“You……are you talking about me?” Xiao Yin suddenly turned around. His purple eyes seemed to contain the rolling flames of anger, like they would be able to burn everything away.“


  Yet as he saw Hua Zhu Yu, he was suddenly rendered speechless.

  The person who had just loudly called out and smacked the table was right now sitting on the table she had just hit and was tilting her head back to drink tea. This was a barbaric action, yet, when she did it, it didn’t show even the tiniest of barbarianism, but instead showed elegance. Her slender white neck was tilted slightly back in a beautiful arc and was letting off allure.

  Admittedly, in this tent, other than the dragon seat which he was sitting on, there was no other chair, however she still shouldn’t sit on the table. Adding on, this tea was specifically made for him by a maid. It was this spring’s famous and expensive tea and should be sipped slowly. How can it be drunk in such a vulgar fashion?

  Hua Zhu Yu was too thirsty. Anyone who had to chase after a horse for half a night would be the same. Besides, she didn’t even know if she could survive tonight. There was no need for her to continue to fake that submissive look of gentleness. She was already tired of pretending. She gracefully placed the white jade cup on the table and quietly said: “Not bad. It is indeed good tea. However, it wasn’t brewed correctly. The tea’s true potential for scent was dampened. Our South Kingdom’s brewing process is very particular.”


  At this time, Xiao Yin was angered to extreme measures, that it couldn’t be expressed through words anymore. Ironically, he actually wanted to smile. She shouted at him. She hit his table. She sat on his table and even drank his tea?! Before, he had really been blinded else he would’ve never though that she was a prost.i.tute.

  “That is because you didn’t drink it correctly!” Xiao Yin coldly snorted. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he felt regret to the point where he wanted to bite his tongue off. His face suddenly darkened and immediately was replaced by ice-like coldness. He had again become h.e.l.l’s Yanluo. His eagle-like eyes narrowed and he lightly moved the thread wrapped around his finger while slowly saying: “Just now, you said that bendianxia didn’t dare?”


  (TL: Yanluo – ruler of h.e.l.l in Chinese mythology. He is also called Yama)

  The barbed arrow embedded in her shoulder was already painful, yet now that it was again be pulled on and was not being removed, the pain worsened.

  Hua Zhu Yu pressed her lips together, while her clear eyes became a little misty.

  “You don’t dare and you also wouldn’t do it. You should know that the reason why you had been pushed back by the South Kingdom back into the North Kingdom’s borders, instead of being defeated, was put into a deadlock. It is because your soldiers know that this is the last line of defense. Once this area is taken under South Kingdom’s control and you are pushed back further, South Kingdom will be able to easily take control of the whole of the North Kingdom. If you brought me to the battlefield and let soldiers strip me, the only thing you will give rise to is their anger. Then, the deadlock will immediately be broken and the North Kingdom will fall.”Hua Zhu Yu said with a frown. Her light tone carried quiet heaviness, like the flow of water on stone, the softness also carried firmness.

  “You actually understand how the morality of soldiers quite well.” Xiao Yin grit his teeth as he said: “Who……exactly are you?”


  How would a ignorant young miss of a rich family know all of this? He really couldn’t believe it.

  His words slightly shocked her heart. She lightly frowned as she slowly said: “I’m one of the servants in the Hua Residence. My name is Dan Hong, I once served the houye and I’ve been on the battlefield for two years. I know quite a bit about battle. Later, houye sent me to General Yin and I played the zither for him. After General Yin’s unfortunate death, I returned to the Hua Residence and subst.i.tuted the young miss for marriage!”


  When Xiao Yin heard, his face darkened.

  Originally he wanted to marry Wen Wan, and did want to marry Hua family’s young miss, yet now he had actually married a servant . Now, even if he put her onto the battlefield, he wouldn’t be able to blackmail Hua Mu.

  “For you not to marry the young miss is actually your good fortune. I won’t hide it from you – the young miss is actually extremely ugly.” Hua Zhu Yu lightly said when she saw Xiao Yin’s unhappy expression.

  “That day, on the tower, which piece did you play?” Xiao Yin asked again. No wonder she could play the zither and boost the soldier’s morale – It was because she was red-robed female who was by Yin Shu Xie’s side.

  “It’s the piece that I normally play on the battlefield – Killing Broken Wolves.” Hua Zhu Yu softly said.

  Xiao Yin coldly smiled. No wonder when the South Kingdom’s soldiers heard, their morale had been boosted.

  Xiao Yin’s lips tightened slightly. It was because of her that he had lost the first battle, and thus had lost the rest of the battles in succession. If it were not for her, how would he, Xiao Yin, fall to this point where he was at his last line of defense?

  He slowly stood up. His purple eyes contained deep haziness. He pulled her over and ripped apart the sleeve on her right arm.

  Hua Zhu Yu didn’t protest.

  Tonight, by making him believe that she was not Hua family’s young miss, but rather a servant was a win for her. She definitely wouldn’t want him to use her life to blackmail her father. No matter what, this was not okay.

  As the situation progressed to here, she knew Xiao Yin hated her deeply and wanted to kill her. If she wanted to preserve her life, in this word battle, she could not lose – no matter what- to Xiao Yin. Else, her life could not be saved. Only if she won would Xiao Yin feel un-resigned by his own loss and leave her alive for the purpose of further torture.

  Hua Zhu Yu had not guessed incorrectly. Behind her, Xiao Yin’s cold voice sounded: “Say, if bendianxia broke the joints on your fingers one by one, would you think that this hand would still be able to play the zither; still be able to boost the moral of the soldiers?”


  Hua Zhu Yu’s phoenix-like eyes narrowed. She saw that in Xiao Yin’s unfathomable eyes there was a trace of coldness. Right afterwards, she lightly smiled and softly said: “I probably would not be able to!”


  Xiao Yin’s hand clenched onto Hua Zhu Yu’s hand.

  Her hand was white and delicate like they had been made out of jade. However, her hands had a slight bit of jian. He was then completely convinced that she wasn’t Hua family’s young miss, because a rich young miss wouldn’t have jian as jian was the result of hard labor. He warmly touched her fingers – like he was touching his lover’s hand. These hands were a pair of beautiful hands, yet, it was also these pair of hands that destroyed his victory.

  Xiao Yin’s eyes narrowed. His purple eyes seemed to turn a darker shade of purple. He suddenly used energy to pinch. There was a ‘ge’ sound. Hua Zhu Yu’s pinky felt extreme pain like that of needles being stuck into her skin. However, compared with the pain in her shoulders it wasn’t that painful. She looked down at her own hand. Her pinky had been broken into a distorted shape. She bit onto her lip but didn’t make a sound. Actually, she was extremely scared of pain. The reason she had practiced martial arts was so that she wouldn’t be wounded. However, why must she still be wounded?

  Xiao Yin looked at Hua Zhu Yu and when he saw that she bit her lips yet didn’t make a noise, his eyes glinted dangerously. His hands yet again used strength. There was only a ‘gegege’ noise that kept on sounding. Bouts and bouts of pain made Hua Zhu Yu go into a trance. Her soul had seemed to have flown out of the sh.e.l.l that was her body. However, the pain was still acute and sharp.

  Her forehead began sweating again. The piece of cloth from her clothes that she had been unknowingly biting on had teared open.