“She’s that woman from the Zhuang family?” Wusi Mei’er shrieked, a vicious cold gleam flashing in her eyes as she said harshly to Nu Ba beside her: “Nu Ba, tear her to pieces for me!”
“You dare?” Chu Li roared angrily, his two sword-like brows rising with immense imperial authority.
“When I’m done, you’ll know whether I dare!” Wusi Mei’er snorted coldly, whipping out the long whip from her waist. The bright red soft whip instantly struck toward Qing Xia like a spiritual snake.
Qing Xia raised her brow, ignoring Chu Li’s rapidly approaching figure. She shifted her body sideways and let herself be entangled around the waist by the soft whip.
Wusi Mei’er laughed charmingly and immediately applied force with her hand. Qing Xia was instantly pulled toward the Southern Border people like a paper kite.
“Wusi Mei’er! You’re seeking death!” Chu Li’s eyes were bloodshot with rage as he struck down with his blade, instantly severing a Southern Border bandit’s neck. Large amounts of fresh blood shot skyward, spraying onto the pitch-black night sky as distant torches approached the camp like a long dragon.
Wusi Mei’er’s eyes were cold and fierce as she said icily: “If you’re heartless, I’ll be ruthless. Since you want to force me, I’ll make your most beloved woman accompany me in death!”
With that, she gave Nu Ba a meaningful look. The fierce giant suddenly charged forward, his huge hands reaching for Qing Xia’s neck.
“Qing Xia!” Chu Li was shocked, his face changing drastically as he cried out in alarm.
In that instant, everyone seemed able to foresee this woman’s fate.
However, in just that one second, Qing Xia, who had been pulled down by the dragging force, suddenly sprang up like a wildcat, her body making an agile turn in mid-air, light as a feather. Her jet-black long hair traced a bright black arc. The pale-faced woman pressed her lips together tightly, gripped her blade in reverse, grabbed the fierce giant’s body, and drew the bright blade across his neck. A line of blood instantly sprayed out, gleaming eerily in the flickering torchlight.
With a thunderous crash, the giant’s body fell to the ground like a small mountain, stirring up clouds of dust.
Cries of shock arose almost simultaneously.
“Everyone stop! Or I’ll kill this witch!”
A clear, fierce shout rang out, and everyone’s movements instantly froze. They turned around in amazement, horrified to discover that the petite girl who had just been captured by Wusi Mei’er had instantly turned the tables, one hand choking Wusi Mei’er’s neck while the other pressed a dagger tightly against her throat.
The Southern Border barbarian soldiers immediately panicked, staring dumbfounded at Qing Xia’s cold expression.
“Can’t you understand?” Qing Xia snorted coldly, raising her dagger to slash a bloody gash across Wusi Mei’er’s tender white cheek.
Wusi Mei’er’s scream instantly rang out. No one had expected her to strike without warning, and everyone was shocked on the spot.
“Little bitch! Just wait, I won’t let you go!” Wusi Mei’er flew into a rage, screaming in agony while making threats.
Chu Li frowned, remembering Qing Xia’s methods against himself previously, and immediately turned his head away, showing an expression of being unable to bear watching.
Sure enough, Qing Xia raised her brow, a vicious gleam flashing in her eyes that contrasted sharply with her pale, delicate face. The hand gripping the dagger grabbed Wusi Mei’er’s collar while her other hand suddenly rose, delivering a vicious slap across the woman’s pretty face!
A crisp slap echoed throughout the scene. Wusi Mei’er’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe what was happening. She was the Southern Border’s highest-ranking Saint, beloved by her people since birth, with a status so high it could rival royal princesses even in Southern Chu. She had never suffered such humiliation. After a long while, she finally reacted, shrieking: “You… you dare…”
“I’ve already done it, and you’re still asking if I dare.” Qing Xia snorted coldly, her voice icy: “You wanton witch, say one more word and I’ll slash your face to ribbons—let’s see how you can go out and seduce men then!”
“You…”
Swoosh—another bloody mark appeared on Wusi Mei’er’s face. Remembering this woman’s relentless and cruel pursuit of her and Yang Feng in the Southern Border heartland, Qing Xia’s anger blazed as she said coldly: “You don’t learn.”
Wusi Mei’er’s screams spread throughout the entire camp. Qing Xia looked sideways, her gaze cutting across everyone’s faces like a blade.
“Still not dropping your weapons? Do you really want to watch your Saint bleed to death on the spot?”
Weapons clattered to the ground. A rebellion that would have originally required enormous military force to suppress was brought to an end in the blink of an eye due to Qing Xia’s intervention.
Chu Li’s expression grew increasingly grim as he coldly watched Qing Xia, who was still grabbing Wusi Mei’er’s hair to vent her anger, saying icily: “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“Huh?” Qing Xia was stunned. She had just helped him tremendously—was this how to treat a lifesaver?
“Speak!” Chu Li flew into a rage, his handsome face flushed red as he shouted fiercely: “Why were you under the bed?”
Qing Xia’s pretty face reddened.
It was over—the man whose bedroom activities she’d accidentally witnessed was going to settle scores.
What had originally been a bloody battle to eliminate Southern Border rebels came to an abrupt halt due to Qing Xia’s unexpected appearance. When the large number of Southern Chu Northern Camp soldiers lying in ambush around the area arrived, the battle was already near its end. As the Southern Border Saint, Wusi Mei’er had always held a pivotal transcendent position in the Southern Border. Due to her capture, the Southern Border soldiers easily laid down their weapons. After dealing with the Southern Border rebels, Chu Li didn’t give orders to return to Huanchao City’s main camp, but instead commanded all soldiers to rest in place within Wusi Mei’er’s camp while he entered that tent filled with ambiguous sensual atmosphere.
Inside the tent, the air was cold and grim. Over fifty armored Black Guards watched a white-clothed woman with extreme vigilance, as if afraid she would vanish into thin air if they blinked.
Qing Xia sat cross-legged on the luxurious bed, her back straight, eyes closed in meditation, not even glancing at these people. However, her ears were alert, not missing any information or signal that might help her escape.
Heavy footsteps suddenly sounded within the tent. All soldiers knelt in unison, calling out loudly: “Greetings, Great Emperor.”
“Rise,” Chu Li said in a low voice, his tone carrying suppressed anger and the calm before a storm. “All of you, leave.”
“Yes!” The roomful of Black Guards sighed in relief, withdrawing like pardoned prisoners. Footsteps approached the bed step by step, warm breath sounding overhead. Outside, the wind howled, and even in this warm tent, one could feel the bone-piercing cold of the frozen world outside. Qing Xia’s cotton robe, warhorse, and weapons had all been confiscated. Over three hundred of Chu Li’s personal guards stood outside the door, with large numbers of Black Guards and Northern Camp troops beyond. Given this precedent, escaping now would be harder than reaching the heavens.
“Still thinking about how to escape?” A deep voice suddenly sounded overhead. Qing Xia slowly opened her eyes, defiantly raising her gaze to look sideways at this grim-faced man.
Chu Li stood before Qing Xia, looking down at this pale woman sitting cross-legged on the couch.
Not having seen her for half a month, she appeared increasingly haggard. She had lost a great deal of weight, with sunken eyes that made her large, dark eyes even more prominent, like two deep pools of water. Her complexion was pale, even her lips nearly bloodless. Her face was gaunt with a pointed chin. She pressed her lips tightly together, defiantly raising her head to glare at him fiercely, like an angry little cat.
Yet despite this, Chu Li suddenly noticed a radiance in her that the former Zhuang Qing Xia had never possessed: sharpness, stubbornness, anger, courage. That pale little face was filled with spirited brilliance—even while angry, she carried a confident beauty. She quietly held her head half-raised, her snow-white neck showing beautiful curves in the lamplight, gleaming with crystalline luster. Though she sat silently without a word, Chu Li knew that once given the chance, she would definitely spring up and give him a fierce scratch with her sharp little claws.
A familiar feeling suddenly rose from his heart, and Chu Li even felt a perverse pleasure. Looking at that luxurious, spacious bed, he felt somewhat parched. But suddenly remembering this person had been hiding under this bed the entire time, that hint of ambiguous feeling instantly vanished. Dark emotions rose in his eyes as Chu Li said through gritted teeth: “You were hiding down there the whole time just now?”
“That’s right!” Qing Xia impatiently shouted. She didn’t know what bad luck had befallen her—instead of taking the broad, straight path, she had foolishly delivered herself to his doorstep. Angrily, she said: “I heard everything—you and that witch undressing, kissing—what do you want to do about it?”
“You!” Chu Li flew into a rage. The good patience and cultivation he had practiced for over twenty years seemed to vanish instantly whenever he encountered Qing Xia. He glared viciously at the woman’s provocative eyes, saying coldly: “What audacity!”
“Is this the first day you’ve known whether my audacity is big or not?” Qing Xia snorted coldly, meeting his challenge head-on.
“Good.” Chu Li was so angry his chest heaved as he said gravely: “It seems I’ve spoiled you too much, making you unable to distinguish who is the master!”
“Stop putting on your imperial airs in front of me—get out!”
“What did you say?” Chu Li was furious, his eyes widening in shock.
Qing Xia suddenly stood up on the bed. Though the low couch wasn’t very high, standing on it finally allowed her to meet Chu Li’s gaze at eye level. Not having to crane her neck to speak gave Qing Xia an instant sense of equal confidence. Just like when she used to fight with male teammates in the military who looked down on women, Qing Xia suddenly reached out and pushed hard against Chu Li’s shoulder, saying with full swagger: “Let me tell you, I’ve put up with you for a long time. Don’t think that just because you became some petty king you can boss me around. Push me too far, and sooner or later I’ll cut off your head and hang it on the gates of the capital city!”