She did not know who this woman had mistaken her for; young maidens of her age were probably around the same build and size. The woman shot Gu Xiang a condescending glance, and pushed the door open to enter as she humphed. “Look at how useless and cowardly you are. Stand guard at the door. If you dare to let anyone in…”

Before she could finish her sentence, there was a sudden chill at her waist. She raised her head to look at Gu Xiang in disbelief--she felt her whole body go numb, and an indescribable frost crept downward from her waist. Unable to move, she toppled over. Gu Xiang hurriedly extended a hand to support her, and said softly, “Mind the threshold.”

Then she closed the door from inside the room in one fluid movement. Gao Xiaolian was tied to the table. There was another woman in black in the room, who heard the commotion just as she lit the candle, looked over in their direction, and saw Gu Xiang’s panic as she supported the unlucky soul.

The other woman in black came over, squatted down, and asked anxiously, "What's happened to her?"

Gu Xiang said in a low voice, "I… I don't know, she suddenly collapsed just like that. Could she be having a seizure?"

The woman in black was checking on her comrade's condition when she heard Gu Xiang's impromptu spark of creativity, and instantly raised her head in alarm. "You…"

Gu Xiang had been lying in wait for her. She raised her sleeve, and a cloud of white smoke billowed out, hurtling at the face of the woman in black. Knowing how lethal it was, the woman in black instantly held her breath. But she did not expect the sudden chill on her neck; a dagger had sprung into Gu Xiang’s hand, and when she had held her breath in panic, blinded by the white smoke, Gu Xiang had slashed a large opening across her throat.

Gu Xiang had always been ruthless in her execution--in an instant, that woman’s vocal cords were shredded, and she collapsed to the floor without a sound, dead. Gao Xiaolian was frozen in shock.

Gu Xiang yanked off the mask on her face and threw it aside as she said, “Stupid woman, scared of even flour.” As she spoke, her hands did not pause in the slightest; in a few strokes, she sliced through the ropes on Gao Xiaolian. In surprised joy, Gao Xiaolian made to climb to her feet, but before the words of gratitude could even leave her mouth, the door was suddenly kicked in. Cao Weining scrambled in, falling over himself, saying, “A-Xiang, hurry! I can’t hold them back any longer!”

At this moment, Zhang Chengling climbed up outside the window and waved vigorously at them. Gu Xiang shoved Gao Xiaolian and told Zhang Chengling, “Carry her!”