"Spare me, brave sir, I meant to save you."
Su Xiao blinked her innocent large eyes, trembling as she pleaded for mercy.
At this time, Xiao Jinyan had not yet married Lin Wanru or become the Crown Prince; he was merely the third prince, Prince Rui.
She certainly wasn’t foolish enough to call out the title "Crown Prince." Pretending not to know his identity, she tried to muddle through.
Xiao Jinyan scrutinized her. Seeing she was an unarmed fisher girl, he relaxed slightly, then suddenly choked on several mouthfuls of water.
Instinctively, Su Xiao reached out, forcefully lifting his head out of the water to prevent him from choking again.
Xiao Jinyan gave her another deep look, then relaxed his grip, moving the long sword away from her neck.
Su Xiao quietly let out a sigh of relief and, while supporting him, glanced at her elder brother.
"Little sister, are you… are you hurt?"
Su Hong, having witnessed the dangerous scene, swam over, still shaken with lingering fear.
"I'm fine…"
Not daring to offend the future Crown Prince, Su Xiao winked at her brother, signaling him to pretend he hadn’t seen anything and not bring it up again.
Seeing the long sword in Xiao Jinyan’s hand, Su Hong was also terrified and promptly shut his mouth.
Working together, the siblings supported Xiao Jinyan back to the bamboo raft.
Su He helped pull him aboard.
Once on the raft, Su Xiao noticed his body was covered in bloodstains, crisscrossed with wounds—a shocking sight.
What immense willpower must he have had to endure it all without fainting?
Perhaps when he closed his eyes earlier, he truly was nearing his limit?
If he hadn’t encountered the three of them—father and children—perhaps he really would have…
Su Xiao thought of one possibility and couldn’t help feeling flustered.
But soon, she dismissed the idea.
Xiao Jinyan was the future Crown Prince; how could he die? Absolutely not. Even if they hadn’t saved him, someone else would have.
She just didn’t understand why, in this lifetime, by some twist of fate, she had encountered him again.
Having been reborn with great difficulty, she only wanted to avoid disaster and not have any further entanglement with people from her past life.
She couldn’t afford to provoke him. That pain of being pierced through the heart by a sword—she truly didn’t want to experience it again.
The bamboo raft drifted to the shore. Relying on his youth and strength, Su Hong carried Xiao Jinyan on his back.
Watching her brother’s actions, Su Xiao’s eyes grew sore, and an uncontrollable pang of anguish surged within her.
In her past life, it had been just like this: her kind-hearted elder brother carried Lin Wanru home to treat her.
That vicious woman, upon regaining consciousness, actually believed her brother had defiled her purity and personally thrust a sword into his chest.
Lin Wanru!
Thinking of that wicked woman, she involuntarily clenched her right fist, hatred surging within her.
She hoped that in this lifetime, no one would save her. Let her drown in the Qinhuai River, so she could no longer commit evil and cause innocent people to suffer.
Clear Spring Village, the Su Family.
"Well, if it isn’t the young lady of the Su family. Haven’t seen you in a few days—you’ve grown even more lovely."
"Tsk tsk tsk, look at that figure—curves in all the right places. Rolling around in bed a few times would surely be an intoxicating delight."
The four of them had just entered the village, not yet home, when they were blocked at the front gate.
Liu Kui, the county magistrate’s son, had brought his servants to seize someone from the household. Upon seeing Su Xiao, his lecherous eyes fixed greedily on her, spewing incessant vulgarities.
Su Xiao inwardly cursed her bad luck—just after being reborn, she had run into this scoundrel.
Liu Kui was the County Magistrate's son, inherently sinister and malicious. No woman he seized ever survived.
It was said that corpses were often carried out from the backyard of the county office—all innocent women tortured to death by him.
She remembered that in her previous life, around this time, she had gone with her eldest brother to sell fish in the county town and was unfortunately spotted by Liu Kui.
In broad daylight, he attempted to snatch her right off the street.
Fortunately, a noble from the capital happened to pass by in a carriage, intimidating him and preventing the act.
In her past life, before Liu Kui could strike, her entire family had already met their demise.
In this life, for some unknown deviation, Liu Kui had actually come to the countryside, seeking them out ahead of time.
"Men, take her away."
Liu Kui, relying on his status as the County Magistrate's son, was accustomed to bullying men and seizing women, looking down on the country bumpkins.
Seeing the family pale with fear, he snorted smugly and directly ordered his men to seize her.
"Miss Su, come with us."
A gang of servants, emboldened by their master's power, grabbed her and tried to stuff her into the carriage.
"You can't take my daughter!"
"Let go of my sister!"
Su He and Su Hong were frantic. Su Cai, Su Xiao's second brother, rushed out from the courtyard and knocked Liu Kui down with a headbutt.
Liu Kui fell flat on his back, furious and shrieking, "How dare you hit me! Beat him to death!"
Two servants released Su Xiao and viciously charged over, rolling up their sleeves to attack.
Su Cai, young and hot-headed, wrestled with them, but two fists were no match for four hands. He was soon beaten black and blue, collapsing to the ground.
Liu Kui rushed over and began kicking and punching him.
"Stop hitting him! Stop!"
Su Xiao's mother rushed out from the courtyard, wailing as she shielded her son beneath her.
"I can't go with you!"
Su Xiao clenched her fists in hatred, but she was merely a weak woman, powerless against the tyrant.
She couldn't, but someone could!
She glanced at Xiao Jinyan, who was lying on her eldest brother's back, and suddenly had an idea.
Xiao Jinyan was exceptionally skilled in martial arts. At seventeen, he had gone to the battlefield, leading troops to resist foreign enemies, earning the reputation of a War God.
Due to years of warfare, he carried an aura of killing intent. Even in the capital, some commoners privately called him the God of Slaughter.
The kind used to scare disobedient children and stop their crying…
"I'm already betrothed! He is my husband!"
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, the small courtyard fell silent for a moment.
All eyes turned to her in shock, and even Xiao Jinyan lifted his eyelids, giving her a complicated glance.
"Hah, where did you fish this waste out of a filthy ditch?"
Liu Kui didn't believe a word of it, sneering coldly, "He's barely breathing, yet he dares to compete with me for a woman."
Whether he's a waste or not, you'll soon find out.
A cold smile curled at the corner of Su Xiao's lips. Suddenly changing her tone, she pretended to be terrified and grabbed Xiao Jinyan's arm.
"Master, save me."
That sweet, coquettish "Master" sent a shiver through Xiao Jinyan.
Though it was an honorific, coming from her lips, it sounded seductive and bone-melting, making one's heart tremble.
"A waste like him deserves to be called 'Master'?"
Liu Kui, consumed by jealousy and hatred, charged over to drag Su Xiao away from him.
In the next second, a flash of sword light severed two of his fingers.
"Ah!"
Liu Kui, who had always tyrannized the county town, had never suffered such a humiliating blow.
The severed finger bled profusely, the pain contorting his face as he screamed madly, "Kill him! Kill him for me!"
The servants dared not disobey his command and rushed over fiercely.
"Swish, swish."
Two more flashes of sword light followed. Xiao Jinyan raised his sword and struck, slitting the throats of the two servants at the forefront. They fell to the ground with a thud.
The remaining servants had no idea where this god of death had come from. Terrified out of their wits, no matter how much Liu Kui urged them, they dared not advance further.
Su Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She had gambled correctly.
Xiao Jinyan was the future Crown Prince. How could he allow others to insult him freely or commit murder right before his eyes?