However, the masked man remained unmoved. He laughed loudly and threatened, "Heh, you think you can take it? Put down your weapon now, or I won't be so polite."
Xu Yuehuai felt a pang of pain in her heart when she saw Qi Guze's weak appearance. Helplessly, she ordered the guards to step back and put down their weapons.
Just as she lowered her weapon, the man in black beside her suddenly attacked, his iron claw viciously hooking into Xu Yuehuai's body.
"princess!"
The guards cried out in alarm and tried to rush forward to help, but Xu Yuehuai coldly stopped them: "You all step back and go back now." She knew she couldn't become a burden to these people; she had to find a way to save herself.
"But, Your Highness—"
"This is an order; anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
"Yes, Your Highness. Please take care of yourself!"
The guards looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness and resentment, but in the end they obeyed Xu Yuehuai's orders, slowly turned around, and left the scene with heavy steps.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Seeing this, the masked man's smugness was palpable. He burst into laughter, as if the whole world was under his control.
He waved his hand, and the man in black quickly stepped forward, roughly lifted Xu Yuehuai up, and led him to a dark room in a deep mountain cave.
The dark room was cold and damp, filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.
Xu Yuehuai was thrown heavily to the ground. She struggled to open her eyes and looked around, but Qi Guze was nowhere to be seen.
A wave of panic washed over her, but she quickly took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She knew that panicking would only put her in a more dangerous situation.
The masked man slowly walked into the dark room, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on Xu Yuehuai.
He spoke coldly, inquiring about the whereabouts of the remaining half of the map.
Xu Yuehuai kept her lips tightly closed and firmly shook her head to indicate that she did not know.
"Ha, it seems you have no intention of talking at all. Then we'll beat you until you do!"
A flash of anger crossed the masked man's eyes. He waved for the men in black to come forward and interrogate him.
"Bang bang bang!"
The man in black began to torture Xu Yuehuai without any mercy, the sound of the whip striking his body echoing in the dark room.
"Hmm..."
Xu Yuehuai gritted her teeth, enduring the pain without uttering a sound.
Her heart was filled with unwavering conviction: no matter what torment she suffered, she would not yield and would live to see someone come to rescue her and Qi Guze.
In the dark, sunless cave, time seemed to slow down considerably.
Each torture session was like a test of Xu Yuehuai's will. Her body was exhausted, but her spirit remained exceptionally firm.
She prayed silently in her heart: "Aze, I hope they will go easy on you and only torture me."
"You, please don't get into any trouble!"
In the darkness, Xu Yuehuai endured torture time and time again with her indomitable will and unwavering faith.
Every time the pain struck, she told herself she couldn't give up, otherwise there would truly be no hope.
She believed that as long as she didn't give up, she would definitely be able to wait for rescue.
"Da da da..."
Finally, just as Xu Yuehuai was about to lose consciousness, she heard footsteps outside.
A surge of joy filled her heart; she knew someone had come to rescue her. With her last ounce of strength, she let out a weak cry for help.
"Help me—"
In the despairing darkness, Xu Yuehuai seemed to hear a ghostly call, thinking that the legendary ghost doctor had finally descended to save her life.
However, when she used her last bit of strength to barely open her heavy eyelids, what came into view was not the mysterious doctor she had imagined, but Bai Yu's familiar and resolute face.
"Your injuries haven't even healed yet, why did you come here?" Xu Yuehuai's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, but her eyes revealed deep worry. She looked at Bai Yu, her heart filled with guilt and unease.
Bai Yu didn't answer, but silently held her, as if trying to merge her into his own body. His eyes revealed deep sorrow and reluctance, as if he saw the most precious treasure in the world about to shatter.
He looked down at the horrifying wounds on Xu Yuehuai's body, and a pang of pain shot through his heart. Those wounds were like the claws of a demon, cruelly tearing her body apart.
A flash of anger and killing intent crossed Bai Yu's eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "I won't let any of those who dare to hurt you get away with it!"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
Qi Guze appeared before everyone, his eyes complex and deep, as if hiding endless secrets.
"A-Yue, come here." Qi Guze's voice was deep and cold, like a sharp knife piercing Xu Yuehuai's heart.
Upon seeing Qi Guze, Xu Yuehuai felt a strange sensation welling up inside her. Seeing that there were men in black beside Qi Guze who seemed intent on harming him, she desperately broke free from Bai Yu's embrace and ran towards Qi Guze with all her might.
She kicked away the man in black who was trying to harm Qi Guze, but her own wound reopened, and blood stained her hands. She raised her hand and gently touched Qi Guze's cheek with her bloodstained hand, as if trying to recapture the tenderness and intimacy they once shared.
"Aze, how have you been these days?" Xu Yuehuai's voice trembled, her eyes filled with expectation and longing.
However, Qi Guze looked at her without any emotion in his eyes. He replied calmly, "I'm fine."
A sense of unease welled up in Xu Yuehuai's heart; she felt that Qi Guze had become a stranger to her. She tried to find a trace of the tenderness she once knew in his eyes, but all she saw was indifference and resolute indifference.
"Whoosh—!"
Suddenly, Qi Guze drew a soft sword from his sleeve and thrust it at Xu Yuehuai.
Xu Yuehuai was completely unprepared when the sword tip pierced her abdomen, and blood gushed out immediately. She felt a sharp pain spread throughout her body, as if she were being torn apart.
Bai Yu reacted quickly, pulling her back to prevent further injury. Looking at Xu Yuehuai's pained expression, he was filled with anger and grief.
"Aze, why...why did you do this?" Xu Yuehuai looked at Qi Guze in disbelief, her eyes filled with pain and disappointment.
She couldn't understand why the once gentle and considerate man had become so cold and cruel!
Qi Guze looked at her coldly and said, "You are the one who caused the chaos among the four kingdoms. You deserve to die."
Xu Yuehuai's heart was completely broken. She looked at Qi Guze with tears in her eyes, trying to find a trace of the tenderness she used to have in his eyes.
However, all she saw was indifference and resolute indifference.
She understood that the man she once loved deeply was gone, and they could never go back to the way things were.
Xu Yuehuai's voice trembled like a candle flame flickering in the wind. She stared at that once-familiar figure, tears silently streaming down her face.
"Was the feeling between us really just a mirage? You, Qi Guze, did you never truly love me?" Her voice was filled with despair and resentment.
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