The sword energy was sharp, heading straight for her face with unstoppable force.
Feng Yinwan's eyes narrowed, and a jade pendant silently fell from her fingertips.
*Liuyun Baifu*.
It was the half-jade piece from Yun Shu's body.
The killing intent condensed, and the sword stopped an inch from her face.
The veil was lifted by the air current and then fell back down. Feng Yinwan looked up, her body still unmoved.
"Prince Mo, how about a deal?"
She knew tonight was a trap, but for Chenchen, she had to step into it.
Her gaze met those cold eyes in mid-air. Feng Yinwan raised her hand and deflected the sword tip, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
"I know what you want."
"Let us go, and you can have the Yuzhi Grass."
"Otherwise."
There was a faint sound in her palm, and the half-jade was shattered by her internal force.
She looked up, her meaning clear.
Ye Tinglan's eyes darkened, but he asked an irrelevant question.
"What relation are you to this little dumpling?"
He had seen this face in Yunzhou.
Whether it was then or now, there was a hint of hostility in her gaze towards him.
He couldn't figure it out, but this woman represented the Xuan Yi people.
So... was the little dumpling's identity truly as he suspected, related to the Xuan Yi people?
His expression darkened, and a hint of fierceness immediately appeared between his brows.
Hearing this, Feng Yinwan's delicate face grew colder. "It has nothing to do with you."
What happened back then was long gone. Regardless of her current identity, she and Chenchen had nothing to do with him anymore!
Her eyes narrowed, and she lifted her foot to walk into the room.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she took a step, the long sword attacked again with sharp force.
Feng Yinwan's heart tightened, and her body was immediately forced back a few steps.
"What does Prince Mo mean by this?"
He still wouldn't agree even with the Yuzhi Grass as exchange?
Ye Tinglan swung his sword, his gaze towards her as cold as ice.
"People of the Xuan Sect are wicked and malevolent. How can this prince let you escape so easily!"
That sword strike was sharp and decisive, carrying full killing intent as it swung towards her face.
So much so that Feng Yinwan didn't even have time to process what "wicked and malevolent" meant in his words. Her temples were already brushed by the sword energy.
He truly wanted to kill her.
Since that was the case, there was nothing more to discuss.
She pushed off the ground with her feet, her body as light as a wild goose, and immediately retreated several meters.
As she flung a pill in her hand, she took out a short saber from her sleeve, removed the scabbard, and met the attack.
Her swordsmanship back then was personally taught by Ye Tinglan. After joining the Xuan Sect, she abandoned the sword and used a saber, relearning martial arts under Luo Qingyi.
However, the power of a short saber was always limited. In recent years, her most familiar weapon had been the Qingying Needle given to her by Feng Wuxi.
But the trouble was, she had already used the Qingying Needle before faking her death. It was difficult to use it easily when facing Ye Tinglan again now.
As the saber and sword clashed, Ye Tinglan's internal force was clearly superior to hers.
Feng Yinwan knew she was outmatched, and with a flick of her fingers, several poison pills were prepared again.
Ye Tinglan had deep internal force, and poisoning him was no easy task. After a few exchanges, she found no opportunity. Another wave of sword energy struck, and Feng Yinwan turned and retreated.
Her eyes narrowed. Just as she was about to make another move, a small figure suddenly walked out of the room, unexpectedly barging into the center of the storm.
"Chenchen!"
Her heart tightened. She shifted her short saber, immediately deflecting its direction.
Feng Jinchen was still groggy from sleep. Hearing this, his eyes immediately opened. "Mother?!"
Recognizing Feng Yinwan, his face lit up with joy, and he eagerly moved forward, completely unaware of the dangerous aura surging behind him.
"Quick, move!"
Her heart felt as if it were being gripped by a powerful force. She flew forward, not daring to hesitate, and pulled the little dumpling into her embrace.
The long sword was still rapidly approaching. Seeing this, Feng Jinchen's small face instantly turned pale.
"Uncle Wang, what are you doing!"
As if startled by this sudden exclamation, Ye Tinglan's gaze flickered. He wanted to retract his move, but it was already too late.
The sword tip shifted, forcefully moving away from Feng Yinwan's face, but it inevitably pierced her left shoulder.
With a "chi la" sound, her clothes tore, and a bloodstain immediately appeared.
Feng Jinchen's small face turned white, and his eyes immediately turned red.
"Mother!"
Ye Tinglan had not expected this either. His hand gripping the sword tightened, and the coldness in his eyes faded for a moment.
As his body landed, the next instant, the little dumpling glared at him with red eyes.
"You bad guy! You bullied Mother, I... I'll poison you to death!"
As he spoke, he reached for the pills in his embrace, his small hands trembling with both heartache and anger. After fumbling for a while, the pills fell to the ground.
Finally, as if enraged, he picked up a pill at his feet and hurled it at Ye Tinglan.
"Poison you to death, you scoundrel!"
Feng Yinwan was startled by his action and quickly called out to stop him.
"Chenchen! Don't be reckless!"
Ye Tinglan's temperament was unpredictable, and he seemed to deeply despise people from their Xuan Sect.
If he were to make a move against Chenchen...
Her heart tightened, and she immediately pulled the little dumpling behind her, her gaze fixed on that spot, her expression wary.
"This has nothing to do with the child. If you have something against someone, come at me!"
She had an old wound on her left shoulder, inflicted by a masked man in the palace years ago.
Years had passed, and though the flesh had long since healed, the damage to the bones could not be repaired.
The sword strike just now was not deep; it had only grazed her skin, but the sword energy attached to it, striking her bones, was enough to make cold sweat bead on her forehead.
Ye Tinglan retracted his sword, but his gaze towards her was even colder than before.
"Nothing to do with it? When has anyone from your Xuan Sect ever been innocent!"
There was hidden hatred in that gaze.
Feng Yinwan's hand covering her shoulder paused.
She knitted her brows, becoming even more confused. "Does Prince Mo think he knows the Xuan Sect very well?"
In the three years in Yue Country, the Xuan Sect members she knew pursued alchemy, studied in seclusion, and cultivated diligently, rarely even leaving the sect. When had they ever committed evil deeds?
Compared to them, it was his royal family that was more fitting of the words "wicked and malevolent"!
"Are you questioning this prince?"
His dark eyes, deep as the sea, narrowed for just a moment, and a suffocating coldness spread everywhere.
Feng Yinwan had internal force and could resist his pressure, but Feng Jinchen could not.
The little fellow, who had been fierce enough to poison him moments ago, was now clutching her clothes tightly, his body trembling under the pressure.
Sensing this, Feng Yinwan felt a pang of heartache and pulled him even closer.
"Enough! If you have something to say, just say it directly!"
What kind of skill was it to scare a child!
His gaze fell upon Feng Jinchen's pathetic little face, and Ye Tinglan felt an inexplicable sharp pain in his heart. The coldness on his body immediately receded a bit.
He was about to speak, but before his lips could even part, a guard hurried in from outside.
"Your Highness, bad news! The imperial storehouse has been robbed, Guard Qi is poisoned, and the sacred... the sacred artifact is also missing!"
In an instant, that sharp, chilling aura spread once more.
Ye Tinglan glared at them heavily, his eyes as cold and sharp as substance.
"A fine job done by people of your Xuan Sect!"