Chapter 96 If the deterrent tactic is used again, the other leg will be lost as well. ...
A drop of water can save a life.
People are born into different classes, high and low, noble and lowly. The powerless and helpless are like weeds, at the mercy of others. If they can achieve the goals of those in power, what does it matter if they die?
The bronze water clock with Kui dragon design is quietly placed on a high platform. The dragon carved on it seems to be swooping down from the heavens to the human world, opening its mouth to swallow people alive.
On the vast open space where you could hear a pin drop, the panic in people's hearts finally materialized. A burly man wearing a blue turban, who was standing at the front, took a few steps back and squeezed to the back of the crowd. The other people standing in the front row, fearing that the Luosha Army's broadswords would be the first to cut off their heads, also followed his example and fled to the back of the crowd.
This immediately threw the people on the vast open space into chaos. The dust kicked up by their footsteps swirled like golden mist in the rosy light. Suddenly, the sound of a chime rang out, and a soldier in black armor on the high platform shouted, "The First Drop of Water!"
The people ran even faster and more frantically, trampling, shoving, and crushing each other... The scene was chaotic. Feng Tan, holding the baby, was squeezed in the crowd. She felt the blood flowing from the wound on her shoulder, which had been opened by the impact, soaking her clothes. With great difficulty, she walked to the lacquered railing on the side. When she saw Xiao Yin in the chaos, she casually waved her hand, and two black-armored soldiers behind her went down to grab a child who had been abandoned by an adult and brought him up on stage.
The child looked young, about five or six years old. He had his hair styled in two buns and was terrified by the scene. He couldn't control himself and wet his pants, which were dripping from the cuffs. He cried out, "Father, save me! Father!"
The executioner sprayed cold wine onto the guillotine, the blade flashing with a chilling light. The boy was lifted onto the whetstone, the guillotine slammed shut, and he was trapped inside, unable to move. At the same time, he was so frightened that he urinated again, the urine gushing from his trousers.
Everyone is likely to die, so no one would laugh at him at this time.
The Meridian Gate was surrounded by layers of sentry posts, so the people couldn't escape no matter how hard they tried. They watched as the ruthless new emperor on the platform casually waved his hand, the sound of the chime rang out again, and the executioner's sword came crashing down!
"Bang!" Just as the blade was three feet from the boy's neck, the sound of a bullet striking a metal blade rang out, startling the black bird circling overhead into letting out a long cry and immediately flying away.
Before the people could understand what was happening, the new emperor raised his hand again, this time signaling for a halt to the killing.
Feng Tan put away her sniper rifle. The large movement of loading and firing caused her wound to reopen completely. So, she decided to go all the way and pulled out a wooden stick from the railing to use as a crutch. Amidst the stunned expressions of the several elderly women behind her, she limped towards Xiao Yinshi.
There were dozens of meters between the back of the crowd and the high platform. The killing on the platform stopped, and as the woman holding the baby walked in the opposite direction to the front, the people knew in their hearts that she was the person the new emperor was looking for, so they spontaneously made way for Feng Tan to pass.
Despite the short distance, Feng Tan's forehead was covered in a thin layer of cold sweat. Every effort she made with her left leg caused her excruciating pain. The way she was supporting herself with a crutch in one hand and holding a baby in the other made the deep hole in her shoulder feel like it was about to tear open.
Everyone fled to the high platform, but she walked slowly against the flow of people up the platform, like a bird going against the wind or a fish going against the current. She was forced to expose herself to Xiao Yinshi's watchful eye, becoming a caged bird or a fish in a jar, her body weak but her posture still straight.
"Though I have been abandoned by my country, I will never compromise my principles."
Looking at her like this, Xiao Yinshi suddenly recalled the resounding words she had uttered when she retaliated against him in Huanyan Liuguang City.
The violently pounding heart made his eyes turn fierce. As Xiao Yinshi looked at Feng Tan, who was coming with crutches, he could clearly feel his heart pounding, his erection, and his turbulent, uncontrollable emotions changing endlessly because of her.
It was a novel and fascinating experience. Once he tasted it, it was like inhaling poppy pollen. He was no different from the gamblers in the City of Radiant Feast. Gamblers couldn't live without the city's drug-filled incense. He felt that life was meaningless, but this life became exceptionally interesting because of her appearance, almost dazzling and mesmerizing.
Feng Tan clearly didn't think so. The suppressed fire in her eyes rose uncontrollably. After standing in front of Xiao Yinshi, she spoke in a calm voice, "Xiao Yinshi, I helped you save people, and you returned the antidote to me. We agreed on a fair trade, but you went back on your word... Don't you find such behavior disgusting?"
She paused, feeling that Xiao Yinshi's deliberate revenge after being outmaneuvered was truly despicable, but she also discerned other emotions in his complex eyes. She wanted to sneer but couldn't, and said coldly, "Is it because I defeated your army and robbed your gold, or because..."
Feng Tan was certain that he had successfully unbound himself from Xiao Yinshi in the system space, and he shouldn't be fixated on her body anymore. So, apart from the reason mentioned above, only "Do you like me?" remained.
The questioning gaze landed squarely on Xiao Yinshi's face. His eyes met Feng Tan's, his expression dark and ruthless, and he swallowed hard before saying, "I like it."
With his thoughts out of his mouth, Xiao Yinshi seemed to have no more scruples. He took a step forward, pulling Feng Tan into his shadow, and scrutinized her with lowered eyes, coldly saying, "I didn't like you at all from the beginning."
Enveloped in the cool, woody scent, Feng Tan's heart suddenly raced. The unfathomable thoughts of the person in front of her were finally exposed, catching her completely off guard.
Xiao Yinshi stared intently into Feng Tan's narrow, suffocating eyes and said, "Your reckless seduction, your self-righteous power struggles in the officialdom, your courage knowing it will not end well, your foolish and straightforward self-sacrifice... all of these disgust me to the extreme."
Feng Tan was subjected to his nonsensical sarcasm, and his eyes almost screamed, "Are you fucking sick?"
Xiao Yinshi approached Feng Tan again, bending down to meet her gaze, pouring out all his malice. "But Feng Tan, even though you don't have any qualities that I admire, you've lived a completely different life from me in the same predicament, and even thrived, without being tainted by the darkness of humanity. You single-handedly stood against the entire patriarchal dynasty. Your pure heart and dazzling brilliance are truly captivating."
After that, in Xiao Yinshi's hunting games, the hunters fell in love with the prey that kept escaping, and were completely defeated.
After saying that, his gaze swept over her broken left leg, then looked at the blood seeping from her shoulder, and finally returned to her angry gaze. He said indifferently, "Don't save them, save yourselves first, hmm?"
How shameless! Feng Tan was furious at these shameless words. It was as if she had foolishly teased a cat and gotten herself into trouble. But it was clearly him, the tailor, who hadn't brought a ruler and had malicious intentions. "Don't try to twist the truth here. It's not my fault that you were attracted to me. I can't handle your affection."
“It’s my choice to take the bait,” Xiao Yinshi said noncommittally, laying his words bare to shut out any possibility of Feng Tan making demands. “But now that I’ve taken the bait, don’t even think about getting rid of me. In this life, I can only be by the emperor’s side with you.”
Even if Feng Tan were to lose again, she would never be willing to be a man's sidekick. Xiao Yinshi knew this clearly, but his thin lips approached hers and he said, "After these few rounds of fighting, you should know that what I am determined to get will definitely not escape me."
The worst thing happened. Feng Tan took a step back while holding the baby, her arms unconsciously tightening, which made the baby cry loudly. She patted his back helplessly, but he cried even harder. Suddenly, a scent of gardenia wafted from the side. Xiao Liling picked up the baby from her arms and shook him with a practiced rhythm, and the baby slowly fell asleep again.
After greeting Xiao Yinshi, Xiao Liling smiled gently and said, "Second Brother, the eunuchs of the Twenty-Fourth Bureau are quick and efficient, and the chaos in the palace has been almost quelled. Lord Sun is busy and asked me to tell you."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Feng Tan, who was wearing a woman's mask, and greeted him, saying, "Lord Feng... no, I should call you Miss Feng. Where did this child come from?"
The child slept peacefully in Xiao Liling's arms. Feng Tan's eyelashes, which had been trembling slightly from Xiao Yinshi's actions, slowly calmed down. She was always resilient in the face of adversity. She returned Xiao Liling's greeting and said, "I met her on the road a few days ago. It just so happens that I don't know how to raise a child either. I would be grateful if Your Highness could find a home for him."
Feng Tan didn't want to ask Xiao Yinshi for a favor in the end, so he took out the remaining silver ingots from his pocket and handed them to her.
This was no trouble for Xiao Liling, and she readily agreed, but refused to accept the money, saying, "Since you are a citizen of my Great Huazi, how can you use Miss Feng's money?"
Feng Tan had no choice but to put the silver back into her pocket. Xiao Liling noticed that Feng Tan's voice was weak and then noticed the wound on her shoulder and her struggling posture as she stood with her cane. She asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? Why don't you stay in my palace tonight? I'll take care of you."
Without waiting for Feng Tan's reply, Xiao Yinshi had already refused decisively, saying, "No need, I have my own arrangements."
Xiao Liling's expression faltered slightly upon hearing this, but she quickly concealed her surprise and spoke in a gentle tone, "Alright, Miss Feng's wounds are all thanks to Second Brother... When Second Brother sends people to take care of her, please remind the palace servants not to be careless. Also, Second Brother, you should be more gentle and considerate towards her. Young ladies are delicate and cannot withstand your ostentatious pursuit... If you like someone, you should treat her well and be gentle."
After listening, Xiao Yinshi seemed to understand something. He looked at Feng Tan and chuckled, saying, "She can't take it? She can."
After a long standoff, the pale crescent moon hung high in the sky. Sun Cheng finished reorganizing the people in the inner palace and personally prepared the Ganhe Palace where Xiao Yinshi was to stay. He then came to the Meridian Gate to report. Standing on the side of the platform, he glanced at Feng Tan without leaving a trace and said, "Reporting to the master, the matter you instructed has been completed."
The cage was set up, and an inexplicable darkness flashed in Xiao Yinshi's eyes. He stepped forward, took Feng Tan's hand, and intended to lead her into the inner palace.
Feng Tan flung his hand away and said, "I can walk by myself."
Having said that, she limped down the railing-like cane, and a shadow loomed over her again. The massive body seemed like a ferocious beast biting her between its sharp teeth, and the sense of danger was undeniable.
She glanced sideways at Xiao Yinshi's approaching figure, then suddenly her body was lifted into the air as he swept her into his arms. Her cane fell to the ground, and Feng Tan pushed him as she jumped down, saying, "I told you I can walk by myself!"
Fortunately, the darkness provided cover, otherwise Feng Tan's shame would have been exposed. Xiao Yinshi clearly didn't care about other people's gazes and threatened her, "If you move again, you'll lose your other leg too."
A note from the author: I have two long classes tomorrow, so I'm asking for leave in advance, everyone. I'll send some virtual gifts in the comments section to express my apologies~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
