Great Zhou World
He reached out again, this time with irresistible force, carefully avoiding the deepest part of the wound and using the torn strips of cloth to apply simple pressure to stop the bleeding. His movements were steady, his fingers long and powerful, pressing just the right amount of pressure around the wound, revealing his familiarity with treating trauma. His gaze was fixed on Ning Yangyang's pale face, the concentration and concern on her face almost making one believe he was sincere.
When Ning Yangyang was brought back to the camp, Xiao Ziyi didn't say anything along the way, but just strengthened the guards outside the tent.
Returning to the crime scene that day, the cold sound of a blade slicing through the thick curtains was particularly piercing in the dead silence. Moonlight, like silver frost, suddenly poured in through the narrow slit, illuminating the floating dust within the tent. Nangong Xi clung to Ning Yangyang, her body trembling slightly, her breath rippling against her neck. Their palms clasped, the sticky cold sweat mixing with their shared fear chilling them to a chill.
"Nangong, are you ready?" Ning Yangyang's gaze was like iron nails, fixed on the majestic steed in the distance—it was her and Nangong Xi's only chance of survival. Before she finished speaking, she was already shooting out like an arrow from a bow, her legs bursting with the strength of an 800-meter sprint, each step crushing the dust as she rushed towards her only hope.
The wind whistled in her ears, and the distance between them rapidly closed. She didn't even have time to rein in the horse completely; her left hand had already grasped the horse's slippery, sweaty mane, and her body, driven by the momentum of the forward charge, suddenly leaped upward! Her right leg slashed a sharp arc through the air, her toes precisely digging into the stirrup. With a twist of her waist and abdomen, she landed on the saddle like a leaf caught in the wind, light yet with a tremendous sense of determination. The movement was seamless, without a single lag.
"Gee!" The reins were shaken fiercely, and before the whip fell, the psychic horse had already sensed the master's eagerness. It neighed loudly, and its four hooves rose into the air, turning into a black shadow that broke free from the bow, tearing through the silent night and rushing straight towards the lonely figure in the moonlight - Nangong Xi.
Nangong Xi stood there, like a stone statue forgotten in the wilderness. She watched her "savior" galloping towards her, swept by the strong wind and dust. Ning Yangyang bent down as far as she could on horseback, thrusting her right hand forward with all her strength, her fingers spread out, her fingertips almost touching Nangong Xi's sleeves, which fluttered in the wind! In just a moment, she could grab her and pull her out of this quagmire!
However, at this critical moment, another figure appeared like a ghost, blending without warning between the moonlight and Nangong Xi's shadow.
Xiao Ziyi!
He appeared so naturally, so silently, as if he was meant to be there. His tall figure easily enveloped Nangong Xi, the moonlight outlining his cold profile and broad shoulders. A breathtaking scene unfolded: Nangong Xi, who had been eagerly waiting, suddenly lowered his head as if all strength had been drained from him the moment he saw Xiao Ziyi. With an almost submissive fatigue, his forehead drooped gently, even with a hint of dependence, on Xiao Ziyi's shoulder. Xiao Ziyi tilted her head slightly, and their eyes met briefly in mid-air, and a knowing smile curved at the corners of their lips. The moonlight, like water, cast a hazy and eerie silver edge on their cuddling figures, like a couple admiring the moon in a Shura field.
This powerful scene, like an icy needle, pierced Ning Yangyang's tense nerves unexpectedly! Her brain buzzed, her thoughts instantly distracted by the strangely harmonious scene—why? How could Nangong...? Shock, confusion, and a sense of betrayal washed over her like ice water, causing her fingers gripping the reins to stiffen for a moment. Yet, her body's inertia continued to propel her steed forward with thunderous force! She even forgot to slow down or rein in the horse; both she and her horse maintained that devastating momentum, crashing straight into the moonlit couple.
"Stop her! Quickly!" The guard's exclamation finally rang out.
Seeing the maddened horses and their uncontrolled riders about to collide with their masters, the guards hesitated. Two nimble guards leaped out from the side like cheetahs, each clutching a long-prepared, oiled, and strong rope. Working in perfect unison, they tightened the rope just as the horses' front hooves were about to pass. With one hand on each side, they yanked the rope off the ground, forming a nearly invisible, death-defying tripwire!
“Puff—Crack!”
The galloping horse was caught off guard! Its front hooves slammed into the hard, thin rope, the immense force instantly biting into its flesh, and even the faint sound of bones shifting could be heard! The horse let out a long, shrill, and extremely painful whine. The immense inertia caused its entire front half to fall violently downward as if struck by an invisible hammer! At the same time, its hind hooves were lifted high from the forward momentum, and the entire horse instantly lost its balance, as if being violently flipped over by an invisible giant hand!
Ning Yangyang felt an irresistible force surge from beneath her! The world spun! The world turned upside down and tumbled before her eyes! Her hands, tightly gripping the reins, were torn apart by the immense force, and her body was hurled from the saddle like a kite with its string cut. Before she could even utter a cry, she was hurled through the air in an uncontrollable parabola, slamming hard into the cold, hard ground!
"Bang--!"
There was a dull thud, and dust flew everywhere. The violent impact caused Ning Yangyang's vision to go black. Her internal organs seemed to shift, and sharp pain exploded from her shoulder and waist where they had landed, instantly coursing through her entire body. She curled up in the dust, unable to move, her ears filled only with the painful neighing of her horse and her own heavy, broken breaths. The moonlight shattered across the ground, illuminating her disheveled figure and the eyes not far away, still looking down at her with a cold smile.
"You two teamed up to plot against me?" Ning Yangyang struggled futilely in the cold mud, ultimately unable to stand. But her voice, like quenched iron, resonated in the night wind, carrying a stubborn determination that would not yield even if crushed.
"Ning Yangyang, have you had enough of your acting?!" Nangong Xi's voice suddenly rose, laced with tearing pain and surging anger. She practically rushed over at the sound of her words, her steps quick and heavy, sending mud and water flying everywhere. She rushed to Ning Yangyang's side, but her actions completely contradicted her angry tone—she suddenly squatted down, her hands not roughly dragging, but with a "gentleness" that was almost trembling, she half-lifted, half-carried Ning Yangyang from the mud.
A hand, stained with mud but still white, rose up, its fingertips carrying irresistible force, fiercely rubbing the cold mud on Ning Yangyang's face. The movement was rough, but the moment his eyes bent down, his lips almost touched Ning Yangyang's ear, and he whispered hurriedly in a breathless voice: "I can handle my own affairs. Yangyang, you've done enough."
Ning Yangyang's reaction was astonishingly fast. Almost the moment Nangong Xi finished speaking, she seemed completely enraged by the "wiping face" action and suddenly struggled to break free from Nangong Xi's arms! Her body shook violently due to exhaustion and severe pain in her ankle, but she gritted her teeth and dragged her injured leg, limping and stumbling, but with a clear goal, she pounced on Xiao Ziyi in the moonlight!
She practically bumped into Xiao Ziyi, her mud-stained hands rising sharply to clutch his shoulder beneath his expensive robes, her knuckles white with the force she'd applied, as if it were the only thing holding her up, like the desperate claws of a trapped animal. She raised her head, her mud-spattered face meeting Xiao Ziyi's bottomless eyes, similar in features to her own, yet devoid of warmth. In those eyes, there was only cold scrutiny and a faint, cruel amusement.
"What the hell are you talking about, Xiao Ziyi!" Her voice was hoarse from excitement and pain, but every word was as sharp as a knife. "What kind of nonsense did you make up for Nangong Xi?! Brother—" She deliberately emphasized these two words, with a strong sense of sarcasm and incredible grief, "Are you looking for a scapegoat for yourself?!"
Xiao Ziyi lowered his eyes to observe her disheveled yet still blazing appearance. The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards, a subtle smile on his face, a controlled composure and a hint of barely perceptible mockery. "Sister, you must have evidence when you speak." His voice was low and gentle, yet it licked the air like the tongue of an icy snake. "Sister, have you forgotten the fact that you and Yang Guifei were not on good terms?" He pointedly glanced at Nangong Xi.
"But you are my brother!" Ning Yangyang's voice suddenly became tearful. It was not because of weakness, but because of the extreme pain of being betrayed by her closest relatives. "You are my family! Why... why do you always want to kill me?!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard, as if to shake his hypocritical appearance to pieces.
Xiao Ziyi's eyes instantly turned cold, as if they had been quenched with ice. "Then why do you always go against me?" he asked, his tone still calm, yet revealing a chilling chill.
"Are you doing this as a human being?!" Ning Yangyang practically roared. She suddenly raised her other hand and pointed at the pale-faced Nangong Xi beside her. "As the culprit behind the Nangong family's massacre, you're still confidently saying you like Nangong Xi?! Do you like her so much that you want to wipe out her entire family?! What kind of love is that?!"
Xiao Ziyi's gaze finally shifted from Ning Yangyang's face to the silent Nangong Xi. His eyes instantly grew dark and thick, tinged with a sickly, unquestionable possessiveness. "I fell in love with her after my family was wiped out," he admitted with remarkable frankness, even with a strange sense of self-righteousness, as if stating something perfectly normal.
"That's called forcing! Robbery! She doesn't like you!" Ning Yangyang's nails almost dug into his flesh.
"It's because I don't like you." Xiao Ziyi's gaze fell back on Ning Yangyang's face. The curve of his mouth deepened, and his eyes were as dangerous as a venomous snake staring at its prey. "I can only use coercive measures." He leaned slightly closer to Ning Yangyang, and lowered his voice with a creepy intimacy. "I can only use coercive measures against you, my dear sister."
This sentence was like lighting the final fuse!
"Go to hell, you pervert!!!"
Clang——!
A subtle yet remarkably clear sound of metal rubbing echoed! Ning Yangyang's right hand, which had been tightly gripping the hairpin, yanked it free from her bun (or sleeve) with lightning speed! The seemingly ordinary hairpin flashed an icy light in the moonlight, carrying with it all her anger, despair, and hatred for this twisted brother. With a resolute determination to perish together with Xiao Ziyi, it stabbed fiercely into Xiao Ziyi's heart, which was so close at hand!
Her movements were unpredictable, fast, precise, and ruthless! Her eyes were filled with utterly burning madness and a determination to perish together!
"Warning! The target character, Xiao Ziyi, is the key male protagonist! Killing is prohibited! Repeat! Killing is prohibited!"
A cold, emotionless, mechanically synthesized voice, like the sharpest icicle, pierced Ning Yangyang's raging mind without warning! The sound carried a powerful mental impact, causing her movements to freeze fatally, against her will, just as the hairpin tip was about to pierce Xiao Ziyi's robe!
The calmness on Xiao Ziyi's face, which showed that he was in control of everything, cracked for the first time, turning into a trace of real astonishment, and his body instinctively wanted to lean back.
"If he doesn't die, how can the heroine live?!" Ning Yangyang roared wildly in her mind, her arms shaking violently due to the forced suspension of movement, the tip of the hairpin hovering in front of Xiao Ziyi's chest, trembling slightly.
"It's OK as long as the heroine doesn't love him." The system's voice was cold and programmed.
"If you force yourself every day, you will get sick and fall in love sooner or later!" Ning Yangyang's arms drooped weakly, and the hairpin that condensed all the murderous intent fell to the cold mud with a light "ding" sound.
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