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

Before the lingering effects of the darkness had completely dissipated, the moment consciousness returned, a bone-chilling cold seeped into every part of my body.

Su Ning slowly moved her stiff back. The surface beneath her was rough and hard, nothing like the soft brocade of her usual bed.

The bed was made of old, rough wood, and the bare planks hurt my shoulders and lower back. The cold air seeped up along the wood grain and pierced my skin, making me shiver slightly.

She opened her eyes, and light streamed in through the window, making it clear that fine dust particles were floating in the light.

The pain in her wrists and ankles made her realize that she had been kidnapped again.

Before she could make a move, she heard a "creak."

She looked up and met a pair of round pupils that seemed to be sharpened with cold blades.

The young man stood at the threshold, his dark-colored outfit stained with undried blood. His dark hair was tied back with a hair tie, and a few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead, making his handsome and innocent face appear somewhat cold.

It is Yue Zijin.

He has completely shed his former naive and roguish appearance, and now he is much more convincing.

Su Ning thought about the rumors circulating in the martial arts world these days.

She first looked at her bound hands and feet, then smiled slightly at him, a smile exactly the same as before: "Zijin, long time no see."

It was as if those disagreements between the two had never happened.

He approached step by step, his boots making a soft, rustling sound as they rolled across the floor.

Su Ning could clearly see his hand, its knuckles white, hovering in front of her, hesitant to fall.

His gaze swept across her pale, calm face, finally settling on the marks on her wrists.

Aren't you afraid?

The voice was colder than a blade, yet it concealed a barely perceptible hoarseness.

Yue Zijin's fingertips stopped half an inch from her wrist, as if trying to grasp her pulse, with a hint of humiliation in his intention.

Yue Zijin had thought a lot about how to get revenge on Su Ning.

But now that I've seen him/her...

What he was thinking about was that those eyes, which had once captivated countless people, would never again see the beauty of the world. He wanted to confine that stunningly beautiful face to this deep mountain forest, where he could take it as he pleased.

Noticing the other person's actions, Su Ning showed no fear whatsoever, remaining as gentle and innocent as ever, "Why should I be afraid of Zijin?"

Yue Zijin's movements suddenly stopped.

He recalled how Su Ning and the Prince of Ling collaborated to ambush him, and how the other party stabbed Pei Yunlian in the shoulder without hesitation.

"That's enough!"

He abruptly withdrew his hand, then drew the long sword from his waist half an inch, its cold light making Su Ning's face even paler.

The blade pressed against her neck, the cool touch making her hold her breath, but he didn't press any harder. He simply leaned down slowly, his nose almost brushing against the top of her head.

"Su Ning," he uttered her name, as if chewing on a block of ice, "how long have you been pretending? You're not the Su Ning you used to be, and I'm not the Yue Zijin who was bewitched by you anymore."

"I could kill you with ease."

His aura carried a faint smell of blood, as if he had killed someone before coming here.

Su Ning didn't move again, but tears welled up in her eyelashes, refusing to fall. "I know you blame me, you can kill me now."

Seeing that Su Ning seemed to have given up resisting, Yue Zijin suddenly felt a pang of grief.

He realized clearly that he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

The knife never came any closer.

He suddenly laughed, a laugh that carried a self-deprecating tone, but also an indescribable tenderness.

"Why are you crying?" His voice softened slightly, but still maintained its coldness. "Death would be too good for you. I'm going to keep you alive and torture you every day."

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her earlobe: "No one can find this place. Only I know about it."

His fingertips tightened suddenly, pinching her chin and forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

"I will make you pay the price."

Because of the pain, tears quickly welled up in Su Ning's eyes.

Yue Zijin looked away and refused to look into her eyes again.

He turned and walked to the window, his back to her, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the scabbard, his voice so low it was almost inaudible:

"Don't even think about running away; you can't get out."

The wind outside the wooden house blew in fallen leaves, lifting the hem of his clothes.

Looking at his tall and straight back, Su Ning felt that the innocent and adorable boy from before was gradually fading away, replaced by a very faint, calculating figure.

Yue Zijin left quickly, and the room returned to silence.

She gently stroked the marks on her wrist, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.

Forced sex? Kid, your methods are still a bit green.

Su Ning looked at the restraints on her wrists and easily untied them.

However, she felt a medicinal effect within her body.

Sure enough, as soon as she stepped out of bed, she felt weak all over.

Even the windows just a few steps away seemed exceptionally difficult to reach.

It seems he was wary of himself.

Su Ning returned to the cold, hard bed, wondering about Su Lou and the others' reactions after she was kidnapped.

"Bang—"

A deep, muffled thud suddenly exploded out.

The punches were fierce and piercing, each strike landing heavily and brutally. Palm strikes and elbow strikes were all aimed at vital points, a one-sided crushing beating.

Sixteen did not draw his sword, but retreated and endured at every turn, relying solely on his physical body to withstand the blows, and muffled thuds echoed continuously in the building.

He was powerless to resist, nor did he want to resist; it was his negligence that led to Su Ning being abducted.

Yu Xinglai's brows and eyes were covered with a layer of crazed ferocity, his eyes were red at the corners, and his pupils were bloodshot, his expression both obsessive and sinister. "If anything happens to her, I will tear you to pieces."

After several rounds, Sixteen's face and body were covered in bruises, and blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

But he didn't fight back. He had figured out why Tang Xi had suddenly appeared last night: his own sister was using him.

It was his oversight.

Just as Yu Xinglai was about to launch another attack, a disciple of Xiuyulou suddenly ran into Sulou's gate.

Yu Xinglai stopped what he was doing, grabbed the disciple's collar, and asked fiercely, "Do you have any news about your sect leader?"

The disciple dared not conceal anything, and stammered, "No, but... but His Highness Prince Ling was assassinated."

"Our subordinates have discovered that the assassin was the same person who robbed the Lord of the Tower."

The disciple was casually tossed aside, while the culprit had already vanished from the spot.

Hongxiu didn't show much expression on her face. She watched as Sixteen limped along, seemingly wanting to chase after that person as well.

Then he thought of the disciples who had secretly protected the master last night, all of whom had been silently injured.

She had a feeling that perhaps the Lord was doing this on purpose.

Of course, she never gave up her search for the Lord.

The Prince Ling's Mansion.

The servants were pale and panicked, running around frantically with hurried and disorderly steps. No one dared to say a word and just kept their heads down to do their work.

Doctors took turns entering to treat patients. The strong, pungent smell of medicine, mixed with a thick, bloody odor, permeated the entire dormitory, making people feel suffocated and unable to breathe.

The servants and maids in the mansion carried copper basins in and out, one basin after another, all filled with dark red blood that had just been removed.

Xie Zhuo was half-naked, his face was a little pale, and his chest was wrapped in gauze. His injuries had stopped.

His gaze then fell on the shelf in the room, where he had just recognized the weapon that had injured him.

Dragon Bird Knife.

Unfortunately, there was another force behind them.

It's not Zhang Hexian.

That person's martial arts skills were unparalleled; I recalled those familiar features.

Xie Zhuo made a decision: "Guards, I want to enter the palace."