A sheep enters the tiger's mouth, and crisis suddenly arises.

  "It's really miserable. Originally, she was about to marry into a not-so-bad family, but in the end, even her own fiancé died. I wonder if she will die alone in Meiyuan?"

  "Who says it isn't?! That Madame Zhen's brother-in-law, although...although he was a bit of a something, at least in the past he was the master, with no worries about food and clothing. Now, alas, indeed a man with a bitter fate..."

  "It's also strange that Old Master Zhen ran to the Shangwu Hall, how did he end up going there? That day it seemed like Young Master went to take a look first, then the guard accompanied Young Master to the martial arts arena to ride horses, and when they came back is when the incident happened! I heard Old Master Zhen's body was left with only half remaining, who knows why the master kept that beast in the mansion, one of these days it will run out and we'll all be doomed!"

  "Shh, don't talk nonsense, Master has sent someone all the way from Yanbei to bring him back for a big purpose, rumor has it..."

  "You're looking for trouble by speaking like this in broad daylight!"

  A stern shout came, and the two young maids who were whispering in the corridor suddenly changed their faces. They looked up and met a pair of eyes full of severity.

  "The mansion can't accommodate people who talk too much. Don't blame me for not warning you, next time you might not even be able to enter the brothel district!"

  The stern face, combined with the harsh voice, had already frightened the two little maids into kneeling down and kowtowing, "Elder sister Jinxin, please spare our lives! We won't dare to do it again, we promise there won't be a next time!"

  Jin Xin let out a cold snort, at this moment she didn't have time to bother with these two lowly slaves, "Scram!"

  Two young maidservants hastily got up and walked quietly towards the lower servants' quarters. After they had gone far, they both let out a sigh of relief and turned back to look, only to find that Jin Xin was already very far away. One of them, still curious, asked, "What were you saying about legends just now? What legend?"

  Another person looked around and said in a low voice, "It's for the young lady and Duke De!"

  The plum garden regained its serenity, Gu Yunxi sat on the couch by the window brewing tea, three parts suxue and seven parts red plum tea, slightly simmered for a moment, the whole room was filled with fragrance.

  Luo Qingyi sat beside her, looking at Gu Yunxi's pale face and sighed, "Xi'er, first it was poisoning, then the marriage, what's next? Are you sure?"

  Gu Yunxi poured a cup of tea for Luo Qingyi, with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. The rumors outside the courtyard were swirling, and she had finally earned the reputation of being a "husband-tamer". What's next...

  "Mother, don't worry, what's meant to come will naturally come."

  Luo Qing's eyes narrowed slightly, and she leaned in closer to Gu Yunxi, "This can't go on like this, Xi'er. Mother is afraid that no matter how much we guard against it day and night, we still won't be able to avoid everything!"

  As soon as the words fell, the courtyard door creaked open, and Gu Yunxi's eyes slightly dimmed. Listening to the footsteps coming from inside the courtyard, she said softly, "Mother, don't worry, Yunxi won't let such days drag on for too long!"

  Just as she finished speaking, a cold and hard voice echoed from the doorway, "Is the second young lady in?"

  Luo Qingyi and Gu Yunxi exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised. Gu Yunxi's mouth curved into a smile. With so many things happening in the manor these past few days, had the main character finally become unable to hold back?

  She walked hastily to the door and opened it, only to find Jin Xin standing outside with a cold face. Gu Yun Xi's mouth twitched, "Miss Jin Xin is not taking care of her sister in Xue Ge, how did she have time to come over——"

  As soon as the words came out, Jin Xin's gaze fell on Gu Yun Xie's face like a cold sword. She carefully examined Gu Yun Xie for a moment, then took a food box from a little maid behind her, "The eldest miss went to the palace today, and Jin Xin didn't follow. It was Master Xiang who just returned to the house and asked Jin Xin to come over to entrust Miss Two with a task."

  Gu Yun Xi's eyebrows rose, but Jin Xin handed a food box to Gu Yun Xi's face, "Young Master asked Second Miss to send some food."

  Jin Xin only said send, but didn't say to whom. Gu Yun Xie stretched out her hand to receive it and opened the lid of the food box a crack, but after taking a glance, she felt a wave of nausea in her stomach.

  ——

  Gu Yunxue carried a heavy lunchbox out of the inner courtyard and headed towards Shangwutang, passing through a corridor, over a small bridge with a narrow waist, then through a low house, past a martial arts training ground, before seeing a lush yet majestic place.

  She glanced down at the food box in her left hand, a few points of murderous aura flashing on her face. She still remembered that Jin Xin's iron-like face had finally revealed a hint of interest at that time. She said, "Hunting Tiger likes to bring bloody raw meat, please trouble Second Miss to send this meat to Shangwu Hall, and from today on, Second Miss will have to go every day. Hunting Tiger is very greedy, Second Miss should send more. If anything goes wrong with Hunting Tiger, I'm afraid it won't be easy for Second Miss to explain."

  Ever since Master Zhen's incident the day before yesterday, this place has become the most dangerous spot in the mansion. And now, she is actually going to throw herself into the tiger's den?

  Gu Yunxi's mouth twitched slightly as she walked forward and called out at the door.

  The one who opened the door was a tall and sturdy man with a guard-like appearance. At this moment, seeing that it was Gu Yunxi carrying a large food box, his eyes widened in surprise, "You are——"

  Gu Yunxi's mouth curved up, "From now on, I'll be the one feeding this tiger."

  The man stepped aside, making way for the road. If he were guarding another door, he might have been suspicious, but this door was now a disaster that everyone avoided like a flood or a fierce beast. Yet this slender little girl came alone, and in her conversation, she didn't show any signs of weakness at all. This demeanor made him feel inferior!

  "Be careful, miss! This tiger has been unfed for many days and no one dares to come near. Now it's probably very fierce with hunger!"

  Gu Yunxi smiled slightly and said, "Thank you."

  The Gu family has been a military general for generations, and this Shangwu Hall was established at that time. However, as the generations passed down, the Gu family's population dwindled, and those who became generals were even fewer. By the time of Gu Zhongzheng, he had become a first-class civil official, and this Shangwu Hall was left vacant.

  The place was already quiet on ordinary days, and it was even more desolate at this moment. The remaining snow from winter had not been swept away by anyone, and a thick layer had accumulated. Gu Yunxi walked from the main gate all the way to the innermost courtyard, passing through three gates, and finally arrived at the innermost arena.

  "Waaaah——"

  As soon as the door opened, a low howl burst out, bringing with it a gust of wind that shook her liver and gallbladder, rushing towards Gu Yunxi. She took a step back, narrowed her eyes, and forced herself to enter.

  In the empty space in the middle of the courtyard, there was a three-person-high iron cage at this moment. The four sides of the cage were all nailed to the ground with iron nails, and the top was covered with oilcloth as a temporary shed. In the corner of the iron shed, there was a puddle of black blood that had already frozen into ice. Gu Yunxi glanced over and put down the food box on the ground, opening it up.

  Perhaps the bloody smell stirred up the beastly nature of the hunting tiger, and the brown hunting tiger that was originally lying sideways in the cage slowly got up. Its huge body collided left and right in the cage, making a loud noise that echoed in the courtyard, adding to the momentum.

  The sharp claws of the tiger made a scratching sound on the ground, and its eyes gleamed with a faint red light. The bloodthirsty gaze fell on Gu Yunxi, and with a slight movement, a fierce gust of wind arose.

  "Waaaah——"

  A low growl made Gu Yunxi tremble again, her expressionless face took out the bloody meat from the food box piece by piece and threw it into the cage. The tiger's sharp claws quickly pressed the meat under its paws and tore it apart, swallowing it into its belly one piece after another.

  Watching the last piece of meat fall into the tiger's mouth, Gu Yunxi stood up and wiped off the bloodstains on her hands, turned around, and prepared to leave the hospital.

  Suddenly, a loud crashing sound came from behind, Gu Yunxi turned around and saw that the hunting tiger was like it hadn't eaten enough, its powerful body frantically crashed into the surrounding cage, its pair of blood-red eyes fixed straight on Gu Yunxi's body, as if wanting to tear her apart and swallow her whole.

  Gu Yunxi only felt that this hunting tiger was a bit unusual, and it seemed that it was indeed because of hunger. So she patted her hand lightly and said, "That's all!"

  Gu Yunxi picked up the food box from the ground and walked towards the gate, feeling as if the hunting tiger's gaze behind her could almost pierce through her body. She let out a deep sigh, thinking that the hunting tiger was originally the king of the Yanbei forest, and ordinary birds of prey couldn't even get close to it. Looking at its tawny fur with scars all over, she wondered how much strength Gu Zhong had used to catch this one. From the Yanbei forest to the current iron cage, wasn't she just like this hunting tiger?

  The snow was knee-deep, and Gu Yunxi took a step forward towards the courtyard gate. The sound of collisions grew louder behind her, and suddenly a huge sense of crisis emerged in her heart. She turned back abruptly, and a brown shadow was rushing towards her with a fierce wind.

  ——

  Digression

  I revised this chapter a bit, I'm half dead from work now, indeed school is still better...