Chapter 275: Chapter 186: Why Did You Lie to Me?

Lu Ziyuan ignored him and instead stood up and walked over to Xie Wanqing.

"I said I’d chop him into minced meat to cleanse your humiliation," he took the machete handed over by Ming Feng, offered it to her, and said, "The first cut is yours, stab him anywhere you like."

Minced meat...

Xie Wanqing reflexively recalled the scene of flesh and blood flying that night, and her hands trembled slightly.

"Don’t be afraid," Lu Ziyuan’s voice softened as he spoke, "Go ahead and cut him, cut away all the shadows he’s brought you."

The enemy who brought those torments was right in front of her; facing him, defeating him, killing him was the only way to solve everything.

He was both pained and pitying over her ordeal, wholeheartedly wanting to help her move on, yet Xie Wanqing’s shadow came not from her captivity with Jin Wuji, during which the biggest blow she received was having her cloak undone in full view while restrained.

Humiliation was definitely humiliation, but weren’t those hands already crippled under his foot?

On the other side, Jin Wuji was practically in a panic, understanding that the one who could break the deadlock was Xie Wanqing, he looked at her and hurriedly said, "I acted rashly and startled the lady, I hope Miss Xie would speak a few words on my behalf considering I treated you with some respect and let me go."

What he said was actually true, aside from the day he clashed with Lu Ziyuan, during that fortnight his words and deeds were indeed fairly respectful.

But Lu Ziyuan seemed touched a sore spot and suddenly burst into rage, twisting his wrist, the machete in his hand skillfully flickered a gleam of light, and before everyone could react, Jin Wuji’s eyes were already bleeding tears.

"Who allowed you to look at her!" Saying this, he seemed to come to his senses, frowned and said, "Respect?"

Jin Wuji, blinded and crying in pain, couldn’t hear a sound from the outside world.

Lu Ziyuan glanced at Xie Wanqing, as if thinking of something, raised his wrist, pressed the knife against Jin Wuji’s chin, and said coldly, "Explain clearly, what kind of respect are you talking about?"

"Get me a doctor!" Jin Wuji’s face was full of blood and tears, begging frantically, "Quick! Quickly get me a doctor!"

The blade moved forward again, slicing a wound on his face, Lu Ziyuan’s voice grew impatient, "Speak! How did you respect her?"

The closeness of the chill restored some sanity to Jin Wuji, having descended from a noble Crown Prince to a prisoner, both hands crippled, eyes blinded, he no longer hoped to escape today, and upon hearing, he seemed to cry and laugh, "You’d better kill me."

Lu Ziyuan completely lost patience, the knife flashed again, this time slicing off one of his ears, "Tell me, what did you do to her!"

If not for someone holding him down, Jin Wuji would have probably already been in agony, unable to speak for the moment.

Xie Wanqing turned her face away and said, "If you want to know anything, just ask me directly."

Unable to hide it, she simply confessed, "He’s right, during those ten-odd days, he treated me with respect, no insult, no offense, and didn’t touch a single finger. Everything you thought happened, didn’t. He just said he would have me dance inside the Jin Army camp during the battle to disgrace you and throw you off balance."

Upon hearing this, even the Deputy Generals who had witnessed the whole time showed expressions of surprise; they were present that day and thought their General’s beloved woman had already...

A violent wind roared through, the courtyard shrouded in night was dead silent, even Jin Wuji was silenced by a perceptive Deputy General, unable to even cry.

Lu Ziyuan was silent for a long while, thinking about something, before his palm suddenly loosened, the half-length machete clanged loudly, falling to the ground.

The sound was exceptionally jarring in the dead silence, frightening Xie Wanqing into a jump, and before she could react, she was scooped up at the waist.

After leaving behind a sentence of ’minced meat,’ Lu Ziyuan directly carried her away. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

With another loud bang, he kicked open the door to a room, threw the person in his arms onto the bed, glanced steadily at her, then turned around to close the door.

Xie Wanqing was stunned by his stance, hurriedly scrambling to the foot of the bed, "What are you doing?"

Lu Ziyuan reached out a long arm, directly pulling her over, grasping her chin and lifting it, his eyes gazing deeply into hers, "Why did you lie to me?"

"...I," Xie Wanqing froze for a moment, her eyes evasive, "I didn’t mean to..."

The hand on her chin tightened, she gasped for breath as the man in front of her spoke, "Do you know how much I’ve hated myself these past days?"

His voice was light, yet Xie Wanqing could hear her heart skip a beat.

...I know.

How could she not know?

The pain she suffered seemed more grievous to him than her own; yet before her he couldn’t express his breakdown, instead had to carefully coax her.

He leaned closer, red-eyed and piercingly gazing at her, as if trying to see through to her soul, "Why did you lie to me?"

Under such a gaze, Xie Wanqing found herself momentarily speechless.

"Can’t talk?" The hand moved from her chin to her nape, giving a heavy squeeze, "Afraid I’ll do something to you?"

Xie Wanqing laughed dryly, "...No."

"Really?" Lu Ziyuan also laughed, though without reaching his eyes, "Wanwan, did you honestly think about starting again with me?"

His gaze turned icy, another hand touching her chest, asking, "Is the space inside all meant for him? Can I still squeeze in?"

"Calm down," Xie Wanqing grasped his wrist, "Don’t be like this."

"Be like what?" He let her hold onto him, staring unblinkingly at her, "Tell me, you’re not worried I’ll do something indecent, and deliberately lied about being abused by the Jin Thief?"

"..." Xie Wanqing parted her lips, unsure what to say.

"Because of Pei Yuqing?" The coarse thumb slowly stroked the healing scab at her neck, sending tremors; he glanced at it, voice flatly, "Afraid of losing yourself to me and betraying him, preferring to label yourself with such shame?"

After reasoning a moment, he laughed again, "True love indeed, he’s so wonderful you’d go to great lengths to stay pure for him?"

"What to do, I’m petty by nature, can’t stand seeing true love in the world," he began to undo her clothes, "Tell me, how does he do it; I’m clever enough, capable of mimicking to please you."

Xie Wanqing restrained his hand, anxious, "I had no intention of deceiving you!"

He paused his movement, waiting for her to continue.

"Pei Yuqing and I are still husband and wife, we can’t..."

Mouth blocked, the remainder of her words were swallowed by him.

Those words he didn’t want to hear a single one.

The long kiss ended and Xie Wanqing’s lips turned crimson, panting with her head turned aside, Lu Ziyuan raised his hand to gently caress her lips, "Decided you’ll only want Pei Yuqing for life?"

Xie Wanqing lifted her eyes, just about to speak, when his kiss covered hers again...

Heavy with a sense of plunder, she was completely defenseless.