His face was contorted with rage and panic, as unpredictable as a storm in another world. He strode forward, his voice icy as he shouted, "Be smart and release the Empress immediately, or I will wipe out your entire clan!"

At that moment, Yu Qianqian seemed completely oblivious to what Mu Beichen was saying, her mind preoccupied with the masked man's words. After a long while, she finally snapped out of her daze and asked him, "Achen... he just said you and Su Ruan..."

Before she could finish speaking, the masked man stabbed her in the neck with his sword, and roughly grabbed her shoulder with his other hand, pulling her backward while shouting at Mu Beichen, "Mu Beichen! If you don't agree to my conditions, your woman will die in my hands immediately. If you don't believe me, just try me!"

After a long while, blood finally dripped from the scratch on Yu Qianqian's fair neck, slowly seeping down her collarbone and soaking into her clothes. She seemed to feel no pain at all, just staring blankly at Mu Beichen, without saying a word for a long time.

"Mu Beichen, you cunning dog emperor, not only did you order the assassination of Qi Xuan, but now you've gone so far as to imprison our princess to use as a medicinal ingredient. Today, I'll let you taste the pain of your beloved being tortured to death!" With that, the masked man brandished his long sword and thrust it straight at Yu Qianqian's neck!

In that life-or-death moment, the guards rushed in from all directions, trapping the masked man and Yu Qianqian in a very small area. They formed a human wall, with sharp swords pointing in the same direction, ready to fight and lock onto their target at any moment.

Meanwhile, Mu Beichen, taking advantage of the moment when the other side was off guard, swept past people like a whirlwind at a speed too fast for the naked eye to catch. Before the other party could make a move, he spun around and kicked the sword out of the masked man's hand. He then picked up Yu Qianqian with his right hand and swiftly snatched her away.

This entire series of extremely intense actions took only a blink of an eye. In that instant, she was rescued from the other party's hands without any suspense. The masked man in black who had kidnapped Yu Qianqian not long ago had now been successfully captured and killed by the guards.

Yu Qianqian, still shaken, turned to look at him, thinking about the terrifying scene just now. With a confused and hesitant feeling in her heart, she suddenly shouted, "Mu Beichen, tell me clearly first, is Su Ruan with you or not?"

"What good things have you and she done these past few days?"

Hearing her question, Mu Beichen was slightly taken aback, and looked back at her with a complicated expression, saying, "Qianqian, I will explain this to you slowly after we return to the palace. Right now, the most important thing is to deal with this assassin. Be a good boy and listen to me, okay?"

"Mu Beichen, no matter what the reason is, you better not try to deceive me, or I will make you regret it for the rest of your life!" Yu Qianqian said fiercely, turning away without a second glance.

Regret for the rest of your life...

Mu Beichen pondered her words and felt a chill run down his spine. He inexplicably felt as if her words were fulfilling some kind of prophecy. If the truth were to be revealed time and time again, what would Yu Qianqian think of him?

I dare not think about it, nor do I want to face it.

Inside the dragon carriage, Mu Beichen forcibly pulled Yu Qianqian into his arms. No matter how much she objected, he held her tightly and refused to let go.