Qin Yining tried hard to breathe deeply and calm herself.

She told herself not to panic—only by analyzing calmly could she avoid missing any opportunity to escape or fight back. But her body was still trembling uncontrollably. She kept twisting and struggling backward, the rough rope scraping several wounds on her arms and wrists. Combined with the injuries from the earlier whipping, the pain made Qin Yining’s face deathly pale.

Yet her eyes remained frighteningly bright. Even in such a bloodied, disheveled state, they couldn’t diminish her beauty at all.

The eight burly men became even more excited, howling as they rushed toward Qin Yining.

A’na Ri watched with great satisfaction, folding her arms triumphantly to enjoy the show, unable to resist laughing aloud: “Let’s see how proud you can be after this! Enjoy yourself well—our Tatar men are much stronger than your Great Zhou men! Hahaha!”

With rags stuffed in her mouth, Qin Yining couldn’t even curse. She could only fume with red eyes, making muffled whimpering sounds.

The burly men had already reached her. The first two to arrive were quite impatient—one began removing his own clothes while the other started untying the ropes binding Qin Yining’s legs.

Qin Yining gritted her teeth, but all her struggles were pinned down by them.

As soon as the ropes on her legs were untied, she kicked viciously toward the vital parts of the nearest man. But her forceful kick was caught firmly in his grip.

They were all skilled guards close to A’na Ri. Though Qin Yining had considerable strength, she had no martial arts skills. At this moment, she was completely helpless.

Despair gradually crept into Qin Yining’s heart.

Though she repeatedly told herself it was nothing—just like being bitten by a dog—what woman wouldn’t care about such a thing?

Tears gradually accumulated in her wide-open eyes. At this moment, she desperately wished Pang Xiao could suddenly appear and kill all these people.

But Qin Yining also knew this was impossible. Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu lived under Li Qitian’s surveillance—how could they possibly infiltrate Tatar territory and arrive just in time? Moreover, there were so many people from the Qin and Pang families in the capital. Pang Xiao wasn’t alone—didn’t he need to consider his family’s safety?

Qin Yining understood all the logic.

But she still couldn’t help shedding tears.

Seeing Qin Yining in such a miserable state, A’na Ri became even more pleased. She was in high spirits, as if planning to enjoy a good show right here.

But just as the leading man tore Qin Yining’s clothes with a ripping sound, the wooden door was suddenly blown open by a gust of wind. A black shadow then drifted in like a ghost.

A’na Ri stared in shock. Before she could see clearly, the eight men were already splattered with blood, falling to the ground with thuds.

And A’na Ri’s neck now had a dagger at it. Someone covered her mouth from behind and said in Tatar: “Khan, don’t move.”

A’na Ri watched the black-clothed, masked person help untie Qin Yining’s bonds. Hearing the somewhat familiar voice behind her, she couldn’t help but stare in amazement.

The person behind her was Lu Heng!

Qin Yining hadn’t yet recovered from her shock and fear when her bonds were already loosened.

Her robes were either torn bloody by the whip or ripped by those men just now. Every movement hurt, and she was in extreme disarray.

But when she looked up at the masked person who had thrown aside the ropes and was about to help her stand, her heart still jumped—an answer was already emerging.

At this moment, Lu Heng, holding A’na Ri hostage, said quietly: “If the Khan agrees not to make a sound, I won’t kill you. If you start shouting, I’ll make your entire royal family accompany you in death!”

A’na Ri’s mouth moved, and she tried to pull at Lu Heng’s hand.

Lu Heng knew she had something to say, but fearing she would shout if he released his grip, he naturally wouldn’t let go. Instead, he whispered: “If you promise not to shout, I’ll release my hand to let you speak. Otherwise, I’ll end you with one strike. You can test whether your people arrive faster or my blade is quicker. Nod once if you agree.”

A’na Ri was deeply displeased but still nodded once.

Lu Heng loosened his grip slightly, but the blade at A’na Ri’s neck moved forward an inch.

Forced to lean her head back, A’na Ri didn’t dare make a commotion. She only said through gritted teeth: “You despicable Great Zhou people!”

“Despicable? The Khan is too modest. Compared to the Khan, what are our methods?”

“You can’t escape! When Si Qin discovers I’m missing, he’ll certainly send people to search for me! The city will also be under martial law. Then you’ll find it impossible to fly away even with wings!” Speaking of this, A’na Ri became somewhat pleased. Looking at the masked person who had helped Qin Yining stand, she said: “Too bad you followed the wrong master. Otherwise, your skills could still serve in the army later. This Khan would have promoted you too.”

Lu Heng’s dagger drew a mark on A’na Ri’s neck: “At this point, you can still speak sarcastically. That shows you’re not afraid of death.”

A’na Ri shrank from the pain but refused to yield at all, saying through gritted teeth: “If this Khan dies, none of you can leave the capital. The Prince Consort will certainly avenge this Khan. Then you’ll all have to come down and accompany this Khan in death!”

Whenever A’na Ri’s voice showed a tendency to rise, Lu Heng’s dagger would threateningly press close again, startling A’na Ri into stopping mid-sentence and saying no more.

She still had a great kingdom and future ahead—why should she die here?

Qin Yining, pale-faced, straightened her clothes so she wasn’t completely exposed, then walked to the window to check the situation outside.

Outside was an independent small courtyard. Several people now lay scattered on the ground, obviously having been dealt with earlier.

Enduring the pain, Qin Yining walked close to A’na Ri and said quietly: “Things have come to this point. Is the Khan still going to be stubborn? I know the Khan cares about the Prince Consort in her heart, and I know the Khan very much wants me dead. But in the Khan’s heart, the Prince Consort’s reputation is more important, isn’t it?

“The Khan also knows that your country’s Prince Consort is discussing some cooperation with the Lu family. If the Khan lets us leave, not only will I no longer need to appear before the Prince Consort, but the matters the Lu family is discussing with the Prince Consort won’t be affected by what the Khan did today either. Two birds with one stone. What does the Khan think?”

A’na Ri’s face flushed red with anger. At this point, she no longer had the rationality to consider causes and consequences.

“What do I think? You seductress, how dare you ask? Why did things have to be ruined tonight! Otherwise, I would have killed you too! If you’re so capable, kill me now. I want to see how you fox spirit will escape from my Tatar warriors’ grasp!”

Seeing A’na Ri speak so decisively, Qin Yining couldn’t help but smile bitterly and shake her head.

“Your country’s warriors—more than ten have already lost their lives because of the Khan’s impulsive decision. Isn’t the Khan satisfied yet?”

“Did this Khan kill them? Stop pretending to be sympathetic here! I absolutely will not let you go! Either you kill me now, or I’ll make you pay!”

Qin Yining pressed her lips together and was about to speak when she saw Lu Heng suddenly raise his hand and strike A’na Ri heavily on the back of her neck.

A’na Ri’s eyes went blank, then she closed them and collapsed softly to the ground.

Qin Yining asked in surprise: “What happened?”

Lu Heng replied: “I knocked her out. She was too talkative and was just wasting our time.”