Chapter 66: Aren’t You Already a Pervert?
"Who do you think you are? Why should I pay you any mind?" Xiao Li wasn’t some lovesick side character, and she had no intention of indulging this scumbag.
"You were quite the hero protecting Liu Xueyin, weren’t you? Since you chose to intervene, you should be prepared to face the consequences. You can’t even control your own woman, letting her provoke me, and I’m not supposed to retaliate? Do you take me for a pushover?"
’A weakling provokes someone stronger, gets killed, and then blames the strong one for striking too quickly to give her a chance to fight back. It was utterly laughable.’
Xiao Jingyu’s expression was grim and cold. "I didn’t tell her to go to you."
Xiao Li said, "But she came anyway. And for that, she had to face the consequences. I’m not the Bodhisattva Guanyin; I’m not that forgiving."
Murderous intent flashed in Xiao Jingyu’s dark eyes. "Actions have consequences. Are you prepared to face yours?"
’Oho, is he planning on playing for real now?’
Xiao Li’s interest was suddenly piqued. She raised a hand, and Rong Qing immediately presented her with a wine jar. Her expression instantly shifted from sharp and severe back to the gentle, harmless facade she’d worn upon entering.
"Of course I’ll face the consequences of my own actions. Isn’t that why I’ve brought my Brother a gift?"
"It’s a tonic of Great Nourishment, excellent for my Brother’s injured and weakened body."
"A small token from your little sister. I do hope my Brother will accept it."
With that, Xiao Li coolly turned and led her people away. As they passed through a corridor, a woman carrying a tray nearly bumped into her. Seeing the large, imposing retinue, the woman got scared and quickly retreated.
Xiao Li gave the woman a long look before striding away. At the main gate, a hunched, middle-aged man stood waiting. His gaze was as cold as a snake’s, burning with intense hatred.
’From his expression alone, she could guess he was the steward—Su Jin’s father.’
But compared to Su Jin, this steward was clearly more composed. Though he looked like he wanted to kill her, he bowed respectfully. "Farewell, Princess Xuanyang."
Xiao Li arched an eyebrow. ’Now this is more like it,’ she thought. ’I’m the main villain. People are supposed to hate me, to want to kill me, not just line up to pester me over some man.’
Xiao Li paused. "If I recall correctly, you’re the steward, Sun Shan, right?"
Sun Shan kept his head lowered. "Yes, Princess. I am he."
A smirk played on Xiao Li’s lips. "Sun Shan, I give you permission to come and kill me."
’If he killed her, it would just start a new round of the game, and his daughter would return.’
’But she had no intention of playing along that time.’
Sun Shan looked up, watching Xiao Li’s retreating figure. The hatred in his eyes did not fade, but it was now mingled with a thicket of confusion.
Yang Jun was even more confused and distressed than the steward. "Princess, why would you say that to him? What right does he have to kill you? No—I will absolutely not allow him to harm a single hair on your head!"
’How could the Princess be killed by a steward who doesn’t even look like he knows martial arts? What are we, dead?’
Rong Qing silently nodded in agreement.
Xiao Li said, "I gave him permission to *try* to kill me. Whether he can actually do it depends on his own abilities. It’s not like I’m just going to stand here and let him."
’There was a long line of people who wanted her dead. Even if that steward wanted a turn, he probably wouldn’t even make the queue.’
"As for why I said that to him... let’s just say I was in a good mood and spouting nonsense."
’Was she really going to admit that after being pestered by so many others, she actually appreciated Sun Shan’s pure, unadulterated hatred? That would just sound twisted.’
If Yang Jun and Rong Qing knew what Xiao Li was thinking, their expressions would surely be a tearful T_T... ’Aren’t you already twisted?’
After Xiao Li left, the woman she had encountered in the corridor brought the tray to Xiao Jingyu. She went to set it down, only to find something already on the small table.
"Prince, what is this?"
Xiao Jingyu glanced at it. "Get rid of it."
Seeing he wasn’t joking, the woman said, "Oh," and turned to move the jar aside to be thrown out later.
But the jar was heavy and smooth. She couldn’t get a firm grip, and it slipped from her hands, shattering on the floor with a LOUD CRASH. The aroma of wine instantly filled the air, mingled with a foul, coppery stench. Several round, fleshy objects rolled out from the shards.
"Ah!" The woman feigned a startled, delicate cry. "So it was wine. Oh, but there are some things inside. What are they?"
Beifeng and Nan Yin immediately stepped forward. They got a clear look at the objects but didn’t recognize them at first. The two of them quickly cleaned up the mess and took the items away for identification.
A moment later, Beifeng returned alone, his face ashen.
"Prince, the contents of that wine jar... they were... a man’s testicles."
CRASH! Xiao Jingyu swept his teacup from the table. "She is absolutely lawless!"
’Daring to send him such a thing pickled in wine... it was a naked, shameless humiliation.’
Beifeng continued, "Last night, twelve men were dispatched from the Night Department. Seven are dead, and the other five were likely captured. And inside that wine jar... there were exactly ten..."
It wasn’t just a humiliation; it was a warning.
Xiao Jingyu’s face was as black as a thundercloud. Beifeng was so frightened he didn’t dare to speak—not out of fear of his own Prince, but of the Princess.
A warrior can be killed but not humiliated, and the same went for a Death Warrior.
Beifeng and his men had long ago put aside all thoughts of life and death. But they were Death Warriors, and they were also men. The thought of being captured, castrated, and then pickled in wine...
The harm was immense, and the insult was profound.
Princess Xuanyang was a terrifying woman!
Beifeng was Xiao Jingyu’s closest confidant; of course Xiao Jingyu knew what he was thinking. Never mind Beifeng—even he couldn’t stomach the thought of sending assassins after Xiao Li only to receive such a... gift in return.
One could lose their head, one could shed their blood, but to be made a eunuch... that was truly intolerable. This news would spread quickly. In the future, any men he sent would likely lose their nerve before they even made a move.
Xiao Jingyu had never expected that his greatest adversary would not be the Emperor, but Princess Xiao Li. She was more terrifying than the Emperor, who merely crushed people with his authority.
After a long silence, he slowly closed his eyes. "We won’t move against her for now. That new man by her side... he looks somewhat familiar. Go and investigate him."
Beifeng could answer that without even having to leave. "Did the Prince not recognize him? That’s a descendant of the Rong Family, Rong Qing."
Xiao Jingyu was stunned. "The Rong Qing who cut King Di Nu in half at the waist with a single slash of his saber?"
Beifeng nodded. "The very same. He suffered a leg injury on the battlefield. After he returned, he sold his family’s estate to provide for his widowed sister-in-law, and then he vanished without a trace. I have no idea where Princess Xuanyang managed to find him, let alone how she healed his leg."
"Have you forgotten?" Nan Yin said, entering from the doorway. "After the assassination attempt, Princess Xuanyang went to the Military Department to select guards. There was a crippled drill instructor among them."
"Princess Xuanyang went to the palace to request a large quantity of top-tier medicinal herbs, and she also had Doctor Ning visit her estate. Curing a leg injury wouldn’t have been difficult with those resources."
Beifeng sighed. "The Military Department is just a scrap heap. Who would have thought she’d find a diamond in the rough there."
Rong Qing, the scion of a general’s family and a true master of the Rong Family’s Saber Technique, had once cut King Di Nu in half with a single slash. For a fearsome warrior like him to be saved by her in his moment of deepest despair... his loyalty would be absolute.
With a "Big Killer" like that by her side, it was no wonder that twelve assassins from the Night Department had failed to kill her.
The woman was twisted, and she was protected by a master. The very thought of being enemies with someone like that was terrifying.