With her deceased husband as her dowry, would Your Highness dare to marry her?

"These things have nothing to do with my mother."

Xuanjing smiled.

"When I was five years old, my mother died. Before she died, she entrusted me to Xiaoyaozi. But he didn't acknowledge me. He turned around and sent me to a temple, never to be heard from again."

Xuan Jing paused slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I did everything at the temple, from fetching water to chopping wood. The abbot said I was still attached to worldly life and refused to ordain me. So I became a dog there, someone anyone could kick."

Xuan Jing raised her clear eyes. But the light in them had died down, leaving only two empty, stagnant pools.

"There was a monk in the temple named Wuzhen. From the day I entered the temple, he made things difficult for me in every way. Later, under the pretext of learning Buddhism, he summoned me to his meditation room to chant scriptures. At first, I thought that if I could really learn Buddhism and overcome my inner demons, it wouldn't be a bad thing. But the Buddhism that Wuzhen spoke of was just his own. If I disobeyed even slightly, he would beat me with his fists and feet and whip me with a rattan cane."

He gazed in Lin Ci's direction, tears silently streaming down his face.

"I spoke with the abbot. The abbot expelled Wuzhen from the temple. I thought I could live again. But the monks in the temple looked at me as if I were a plague, avoiding me like the plague. At that time, you came and promised to come and see me often..."

His voice suddenly choked up.

"I endured winter, spring, summer... one year, two years, and you, like my beastly father, abandoned me. I ran away from the temple to find you, but he only had eyes for you and that mute girl; you were the only ones who seemed like his own children, not me!"

Xuan Jing's lips curled upwards with effort, then he burst into a maniacal laugh, his laughter tinged with sobs.

"He never smiled at me like that, never... and you've completely forgotten about me."

Lin Ci looked at him, her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and her chest ached with a tightness.

Xuan Jing raised his head, his eyes empty as if his soul had been ripped out. He murmured, "Thank goodness, that old bastard is dead. He left everything to you. He left me with a body full of scars and a filthy body that can never be cleaned."

He suddenly leaned closer, his empty eyes igniting two dark flames that seemed to devour her.

"Give me back my things, the medical skills he taught you...including you."

Lin Ci stared at him blankly. Every word he had just spoken was filled with blood and tears. She felt sorry for him from the bottom of her heart, but she owed him nothing. How could she take childhood jokes seriously?

"Alright." She chuckled softly. "My master once said that everything he taught must be kept in one's heart, only then can it not be stolen or taken away. If you want it back, take my heart; everything you want is inside."

Xuan Jing's gaze lingered on her brows and eyes. Then, he put on an innocent look and said, "Why would I want this useless thing? Since you can't repay it, then taste my bitterness. I will let you know what it's like to be in the deepest hell."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly pulled Lin Ci into his arms, with such force that it seemed he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

Lin Ci struggled desperately, and her black hair fell out as she twisted and turned.

"Let me go...uh..."

She turned her head to the side, but he pressed even closer, his hot breath brushing against her neck, wet and sticky, like a snake's tongue.

"Don't touch me!" Lin Ciru, like a little sparrow caught in an eagle's claws, struggled to flap its bound wings.

A hint of excitement ignited in Xuan Jing's eyes. He lowered his head, his nose almost touching the pulse on her neck.

"A body that has tasted hundreds of herbs... even its scent is so pleasant."

He was obsessed with this torturous pleasure, and his breathing became rapid.

Lin Ci sensed it; the more pain she was in, the happier he became. So she closed her eyes, suppressed the fear in her heart, and slowly, slowly gave up the struggle.

Xuanjing's brows suddenly furrowed, like a child who hadn't gotten any candy, his face full of grievance.

"That's not fun anymore."

Lin Ci seemed not to hear, her eyes calm as still water.

Xuan Jing took a deep breath, hesitating as if making an extremely difficult decision.

"Since that's the case..." He lowered his head, revealing two sharp, gleaming fangs, "I won't hold back. You'll be begging me then... begging me to take you."

He suddenly bit down on Lin Ci's neck vein, like a venomous snake that had been eyeing her for a long time.

The excruciating pain instantly spread throughout Lin Ci's body, causing her to convulse uncontrollably and tremble like a leaf.

"Uh...uh..."

She gasped for breath, a muffled sob escaping her throat. Her vision blurred, everything faded, leaving only a swaying halo before her eyes.

Suddenly, a sword's cry pierced the air. The carriage frame shattered in response, sending splinters flying.

Xuanjing suddenly looked up.

Pei Jinxuan stood amidst the broken wood, a three-foot-long sword in his hand, its tip pointing to the ground, its cold light like water.

Pei Jinxuan's eyes widened. He saw Lin Ci held tightly in Xuan Jing's arms, her dark hair disheveled and draped over her shoulders, a bloodstain on her neck oozing crimson. She bit her lip, remaining silent, pain etched on her brow.

Xuan Jing's body was covered in old, overlapping scars, and a trace of blood lingered at the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Pei Jinxuan, and their gazes met amidst the splintered wood and dust.

Pei Jinxuan remained silent, twirling his three-foot-long sword before shooting out like an arrow. The tip of the sword grazed the shattered carriage floor, sending sparks flying, aiming straight for Xuan Jing's throat.

Sparks flew onto Xuanjing's handsome face, reflecting his piercing eyes. He sidestepped slightly, the sword grazing his face and slicing off a corner of his monk's robe.

Pei Jinxuan flicked his wrist, his sword moving like a dragon, and then aimed at Xuan Jing's hand that was wrapped around Lin Ci's waist. Xuan Jing was like an eagle that had finally caught a sparrow, clinging tightly to its prey and refusing to let go. The sword fell, almost severing his arm, before he finally released Lin Ci, flipped backward, and landed several steps away.

Lin Ci lost his support and collapsed limply onto the broken car body, his eyes half-closed, unaware of whether he was alive or dead.

Pei Jinxuan glanced at her, his feet involuntarily moving closer to her. However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Xuan Jing seemed to be fleeing. He gritted his teeth angrily and swung his sword at Xuan Jing. Each strike was aimed straight for vital points, ruthless and vicious, showing no intention of leaving him alive, even if he still had some use to him.

Xuan Jing was forced to retreat repeatedly, unable to use any of the skills he had learned in the temple. He lowered his body, moving like a snake along the ground, and attacked Pei Jinxuan's lower body. Pei Jinxuan kicked him squarely in the chest with great force, sending him flying and crashing his back heavily into the broken wheel.

puff……

Xuan Jing spat out blood. He stared at Pei Jinxuan, raised his hand to wipe it, and grinned, revealing a mouthful of bloody white teeth.

Pei Jinxuan gave him no chance to breathe, thrusting his sword towards his face. Xuan Jing instantly grabbed a handful of dust and threw it into his eyes. Pei Jinxuan instinctively raised his arm to shield himself, and in that instant, Xuan Jing flipped to his feet and staggered away into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Just as Pei Jinxuan was about to give chase, a weak groan suddenly came from behind him. He turned around and saw Lin Ci vomiting a mouthful of blood, the color of which was black.

Pei Jinxuan's heart clenched. He glanced at the fleeing figure in a disheveled state, then at Lin Ci's pale face. After only a moment's hesitation, he steadied himself, gripped the sword hilt with his right hand, channeled all his strength into his right arm, and hurled it with a mighty throw…