Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Are you scared?

Until the Divine Strategy Guards passed by, Wang Hezhang looked in the direction of the black-armored man from afar, his eyes filled with envy. "The Third Prince is truly young and promising. He's only nineteen this year, yet he's already wielding the entire Divine Strategy Division."

As he spoke, a hint of regret appeared in his tone, "What a pity..."

Nie Xiangyi heard the regret in his tone, as if he had something unsaid. She couldn't help but look up and ask him, "What's the pity?"

"Nothing... nothing." Wang Hezhang laughed dryly, as if he realized that he had said something wrong.

Seeing that he was unwilling to talk, Nie Xiangyi snorted, "Forget it! I owe you a favor today!"

As she spoke, she waved the unique copy in her hand and said, "Thank you for giving it up."

A thin layer of pink covered Wang Hezhang's face again, but he remained stubborn and muttered softly, "So you can say thank you too..."

"Then I take it back." Nie Xiangyi glared at him angrily and made a face at him. "Anyway, I, Nie Xiangyi, am a rude and impolite person."

"Hey! That's not what I meant!"

Wang Hezhang wanted to say something, but Nie Xiangyi had already left briskly with the book in his hands.

The figure in the smoky pink dress disappeared into the crowd and gradually disappeared in the boy's clear eyes.

Nie Xiangyi turned around and went to the theater to watch various performances.

The Nie residence was in a state of chaos, and she didn't want to go back. She only planned to send the book to Xie Zhi's residence later when he got off duty.

The tile shop was a place of common people, a mix of good and bad, and the royal family and the rich rarely set foot there. But compared to the gardens and mansions, it was unusually lively.

Several brothels gathered here, performing a variety of acrobatics that were quite fresh and original.

Nie Xiangyi was in high spirits, sitting down in a private room behind a shadow puppet show. However, before her play even began, she heard a sudden commotion around her.

Before she could see what happened, she heard a "puff" sound, and a stream of bright red blood spurted onto the shadow puppet screen, and the dark shadow of the actor fell down softly.

The sudden change caused panic in the entire Goulan.

The sound of armor rubbing against each other followed, "Shen Ce Wei is on duty! Capture the remnants of King Jin! Do not act rashly!"

But in a blink of an eye, the Shen Ce Guards in black armor surrounded them.

When everyone heard the words "Shen Ce Wei," fear was already in their eyes. When they heard that it was about capturing the remnants of the Prince of Jin, they looked at each other in dismay, no one daring to act rashly. The previous dispute between the Prince of Jin and the Emperor had affected almost all of the court. The aftermath of the Prince of Jin's rebellion was still lingering, and they had never imagined that those evildoers were hiding in the Wa Si Goulan.

Everyone's expressions became nervous, fearing that they would be taken away as evildoers.

For a moment, except for the rustling of armor, the originally bustling and noisy Goulan was silent.

A figure in green slowly walked out from among the black-armored crowd.

His gentle and cold face was completely out of tune with the surrounding murderous atmosphere. He didn't even have a sword with him. He just looked like a handsome young man on the street, and his green robe made him look like bamboo and jade.

However, those dark eyes were calm, and the cold gaze that swept across the hall already brought with it an indescribable sense of oppression.

It was a kind of careless contempt.

It seemed as if everything within this corridor was like dead objects in his eyes, not worth mentioning.

When Nie Xiangyi saw him, her eyes instantly brightened up.

"Your Highness..." She was about to wave at him, but she remembered what Wang Hezhang said that the Shen Ce Guards should not be disturbed during official business, so she put her hand back in disappointment.

Xie Zhi's gaze seemed to linger on her for a moment, then quickly and calmly moved away.

The Shen Ce Guards searched everywhere and soon found dozens of people here. They tied them up and brought them to Xie Zhi.

"Your Highness."

Xie Zhi's eyes swept over them condescendingly, his voice cold and emotionless, "Confess the identity of the mastermind within three breaths."

The words were spoken calmly, as if they were not a threat but a statement of fact.

The man just kept silent.

After a sharp scream, the Shen Ce Guards cut his tendons with a spear without hesitation, leaving him almost no time to regret.

Xie Zhi's indifferent eyes fell on the second person, "Same to you, three breaths of time."

The former was already writhing in pain in a pool of blood on the ground, while the latter had a look of fear in his eyes and was swallowing with difficulty.

Such repeated interrogation and silence, screams rang out one after another, and Nie Xiangyi could almost smell the faint smell of blood.

She subconsciously pinched the corner of her clothes.

Xie Zhi's eyes were as calm as a still pond.

It was as if what he was dealing with was just an insignificant object.

She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that his eyes had fallen on her for a moment.

The wailing cries of pain echoed one after another, countless reminders of the torture they were about to face. Finally, someone could no longer bear the immense pressure in their heart, and with trembling eyes, they looked towards the troupe leader in the corner.

"Keep alive."

Leaving only these words, the man in green turned around and left.

As the leader saw the Shen Ce Guards closing in on him, he probably knew he would be in trouble if he fell into their hands. He drew a sharp knife from his waist and suddenly leaped forward, relying on his familiarity with Gou Lan to charge forward.

"I'm going to fight you!"

However, he only went in the direction of Xie Zhi for a moment, and then seemed to suddenly change his mind. Without anyone's expectation, he turned around and headed straight for Nie Xiangyi.

In a flash, the sharp knife was only a millimeter away from Nie Xiangyi.

The cold sword light flashed, almost blinding Nie Xiangyi. She subconsciously closed her eyes and only heard a "puff" sound, like the sound of feet stepping on thick snow.

She could vaguely feel that the hem of her skirt seemed to be stained with blood, which was spreading along the corners of her skirt.

Ling Zhu looked at the empty sword at his waist in shock. In the blink of an eye, his own prince stabbed the evil man in the chest.

Aren’t we supposed to leave some alive?

At this moment, the Shen Ce Guards rushed forward and dragged the dying body of the man away.

Nie Xiangyi widened her eyes in surprise, watching Xie Zhi stab the man through in front of her.

The way he swung his sword was effortless, yet decisive and ruthless, without any hesitation.

She stared at his movements in a daze, but an inexplicable certainty rose in her heart - she had definitely not recognized the wrong person.

The former ghost-faced general also swung his sword and killed the enemy with such a nonchalant attitude.

Xie Zhi raised his eyes, his eyes not missing the fear and shock in her expression.

As if afraid of him.

He frowned silently, his eyes dimmed, and his whole body seemed to be soaked in cold air.

"Are you scared?"

He took the handkerchief from Ling Zhu and wiped the blood spattered on his hand indifferently. The bright red blood spot on his hand was like a tiny flaw in white jade, and he unconsciously showed a hint of disgust between his brows.

Nie Xiangyi finally came back to his senses because of his cold voice. Thinking that he was asking about what happened just now, he nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook his head.

Xie Zhi seemed to suddenly snort and looked at her coldly as she twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingertips.

"Why aren't you afraid when you come to a place like this?"

Nie Xiangyi heard a hint of admonition in his tone and couldn't help but purse her lips and mutter, "I didn't know there were any rebels here..."

Xie Zhi glanced at her, his eyes falling on her slender wrist.

"You didn't ask Wang Wulang to accompany you."

"Ah?" His words were somewhat nonsensical, leaving Nie Xiangyi stunned.

She was about to ask what this Wang Wulang had to do with her when she heard Ling Zhu come to report, "Your Highness, the leader is dead."

Xie Zhi turned around and casually threw the dirty handkerchief into the pool of blood.

"If you're dead, you're dead."

He frowned as if extremely impatient, turned around and left in a green robe.

It was not until his figure disappeared from Nie Xiangyi's sight that Nie Xiangyi realized that she had not yet given the book she had just bought to Xie Zhi.

Just as she was about to catch up, she heard Han Xu hurried over, "Miss! The Marquis wants you to return immediately!"

She frowned impatiently when she heard this, "What are you so anxious about?"

Hanxu shook her head. "The Marquis sent for the young lady right after he got off duty. He didn't specify what the matter was, but simply urged her to return quickly."

Now the Yongyi Marquisate has only an empty title, and Nie Zhengqing only holds an idle position as the Taichang Temple Director in the court, and has always had no time to spare.

Why did you suddenly think of her after your shift today? And why are you so anxious?

Nie Xiangyi looked at the book in his hand that he had not yet given away, hesitated for a moment, and then returned to the Yongyi Marquis Mansion with Hanxu with a frown.

"You bastard, you rebellious thing! You still dare to come back!"

As Nie Xiangyi stepped into the main house, a cup fell on the bluestone floor in front of her with a clang, and the scalding tea splashed all over her skirt.

Nie Zhengqing's face turned ashen as he berated her, "Your mother was so kind and made arrangements for you, even hiring a maid from the palace to teach you the proper manners. Even Yun Wei didn't get that kind of treatment! And you, on the other hand, are only embarrassing me!"

As soon as he started working today, his colleagues laughed and teased him, saying that his daughter was so extraordinary that even the maids in the palace couldn't educate her.

It made him very embarrassed.

What's more, he works in the Taichang Temple, an official in charge of rituals and sacrifices. But his own daughter Lian is so rude and spoiled, it's really laughable!

Nie Xiangyi had known this would happen, so she wasn't frightened. She just watched him get angry coldly, turning a deaf ear to him. Instead, she thought his big belly rising and falling when he was angry was hilarious.

"I really don't know how you were brought up in Shanzhou to become like this! Now that you're grown up, I'm thinking of sending you back to Beijing to discuss marriage! I wonder which family would be interested in you!"

Nie Xiangyi wanted to ignore it at first, but when he heard this, he suddenly got angry and kicked the porcelain pieces of the teacup in front of his feet.

"How was it brought up? Grandfather wasn't like my father, so he naturally spoiled me in every way. Father himself didn't fulfill his responsibilities, but instead blamed Grandfather?"

She snorted coldly, "Father, do you really think I want to return to the capital? If you hadn't sent a letter to Shanzhou, I'm afraid my grandfather might not have made up his mind to let me return to the capital."

She still remembered that when she was in Shanzhou, every time she received a letter from the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion, it was just a superficial New Year's greeting.

But when she was sixteen, a letter suddenly arrived from the Yongyi Marquis's mansion, stating that Shanzhou was remote and that, considering her age, it would be better for her to return to Beijing to discuss marriage. The letter was so earnest that it truly sounded like a father's deep love for his daughter.

She raised a mocking chuckle at the corner of her mouth, "Father, do you have the guts to say this to Grandpa?"

"You!" Nie Zhengqing was furious.

Originally, I had hoped that she would discuss marriage in the capital. If she married, she could also provide some support to the Yongyi Marquisate, which was on the verge of collapse. However, with her reputation for being so arrogant now, I'm afraid that even Nie Yuanwei's marriage would be affected!

If I had known she was brought up to be so unruly, I should not have let her come back!

Nie Xiangyi ignored his cold expression and sneered to herself, "Back then, before I left the capital, when I was still a child, there were rumors, both openly and covertly, that I was spoiled and unruly. I don't know how I became spoiled, but how can I know it wasn't because the upper beam was crooked and the lower beam was crooked?"

These words infuriated Nie Zhengqing so much that his face darkened, as if he had been slapped in the foot. He raised his hand, and with a loud slap, a resounding slap landed harshly on Nie Xiangyi's porcelain-white cheek.

"It's extremely disobedient! It's truly extremely disobedient!"

The room suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Nie Xiangyi didn't seem to feel any pain. Her stubborn eyes stared straight at Nie Zhengqing, like an angry little beast. Her tone was cold and calm, "I remember this slap from my father."

At this moment, Jiang Yun'e came in from outside. Seeing this scene, she couldn't help but stepped forward with a panicked look on her face, "What's going on? Lord, calm down!"

The frights of the past few days have left her face pale and haggard, and she looks really pitiful.

She turned to look at Nie Xiangyi and tried to persuade her earnestly, "Xiangyi, the Marquis is doing this for your own good. Why are you so willful?"

Hearing the word "willful" from her mouth, Nie Zhengqing became even more furious. He couldn't help but vent his anger on her and asked unhappily, "What are you doing here? Have you finished the ritual outside?"

Jiang Yun'e showed hesitation on her face, "I...I came here just for this matter..."

Seeing her hesitating, Nie Zhengqing grew increasingly impatient. "Stop hesitating! Just say what you want to say!"

Jiang Yun'e's gaze fell on Nie Xiangyi, and after a moment's hesitation, she said, "I'd better let Master Wuyang speak for the Marquis personally..."

After a while, a skinny Taoist priest came in. His cheeks were sunken, and his gray beard was particularly conspicuous.

He simply bowed to Nie Zhengqing with neither servility nor arrogance, "Greetings, Lord Marquis."

In front of outsiders, Nie Zhengqing suppressed his previous anger and asked him seriously, "How do you solve the snake incident in the mansion?"

Taoist Wuyang counted his fingers lightly, "The evil spirits that have invaded this house are actually due to the disordered Feng Shui and the conflicting Five Elements. Snakes belong to the Yin Water element, and this trouble has arisen within this house because of the sudden imbalance of Fire and Earth. Furthermore, the Wood energy that has just begun to emerge in spring is counteracting the Water element."

He paused slightly and said, "May I ask, sir, if there is anyone born in the year of the Tiger in the mansion who has just arrived?"

"Not at all." Nie Zhengqing answered decisively, but then his tone suddenly stiffened as if he remembered something.

A suspicious look fell on Nie Xiangyi.

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Xiao Xie: My wife is afraid of me [bursts into tears]