The gray falcon took flight, passing over a pool of cold shadows.

“Wei Qi…” Yu Lingxi heard her voice trembling, the ominous premonition reaching its peak.

Ning Yin looked at her, his expression very calm, as if the splashing in the lake behind him was merely an unfortunate fish.

The splashes grew smaller, soon leaving only a string of bubbles and a few ripples.

A corner of clothing floated to the surface, and Yu Lingxi’s breath immediately caught: Xue Cen couldn’t swim!

Without time to question Ning Yin about what was happening, she kicked off her shoes and socks and quickly jumped into the lake.

With a splash, water scattered in all directions.

Ning Yin turned his head to watch the young woman desperately swimming toward Xue Cen, the calm in his eyes disturbed, shattering.

To him, Xue Cen was undoubtedly a nuisance, taking advantage of the crisis while claiming to be righteous, with the selfishness and hypocrisy peculiar to the Xue family in his bones.

If he died, it would naturally resolve both the Xue family and Eastern Palace crises. It was an incredibly profitable deal; he couldn’t understand why Yu Lingxi would jump in after him…

Xue Cen had already lost consciousness, and with clothing restricting movement in the water, the delicate young woman quickly exhausted her strength, being dragged down by Xue Cen’s heavy body.

The Yu residence carriage waited outside the wall, guards standing with swords, completely unaware of the situation at the lotus pond inside.

Yu Lingxi grabbed Xue Cen’s collar by his wrist, pulling with all her might to swim upward.

But the young man’s body was too heavy. After repeatedly sinking and surfacing, she began to regret leaving her guards far outside the wall for her private conversation with Xue Cen.

Wanting to call out, she instead swallowed a mouthful of cold water.

It was over.

Having finally been reborn once, the last thing she would see before dying would still be Ning Yin’s hateful face…

No, she couldn’t die here.

She desperately moved her limbs, and as her consciousness blurred, she heard another splash near her ear.

The cold moonlight on the water’s surface broke into silver spots. A familiar young figure cut through the water, bringing a trail of bubbles, swimming powerfully toward her.

Yu Lingxi’s unconsciously upward-floating arm was gripped tightly. She didn’t see clearly how he exerted his strength, only feeling a powerful pull.

A strong arm supported Yu Lingxi’s waist, allowing her head to successfully surface.

“Miss.”

She heard Ning Yin’s slightly hurried breathing near her ear as he gripped her chin, desperately calling to her.

The next moment, air rushed into her nostrils, causing her to cough violently.

“Help… help!”

She finally remembered the guards waiting in the distance and called out with all her strength, “Qing Xiao!”

By the carriage, Qing Xiao was the first to sense something was wrong. Taking large strides through the wall’s moon gate, he was immediately shocked by what he saw.

“Come quickly, save the young miss!”

Qing Xiao threw down his sword and jumped into the pond to support Yu Lingxi.

The other two guards also arrived in time, working together to pull the unconscious Xue Cen ashore. The poolside was in chaos.

Yu Lingxi was surrounded and helped ashore, with guards gathering around to pat her back and help her breathe, but she looked toward Xue Cen lying wet and unconscious to one side, choking out: “Don’t worry about me, go… go save Second Master Xue!”

So they pressed on Xue Cen’s chest and sent for a doctor, and another round of commotion ensued.

No one paid attention to Ning Yin, still soaking in the water.

The rippling light fragmented in his eyes as Ning Yin expressionlessly considered that in the current situation, killing everyone present would be the safest option.

However, after twirling the blade between his fingers a few times, he ultimately returned it to his sleeve and climbed ashore, dripping with lake water.

In late spring, the sensation of cold water was unpleasant, made even chillier by the wind.

Yu Lingxi trembled uncontrollably, half from cold, half from fear.

In her previous life, she hadn’t been able to save Xue Cen; she couldn’t let him suffer because of her in this life too.

Just as she was thinking this, a warmth covered her shoulders as a large, dry, dark blue outer robe draped over her.

She turned back in surprise to see Ning Yin’s young, pale face.

Water dripped from his wet hair tips, his lips very pale, his eyes dark and indiscernible as he said to her: “Miss, don’t catch cold.”

Yu Lingxi sat dejectedly on the ground, breathing heavily as if seeing the shadow of her previous life in this young, handsome face.

Suddenly, she pressed her lips together, and after a brief daze, endless anger welled up.

Pushing down with her hand, she pulled off the outer robe Ning Yin had placed around her and threw it on the ground.

She refused to wear his clothes and refused to speak to him.

Just then, the unconscious Xue Cen violently coughed up a mouthful of water, and a guard happily exclaimed: “Miss, Second Master Xue is awake!”

Yu Lingxi sighed deeply in relief. Ignoring Ning Yin, she quickly stumbled to Xue Cen’s side, her wet, red eyes filled with guilt: “Brother Cen, are you all right?”

Ning Yin lowered his gaze to look at his empty hands, casting a deep shadow.

Xue Cen had barely returned from death’s door and was still very weak, unable to speak. He only tremblingly raised his tightly clenched right hand, seeming to want to say something.

Opening his palm revealed a small torn piece of black cloth.

It was something he had torn from the masked assailant in black before falling into the lake.

“This fabric…”

Qing Xiao, with his extensive experience, took the piece of cloth and felt it, frowning, “The material is fine and durable, not the style of common people.”

This confirmed Yu Lingxi’s suspicion that Xue Cen’s fall into the lake was no accident.

Soon, Xue Cen was sent back to the Xue residence, and Yu Lingxi specifically dispatched Qing Xiao to explain the situation.

She sat blankly on the ground for a while before coming to her senses at a guard’s careful call. She rose dazedly, dragging her water-heavy body toward the carriage, leaving wet footprints with each step.

Ning Yin, water dripping from his chin, silently followed behind her, strongly reminiscent of that snowy night several months ago.

Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be fooled by the same trick twice.

Yu Lingxi stopped, her usually soft voice tinged with the chill of lake water as she instructed her attendants: “You all go ahead.”

After dismissing the attendants, she surveyed the surroundings and picked up a horsewhip left on the carriage by the coachman.

Gripping the whip in her hand, she turned and raised her head, staring directly into Ning Yin’s eyes.

After a while, she asked: “Why were you here?”

The missing letter, Xue Cen’s fall into the lake, and Ning Yin “coincidentally” appearing here…

Those details she had previously overlooked finally connected, weaving into a terrifying truth, everything racing wildly toward what she feared most.

The lantern hanging on the carriage swayed slightly, making their shadows jump and tremble, exuding mysterious unease.

Ning Yin still maintained his obedient, quiet demeanor, as if tonight’s chaos had nothing to do with him. Only when looking at Yu Lingxi’s shivering, wet, cold form did his eyes show slight ripples.

“Miss is shivering,” he said softly.

Yu Lingxi asked: “When did you start planning this?”

“The night wind is cold; wearing wet clothes easily leads to sickness,” Ning Yin said.

Yu Lingxi took a deep breath and asked: “How long will you keep pretending Wei Qi?”

Ning Yin pressed his lips together.

He lowered his head and remained silent for a while.

Just as Yu Lingxi thought he might be repenting, the young man raised his head, revealing a cold smile she had once been so familiar with.

Having shed that tiring disguise, even his tone became lighter as he said softly: “Miss cannot marry him. Isn’t it better to let a nuisance disappear from this world?”

Yu Lingxi’s heart trembled.

She recalled the scene she had witnessed at the moon gate earlier, when Ning Yin stood by the pond, coldly watching Xue Cen struggle in the lake, his face wearing this same pleased, cold smile.

This was the real Ning Yin that Yu Lingxi knew.

“So you killed him, pushing a non-swimmer into the pond?” Yu Lingxi asked, enduring the pain in her chest.

“I didn’t.”

“Still lying!”

“It wasn’t me who killed him; he’s not worth my effort.”

Ning Yin sneered. If he had acted personally, Xue Cen would already be a corpse.

Yu Lingxi asked with a trembling voice: “But you wanted him dead.”

“Yes,” he admitted straightforwardly.

“Why?”

“The Xue family cannot protect you.”

“Just because of that?” Yu Lingxi could hardly believe it.

“If Miss marries him, you won’t keep me by your side.”

Ning Yin stood with his hands behind his back, saying indifferently, “But Miss promised never to abandon me.”

Yu Lingxi finally understood what his “Wei Qi understands” meant when they spoke in the fine rain at noon.

He understood that as long as he could ensure the Yu family kept him by their side, it didn’t matter how many troublesome people he killed—

Even if it wasn’t by his hand.

This little madman! Still as incomprehensible as in her previous life!

When she brought him back, she hadn’t been without suspicion and doubt.

But Yu Lingxi thought that whether he pretended to be kind or spoke sweet words, ultimately she needed him to protect the future Yu family. A small lie wouldn’t hurt;

However, she never expected his heart to be black through and through, that he would ruthlessly harm people close to her.

“If there’s blame, it can only be on his hypocrisy and stupidity, his presumption.”

Since he had already been seen through, Ning Yin didn’t mind speaking a few truths, “Without sufficient power, yet he dares compete with the Crown Prince; unable to swim, yet arranging to meet by a lake. For such a person, death is his greatest value.”

Yu Lingxi’s eyes were wet and red with anger, and even more with disappointment.

After her anger, she calmed down and asked with a light laugh: “With your capabilities, the next person you want to kill…”

She pressed her lips together: “Is it me?”

Ning Yin tilted his head slightly, actually taking time to seriously consider this question before concluding: “I would never harm Miss. I’ve said before, Miss is the person who has treated me best in this world. I am willing to do anything for Miss.”

Yu Lingxi could no longer distinguish how much of what he said was true and how much was false.

“So, when you desperately followed my carriage back then, it was because you recognized my identity and saw potential benefit in the General’s household, wagering your life to gain my pity?”

“Yes.”

“During the spring hunt, you were one of the people watching my horse. With your abilities and alertness, you couldn’t have failed to notice problems with the feed. My horse went mad and bolted, and only you caught up… Was that your doing too?”

“No.”

“But you knew about it,” Yu Lingxi guessed.

Perhaps he had even added fuel to the fire of the conspiracy.

“Yes.” Still in a calm voice.

There wasn’t a hint of remorse on his face, as if everything he had done was as natural as eating or sleeping, nothing out of the ordinary.

“Have you ever felt remorse or guilt?”

“Never.”

“You!”

Yu Lingxi was furious and raised the whip in her hand high.

Ning Yin stood still, wearing a faint, mocking smile.

What was so frightening about a whip? Back in the palace, hadn’t that mad woman frequently whipped him too?

He had endured worse pain; he was used to it.

Taking this whipping from her would just conclude this boring game.

However, the highly raised horse whip paused in mid-air, never falling.

Yu Lingxi’s eyes were slightly red, her gaze at Ning Yin surging with complexity.

She remembered what she had said at noon today: “Since I brought you back, you are my responsibility.” She remembered the warm, sweet, coppery taste that had flowed into her throat on the cliff…

From her past life to this one, she remembered many, many things. Her hand holding the whip trembled slightly as if bearing thousands of catties.

For a long time, it was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

The next moment, Yu Lingxi closed her eyes, and the horsewhip, brushing past Ning Yin’s face, fell heavily on her palm.

The whip, used with all her strength, made a whooshing sound before a crisp “crack” resounded, immediately raising a red swelling on her delicate palm.

Ning Yin’s smile faded, and the fingers playing with the short blade behind his back paused.

“This lash is to punish myself for misjudging character and letting a wolf into the house.”

Yu Lingxi’s eyes were wet and red, the pain making even her breathing tremble, yet she still gritted her teeth to speak each word.

Crack!

Another lash fell, creating two terrifying red welts crossing on her palm, immediately breaking the skin.

Though the whip fell on her palm, Ning Yin suddenly felt his cold, still heart jump.

With tears welling in her eyes, Yu Lingxi endured the excruciating pain that nearly made her cry and said in a trembling voice: “This lash is to punish me for being soft-hearted, too trusting, and biased, almost causing a great disaster.”

As the third lash fell, Ning Yin’s expression darkened.

He raised his hand to grasp the falling whip. The tail of the whip twisted like a snake, lashing an angry red line across his cold, pale jaw.

Ning Yin didn’t even blink.

He stared at Yu Lingxi, his voice extremely hoarse: “Enough.”