"Precisely because I'm the Prince's man, that's why I must spare your life!" Yan Shan looked quite relaxed as he faced the defenseless Wen Yu.
He didn't seem to be in a hurry to deliver a fatal blow, which gave Wen Yu a chance to dodge.
He twirled the dagger in his hand. The cold glint of the blade flashed across his eyes, making his already cold gaze even more menacing.
"Why?" Wen Yu's heart raced wildly.
She thought she had been prepared to face death, but when the dagger narrowly missed her, she realized that the fear deep in her heart had never truly faded.
She didn't want to die anymore.
Even the extremely malicious barrage of comments could gradually change. Why should she still choose death?
Xun Ying was still waiting for her. They had promised to seek treatment together after everything here was over. She didn't want to break her promise.
She didn't want to die, at least not die so ambiguously on the eve of the dawn!
"Do you know how much risk this plan of yours has put the Prince in?" Yan Shan's tone was cold. He stepped in front of Wen Yu and looked down at her haughtily. "People like you, what right do you have to make the Prince sacrifice his future for you?"
Yan Shan's tone was calm, but the killing intent was hidden within.
"But aren't you his secret guard? He told you to protect my safety, yet you want to kill me. How will you explain this when you go back?" Wen Yu slumped to the ground and crawled backward on all fours. Her delicate pink dress was completely soiled by the mud.
Hearing this, Yan Shan's expression remained unchanged. "Mr. Ling won't allow the Prince to be distracted by emotions and neglect his great cause. If I don't get rid of you, Mr. Ling won't serve the Prince anymore."
"After I kill you and go back, even if the Prince wants me to die, I'll be willing. I'll never let you get on Mr. Ling's nerves!"
Mr. Ling?
Who was this?
[Who is Mr. Ling? Is there such a character in the original text?]
[This story has completely deviated. Maybe more characters will be added to round out the worldview. But the most urgent thing is for Sister Yu to run!]
She did want to run, but in front of Yan Shan, she had no chance to escape.
She had no doubt that if she dared to move now, Yan Shan's dagger would slit her throat in the next second.
"The Prince and I were just cooperating for mutual benefit. Now that the plan has succeeded, there will be no more ties between us in the future. You don't have to kill me."
Wen Yu tried to negotiate. She forced herself to calm down. "Let me go. I'll act as if today's incident never happened."
"In this way, both you and I can live. If I ever affect the Prince in the future, you can kill me then."
She spoke in a persuasive tone.
But Yan Shan just sneered disdainfully. "Again? I won't give you a chance to affect the Prince again."
As he spoke, he twirled his wrist, and the dagger instantly came closer.
When death was approaching, Wen Yu instinctively closed her eyes.
The expected sharp pain of her throat being slit didn't come. Instead, there was a sudden warmth on her face.
The smell of rust lingered in her nostrils, mixing with the earthy smell of the mud, making her feel extremely nauseous.
Wen Yu tightly closed her eyes and didn't dare to open them for a moment.
"You wanted to go and die without telling me."
A familiar male voice with suppressed anger sounded above her head.
Wen Yu was stunned. Before she opened her eyes, her heart started to beat again.
"You're too scared to even look at me, yet you dared to go and die alone?"
Xun Ying gritted his teeth and spoke. He rarely showed such an aggressive side.
His voice was trembling uncontrollably, as if it was a mix of relief and extreme anger that had reached its peak.
Hearing this, Wen Yu slowly opened her eyes a little and secretly glanced upwards.
The sky was dim. The moonlight filtered through the tree branches and was blocked by Xun Ying's figure.
His face was hidden in the darkness, but his vivid emotions made him seem more than just a shadow.
At his feet, Yan Shan was already dead.
His eyes were wide open, and he covered his neck, staring unyieldingly in Wen Yu's direction.
That look in his eyes seemed to indicate that even in death, he wanted to drag her to hell with him.
Wen Yu let out a long breath, feeling scared. Then she shifted her gaze and didn't look anymore.
"Xun Ying..."
Wen Yu called out softly, then lowered her head. "Why are you here?"
Seeing her look guilty, Xun Ying got even angrier. He let out a cold laugh and for the first time, said something sarcastic. "If I hadn't been here, would I have to wait for the news of your death?"
"Do you think you can meet me in the underworld without asking my opinion?"
Wen Yu was taken aback. She suddenly looked up and was about to speak, but the shadow covering her suddenly got shorter.
Her lips were bitten hard, and the words of explanation were blocked in her throat.
It was not until her lips were about to be crushed that the person angrily pulled away.
"Who gave you the right to make such a decision without telling me? You didn't want me to take risks with my life, but it's okay for you to do so? Wen Yu, why are you so selfish?!"
Xun Ying suppressed his anger and whispered the question.
When she made the decision, she just didn't want Xun Ying to stop her, and she didn't want him to fight for her.
Looking back now, it was indeed unfair to him.
But if she had to do it all over again, she thought she still wouldn't tell Xun Ying the truth.
"Anyway, the plan was a success, wasn't it?" she whispered in defense.
Hearing this, Xun Ying seemed to be amused. He snatched the dagger from Yan Shan's hand and waved it in front of Wen Yu. "A great success. You almost got stabbed to death! If I had come just a little later, I would have only been able to look at your dead body!"
"How did you know I was here?" Wen Yu suddenly remembered this question and couldn't help but ask. "Didn't I tell the Prince to detain you for the time being?"
Hearing this, Xun Ying's expression seemed to turn even darker.
He let out another soft laugh. His tone was confident and flamboyant, yet also tinged with annoyance. "They couldn't hold me back."
"As for finding you, it was just good luck."
Although it didn't rain today, there had been a bit of fog since evening. The small path wasn't paved with bluestone slabs, so it was inevitable that there would be traces on the muddy road.
"Alright, let's leave here first. We'll settle the score about you lying to me later."
As Xun Ying spoke, he stood up and reached out to pull Wen Yu up from the ground.
It was only when Wen Yu stood up that he noticed her foot was injured.
"We can't go back directly. Yan Shan said there's a man named Mr. Ling beside the Prince. He hates it when the Prince acts on his emotions. Yan Shan wanted to kill me on his own initiative to appease Mr. Ling."
Wen Yu calmly spoke after standing up.
Since Yan Shan had wanted to kill her, there was no guarantee that other secret guards wouldn't do the same.
Xun Ying nodded slightly upon hearing this, but his eyes were fixed on Wen Yu's foot. "The back mountain of Qingfeng Temple is very large. Let's find a place to hide for a day. After dawn, we'll go down the mountain in a roundabout way. Then I'll go and gather information before deciding what to do next."
"But your foot is injured. I'll carry you on my back. The dew is heavy at night, and the ground is slippery. You won't be able to walk steadily with your injured foot."
Xun Ying's words were not a suggestion but an order.
As soon as he finished speaking, before Wen Yu could reply, she was already on his back.
She stiffened for a moment, but then gradually relaxed as she felt Xun Ying's body heat.
"This is the last time, Wen Yu. If there's a next time, I'll really be angry." Xun Ying whispered a warning, but his tone didn't carry much threat.
After all, this wasn't the first time he had said this, and there had never been any real punishment.
Or rather, he simply didn't know what to do with Wen Yu.