Chapter 230: The Hidden Enemy
Tom’s strikes were swift and decisive.
Just like the man himself—clean, handsome, and elegant.
Tom withdrew his dagger, wiped the bloodstains off on a corpse, and sheathed it again.
Standing up, he glanced in the direction Fang Xiaocao had left and frowned. “I underestimated Her Highness,” he muttered under his breath before immediately giving chase.
Tom had overheard the mercenaries’ conversation earlier.
Someone called “Hummingbird” had gone after his princess. He needed to catch up quickly to ensure her safety and eliminate that Hummingbird.
Anyone who threatened the princess’s life deserved death—they had to be nipped in the bud.
Tom moved fast, but after a while, he realized something was wrong.
At his speed, he should have caught up to Fang Xiaocao long ago.
So why…
Had he not seen even a trace of his princess?
“Did I take the wrong path?” Tom stopped in his tracks, muttering to himself.
“That can’t be!”
“There were traces left by Her Highness along the way.”
Frowning, he crouched down to examine the footprints closely. As he studied them, his expression suddenly changed.
These footprints didn’t belong to his princess!
“Damn it!”
“I’ve been tricked!”
Tom cursed under his breath and immediately turned back.
It had never crossed his mind that someone had played him—the footprints on the ground weren’t Fang Xiaocao’s but deliberately faked to lead him astray.
Someone had intentionally diverted him onto the wrong path.
Unforgivable!
Tom swore he would kill whoever was behind this.
_______
Fang Xiaocao panted heavily as she sprinted through the forest.
Soon, she noticed faint footsteps trailing behind her.
Her heart sank—she’d been targeted again, and this time, her pursuer was skilled!
Fang Xiaocao groaned inwardly, her mind racing as she scrambled for a way out.
“What should I do?”
“Fighting head-on probably won’t work!”
“And running doesn’t seem to be an option either!”
“Looks like I’ll have to outsmart them!”
Countless thoughts whirled through her head as she desperately searched for a solution.
After a moment, she settled on a plan.
After running another few dozen meters, Fang Xiaocao leaned against a large tree, stopping as if she couldn’t run any farther, gasping for air.
She waited a while, but her hidden pursuer didn’t show themselves. Frowning, she wondered what game they were playing.
After some hesitation, Fang Xiaocao decided to cut to the chase and call them out directly.
Staying in the dark while the enemy lurked unseen was too dangerous for her.
With that in mind, she straightened up.
“Friend, you’ve been following me for a while now.”
“Why not come out and show yourself?” she called loudly.
After her words, she stood still, waiting.
But the other party remained hidden.
No response, no movement.
Fang Xiaocao blinked. “Friend, this is quite rude of you. Come on out.”
“Lurking in the shadows like this—do you have some kind of special fetish?”
She was trying to provoke them into revealing themselves.
Silence.
Dead silence.
Only the rustling of leaves in the wind echoed around her.
When no one appeared after a long wait, Fang Xiaocao frowned, even starting to doubt whether she’d imagined the whole thing.
“Wait—no!”
“There’s definitely someone!”
“I couldn’t have misheard!”
The moment the thought arose, she shook her head, dismissing the absurd idea.
She might not be some superhuman expert, but her senses were sharp.
Thanks to her hypnosis training, she regularly practiced meditation.
Her mental acuity was exceptional—she wouldn’t just hallucinate things.
“There’s someone!”
“There’s definitely someone hiding!”
“I can even feel their gaze on me!”
Fang Xiaocao murmured inwardly.
“Wait—gaze!”
Suddenly, her eyes lit up with a bold idea.
She wanted to test whether her mental perception was real.
If it was, then the direction where she felt the strongest gaze would be where her pursuer was hiding. She wouldn’t even need them to come out—she could find them herself.
With that in mind, Fang Xiaocao focused intently, trying to pinpoint the source of the unseen stare.
Soon, her eyes gleamed with triumph.
“Found you!”
A cold smile curled her lips as she swiftly pulled three steel nails from her waist, gripping them tightly in her hand. She turned toward the direction she’d sensed.
“Friend, I see you!”
Before the words fully left her mouth, her arm snapped forward.
With a sharp whoosh, the three nails shot through the air, straight toward the spot she’d locked onto.
Her words had been deliberate—meant to unsettle the other person, to make them think they’d truly been exposed.
Her mental perception had indeed detected the general direction of the gaze, but it wasn’t precise enough to pinpoint the exact location.
After all…
Fang Xiaocao was human, not a god.
Nor was she some high-tech radar.
Being able to sense the approximate direction was already impressive—something even experts like Tom or Taotie couldn’t necessarily do.
If word got out, it would astonish people.
The three nails she’d thrown covered the area where the gaze had come from.
If her pursuer believed even slightly that they’d been discovered, they’d instinctively react to defend against the incoming projectiles.
Clang!
A soft metallic sound rang out as one of the nails was struck down by a katana.
Fang Xiaocao’s heart leaped—she’d succeeded.
She’d flushed them out!
Her eyes locked onto the wielder of the katana—a petite woman clad in tight black leather.
The two stared at each other.
“Miss, are you here to kill me?” Fang Xiaocao asked with a playful smile.
But her hand discreetly reached for another set of steel nails hidden at her waist, slipping them between her fingers.
Her plan was simple: first, engage in conversation, then use hypnosis to control the other person.
If it worked, she’d gain another ally in these perilous woods—a skilled fighter to protect her and improve her chances of survival.
If it failed…
Well, then it’d be a fight to the death.
She’d use hypnosis to stun the woman for a few seconds, then drive every nail she had straight into her body—sending her straight to hell.
“How did you find me?” the leather-clad woman asked coldly.
Her voice was icy, devoid of any emotion.
Mechanical, almost synthetic, like an AI-generated tone.
“Tough nut to crack, huh?” Fang Xiaocao mused silently.
She smiled. “Miss, isn’t it a bit rude to ask questions without introducing yourself first?”
As she spoke, she subtly employed hypnotic techniques, probing for any emotional reaction.
Any flicker of feeling would reveal a weakness in the woman’s psychological defenses.
(End of Chapter 230)
