'who? '

An Ning trembled with fear.

"Call me 'sister'." The cool voice carried a hint of mockery.

An Ning suddenly realized: Xi Ren!

'But why did he suddenly come to the palace?'

Before Anning could react, Xiren hoisted her onto her shoulder and carried her out of the palace.

In the top-floor pavilion of Yichun Garden, Anning was thrown onto the couch by Xiren.

"Take it off."

An Ning was completely terrified: Take off? Take off what?

Xiren suddenly stretched out one leg and knelt on the bed.

His sudden closeness startled An Ning, who kept backing away, only to have her chin grabbed by his hand.

Xi Ren's cool fingertips touched her delicate skin, and she let out a soft laugh: "Not bad."

An Ning swallowed hard and tried to struggle, but the other woman only tightened her grip.

"It hurts!" An Ning cried out in pain, tears welling in her eyes.

A flash of intense desire crossed Xiren's eyes. He abruptly released her grip and said:

"Take it off and put this on."

As she spoke, Xiren tossed her a moon-white garment.

An Ning was completely bewildered: "Put it on?"

Xi Ren stood up, her slender fingers hooking the gauze curtains by the bed. With a whoosh, An Ning was shut out by the pale pink curtains.

"I want to see what it means to be absolutely stunning when I put it on."

Behind the curtain, An Ning clutched the corner of her moon-white dress, biting her lower lip as she mentally prepared herself: "Just wear it, it won't kill me."

The incense burner emitted a slightly sweet scent, and the rustling sounds inside the tent, even though it was empty, created a somewhat ambiguous atmosphere.

An Ning nervously changed her clothes. Just as she took off the eunuch's robe, the door was suddenly pushed open.

An Ning exclaimed in surprise and grabbed her clothes, wrapping them haphazardly around herself.

A slender, pale hand gripped the connection between the curtains and the bed curtains; upon closer inspection, it was trembling slightly.

"Who?" An Ning asked in a low voice.

Mu Ange, who was inside the room, suddenly stopped in his tracks and subconsciously looked up. Through the hazy light, he could see a beautiful woman with a graceful figure inside the curtains.

Through the thin veil, Mu Ange could clearly hear the woman's rapid and unsteady breathing inside the tent, a sound born of panic.

It was only when I caught a glimpse of that slender, white hand that I realized how deadly an unintentional provocation could be.

Even though her face was not seen, that hazy color, like a splash of ink that captivated the soul, landed in Mu Ange's heart drop by drop, and never faded away.

"Who is it?" After waiting for a long time without a response, An Ning asked again in a trembling voice.

Mu Ange clutched his chest; it felt as if his heart was beating too fast.

Her clear and gentle voice was like a feather, tugging at the heartstrings.

Mu Ange had frequented brothels for a long time, but she had never felt this way before.

It is irresistible, unavoidable, and the will of the heart.

Mu Ange took a deep breath and took a step back: "I'm sorry."

An Ning was so nervous that, apart from recognizing that the person standing outside the tent was a man, she didn't sense even the slightest familiarity with him.

"Get out of the way," she said, mustering her courage to shoo him away.

Mu Ange stopped in her tracks, her body seemingly frozen in place, unwilling to move an inch.

He feared that what he had seen today was all a dream.

He feared that if he missed tonight, he would never find her again.

He was afraid of ruining the chance for the beautiful woman.

"May I ask your name, young lady?" For the first time in her life, Mu Ange was both eager and cautious.

He dared not speak loudly, for fear of startling the girl on the bed, who was as timid as a rabbit; yet he was also afraid that if he spoke too softly, the girl would not be able to hear his passionate fervor.

An Ning's mind was in a mess, and all she wanted was for him to leave quickly: "Go, go!"

Mu Ange was slightly taken aback; he could clearly feel the girl's trembling voice.

He could only patiently explain, "Don't be afraid, young lady, I..."

Before the words were even finished, with a whoosh, an arrow gleaming with cold light shot suddenly toward the bed.

"Be careful, young lady."

Mu Ange shouted, drew his short knife and split the arrow in two. He strode forward and, through the thin veil, shielded the girl he had fallen in love with at first sight behind him.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Swoosh swoosh swoosh.

Arrows rained down, riddling the curtains with countless tiny holes.

An Ning's pair of jade-like legs, barely visible, were incredibly fair. Through the small holes, the dim candlelight made one blush and feel restless.

Mu Ange said in a deep voice, "Miss, please forgive me."

As he spoke, he lifted the curtain and reached out to embrace Anning's waist.

"hold me."

Amidst the crackling sounds of swords and arrows, An Ning only clearly heard this one sentence.

She reached out and took Mu Ange's arm, burying her head in his chest.

'Luckily, I made a mask for myself with the torn curtains earlier, so he shouldn't be able to see my face now,' Anning thought to herself.

Mu Ange devoted all his energy to blocking the endless cold arrows. Occasionally, he would glance at the person in his arms, but all he could see was a head of jet-black hair.

"Don't be afraid."

He said that again.

An Ning hummed in agreement and hugged him even tighter.

"We have to get out."

Seeing the relentless barrage of arrows outside, Mu Ange carried Anning out the window.

A biting cold wind swept in instantly, and An Ning gasped for breath, then began to shiver.

Mu Ange felt the person in her arms shivering, her brows furrowed, and she said softly, "I'll go take care of them."

After saying this, he placed Anning in the bushes, took off his outer robe and draped it over her, and then left.

Throughout the entire ordeal, An Ning kept her head down, her nerves on edge, so she didn't get a chance to see what the person looked like.

Not far away, the sounds of fighting were incessant, and the stench of blood wafted through the air, making one feel nauseous.

An Ning curled up in a ball, wanting to run but not daring to. She instinctively felt that hiding behind that man was probably the safest option.

I don't know how much time passed before he returned, radiating a chilling aura and a bloody presence.

But when he got closer, An Ning was enveloped in a look of worry.

An Ning stared blankly at him, only to see a pair of eyes as bright as stars, even more dazzling than the starlight tonight.

The dark mask covered most of his face, revealing only his perfectly smooth chin and his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

An Ning swallowed hard: He looks really good-looking. I wonder what kind of otherworldly beauty lies beneath the mask?

"Young lady, you..."

"Hey, what's going on?"

Xi Ren suddenly screamed and ran towards them.

"Who, who dares to launch a sneak attack on my Yichun Garden?"

Xi Ren was furious. When she walked to Mu Ange's side, she saw him guarding the... female eunuch behind him with a wary expression.

Xi Ren's lips curled slightly, revealing a meaningful expression.

"Oh, so you've found another beauty?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Ange's expression changed slightly. He looked at the assassins and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Xi Ren crossed her arms and looked at him leisurely: "I naturally don't know what happened, but she... is from my Yichun Garden."

Mu Ange was slightly taken aback.

An Ning's face contorted in pain, wishing she could tear Xi Ren's mouth apart: "You're the prostitute! Your whole family are prostitutes!"

“I…I’m not,” An Ning said urgently.