Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man thoughtfully, "Is it that no matter who this king likes, you will help this king get them?"
"Of course!"
"However, a forcibly twisted melon is not sweet," Nangong Yu said with a troubled expression.
"That's the sour talk of those who can't get the melon. Whether it's sweet or not, the one who eats it decides," Xiao Man said with a serious face.
Nangong Yu nodded in agreement.
That's right, whether it was forcibly twisted or not, he found it very sweet to eat, a sweetness that reached his heart.
"Quick, look, the Feihua Tower is starting the auction for Fairy Lingyan," Xiao Man excitedly looked downstairs.
The men below were all bloodthirsty, bidding desperately. Starting from a hundred taels of silver, they had already reached a thousand taels in a short time.
"Three thousand taels!" An excited voice came from upstairs. Everyone looked up to see which rich patron it was. Seeing that it was the Thirteenth Prince Nangong Yi, they hesitated whether to raise the bid, only to hear the Thirteenth Prince add, "gold."
"The Thirteenth Prince bids three thousand taels of gold, are there any higher bids?" The madam of Feihua Tower waved her handkerchief, asking excitedly. The wrinkles on her face turned into a blooming flower, thrilled to have auctioned Fairy Lingyan for the sky-high price of three thousand taels of gold.
Xiao Man looked at Nangong Yi and couldn't help but disdain, "This Nangong Yi is truly lustful. No matter how rich the Jin family is, they can't withstand his extravagance!"
Nangong Yu looked at Nangong Yi, his face expressionless. Nangong Yi, on the other hand, was beaming, half of his body leaning out of the window, "Are there any more bids? If not, Fairy Lingyan will be mine."
The madam looked excitedly upstairs. At this price, the only ones who could still bid were the distinguished guests upstairs. Three thousand taels of gold was already a sky-high price, but the madam also wanted to sell it for a higher price.
After looking around and seeing no one bidding, the madam of Feihua Tower clapped her hands and said, "Tonight, Lingyan belongs to the Thirteenth Prince. Lingyan, why aren't you going up to accompany the Thirteenth Prince?"
Lingyan responded and rose. With silk ribbons wrapped around her wrists, she lightly stepped and landed like a butterfly at Nangong Yi's window.
Nangong Yi looked overjoyed. He reached out, put his arm around the beauty's waist, and brought her inside. The window was then closed.
"A gluttonous ghost!" Xiao Man commented again.
Nangong Yu's expression was indifferent, with a cold, ascetic face, "Let's go, the show is over, it's time to go back."
Xiao Man got up and walked out shoulder to shoulder with Nangong Yu. As they reached the staircase, they happened to run into Wen Mohan and Cen Yu coming out together. Nangong Yu's gaze fell on Cen Yu's face.
When Cen Yu saw Xiao Man, he immediately frowned. Despite his displeased expression, there was a unique charm about him, no wonder Xiao Man had given him such a high evaluation.
Nangong Yu went downstairs first. Wen Mohan's gaze fell on Xiao Man. He took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Why did you come to a place like this? If people find out and it reaches Old Madam Xiao's ears, you'll be punished again."
Xiao Man smiled faintly, "That's why I changed my outfit. If it weren't for someone familiar with me, how could they recognize me?"
Wen Mohan still felt uneasy after hearing this, "It's very late, I'll escort you..."
Before Wen Mohan could finish speaking, Nangong Yu reached out, grabbed Xiao Man's arm, and pulled her down the stairs. Xiao Man lost her balance and lunged towards Nangong Yu.
Nangong Yu originally just wanted to keep Xiao Man at a distance from Wen Mohan. Who knew that this pull would directly cause Xiao Man to fall into his arms.
Xiao Man, stumbling into Nangong Yu's arms, instinctively pushed him away with force, forgetting that they were standing on the stairs. Thus, in full view of everyone, His Highness Prince Qin was pushed down the stairs by Xiao Man.
Xiao Man's mouth gaped in shock, while Nangong Yu lay on the floor below, his eyes full of malevolence, staring intently at Xiao Man. Xiao Man quickly ran down, "Your Highness, I didn't mean to."
Nangong Yu got up, gave Xiao Man a deep look, and turned to leave. Xiao Man immediately clutched her head, "It's over, will I see tomorrow's sun?"
Wen Mohan also hadn't expected something like this to happen. He quickly went down to comfort Xiao Man, "It's okay, Prince Qin is not a petty person, and you didn't do it on purpose."
Xiao Man gave Wen Mohan a resentful look. Prince Qin was exactly that petty, okay?
"It's so late, it's not safe for you to go back alone. Let me escort you back to your residence."
Xiao Man shook her head, "No, I'm safer by myself than with you."
Wen Mohan felt a sense of defeat.
At times like these, he felt useless as a scholar, powerless against assassination, and even unworthy of escorting the person he liked home, only able to watch Xiao Man disappear before his eyes helplessly.
Cen Yu glanced at the rather disappointed Wen Mohan and looked at the servant beside him. The servant nodded and quietly left.
Xiao Man walked along the streets in the dead of night, feeling bored. Since it was very late, there were few pedestrians on the street. Xiao Man held a lantern in her hand, its dim yellow light making the late night seem even more desolate.
A gust of wind blew, extinguishing the lamp in Xiao Man's hand. Xiao Man stopped, her dagger already in her hand, her whole body tense. She was wrong, she should have gone with Wen Mohan. At least Wen Mohan had the capable Cen Yu by his side, and he could even use Cen Yu as a shield in a pinch!
But it was too late to regret it now. Xiao Man looked at the rooftop not far away, where a figure leaped down from the rooftop and landed in front of her. In the moonlight, Xiao Man saw the other person's face clearly and couldn't help but gasp, a persistent shadow!
"Why are you so persistently haunting me?"
The visitor was Po Jun, the top assassin of Jiu Yu Tower. Jiu Yu Tower had been targeted by various forces for some time, and many strongholds were destroyed. Coincidentally, Tian Ji Pavilion and another mysterious force were also involved. Under the siege of multiple forces, Jiu Yu Tower was almost wiped out, forced to go from open to covert, to go into hiding. But there was one person he had to kill!
"Prince Qin, I can spare him, but you, you must die?"
"Did I dig up your ancestral graves, or did I kill your child, that you must relentlessly pursue me?" Xiao Man was almost in tears. No matter how you looked at it, Prince Qin's head was worth more than hers. Why did they keep pestering her?
"Enough nonsense, today you are bound to die!" Po Jun drew his sword and charged forward, his sword energy sharp and fierce.
Xiao Man's toes lightly touched the ground, and she retreated repeatedly. Then, halfway back, she had to stop, as several more assassins appeared behind her.
"Jiu Yu Tower is making a big move to kill me!" Xiao Man said bitterly, "If I don't die tonight, I will make your Jiu Yu Tower wish you were dead!"