Lu Yanzhi stepped forward: "You must be tired after walking for so long, Princess. There's a teahouse ahead, let's go rest for a while."
"Sure." Xiao Li agreed readily, then casually pointed: "Shopkeeper, wrap all of these up. This Princess will take them back to choose slowly."
Looking at that pile of translucent, lustrous white jade, Lu Shu nearly spat blood—how much would that cost?
Taking in their pained expressions, Xiao Li felt pleased.
Coming back with an agenda, thinking they could reconcile just like that—since when was it that easy? They had to pay some price, didn't they?
Even if it hurts, bear with it!
Originally, Lu Yanzhi was in a half-dead mood, but to prevent Xiao Li from emptying the Lu family's coffers, he had to pull himself together to deal with her, attempting to divert her attention.
She smiled, her torn and hoarse voice low and seductive like a mountain spirit or ghost: "Then when you strike, make it look pretty. Because after I become a ghost, I will definitely haunt Liu Xueyin. Don’t let me scare your beloved!"
"Pfft!"
Not only was Xiao Li’s attention diverted, but she was also physically moved away.
He shouldn’t have said so much to Xiao Li. Killing her would end everything.
She slowly retreated to a safe distance, waiting for his death, of course not forgetting to mock him a few times.
"Gu Ling, you pitiful worm. You like Liu Xueyin but don’t dare to confess, so you can only watch helplessly as she marries Chen Wang and is tormented by him. Ha… I made her miscarry. Do you want to see exactly how she miscarried?"
Since he wasn’t completely dead, Xiao Li didn’t dare get close. She could ambush Gu Ling by surprise, but if he fought back, she was no match for him.
The effect was, of course, excellent.
"Gu Ling!" Xiao Li gritted her teeth.
Xiao Li watched him approach with his sword, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her expression showed no fear; she even seemed rather pleased, happily welcoming her own death.
Gu Ling slowly retreated, then drew his long sword.
Gu Ling’s face was extremely grim as he fiercely grabbed Xiao Li by the throat: "You think I don’t dare to kill you?"
But just as she was about to lose consciousness, Gu Ling released his grip. "Letting you die like this is too easy on you."
Damn!!!
Meanwhile, Xiao Li, who had been tied to the pillar all along, suddenly leaned forward at that moment, dodging his sword and throwing herself into his embrace.
She had prepared for danger the moment she sensed it, but her opponent’s martial skills were clearly far superior. She couldn’t defend herself and was knocked unconscious in a few moves.
"In case I die and no one can answer your questions, I’ll tell you in advance: Quzhou is my fief. When your family goes there, they will be robbed by bandits, reduced to lowly status, and sent to build city walls, never to rise again."
She wasn’t afraid of death, and she didn’t seem to fear pain either.
Gu Ling was pleased that Xiao Li recognized him: "So the Princess is finally awake. Never thought you’d fall into my hands, did you? But none of that matters. Just remember that it was Gu who sent you on your way to the underworld."
Xiao Li stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "I’ll remember, I’ll definitely remember. So why don’t you kill me now?"
Gu Ling’s eyes bulged with rage, his killing intent overwhelming: "Xiao Xuanyang, you deserve to die!"
She had already retreated some distance and could now react quickly, running backward to evade.
Gu Ling was truly a rare martial arts master. Even with a golden hairpin piercing his heart, he didn’t die immediately. He only paused for a moment before suddenly charging at Xiao Li again.
Suddenly, she was grabbed by the waist and pulled aside. A long blade blocked Gu Ling's sword, then plunged straight into his chest.
"You're asking for death!"
Gu Ling's longsword gleamed with a chilling light as he thrust it fiercely toward Xiao Li. Rolling swiftly across the ground, she evaded his grasping hand while Gu Ling froze in place, staring in disbelief at the golden hairpin embedded in his chest.
Xiao Li was awakened by a splash of water. As consciousness returned, she snapped her eyes open, her blurred vision gradually revealing she was in someone's courtyard.
Even after seeing her awake, the man didn't stop. He directly poured another bucket of water over her head.
As the water curtain receded, Xiao Li finally managed to open her eyes clearly, staring at the malicious-faced man standing before her.
Xiao Li was utterly exasperated. Enduring the pain that felt like her throat was being twisted, she continued her sarcastic remarks.
Though putting on a brave front, Xiao Li had long been guarding against him.
"And I've left letters for Emperor Brother and Chen Wang. If I die, they'll learn all about the connections between Chen Wangfei and you—every detail of your love-hate relationship laid bare. And your beloved Liu Xueyin will discover what a cruel, evil murderer you are. Do you think she'd ever let you near her again?"
Gu Ling thought Xiao Li was completely insane.
Was Xiao Li afraid?
She was truly fed up with these worthless male side characters. Talking about love? Utterly ridiculous.
Looking at her, you wouldn't doubt for a second that she'd return as a vengeful ghost after death.
Gu Ling was so enraged that the veins on the back of his hands bulged, his grip on her trembling with intensity.
"Villains die from talking too much. Remember that in your next life."
"Can't you see she's covered in scars? Chen Wang abused and humiliated her repeatedly—are you fucking blind?"
Did she look afraid to die? If he had the guts, he'd let her die right there.
"Of course, I know you don't care about your scumbag father's family, and you even resent your birth mother who abused you at every turn. But that's irrelevant. I'm dealing with them just to ensure you can never rely on the Gu family to make a comeback."
Xiao Li sneered, "You dared to assassinate me—what wouldn't you dare? You want me dead, and I want you dead. Right now, I've just lost this round by a narrow margin."
"Chen Wang raped her over and over against her will until she miscarried. What does that have to do with me?"
"You're quite self-aware." Gu Ling suddenly tightened his grip, wishing he could strangle her. "I was the one who tried to assassinate you. If you have the guts, come at me! Why bully Xueyin and cause her to miscarry? How can you be so vicious?"
This strike finally claimed Gu Ling's life.
Her body was tightly bound to a post, with a well nearby where someone was leisurely drawing water.
Gu Ling's hands trembled as he slowly backed away, glaring at her with hatred. "I should have torn out your tongue, gouged your eyes, and severed your limbs—make you beg for death but find no release!"
"But you don't dare. Chen Wang is highly skilled in martial arts, powerful and influential. You're fucking cowardly, only daring to raise your blade against women, you coward!"
Xiao Li truly felt she was about to die, suffocating until her brain grew oxygen-deprived and blank, completely unable to breathe or utter a single word.
"If Chen Wang dies, wouldn't Liu Xueyin be freed? Couldn't you two then be together?"
It pierced straight through his heart, without the slightest deviation.
"You like her, adore her, would defy the world for her. Then why don't you dare to assassinate Chen Wang?"
A male supporting character who can survive until the end isn't that easy to kill.
The long blade was drawn out, splattering blood.
Gu Ling leaned on his sword as he slowly knelt down, lifting his head to stare fixedly at Xiao Li. Ultimately unable to withstand the draining of his life, he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.