Zé Níng returned to the mansion.

  The first thing he wanted to do was see Hai Ling, but when he saw that she wasn't among the people waiting to greet him, he couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief. Finally, he had time to settle down and think clearly. What had actually happened to him? He had truly fallen for Hai Ling—not just liking her, but he had unconsciously entrusted certain parts of his heart to her, and in return, he had received something from her that he had longed for but never experienced before. He had become so dependent on one person for his survival—this feeling was something he had never known.

  For him to let Hai Ling go, to return her to a simple life among the people, might indeed be the best fate for her. But how could he let go? How could he abandon the heart he had almost forgotten and the warmth he had never known? A cold person who has experienced warmth will never want to return to coldness; he would freeze to death. He could never go back to being cold. Moreover, she was gradually starting to regain her memories. How could he bear to let her face that fear alone? She was scared, and of course, he understood that.

  “Young master—” Xiao Bi cautiously entered when she saw him standing there in a daze. “Young master, Master Liu Yin has arrived. He′s outside.”

  Zé Níng trembled slightly. Had he not even had time to see Hai Ling? He nearly forgot that before meeting her, he had been this busy every day. Because he had a father who never bothered with matters, a father he barely saw a few times a year. Everything—he sighed—everything had always been something he had to start and handle on his own, from a young age all the way until now. His father had never praised him because his father didn't like his mother. He shook his head, trying to stop himself from thinking any further. Liu Yin had come, so there must be something important.

  When Ze Ning returned, it was early in the morning, just after the fourth watch. As soon as he returned, Hai Ling knew she had to go meet the young master.

  The door creaked, and she jumped in surprise, turning around to see someone standing outside. The person pushed open her door but was in the shadows, so she couldn't make out who it was.

  "Who?" Hai Ling was originally frightened, but then she thought, what is there to be afraid of in Qin Wang's mansion? Moreover, Ze Ning had just returned, and no one was sleeping, so it was absolutely safe. She stood up, a little guilty as she remembered that she was supposed to be a "martial arts expert," so there was no reason to be afraid.

  She decided to go see who was standing outside the door.

  "You are—" She reached the door but couldn't see clearly because it was too dark in the early morning. All she could see was that the person outside was wearing court attire. She didn’t manage to say 'who' before the person swiftly lunged at her. As the person swiftly lunged at her, pushed her into the room, closed the door, and threw her onto the bed.

  The shock and fear in Hai Ling's heart reached their peak in that moment. She blinked in astonishment and realized it was Ze Ning! It was Ze Ning's face! She could only judge by his face, his clothes, and his figure — the only thing she refused to admit was that this person was Ze Ning! Impossible! Ze Ning wouldn't do this to her, absolutely not. He was just someone who looked very much like Ze Ning — an awful person! She couldn't find any words to describe this situation, and the only word that came to her mind was “bad person"; the others she had never learned from her mistress.

  This bad person! What does he want? Hai Ling's shock sted only for a moment before the person covered her eyes with a bck cloth, as if he didn't want her to see who he was. Then, he began tearing off her clothes.

  The sound of the cloth tearing was especially loud in the night, and Hai Ling snapped out of her extreme fear, screaming, "Help, who are you? Let go! Help—" She barely managed to cry out a few words when the person immediately pressed on a pressure point on her throat, rendering her silent.

  But his intentions were already perfectly obvious; he wanted to rape her! He was tearing her clothes! After Ling was shocked and terrified, she remembered her martial arts skills and swung her fist towards the man's chest.

  Her martial arts skills were focused entirely on swordpy, with little skill in fists and kicks. The man remained silent the whole time. When she extended her fist to strike, he showed no mercy. With a "crack," he used the Bone-Severing Technique to dislocate the bones in her right hand, rendering her unable to strike again.

  The pain pierced through her heart, and gritting her teeth, she struck with her left hand, nding a blow on the person's shoulder. Taking advantage of the momentum, she snatched it, ripping the person's cloth. As her fingers brushed over the shoulder, she clearly felt a cross-shaped scar on it.

  With another "crack," the intruder, seeing her resist so fiercely, deliberately severed the meridians all over her body. It caused her excruciating pain, rendering her unable to speak or move, and then he began to viote her body.

  Hai Ling was extremely disgusted and hated it. She couldn't tolerate such an invasion. Even with Ze Ning, she couldn't accept such an invasion without a proper title. It wasn't about love; it was about principles! She wasn't a woman to be toyed with! She gave her heart sincerely and expected the same in return, not—violence!

  She couldn't resist, so she might as well die. Without a second thought, Hai Ling stuck out her tongue and bit down hard.

  At first, the man did not pay any attention to her seeking death.

  The extreme pain in her body had already overshadowed the agony of biting off her tongue, and blood gushed out, filling her mouth.

  It turns out blood is sweet, she thought. She didn't feel desote, nor did she regret not waiting for the young master in the end. She felt that dying like this was almost worthwhile. She wasn't trying to preserve her chastity; rather, she couldn't tolerate such an invasion. What she wanted to preserve wasn't chastity, but dignity.

  In the gradually approaching death and the extreme humiliation and pain on her body, she, like seeing an illusion, quietly, silently, and without a sound, saw her past—

  The Empress Dowager of the Great Liao, the master, the assassination, the concealment, the young dy, Ze Ning—one scene after another, like silent ghosts, silently mocking her life. Such failure, such absurdity, such strangeness, such love, and such an ending—

  She actually lived her whole life wrong! Grew up in the wrong pce, learned the wrong things, did the wrong things, fell in love with the wrong person, and then died the wrong way.

  I don't know if the heavens will compensate her in her next life, letting her live a more normal life, at least not so complicated, letting her love someone simply, just like that, okay? Okay? She wants someone to care for her, just one person—

  The man suddenly realized that her breath was fading, and she was unresponsive. He patted her twice; her skin was cold. "Dead?" he muttered to himself. "What a disappointment, a woman of three virtues and nine graces. I was counting on you to help me with something big!" He had no interest in dealing with a corpse. With a huff, he stood up, feeling disgruntled.

  With a few cracking sounds, he helped her realign her dislocated bones, pried open her mouth, and poured in a handful of medicine. "You're dead, girl. I've saved you before. If you die, don't come looking for me. It's not me who will take care of you. If you die, go ask King Yama yourself. Don't come to me for trouble!"

  Gncing around to ensure no one was watching, the person slipped away in silence.