Chapter 36: This World Is Protecting Her
The dagger was already pressed against Liu Xueyin’s skin, yet it wouldn’t move an inch forward. It was as if an invisible force was stopping her.
When that failed, she immediately changed direction and stabbed toward her heart.
The tip of the blade pierced through the fabric, but it still couldn’t penetrate her flesh in the slightest.
’Unbelievable.’
Xiao Li swung her blade again and again—at the neck, throat, face, and wrists. But without exception, Liu Xueyin was like someone wearing indestructible armor, impervious to all weapons. She couldn’t be harmed in the slightest.
Xiao Li’s initial shock turned to numbness, and finally, to despair.
She couldn’t kill Liu Xueyin.
The world was protecting her.
Xiao Li stabbed down viciously. The dagger plunged deep into the chair—it was that sharp—yet it couldn’t break the most delicate of skin.
Seething with uncontrollable rage, Xiao Li swung a vicious backhand slap across her face.
SMACK!
The sound was crisp and clear. A red handprint instantly bloomed on Liu Xueyin’s face.
Even Xiao Li was stunned.
"Who are you?"
A kidnapper burst in, pointing his blade at Xiao Li.
At that moment, Xiao Li didn’t have time for him.
"Old Liu! You killed Old Liu?"
The kidnapper roared. ’About time he noticed the body,’ Xiao Li thought.
Xiao Li raised her hand and slapped Liu Xueyin viciously across the other cheek, making it symmetrical.
She reached out, testing. She could touch Liu Xueyin—the warm flesh, the real sensation. She could hit her, she could choke her.
Her hand on the throat squeezed hard. She could feel the flesh give way, yet she knew it was impossible to actually choke her to death like this.
’So, I can hit Liu Xueyin, I can abuse her, but I can’t kill her.’
Xiao Li was shocked. ’What kind of protection mechanism is this?’
’She can be abused, as long as she doesn’t die?’
"..." ’This is fucking ridiculous.’
’But I don’t want to abuse anyone. I want to kill her! I want to leave this godsforsaken place!’
She pulled out a shotgun, loaded it, spun around, and quickly shot the kidnapper.
BANG!
As expected of a crudely made weapon, the aim was terrible. It only hit his neck.
The kidnapper clutched his neck, falling slowly in shock as blood gushed out. His body twitched and convulsed.
Xiao Li reloaded and aimed directly at Liu Xueyin.
The shot rang out as expected, but on Liu Xueyin, only a patch of her clothing was blown to bits.
Watching the iron pellets scatter and roll away, Xiao Li felt like a complete joke.
The kidnappers outside heard the commotion and rushed in. Seeing the dead body, they raised their blades and charged at her without hesitation. Expressionless, she opened fire.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
She fired shot after shot until all her bullets were spent.
All five kidnappers now lay as corpses. Blood pooled on the floor, nearly forming a river, yet Liu Xueyin remained completely unscathed, looking pure and holy.
The entire scene felt like it was mocking her.
’So what if I’ve taken control of Princess Xuanyang’s body? I’ve only gone from one cage to another.’
’I can’t leave. All my struggles are in vain. I’ll be trapped in this world until I die, with no escape.’
The thunderous gunshots sent the nearby residents into a panic. Some dared to peek in this direction, but no one ventured into the house until the patrolling guards were drawn by the noise.
The sound of urgent, heavy footsteps approached from outside. Xiao Li was sitting on the rooftop, watching as torches lit up the alley below. Only then did she leap to an adjacent roof, making her way along the ridge to the other side.
Where to? Xiao Li had no idea.
’The Princess Mansion? But I’m not Princess Xuanyang, and I don’t want to be some princess. I just want to get out of here.’
’It’s obvious that Liu Xueyin is the key. Killing her is the way out, but as fate would have it, I just can’t kill her.’
’It isn’t a matter of my martial arts. It isn’t a matter of the weapons.’
’It’s as if the very rules of this world are protecting Liu Xueyin’s life.’
Guns and blades couldn’t harm her in the slightest, but ironically, a slap worked just fine.
’Am I supposed to slap Liu Xueyin to death?’
’Clearly, that’s impossible.’
’In the story, Liu Xueyin was abused in all sorts of ways by Prince Chen and survived two miscarriages, not to mention the recurring buffet of falling off cliffs, being poisoned, and being shot with arrows, none of which managed to kill her.’
Her life might be cheap, but she was damn hard to kill.
Alive, but living through a thousand kinds of torture. Abused and tormented over and over again, but she just wouldn’t die.
’And yet, in the end, she gets back together with the man who tortured her to within an inch of her life, has his children, and they live lovingly ever after?’
’It’s just... it seems this world isn’t only torturing me. The difference is that Liu Xueyin is a willing participant.’
’No, that’s not right. If this world is just a cage meant to trap me, then Liu Xueyin is just an NPC. To think I actually pitied an NPC—I must be out of my mind.’
Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she fell straight off the roof.
THUD!
Her back slammed into a pillar, and she crumpled to the ground in pain.
"Who? Who’s there?"
In her daze, she heard a somewhat familiar voice, and the pain seemed to lessen slightly. ’Am I hearing things?’
She couldn’t get up for a long moment, so she simply sat on the ground and leaned against the pillar to look.
The tavern opposite was brightly lit, casting a faint glow into the alley. The person, however, stood with their back to the light, so she could only see a silhouette. But even from that silhouette alone, she knew who it was.
"Princess?"
He had recognized her first.
Only then did Xiao Li realize that in her daze, she had forgotten to put on her mask.
’Oops, caught in the act?’
Strangely enough, her previously gloomy mood had suddenly become a little cheerful. She watched with amusement as the person approached, then her lips moved, calling out that sickly sweet name: "Feng-Tangtang!"
Young Master Feng’s footsteps faltered, and he seemed a little irritated. "Princess, I am Feng Yin."
Xiao Li raised a hand. "I fell and hurt myself. Can you give me a hand?"
The young master hesitated for a moment before extending a restrained hand. "My apologies."
He avoided her hand, instead gripping her sleeve-covered arm and pulling her straight up with a stiff motion.
The moment Xiao Li was steady on her feet, he immediately withdrew his hand.
"It’s getting late, Princess. You should return to the mansion quickly. The streets aren’t safe."
An earnest warning, showing not a hint of curiosity as to why Xiao Li was here so late at night.
Xiao Li looked at his innocent baby face. ’Between the two of us, who’s the more dangerous one?’
Xiao Li reached out, grabbed his hand, a look of naked mischief in her eyes. "I’m injured. Why don’t you escort me?"
Feng Yin recoiled as if electrocuted, but he didn’t expect Xiao Li to be unsteady. His pull sent her stumbling forward, and she crashed into his shoulder.
"Hiss! If you’re unwilling, Young Master, then just say so. Why get so worked up?"
"I... You, you, you..."
’The poor kid. He’s so scared he’s stuttering.’
Looking at his dazed expression, Xiao Li wanted to laugh, but the moment she opened her mouth, a mouthful of blood came spewing out.
The suppressed rage from earlier had finally caught up to her.
Luckily, she turned her head in time and didn’t spit the blood on Feng Yin.
She wiped her mouth. "Sorry, did I scare you?"
Feng Yin’s eyes trembled with shock. "Don’t talk. You’re spitting up blood... I—a doctor... I’ll take you back to find a doctor right now! Where are the Princess’s attendants?"
Xiao Li swayed. "Don’t have any. It’s... just me."
As she spoke, another mouthful of blood escaped her lips, and she fell forward, stiff as a board.
Before losing consciousness, she vaguely smelled a faint, pleasant scent—a sweet fragrance mixed with the smell of books.