“Prince Yao, there are so many scorpions, what’s going on! This servant is so frightened!”

Yanzi’s voice grew sweeter, more delicate, as she pressed ever closer to Jun Beiyue—just a hair’s breadth from linking her arm through his!

How desperately she craved to touch this man, to hold his arm, to draw close, closer and closer—what would that feeling be like?

It would surely be wonderful!

Unable to help herself, growing more anxious, she summoned another swarm of scorpions—not attacking Jun Beiyue this time, but all rushing toward her instead.

Suddenly, a scorpion popped up right beneath her foot without warning. She shrieked and leapt up. “Ah—help!”

Crying out, she finally worked up the nerve to throw her arms around Jun Beiyue’s arm. “Help, help me, Prince Yao, save me, I’m so scared!”

As she clung to his arm, she stamped wildly at the ground, but Jun Beiyue remained utterly unmoved, not even glancing at the scorpions.

At last, the scorpions all around had crowded up to her very feet, more than she could possibly stamp away.

“It’s so terrifying, Prince Yao, look!”

She cried out, and even tried to climb onto his back—his broad, warm back. How she longed to press her face against it, wrap her arms around his neck, listen to his heartbeat, feel his warmth, breathe in his scent!

But just then, a shadow flashed by in an instant, shattering her beautiful daydream.

The black shadow flitted past, and immediately after, a figure in white came chasing after it, landing not far away. The moment his eyes fell on them, he charged straight toward them.

This man was tall, broad-shouldered, and unmistakably none other than the Xiliang envoy. Even from a distance, his fury was plain to see, his full beard practically bristling with rage.

This man—he had clearly been lured here!

Of course Yanzi knew this Xiliang envoy. He wasn’t merely an envoy—he was none other than Wanyan Lie, the crown prince of Xiliang. Though a blunt, straightforward man by nature, he’d managed to keep his temper impressively in check while posing as an envoy.

So what exactly had happened? Why was he so furious?

Just as Yanzi stood there stunned, Jun Beiyue abruptly seized the hand she had wrapped around his arm. Yanzi startled, and in that instant understood exactly what was happening!

She looked up sharply at Jun Beiyue, and saw an expression on his face that could rival the demons of the nineteenth hell—his eyes had gone blood-red, nearly enough to drown her.

However deep her adoration, however willingly she would have let him devour her down to the bones, seeing him now, wearing that man-eating look, she couldn’t help but feel a genuine, bone-deep terror rise up from within.

This man had used her!

This man knew everything!

Just moments ago, she had been overjoyed, wanting to linger by his side even a little longer, content with even a single moment more—but now, she wanted nothing more than to flee at once.

To love him, and love him so much that she now didn’t dare stay by his side a moment longer!

How tragic could that be!

Yanzi’s mind went completely blank, but she recovered quickly. In an instant, every scorpion that had been about to attack her turned and surged toward Jun Beiyue instead.

But in that same instant, Jun Beiyue yanked her, still struggling, tight against him—without their bodies making any contact—and clamped a hand around her throat, rising abruptly into the air, leaving the swarm of venomous scorpions behind on the ground.

At that moment, the shadow that had flashed by earlier materialized out of thin air at the cave entrance, laughing loudly at the Xiliang envoy who had come chasing after him in the distance. “Princess Qianqian doesn’t like you—Princess Qianqian’s heart already belongs to another. The Xijing royal family deceived you, ha!”

The provocation was unmistakable, plain for anyone to see. But the Xiliang crown prince was already furious beyond reason. For Yelu Qianqian’s sake, Xiliang had made concession after concession to Xijing! Even when Xijing and Xichu were at war and Xijing had no attention to spare elsewhere, Xiliang not only refrained from sending troops, but had guaranteed Xijing’s western border would remain untroubled!

All of this had been bought with Yelu Qianqian!

Yelu Chenyi had assured him that Yelu Qianqian was waiting eagerly in the palace, looking forward to the wedding!

Let alone infidelity—he couldn’t tolerate even the slightest hint of insincerity!

He had just wanted to go see Yelu Qianqian alone, but instead he’d run into this man in black, discovered Yelu Qianqian wasn’t even in the temporary palace, and chased the trail all the way here.

Yingzi had no other skills to speak of, but as a shadow guard, the art of concealment was his specialty. Seeing Wanyan Lie charging toward him, he vanished in an instant.

Wanyan Lie rushed up to the cave entrance. Furious as he was, he still retained some reason—ahead lay the cave, dark and seemingly deep.

He glanced once more at that familiar figure in the air, then, with no more patience to spare, tore off his cumbersome long robe, revealing rugged combat attire underneath, drew his twin daggers, and cautiously advanced into the grotto…

High above, Jun Beiyue hovered in midair, one hand clamped around Yanzi’s throat. Only now did he look directly at her. He had only suspected it—the very first time he laid eyes on this woman, he’d recognized her as someone trained in combat arts.

She had hidden herself exceptionally well, well enough to fool even Situ Haonan. But unfortunately, after his intense training these past months, he could now discern the depth of another’s internal energy simply from their qi alone.

It had only been a suspicion—a suspicion that she might be Yanzi. And now, her reaction had confirmed that his suspicion was correct.

The enemy—it was her!

“Hand over the antidote, or else…”

There was no “or else.” When Jun Beiyue threatened someone, it was never mere words. With one hand, he had more than enough strength to completely subdue Yanzi. With the other, he drew his longsword without warning, giving her no chance to speak at all, and slashed viciously down across the white gauze veil covering her face!

“Mmph…!”

Choked and unable to cry out, Yanzi thrashed in agony, muffled sounds of pain escaping her. The white veil didn’t fall away—instead, it was sliced open, a long, bloody line cutting straight across it.

Her face!

The moment the first blade fell, the second rose immediately—no pause between them. This wasn’t a threat, a warning at all!

This was outright, direct vengeance!

She had dared disfigure Ziqing’s face, dared to torment her so cruelly!

He would make her pay it back a hundred, a thousand times over!

At this moment, Jun Beiyue’s fury was boundless—rage he had suppressed for so long finally erupting in full.

“Whoosh…”

The cold, sharp sound of the blade sweeping through the air rang out again as it slashed across the white veil once more.

Yanzi couldn’t keep up, her mind a total blank.

However composed, however rational she normally was, surely she deserved even a moment to process what was happening!

But this man gave her none!

This man—the one she loved most in all the world—was destroying her face! Her face, the most beautiful in the world!

And the most pitiful part of all—

He didn’t even look at her as he ruined it, slashing through the veil without even glancing at what lay beneath.

“No… mmph… no…” Yanzi cried out again, thrashing.

But it was all in vain. Even if she handed over the antidote right now, this man surely wouldn’t let her go.

In mere moments, the once pure white, lotus-like veil had become a shredded, blood-soaked rag, clinging to her lacerated face—impossible to tell where the torn fabric ended and the wounded flesh began.

Only then did Jun Beiyue stop, saying flatly, “The antidote?”

Yanzi was silent for a moment, then let out a furious roar. “I’ll kill you, Jun Beiyue! How dare you ruin my face—I’ll kill you!”

Those few strokes had taken only a moment or two—she truly hadn’t even understood what was happening!

How could this man move so fast?

How could he leave no room for negotiation at all?

Seeing that Yanzi still wouldn’t answer, Jun Beiyue spoke quietly to his shadow guard. “Inform the Emperor of Xijing that Princess Yao grew bored, and this prince has decided to head back.”

It was already generous of him not to march an army in. There was no chance he’d actually come as a genuine envoy—he had come for exactly two people: Yanzi, and Yelu Qianqian.

With that, he pulled Yanzi along, turning to leave. But just then, a sudden wave of sand rose up from behind him, sweeping toward him like an avalanche covering the sky…