[Bonus chapter]48th Break: Fear

"He... is fine?" they muttered in a daze as they looked at Meng Xing.

Lin Ze was also surprised as he looked at Meng Xing's fair, slender and smooth neck. There was not even a mark left from the dagger that was pressed on his throat earlier. "You..." he stared at Meng Xing without blinking his eyes.

The female practitioner who heard what the crowd said was stunned and also looked at Meng Xing. Her eyes are wide in disbelief. "How are you fine?!" She asked in shock. She didn't see blood sprayed on the ground when it should have had. "How are you still alive?!" she shrieked as she struggled from the binding of the Huichen members who tied her.

Meng Xing's expression remained calm. "I think that you have been stimulated too much that you had a hallucination." He spoke as he faced the female practitioner. "Did you 'see' the desperation and horror on their faces as blood sprayed from my throat?" he asked her.

The female practitioner was stunned. Indeed, she has seen it. "What... why...?" she muttered as her lips trembled. How could this happen? She should have already killed this person! Those people who were chasing her should have already been traumatized since they let someone die! The crowd should have already condemned them!

But why?! Why?! Why is this person still alive?! Why didn't he die?! She thought. Her eyes are bloodshot and her face is twisted in anger, looking so crazed. The women in the crowd were scared by the female practitioner's look and they cowered behind the men.

"Take her away." Qiu Shisi ordered the Huichen members who immediately placed the female practitioner inside Meng Xing's carriage to borrow it, sending the female practitioner to Huichen.

"Meng Xing, are you alright? Were you frightened?" Lin Ze asked with his face filled with concern. His hands that are still cold from fright earlier trembled before they could touch Meng Xing, who he is trying to comfort.

Meng Xing looked at Lin Ze's still pale face. "..." I think you are the one who was scared. He thought. "I am fine. She didn't manage to hurt me." He spoke. "As I have said, she was so stimulated earlier and her emotions gone wild, making her have hallucinations." He explained.

The crowd who heard that finally understood. "So that's what happened..." they muttered.

"That woman was really crazy..." someone muttered.

"Yes. She was very scary!" the women said.

The crowd continued to murmur as they finally dispersed, resuming what they were doing after seeing that the matter was already over, leaving only Lin Ze, Meng Xing, and Qiu Shisi.

"Sir, are you sure that you are really fine?" Qiu Shisi asked with concern.

"Yes, Meng Xing. Let us take you to a doctor first." Lin Ze told Meng Xing. Even if they didn't see that Meng Xing's neck was cut by the dagger, but the female practitioner was holding Meng Xing's shoulder tight earlier.

"Officer Lin is right." Qiu Shisi nodded in agreement. "It was truly unexpected that sir Meng would meet the one who poisoned him, ai." He said and sighed in lament.

Meng Xing acted as if surprised. "It... was her who poisoned me?" he asked.

Qiu Shisi nodded in affirmation. "That's right." He answered as they walked down the street.

"I didn't expect..." Meng Xing muttered as his face turned pale in fright. His body also trembled.

"It will be alright... it will be alright..." Lin Ze said, trying to comfort Meng Xing. "She is already caught... she won't be able to harm you again..." he told Meng Xing. He wanted to hug Meng Xing, but right now, after he saw that Meng Xing almost died earlier, Lin Ze still felt his hands are trembling.

So not to mention hug, he can't even touch Meng Xing right now. He can still feel the fear that ate his heart whole, leaving nothing, earlier when he saw the female practitioner's hand holding the dagger moved on Meng Xing's neck. Even if Meng Xing was safe now, he still can't help but feel scared. If Meng Xing died earlier... he doesn't know what he would do.

Fortunately, the other is fine now. The one who harmed him will face their wrath!

...

Imperial Palace.

The emperor's brows knitted when he heard what his shadow guard told him. "Lin Ze and the Huichen made a commotion earlier in the streets while chasing a woman from jianghu?" he said and frowned.

He knows that Huichen is low-profiled, so their operations are also low-profiled. This is the first that they made something high-profiled. So, he thinks that an accident happened.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Someone was taken hostage earlier during the commotion." The shadow guard said while kneeling. "And... this person was... sir Meng Xing." He said in a low voice.

The shadow guards naturally have already met Meng Xing, so they know his face and that he is the boss of Huicheng.

The emperor was stunned. "How is he?!" he asked. "How could this happen?!" he asked and clenched his fists.

"Please don't worry, Your Majesty. Sir Meng Xing is now safe. He wasn't hurt even the slightest." The shadow guard immediately said.

The emperor sighed in relief.

"The Huichen sent a letter that they were going to catch the female practitioner inside a clothes store. But, when second young master Lin entered, the female practitioner violently reacted." The shadow guard explained.

"Lin Ze? Why would she react when she saw Lin Ze?" the emperor asked in surprise.

"It was said in the letter that the female practitioner occupied the house of a family of three living in the suburbs and tied them up." The shadow guard spoke. "She also stole their savings. So, the female practitioner thought that she was caught of her crime after she saw second young master Lin wearing his officer uniform." He explained.

"I see..." the emperor muttered when he finally understood. "You can leave." He said and waved his hand.

The shadow guard nodded and immediately disappeared.

...

Huichen, night.

"She still doesn't say anything?" Meng Xing asked.

"Yes." Qiu Yi nodded. "I told her that we already asked the man she went with earlier and the man told us that she kept asking him about Meng Ruyan. But, she still isn't telling us anything." He said and sighed.