After infiltrating the main characters' group, I became the most beautiful woman in the world.

Tang Xi first looked at Yue Zijin, who was closest to her, and said incredulously, "Are you crazy? You're going to leave Pei Yunlian here for the sake of the Cold Water Flower?"

Looking at Yue Zijin's profile, she realized that she suddenly couldn't see through him anymore.

He was cold, unapproachable, and completely different from his former self.

Su Ning dropped the dagger and gently patted Pei Yunlian's cheek, "Good girl."

The boy stubbornly turned his head away; he didn't want her to touch him.

Su Ning didn't care. If she couldn't even endure this little bit of hardship, how would she survive the rest?

Su Ning waved her hand slightly, and the servant carrying the Cold Water Flower placed it on an open space not far from the two of them.

"Don't worry, I have no reason to lie to you."

"After all, isn't the purpose of your visit today this medicinal herb?"

"Taking him hostage will only make your situation worse."

Su Ning asked the man to open the brocade box so that Tang Xi and Yue Zijin could see the contents inside more clearly.

The petals are ice-blue, as thin as cicada wings, and gleam with a cold, almost transparent luster in the dappled forest light, as if carved from millennia-old ice, or as if the water of a deep pool had been frozen into the shape of the flower.

Even from a distance, you can smell a very faint, cool fragrance emanating from the entire plant.

"It's a cold water flower."

Yue Zijin finally made a move. He had seen the picture book of the Cold Water Flower and knew that it was real.

His joy shifted away from Xie Zhuo's neck, the blade fell, the tip touched the ground, and embedded itself in the fallen leaves.

He loosened his grip on Xie Zhuo's shoulder, took a step forward, then a second step, and a third step.

His steps were not fast, even somewhat slow, but Tang Xi still did not release Xie Zhuo from her captivity.

She looked around again, still feeling uneasy, her vigilance almost at its peak.

Yue Zijin stood at the edge of the open space, holding the brocade box, his back straight.

His jaw was clenched tightly, his teeth were clenched, and then, as if taking a deep breath, he looked at the path that had been cleared around him: "Tangxi, let's go."

He didn't look at Su Ning or Pei Yunlian from beginning to end; his fingers gripping the brocade box were white, and the veins on his arms stood out.

Without much hesitation, Tang Xi drew her whip and swiftly moved away from Xie Zhuo.

The noble and esteemed Prince Ling was instantly surrounded by a large crowd.

Su Ning didn't pay much attention to the other party anymore. Apart from being a little pale and having a scrape on his neck, Xie Zhuo was almost unharmed.

Tang Xi lightly leaped to Yue Zijin's side, looking at the brocade box held in his arms with a complicated expression.

On the other hand, I couldn't help but look back.

Pei Yunlian was being held up, with swords and knives pressed against him all around. The wound on his shoulder was stained red with blood because no one had bandaged it.

This contrasted sharply with the fact that the Prince of Ling was surrounded by people over there.

And what about Su Ning?

Tang Xi couldn't help but glance at Su Ning, whose head was slightly lowered, making it impossible to see the expression on her face.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, but just as Tangxi was about to look away, the other person suddenly raised their head.

Tangxi wondered if it was just her imagination, but Su Ning's eyes didn't show the smugness and happiness she had imagined.

She was also called away from this place by Yue Zijin.

Once the two figures were no longer visible in the woods, Xie Zhuo approached them and casually asked, "You went easy on them."

"I made such a great sacrifice, and you're letting them go so easily?"

His voice didn't sound particularly angry.

Su Ning glanced at Pei Yunlian, who had just been knocked unconscious: "Isn't this His Highness's target?"

"Why torture them after arresting them?"

Xie Zhuo really couldn't understand what Su Ning was thinking.

He didn't care about the Cold Water Flower at all, so when Su Ning asked him for it, he readily gave it to her.

But the fact that such a grand event was swept under the rug today made him feel unusually agitated.

He then instructed his subordinates, "Imprison this man in the dungeon. I will deal with him later."

Even after Pei Yunlian was dragged away, Su Ning still didn't show any concern for him, which slightly eased Xie Zhuo's irritation.

"Your actions today are tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains."

Xie Zhuo calmly drew this conclusion.

Recalling Yue Zijin's gaze earlier, Xie Zhuo believed that the other party would not give up so easily.

Not to mention, the other party also has the support of many martial arts forces behind them.

But Su Ning seemed completely unconcerned, only stroking the snow-white horse beside her, saying, "The chosen one cannot be moved."

"Otherwise, do you think that Abbot Zhang would just stand by and do nothing?"

Although she didn't know why the other party hadn't made a move, Su Ning was too lazy to guess what the other party was thinking.

Seeing that Su Ning was about to mount her horse, Xie Zhuo called a halt, "Your injury..."

His gaze fell on the other person's neck, which had been slashed by a dagger when he fell while acting.

The wound wasn't deep, the bleeding had stopped, and it was wrapped with plain white satin.

Su Ning paused for a moment. She didn't turn around, but turned her face to the side, revealing half of her profile illuminated by the morning light, her eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow on her cheekbone.

Her fingers gently caressed the reins, which were made of cowhide and warm from her body heat. The reins made a soft rustling sound as her fingers touched them, as if responding to his words, "A minor injury."

"Your Highness should worry about yourself first."

Xie Zhuo remained motionless for a long time after watching the other party leave with the help of the Xiuyulou disciples.

Su Ning...which one is the real you?

The closer Xie Zhuo got to her, the more he could sense her mystery.

The reclusive owner of Xiuyu Tower.

Her occasional naivety might make one think she's just an innocent and carefree girl, but upon closer inspection, one can discover a cold and hard heart within her frail body.

As Su Ning rode on horseback, gazing at the vast hunting grounds, she silently thought to herself: It's almost here...

With the spring hunt over, Su Ning continued her life of debauchery.

She didn't pay any attention to how Xie Zhuo's people treated Pei Yunlian.

Pei Yunlian is a descendant of the previous dynasty's royal family.

Although the probability of the other side restoring their country is very low, Xie Zhuo clearly understands the principle of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

When she sent people to bring Pei Yunlian out of that dark and gloomy dungeon, his meridians were completely severed.

His legs were too weak to support him, so he was pushed out.

This was the first time Su Ning had met him.

His eyes were lowered, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, concealing the bloodlust and despair surging within them.

His thin lips were pressed into a cold, hard line, devoid of tears, anger, or hatred, leaving only a desolate, lifeless silence.

Even though Su Ning had walked right up to him, he didn't even look up.

Su Ning asked someone to take good care of the other person, and then strolled around the Su Building alone.

She sat on the second-floor veranda, holding a cup of warm rice wine in her hand, sipping it slowly.

The wind blew from the direction of the Magpie Bridge, carrying the sweet, lingering fragrance of apricot blossoms in late March, which were just beginning to fade. It stirred her hair, which was scattered on her shoulders, and the hem of her light green blouse.

The sounds from the lobby drifted up intermittently, some clear, some blurry.

Her fingers holding the wine glass paused slightly, just for a moment, as quickly as a plucked string on a musical instrument; the sound dissipated before it could even be heard.

The sounds became more numerous, denser, and clearer.

The guests' voices rose from low to high, from whispers to loud discussions, as if they had been ignited by something, burning brighter and brighter.

Some say that the rumors have spread throughout the martial arts world that a chosen one has been born, bearing the destiny of the Purple Star, and will overthrow the current tyranny and establish a new order.

Some say that this chosen one came from humble beginnings but possessed extraordinary talents, attracting a large number of capable individuals and powerful figures from all walks of life to his side. His momentum was unprecedented in a century.

Most of the people listening to the music in the Suzhou brothel were not involved in martial arts affairs, and they all asked, "Who exactly is that person?"

What's his name?

But then a young man dressed like a scholar accurately said his name.

"Yue Zijin."