As soon as Tang Ning, who was sitting on the swing, heard Yan Xingzhi's voice, she turned her head sharply. The moment she saw the white-clad man standing not far behind her with a smile on his lips, she screamed excitedly. Without thinking, she jumped off the swing, ran a few steps with a bright smile, and threw herself into his arms.

She tilted her head up and asked happily, "Brother Xingzhi, why are you back so early today? Did you take care of everything outside? I really missed you. Even though we see each other every night, it feels like I haven't seen you in ages!"

Tang Ning spoke the most dangerous words with an innocent and sincere expression.

Yan Xingzhi even began to suspect that she might have discovered something, but if she had really discovered something, she probably wouldn't have shown such an expression.

"Tangtang..."

Just then, Ye Xiao, who was standing next to the swing, also called out to her in a daze.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Brother Yan was the closest person to him in the world, and Tangtang was his wife. He should be happy that the two of them were close. But why did he feel so suffocated, as if he couldn't even breathe? There wasn't a single part of his body that felt comfortable.

It was only when Ye Xiao spoke that Tang Ning seemed to suddenly remember that such a person existed. Her cheeks immediately turned red, and she released her arms from Yan Xingzhi's waist with some embarrassment. She glanced at Ye Xiao and then began to introduce him to Yan Xingzhi earnestly, "This is the friend I told you about before, my new friend. His name is Ye Xiao."

After saying that, Tang Ning looked at Yan Xingzhi with sparkling eyes, "Ye Xiao is so good! No matter how many pastries I make, he can eat them all without stopping, and they're all gone. None of the servants in the manor talk, only he talks to me. He even taught me sword dancing, but I'm too clumsy to learn it. Oh, and he gave me so many gifts!"

Speaking of gifts, she pointed to a jade pendant hanging around her neck, her face showing a proud little expression of "How lucky I am to have made such a good friend."

In reality, I was thinking—look, doesn't the color of this jade pendant resemble the color on your head?

It's all green.

Following Tang Ning's finger, Yan Xingzhi immediately saw that the jade pendant was the most expensive one among his previous collections.

After looking at the jade pendant, he glanced at Ye Xiao, who was directly opposite him, staring intently at Tang Ning's arm linked with his without blinking, his face clearly showing his unhappiness.

Yan Xingzhi closed his eyes briefly. He was now certain that during the time he had left without worry, some things had indeed happened at the manor that he had not anticipated at all.

He had originally intended to leave some guards within the manor, but unfortunately, the situation outside changed daily. One day, the righteous forces were planning to besiege several protectors of the demonic sect, and the next day, the demonic sect would be thinking of eliminating a few troublemakers from the righteous path as a warning to others. He was caught in the middle, stirring up trouble from both sides, which ultimately led to the impending battle at Ghost Howl Cliff.

That was his chance—a chance to suppress both the righteous and evil factions simultaneously without lifting a finger.

After all, even if he developed for another ten years, his Yangyue Manor alone probably couldn't catch up with the huge and powerful Jiyue Sect.

As a result, he didn't even know when he would be able to avenge the blood feud of his entire Ye family of seventy-two members!

He had been waiting for thirteen years. In those thirteen years, he had not had a single peaceful night's sleep, because every night when he closed his eyes, he would see the tragic deaths of his parents and sister right in front of him.

Having lived to this day, enduring so much suffering, not a single day has he not endured without gritting his teeth and bearing it all with this resentment.

He wanted revenge. Every day, every hour, every moment, every piece of flesh and blood in his body was screaming for revenge!

It was this thought, coupled with his unwavering belief in the Silk-Pulling Gu, that led him to remove all the guards who had previously protected Yangyue Manor. Now…

He took a deep breath, and after a moment, Yan Xingzhi opened his eyes again. His gaze towards Tang Ning was already filled with tenderness. "Really? You told me before. I was probably too busy and forgot. I'm so sorry. But I brought you a gift this time I came down the mountain..."

As he spoke, he took out a pair of red agate earrings from his pocket. Coincidentally, Tang Ning wasn't wearing anything on her ears today, so Yan Xingzhi reached out and put them on for her.

Unexpectedly, just after putting them on, Tang Ning, who was touching her own ears, got so excited that she stood on tiptoe and gave Yan Xingzhi a light peck on the lips.

Upon feeling the soft touch on his lips, a look of disbelief flashed across Yan Xingzhi's eyes. Ye Xiao on the other end also stared in surprise, about to say something, but was forced back down by Yan Xingzhi's imposing gaze.

The moment the kiss ended and Tang Ning opened her eyes, Yan Xingzhi had already adjusted his expression and was looking at Tang Ning with tender affection. "Why don't you go back to your room first? I still have some things to discuss with this young brother Ye."

"you?"

Tang Ning asked with some surprise, but before Yan Xingzhi could explain, she already had a look of sudden realization. "I misunderstood. Judging from how freely Ye Xiao came and went before, I should have realized that you two must have known each other before. I was even thinking of introducing you to him. Okay, you two chat, I'll go down first. It's been so many days, and you still haven't tried the pastries I made. I'll make some for you now, and you can try a couple of pieces later, okay?"

As she spoke, Tang Ning touched her ear again, revealing a gentle and shy smile, and then walked briskly towards the kitchen.

But as soon as she turned around, the shyness and gentleness in the woman's eyes immediately turned into a strong sense of mockery and ridicule.

She just loves these complicated and tangled relationships.

As soon as Tang Ning disappeared from their sight, Ye Xiao immediately rushed to Yan Xingzhi's side, his face filled with grief and indignation, and said, "No."

"What?"

Yan Xingzhi was already overwhelmed by the current situation, so when Ye Xiao suddenly stepped forward and said this out of the blue, he immediately asked back with a stern face.

Ye Xiao, who had been raised by Yan Xingzhi since childhood, felt a little scared when he saw Yan Xingzhi's expression, but he still stubbornly said, "You're not allowed to eat it, it's mine."

Upon hearing this, Yan Xingzhi had every reason to suspect that this foodie was most likely attracted by Tang Ning's pastries and had even become friends with her because of them.

But recalling Ye Xiao's look just now, Yan Xingzhi felt that things were probably not that simple. Sure enough, Ye Xiao's next words completely confirmed his guess.

"Tangtang, my wife. You can only give me pastries. Brother, no!"

Ye Xiao was taught to speak by him, so how could Yan Xingzhi not understand the meaning behind his words?

Upon hearing those words, his eyes instantly sharpened. Wife? Who taught him that word? Could it be Tang Ning…?

Thinking of this, Yan Xingzhi simply said "Come with me" to Ye Xiao and then led the way forward.

Once the two appeared in the secret room of Yangyue Manor, he immediately had Ye Xiao extend his wrist. After examining it carefully for a while, his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

The information he had obtained from the Poison Master he had consulted earlier was indeed correct. In just one month, the Miao Jiang poison in Ye Xiao's body had been almost completely eliminated, with only a few stubborn remnants remaining in a few meridians. These poisons could be completely eradicated with the help of the antidote medicine in the manor and his internal energy.

Upon returning, Yan Xingzhi finally learned some good news and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

When he turned to look at Ye Xiao's bewildered expression, even Yan Xingzhi, who was usually very composed and rarely got angry, felt a surge of irritation.

"Who taught you the word 'wife'?"

"What's the problem?"

“Now I’m asking you questions. Don’t come back to me with questions. Tell me everything about you and Tang Ning from beginning to end right now.”

Yan Xingzhi's eyes suddenly sharpened.

Seeing his reaction, Ye Xiao hesitated for a moment.

"What? Now Brother Yan's words don't count with you anymore?"

Yan Xingzhi simply couldn't understand it. He didn't even know what kind of bewitching drug Tang Ning had given Ye Xiao. He had grown up by Tang Ning's side since he was a child, and Ye Xiao always listened to whatever Tang Ning said. There was never a situation like today where Tang Ning wouldn't answer his questions.

Thinking of this, a bloodthirsty glint flashed in Yan Xingzhi's eyes, and a strong killing intent arose in his heart towards Tang Ning.

Who is Ye Xiao?

The world's number one assassin.

My sensitivity to murderous intent is far greater than Yan Xingzhi's.

The moment Yan Xingzhi's murderous intent arose, he hurriedly grabbed his arm, "No, I, like, Tangtang, I want, her to be, my, wife, I want, to be, with, her forever!"

Because he was in a hurry, Ye Xiao's words, which were initially coming out one word at a time, became surprisingly fluent as he spoke.

Meanwhile, Yan Xingzhi, seeing the intense emotions never before seen in Ye Xiao's eyes, felt his heart sink.

Ye Xiao was truly moved!

His lawfully wedded wife!

This is absolutely absurd!

The two remained locked in this standoff for an unknown amount of time. Yan Xingzhi took a deep breath first, calmed himself down, and leaned back gently in his chair. "Now tell me clearly what has happened between you two over the past month!"

Upon hearing this, in the quiet secret room, Ye Xiao recounted to Yan Xingzhi, word by word, all the things that had happened between him and Tang Ning over the past few days.

From the moment he was drawn to the kitchen by the aroma of pastries and hung upside down from the rafters to steal them, to their gradual friendship, when he was unexpectedly poisoned and Tang Ning saved him with her own blood but remained unconscious, he had no choice but to take her to the hot spring where he was healing. There, he accidentally glimpsed a young couple having sex down the mountain. After hearing her explanation, he became convinced that Tang Ning was his wife, and to win her favor, he showered her with gift after gift...

"Those jade pendants, taken from your box..."

Upon hearing Ye Xiao's words, even Yan Xingzhi, who considered himself to be a master of self-control, couldn't help but bulge a vein on his forehead. He turned and opened the brocade box filled with his collection, only to find it completely empty, without a trace of anything inside.

After listening to Ye Xiao's entire account, he didn't discover Tang Ning's deliberate scheming, but only Ye Xiao's stupidity and idiocy.

This left him with no one to be angry with.

Because others may not know who Ye Xiao is, but how could Yan Xingzhi, who raised him since childhood, not know?

Perhaps because he grew up with wolves, his mind was no different from that of an animal, and he did not hide any of his emotions or likes and dislikes.

He had noticed his gaze more than once while he was speaking, and he saw that his eyes, which had been calm and indifferent for over a decade, would involuntarily light up when he mentioned the name Tangtang. He knew then that Ye Xiao was doomed.

He had indeed hoped that Ye Xiao could understand some human emotions, instead of living like an animal all the time, but why... was it his wife who made him understand these emotions?

Aside from absurd, Yan Xingzhi simply couldn't find any words to describe everything he knew.

After a long silence, he looked up at Ye Xiao, whose face was full of expectation, and a resolute look flashed deep in his eyes.

Anyone could have enlightened Ye Xiao, except for Tang Ning.

On the one hand, because she is still his wife in name only, there is absolutely no possibility of her being with Ye Xiao. On the other hand, Tang Ning, who has already transferred all the Miao poison from Ye Xiao's body, is not long for life.

He couldn't bear to let Ye Xiao lose his love so soon after he had just tasted the sweetness of love.

Having already made up his mind, Yan Xingzhi did not agree to Ye Xiao's absurd request to make Tang Ning his wife. Instead, he sent him directly to Cloud Mist Mountain, on the grounds that the remaining poison in his body had not been cleared, so he had to soak in the medicinal spring for nine days to remove all the remaining poison.

Ye Xiao was easily fooled; he was persuaded by Yan Xingzhi's few words to go to the top of Cloud Mist Mountain without even having a chance to say goodbye to Tang Ning.

However, Tang Ning wouldn't care too much about it.

Anyway, Ye Xiao's favorability towards her has now reached 90%.

She lost interest in playing any more childish games with him.

What really caught her attention the next day was Yan Xingzhi's mention of the righteous people about besieging the major protectors of the demonic sect at Ghost Howl Cliff. What was even more interesting was that he said he had been neglecting her by keeping her at home for so many days, so this time he decided to take her out for a walk to relax.

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Tang Ning's lowered eyes.

If she remembered correctly, the battle at Ghost Howl Cliff was the very battle in the story where Fang Yunyang fell off the cliff, but Yan Xingzhi rose to prominence because of it. As for talking about relaxing or not relaxing, she was sure that Yan Xingzhi had no intention of bringing her back this time!

He wanted her to die in the impending chaos!

Oh.

What a coincidence, she also happens to have her own schemes!

If you think about it carefully, it seems like the full moon night of the 15th of each month is almost here!

Every full moon night, the bone-tempering poison within Yan Xingzhi's body would erupt completely once!

He will also suffer from the poison, with ants devouring his body, his bones twisted, all his power lost, and he might even... shrink back to his childhood form!

What he looked like as a child!

The light in Tang Ning's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and then she looked up at Yan Xingzhi with a look of surprise and delight.

"Brother Xingzhi, you are so kind!"

I was still considering shamelessly following you, and you had already arranged everything for me.

That's so thoughtful!