already trying to screw him over like this?"

"It's not even close yet. Since arriving in Jing'an Prefecture, we haven't spent much time together. Our feelings have faded." Meng Fuqing waved his hand.

Yan He looked at her suspiciously, not believing her at all.

The two discussed some more details, and finally Yan He asked the question he had always wanted to ask: "By the way, my lord, may I ask—those heads all belonged to the Yang family, right? Did you confiscate their property?"

Her eyes shone with anticipation. The Yang family was the most powerful and influential family in the capital. She would be furious if it didn't fall into Meng Fuqing's hands.

Meng Fuqing, who thought Yan He might ask some insightful questions, said: "...I've stripped the glazed tiles off his roof. Are you satisfied now?"

Not only that, she also set fire to the center of the huge Yang family mansion afterwards.

Yan He beamed with joy, "Satisfied, satisfied!"