Xiao Chi Zhan glanced sideways, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed. His well-defined hand suddenly gripped her neck, and he smiled faintly, "It's quite easy to pinch."
Ye Luan felt a sharp pain in her neck.
She forced herself to calm down, looking at him quietly, her eyes filled with stubbornness and an imperceptible resolve.
Xiao Chi Zhan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do you want to live?"
He suddenly leaned over, trapping her against the wooden frame, his sidelong gaze filled with a perverse amusement.
The surrounding atmosphere was cold and thin.
Ye Luan could even smell the faint scent of sandalwood emanating from him.
Close.
Too close.
True to her heart, she nodded.
"Please, Your Highness, show mercy and let this humble daughter go. I vow never to appear before Your Highness again."
Never appear?
Xiao Chi Zhan sneered, caressing her tender skin.
How could he allow her to escape?
When she is tamed, when he grows tired of playing.
When she dies.
"Ye Luan, if you can walk out of this prince's secret chamber alive, this prince will spare your life."
Ye Luan felt as if she were hallucinating for a moment.
Looking into his enchanting red eyes, filled with wild flames spraying onto her face, she couldn't help but tremble inwardly.
The visual impact was too powerful.
"Looking at me like that, do you want me to dig out those eyes?"
His deep, cold voice slowly circled her ears. Ye Luan took a deep breath.
The hidden guards in the secret chamber were all highly skilled martial artists with profound internal energy. How could she possibly defeat them?
"Afraid?"
Hearing his taunt, Ye Luan glanced at the chained shackles on her wrists and ankles, then smiled faintly, "Shouldn't Your Highness release me first?"
At this, the smile on Xiao Chi Zhan's face deepened.
He personally unlocked the iron chains binding her.
Red marks, caused by chafing, adorned her wrists and ankles.
Ye Luan gasped in pain. She subtly twisted her hand, trying to alleviate the ache. Blood from being whipped stained her dress, a shocking sight.
She looked at the man sitting casually on the stool and chuckled, "Does Your Highness want me to kill all the hidden guards here?"
'If you can walk out alive, this prince will spare your life.'
Ye Luan stealthily surveyed her surroundings. This was a secret chamber prison.
The closest weapon to her was a long spear.
There were hidden guards everywhere in the secret chamber, at least ten of them.
With her current condition, she couldn't fight her way out.
Ye Luan's mind raced, but her expression remained unfaltering. She spoke calmly, "Your Highness, could you give me a weapon?"
She wasn't skilled with a long spear. Her preferred weapon was a dagger.
"You can pick any weapon from the weapon rack."
Xiao Chi Zhan wore a fierce smile, his eyes showing no trace of the killing intent he harbored towards her.
This man was far more terrifying than depicted in the books.
Standing beside him, she could feel his intense pressure and chilling aura, like a devil fallen into a human purgatory, sending shivers down her spine.
His white hair only amplified his cold and heartless demeanor.
Even when he smiled, the mirth didn't reach his eyes; it was disdain, mockery.
Ye Luan felt a sense of coldness in her heart, but her expression was mild. When he grabbed her and pinned her beneath his robe, her face showed no change.
"Does this expression of yours make you want me to kill you myself?"
Ye Luan suppressed the killing intent in her heart. Her whipped body made it difficult for her to stand.
Xiao Chi Zhan sneered, looking at the woman prostrate at his feet, a perverted sense of satisfaction rising within him.
He leaned down slightly, pinched her chin, and gazed at her delicate red lips. His thumb, stained with blood, roughly caressed them.
Ye Luan nearly vomited.
She had been single her entire life. This was her first intimate contact with a man.
"Heh, you find this prince disgusting?"
Suddenly, a sinister voice came from above, startling Ye Luan and making her back tremble.
She smiled faintly, "How could I?"
A hypocritical woman!
Xiao Chi Zhan found her increasingly interesting.
For years, since ascending the throne, many women had thrown themselves at him, and he found them all sickening. He had felt the same about this woman before.
But now, watching her was truly amusing.
She hid her sharp claws, feigning obedience, yet her core exuded a stubborn pride.
He was eager to see how long she could maintain this facade.
"What weapon do you want?"
Ye Luan broke free from his grasp and stood up, her simple green dress appearing terrifyingly blood-stained.
"A dagger."
The daughter of a respected Minister's mansion actually wielded a dagger.
The smile on Xiao Chi Zhan's lips deepened.
"Long Yi, get her a dagger."
"Yes."
The small blade was drawn from its sheath, gleaming coldly.
Ye Luan had another plan in mind. She couldn't possibly defeat so many hidden guards. The key was to capture the king. Only by controlling Xiao Chi Zhan could she have a chance to escape alive.
But the books had mentioned that Xiao Chi Zhan's martial arts were unmatched, and he had survived numerous battles, returning from the brink of death.
How could she, in her weakened state, defeat him?
Ye Luan did not want to die. She wanted to live.
Her chin suddenly throbbed with pain. As she turned her head, she met Xiao Chi Zhan's grim and terrifying gaze.
"Don't play any tricks on this prince. If I want you dead by the third watch, the King of Hell wouldn't dare keep you until the fifth."
A chilling coldness, laced with a fearful desire, permeated the thin air, causing goosebumps to erupt all over her back.
Ye Luan struck suddenly.
Her movements were incredibly strange as she circled behind Xiao Chi Zhan, pressing the small knife against his neck, her voice icy.
"Didn't Your Highness say that you would spare me if I walked out alive? Then Your Highness should accompany me on this journey."
This scene unfolded too quickly, catching everyone off guard.
"Your Highness!"
How could His Highness, with his martial prowess, allow himself to be held hostage by a woman?
Long Yi was even more astonished. Seeing Xiao Chi Zhan sitting leisurely, he dared not speak rashly.
Ye Luan herself lacked confidence.
This man was too unfathomable.
He remained lazily seated on the chair, his deep red eyes seeming to smile, mocking her foolishness.
"Attack, kill her."
A sinister, thin voice echoed in the secret chamber. Ye Luan, in shock, watched the hidden guards charging towards her. With a fierce resolve, she thrust the knife in her hand towards Xiao Chi Zhan's heart.
But a sharp pain shot through her wrist, injured by his internal energy. Ye Luan cursed inwardly and quickly rolled away, picking up the knife from the ground and slashing back.
The entire secret chamber erupted into a chaotic battle.
Ye Luan wanted to break out of the secret chamber, but she was surrounded, and the intense pain from her body made it impossible for her to fight her way out.
Xiao Chi Zhan sat on his chair, with a blood wolf lying beside him.
He watched the fight with amusement, his slender, well-defined fingers lifting a teacup and slowly sipping from it.
The knife suddenly plunged into Ye Luan's body. The pain was tearing, heart-wrenching.
Her eyes were filled with killing intent, her entire body bloody.
She fought like a madwoman, dodging the blades, smashing the entire secret chamber to pieces, and relentlessly stabbing the hidden guards with her knife.