Chapter 80 Fight to the Death: You Must Quickly Adapt to Your New Identity as a Prisoner

In Xiao Yinshi's undisguised gaze, Feng Tan saw an unwavering determination, the howling of a beast hidden deep within him, and a morbid obsession etched into his very bones.

When she served as an official in the Dahuang Dynasty, she had to outwit powerful figures to rescue her teacher, Wan Niang, and the ladies of the Red Sleeve Pavilion. Now, she has become a trapped beast between a man's legs, bound in a prison, personally experiencing the injustices they once suffered. Thus, a wildfire is burning fiercely in her soul, her eyes gradually turning red, her bloodlust rising, wanting to break free of the cage, fight her way back to the Dahuang Dynasty, and truly wield her spear for them one more time!

However, before that, she must fight for her freedom, and the gun will be pointed at Xiao Yinshi.

In just a few moments, Xiao Yinshi saw the rekindled Phoenix Karmic Fire in Feng Tan's eyes and couldn't help but sigh, "Defeated but still retaining your integrity, Feng Tan... if you continue like this, I'm afraid you'll suffer a lot at my hands. Wouldn't it be better to soften your stance a bit?"

“Xiao Yinshi,” if Feng Tan hadn’t been wary, he probably would have sneered on the spot. Now that he was trapped under Chi Luodi, he toned down his sharp and sarcastic words and said, “If you can’t speak human language, then speak less.”

Under the warm candlelight, countless dust motes floated around the two people lying face to face. The mysterious laws of the universe etched the threads of destiny into their fates. Feng Tan, wielding a spear, changed the laws, and her life was dedicated to fighting to improve their status. Xiao Yinshi, on the other hand, was reincarnated nine times, gaining power and fame in every life. When he grew tired of his life, someone broke the rules, forcing him to succumb to the allure of bloodshed and depravity.

Feng Tan raised the banner of freedom, wanting to build a new land for them; while Xiao Yinshi was tired of his hopeless life, having been adrift in the lust for power for generations. He finally met someone who was compatible with him, and he only wanted to plunder by any means necessary.

The two of them are doing completely opposite things. If they can only satisfy one person's needs, it will depend on whose methods are more ruthless.

The girl's eyes sparkled again, and Xiao Yinshi's favorite thrill returned. He looked down at Feng Tan's unyielding appearance, his dark eyes slowly scanning downwards. Suddenly, a short, sharp knife was inserted diagonally into the bed, tightly gripping the rings of the steel chain. Then, he loosened his grip on Feng Tan's wrists and placed his fingers in front of her.

The dim light clearly outlined the two figures. Xiao Yinshi's sculpted features revealed a fierce, bestial quality. He looked down at Feng Tan's burnt face and sneered, "Don't I speak like a human? Then do something human."

The soft, supple cherry blossoms in his palm made his eyes darken. He leaned down and pressed his thin lips together, successfully forcing Feng Tan to shrink back and avoid him. In her confusion, she saw the totem burning on the back of Xiao Yinshi's neck. Judging from the lines exposed from his clothes, the edges looked like wings of fire.

What exactly is this?

Her body felt increasingly strange. Feng Tan was unable to think due to the man's intense attack. A storm she had never experienced before swept through every inch of her meridians. The burning pain in her wounds lessened, and a strange tingling sensation spread throughout her body. She bit her lip tightly, not allowing herself to make a sound of defeat.

The deep, woody scent grew stronger. After a long while, Xiao Yinshi raised his head from in front of her. His voice, with his eyes tightly closed, was devoid of emotion. "Xiao Yinshi, what am I to you? A spoil of war brought from the Great Huang Dynasty, or a vessel to hold your domain?"

The night was cool and still. Xiao Yinshi's dark eyes swept over her clenched fists, which were almost white at the knuckles, and her tightly clenched, bitten lips. He pulled the torn thin blanket over her, covering her soft, violated body. His slender fingers gently stroked her shoulder, and there was an icy smile in his eyes. "You are nothing."

She is nothing, yet she possesses a strange and deadly attraction, like a vibrant poppy blooming in the wasteland, so full of life that passing demons and gods become addicted to her, and the longer they linger with her, the deeper their resentment grows.

Xiao Yinshi was obsessed with this uncontrollable sense of surrender. The vicissitudes of life had eroded his remaining humanity. In his confrontation with Feng Tan, he initially thought she was similar to him, so he wanted to see what path she could take in the officialdom. Later, he realized that Feng Tan was the complete opposite of him. She was pure and bright, a rising star with a loyal and devoted heart, while he was rotten and decaying in the darkness, a cold-blooded executioner lurking beside her, waiting for her to lose all hope before skinning her alive.

People are always fascinated by those who are similar to or opposite to them. Xiao Yinshi couldn't figure out what his feelings for her were, and he was too lazy to investigate. What was the point of reasoning with someone who was in a vulnerable position?

Xiao Yinshi's reply was indifferent. Feng Tan was not surprised and simply said, "Put my arm down. I'm uncomfortable like this."

The man removed the short, sharp knife that had been stuck deep into the wooden bed. He then brought a bowl of dark brown medicine and handed it to Feng Tan, saying expressionlessly, "If your fever doesn't break tonight, you won't be able to waste any more time here."

Feng Tan sat up, pulling the thin blanket around her. The chains binding her wrists rattled as she moved. Silently, she took the medicine bowl from Xiao Yinshi's hand, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Seeing the candied fruit on the table, she opened her lips and popped one into her mouth to barely suppress the bitterness.

Xiao Yinshi watched her series of actions calmly. It seemed that the effect of the forceful suppression was counterproductive. After the fragile appearance when she was unconscious was swept away, she seemed to have become the stubborn and unruly young minister who grew up in the Dahuang officialdom. Her soul was resounding and wanted to break free from the shackles, so she knew that she should heal her wounds first.

Their eyes met in the dim light. Xiao Yinshi's gaze swept lightly over Feng Tan's face, and he took the key from the red thread on his wrist, unlocking the two chains.

Feng Tan turned her back to put on her clothes, then looked back and saw Xiao Yinshi playing with the chain with his long fingers, his demeanor languid yet imbued with a sense of determination. She rubbed the red marks on her wrist, then quietly turned her hands behind her back so he wouldn't catch her. Her posture didn't soften, but it also contained a hint of negotiation. "It's really uncomfortable for me, so heavy and cumbersome... Xiao Yinshi, your army is stationed outside, I can't escape."

Xiao Yinshi remained unmoved, his icy gaze undiminished. He leaned forward and pulled her wrist, which was hidden behind her back, to his front. With practiced ease, he fastened the chain to her wrist bone and said, "What reason do you have with me, you prisoner? You are an extremely cunning wolf cub. Double protection is not an exaggeration."

As the steel chain pulled her wrist bone back, Feng Tan's heart sank rapidly. She looked at the deep, cold darkness in Xiao Yinshi's eyes. He wouldn't respond to soft words, but he would definitely respond to hard words. However, the problem was that given her current situation, she couldn't give him the hard way.

When Xiao Yinshi was an official in the court, everyone said that the Left Censor-in-Chief was a man who never showed his emotions and was a master of restraint. However, Feng Tan felt that his emotions were actually very easy to understand. He rarely showed any joy, and most of the time he was indifferent and cold.

He treated her like a wolf and tried to tame her in the same way he tamed wolves. No matter how much pain or disgust she experienced during the process, it didn't matter to him; he only needed to achieve his goal.

He took out the key in front of her, using undisguised, forceful control and ruthless torment to tell her not to even think about escaping.

Xiao Yinshi was truly despicable.

In the past, Xiao Yinshi could be considered her ally, having helped her several times in officialdom, and she had also assisted him in investigating and solving cases. But now his despicable intentions were completely exposed to her, and he was too lazy to even pretend to be a decent person.

Feng Tan secretly reminded herself that she could be timid, but she must never compromise! The darkest night often precedes the dawn. She was not a plaything in his hands, but a person of flesh and blood, upright and honorable!

The path to freedom is often fraught with thorns. Mr. Ren, Ren Pingsheng, Hu Shu, and even her mother and the seven young ladies... they are all watching her from heaven. Under Xiao Yinshi's extreme oppression, Feng Tan developed a faith that transcends life itself. She wanted to be an altruistic warrior and change the way men and women operate in the feudal dynasty!

Feng Tan's indomitable spirit resonated within her soul. Xiao Yinshi seemed to sense the phoenix's cry raging within her body. He pushed her back onto the inside of the bed with a finger, then slowly lay down on the outside, resting his head on the lingering fragrance the girl had just left behind. With a slight curve of his thin lips, he said, "Go inside and dream."

Feng Tan's eyes widened at first, then she felt indignant at having her secret exposed, and finally she was angered by the man's indifferent attitude towards the passion he had ignited in her. Her chest heaved, and she leaned over to look at his handsome profile with his eyes closed. She dug her fingers into her palm and said, "Xiao Yinshi, I will fight to the death. Confucianism cannot sway me, and your chains cannot bind me. I, we... will eventually stand with you all in the court with dignity."

The chain around his wrist was violently ripped off by the man. Feng Tan was only an inch away from Xiao Yinshi's nose. He opened his dark eyes, the dim light illuminating his sharply defined, half-lit face, which, from Feng Tan's perspective, was filled with a chilling aura. "Feng Tan, you were originally just looking out for yourself, but after suffering a defeat, you should have sheathed your fangs. There are countless injustices in this world. I advise you to be obedient when you have no choice in the matter, or I won't be able to resist knocking your fangs out one by one."

Feng Tan reconstructs her physical body amidst the collapse and shattering. Her timidity towards Xiao Yin remains, but her heart is now filled with an even stronger courage. At the same time, the recklessness in her bones fades, transforming into thoughtful rationality. She no longer possesses the sharp edge she had when facing power, unlike when she first entered officialdom. Her awakened soul arrives with a mission of salvation; she becomes gentle yet poised for action.

Their black and white souls clashed as their gazes met. Feng Tan learned to wait in humiliation. She concealed her sharpness, pulled the chains from Xiao Yinshi's hands, and then slowly lay down on the inside of the bed, turning her back to Xiao Yinshi and closing her eyes.

The summer night was filled with the chirping of insects. Knowing that Feng Tan was not asleep, Xiao Yinshi turned his head to look at the back of her head and said in a deep voice, "Emperor Chongming has laid a net to find Princess Yongle. The border guards are checking every passerby. Feng Tan, do you want him to find you?"

Feng Tan did not turn around. His voice, though low in the darkness, was still clearly audible. He said, "Nothing is worse than being imprisoned in your hands."

Xiao Yinshi reached out and pulled Feng Tan, along with her blanket, to his side. He looked down at her cold expression and said in a hoarse, amused voice, though there was no real laughter in it, "Then you need to adapt to your new status as a prisoner as soon as possible. After all... we have a long future ahead of us."

A message from the author: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all the babies!