The Birth of a Villainess

The horse galloped through the vacant road and was surrounded by trees. Under the moonlight, the shadowy figure that was riding on top of the horse swayed graciously as if one was not part of this world and merely just passing by.

The Rei Empire was located in the Eastern part of the country and was somewhat far. It would at least take a week or so for a carriage to reach the borders of the Rei empire because of the heavy load they carry and the fact that the carriage itself was heavier than the people who were riding in it.

On the other hand, if one were to ride on horseback and rush through the road unimpeded, they would arrive at the Rei Empire in about 3 or 4 days. And as of right now, Lin Xiaofei was doing precisely that.

She initially planned to take Shen Mo with her, but Qu Xing Xu's sudden change of plans of his departure forced her to act ahead of time as well. The project was originally to have both Shen Mo and Prince Ziyin accompany her to the Rei Empire, where she would meet the tyrant King of the Rei Empire to have a conversation with him about the joint war against the Chu Empire.

All along, Lin Xiaofei's plan was to have the third empire help Qu Xing Xu crush the Chu Empire. Although Qu Xing Xu's capability in an all-out war has preceded his ancestors and even the past wars he had joined in the past, Lin Xiaofei still couldn't feel relax at all. She felt that there was something big that was about to blow up.. Hence, she decided to venture out on her own ahead of time to seek the King of the Rei Empire.

The soil underneath the horse's hooves dug on the wet soil, creating a crate and splashing the dirt while leaving marks on its wake. But neither the horse nor the woman riding it had any plans of stopping.

After two days of staying out and not stopping even when the rain had grown stronger, Lin Xiaofei finally felt the overwhelming fatigue clawing back at her like a monstrous cloak. Her limbs felt like lead, and her eyes were bloodshot. However, it didn't make her look awful at all. Instead, it made her look like an aloof demoness who was taking a stroll.

Of course, that wasn't true at all since Lin Xiaofei knew for sure that her body was failing her. She was not a martial arts expert, and her current body was not trained at all to do any rough activities. Perhaps, it was due to Lin Xiaomeng's pampering, and thus, her body was already giving up.

At this time, Lin Xiaofei continued to curse inwardly as she wished that she was still inside her original body. In the past, she was one of the most outstanding people who had ridden a horse. She could even stand on top of a speeding horse without even batting an eye or hurting herself.

But now, it was different.

Wiping the sweat on her forehead, Lin Xiaofei wondered if by now the people in the Qu residence and Qu Xing Xu had found out that she disappeared.

---

Two days ago and 3 hours after Lin Xiaofei got out of the city gates, Su Tang and Bai Lu had finally noticed the anomaly inside their mistress' courtyard. No one was inside, and even after waiting outside after calling out for their mistress, no one appeared. 

Lin Xiaofei, the duchess of the Qu family, was gone.

And it was on the same day after the duke departed for his journey to the North. Without rhyme and reason, she just left without even telling anyone, baffling everyone else and making quite a fuss inside the Qu residence as every servant and guard there were tasked to look for Lin Xiaofei throughout the city.

However, no matter how much they looked, they couldn't find the duchess and could only wait for news that she was currently in her maternal family or had somewhere to go. Yet, there was no message sent until two days later when Gu Yan finally confronted Shen Mo.

Gu Yan massaged his forehead as he looked at the young guard standing stiffly before him. White hair had grown on top of his head, and the creases under his eyes increased. It made him look like an elderly who felt helpless after finding out that his daughter had gone to a brothel wearing a man's clothes.

But this was worse than visiting the brothel like last time. 

"Why did you just tell us this now?" Gu Yan glanced at Shen Mo. "Do you know that everyone inside the residence had to comb the entire city to find Milady and feared that something had happened to her? Why did you have to tell me now that she left the city?" 

Gu Yan's voice was slightly restrained, as if something was blocking his throat. He was frustrated but had nothing to do since everything was already done.

Shen Mo was a bit afraid of the old steward who exuded dangerous air from his body. However, when he thought about Lin Xiaofei's face and orders, he eventually believed that it was better to piss Gu Yan off than disobey Lin Xiaofei, the demoness.

"My lady specifically ordered me not to tell anyone," Shen Mo said.

"So you mean, you have met Her Ladyship and didn't even stop her? Why didn't you come along with her?" Gu Yan felt a vein bulge from his neck. 

Shen Mo thought about it for a second before saying dejectedly, "I did not meet my lady when she left."

Gu Yan was surprised to hear that and asked upon seeing the expression on the young guard, "So, this wasn't part of Her Ladyship's plan. You were left behind."

Shen Mo nodded, confirming the old steward's thoughts. 

The plan Lin Xiaofei told Shen Mo was that on the day the Qu Xing Xu left, the two of them would bring Prince Ziyin to leave the Zheng Empire and leave a message that they went somewhere else. However, things had gone slightly different from the original plan as Shen Mo was left behind by his owner.

"Then, where is she now? Where is she headed?" Gu Yan asked Shen Mo, who, in turn, pursed his lips to a close. The young guard did not divulge their plans nor the secret of his mistress.

Feeling another bout of pain coming through his head, Gu Yan wanted to use torture on Shen Mo and make him tell where Lin Xiaofei had gone. However, because Shen Mo was Lin Xiaofei's people and seeing how Shen Mo would rather die than say a word, Gu Yan knew better than torture someone without bearing any fruit.

And thus, he could only wave Shen Mo out and called another guard inside the room.

The other guard bowed and waited for Gu Yan's orders. As expected, Gu Yan said, "Follow Shen Mo no matter what. He will surely leave to be by Her Ladyship's side soon, and we will follow them."

Qu Xing Xu ordered Gu Yan to make sure of Lin Xiaofei's safety before leaving. However, how could this old steward look after the lady when she disappeared the moment she sent him after his master. 

Thinking about how Lin Xiaofei used him to send the things she wanted to give to Qu Xing Xu, Gu Yan belatedly realized that he was played by her.

Nevertheless, Gu Yan will make sure that before Qu Xing Xu heard of this matter, he would already be beside Lin Xiaofei.