After leaving Treasure Vase Alley, Yun Wenfang did not return directly to the Yun Family. Instead, he went to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
Compared to the multiple checkpoints outside the Ren Family's residence, the guards around the Yanbei Prince's Mansion were surprisingly lax. Yun Wenfang dismounted and asked the mansion's gatekeeper a few questions before leaving the Prince's Mansion, mounting his horse, and riding out of the city. He waited at the fork in the road outside the city.
He waited for an unknown length of time until finally, a carriage slowly approached from the end of that forked road, with guards on horseback following both in front and behind. The carriage appeared larger than ordinary ones, its exterior unassuming, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the materials used to construct it differed from the wood typically used for carriages. On the carriage wall, there was a subtle emblem of a soaring eagle—a pattern known to all in Yanbei as the insignia of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
Yun Wenfang kept his eyes fixed on the approaching carriage. When the guards noticed him, he urged his horse out of the shadows and slowly stopped in the middle of the road, blocking the procession. His gaze remained fixed on the carriage's curtain, as if trying to bore a hole through it with his stare.
Someone whispered a report into the carriage, and then the carriage came to a halt.
The lead guard rode forward, glanced at Yun Wenfang, and said, "Second Young Master Yun, is there something you need?"
Yun Wenfang didn't even look at the guard. "I want to see Xiao Jingxi," he said, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't had water in a long time.
The guard frowned but nodded. "Second Young Master Yun, please follow me." It was clear he had already received instructions.
Yun Wenfang followed the guard to the carriage. The guard whispered a report to the carriage, "Young Master, Second Young Master Yun requests an audience." Although he had brought Yun Wenfang over, the guard's gaze remained subtly fixed on him, cautious and vigilant while maintaining an air of composure.
Yun Wenfang tugged at the corner of his mouth, though there was no trace of a smile on his face. The movement caused his already chapped lips to split, and a trickle of blood stained his lower lip. Paired with his gloomy expression, it would have been enough to frighten off an ordinary person.
"Second Young Master Xiao, I have something to discuss with you. Could you ask your people to step back?" Yun Wenfang's words were surprisingly polite.
Just as the guard was about to speak, the carriage wall was lightly tapped. Then, the curtain was lifted by Tong He, who stood beside the carriage, and Xiao Jingxi stepped down.
After alighting, Xiao Jingxi glanced at Yun Wenfang, his expression showing nothing out of the ordinary. He turned and gently instructed his guards, "You may step back for now."
Though hesitant, the guards bowed in acknowledgment and retreated about twenty paces away, refusing to go any farther. Tong He, however, did not retreat with the guards. Instead, he remained standing behind Xiao Jingxi, eyes lowered and unmoving.
Yun Wenfang looked at Tong He, a mocking expression on his face. "If I were to attack, could a mere attendant stop me? If Second Young Master Xiao is afraid, you should call your people back."
Xiao Jingxi merely smiled at this, offering no explanation and ignoring Yun Wenfang's provocation. He simply asked, "What did you come to see me about?"Xiao Jingxi's calm and indifferent demeanor caused the suppressed bloodlust in Yun Wenfang's eyes to surge forth once more. He took two steps forward, closing in on Xiao Jingxi. "You intend to marry Ren Yaoqi?"
As Yun Wenfang approached, he made no effort to conceal the murderous and hostile aura emanating from him. Yet Xiao Jingxi seemed utterly unaffected, standing his ground without moving, his tone unchanged. "Yes. However, this is a matter between the Yanbei Prince's Mansion and the Ren Family. It seems you are overstepping your concern, Second Young Master Yun. Also, please address my fiancée as Miss Ren."
With Xiao Jingxi's affirmative reply, the temperature in Yun Wenfang's eyes dropped several degrees further. Especially upon hearing Xiao Jingxi's final words, Yun Wenfang clenched his fists so tightly that the distinct sound of knuckles grinding could be heard clearly.
"I knew her long before you were even aware of where you were curing your illness. She is not your fiancée!" Yun Wenfang gritted out each word through clenched teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He resembled a cornered beast, every hair on his body standing on end.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi narrowed his eyes slightly. Yun Wenfang did not notice, but Tong He, standing behind Xiao Jingxi, instinctively took half a step back and lowered his head even further.
An eerie silence fell around them. For a moment, the atmosphere seemed frozen, as if everything in the vicinity had been immobilized by some unseen force. Even the guards stationed over twenty paces away, who were observing the situation, felt a bone-chilling coldness and couldn't help but shiver.
Yun Wenfang instinctively sensed something as well, which helped stabilize his somewhat out-of-control emotions. However, grief and anger had dulled his vigilance, and he continued on his own. "Xiao Jingxi, what kind of woman couldn't you have? Even if the Yanbei Prince's Mansion needs to form a marriage alliance with the Prince of Hezhong, must it be her?"
Xiao Jingxi merely looked at Yun Wenfang without speaking.
"Can you let her go?" Yun Wenfang's voice carried a hint of pleading that even he himself hadn't noticed. Yun Wenfang had always held himself high; even when facing Xiao Jingxi, he never felt inferior. In his entire life, aside from Ren Yaoqi, he had never bowed his head before anyone else.
"Let her go. I am willing to do anything for the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, and so is the Yun Family." At this moment, Yun Wenfang set aside all his pride. Although bowing before Xiao Jingxi felt humiliating, he couldn't help but do it, even as his back trembled violently.
Xiao Jingxi was somewhat surprised, but Yun Wenfang's words did not move him in the slightest. He raised an eyebrow, his tone somewhat playful. "The Yun Family as well? Yun Wenfang, since when can you make decisions for the Yun Family?"
Yun Wenfang pressed his lips together, his still-red eyes filled with unwavering determination. "One day, I will be able to make decisions for the Yun Family! As long as you don't marry her."
Xiao Jingxi looked at Yun Wenfang for a moment, then curved his lips into a smile that held no warmth in his eyes. His words were cold and ruthless. "I don't want the Yun Family, and you needn't waste your efforts. She will only be my wife."
Yun Wenfang abruptly raised his head, glaring fiercely at Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi ignored the ferocity and hatred in his eyes, merely nodding politely. "Our discussion is over, Second Young Master Yun. You may leave."A fierce, murderous intent flashed across Yun Wenfang's face. He stepped forward, blocking Xiao Jingxi's path to the carriage, his entire body radiating coldness. "Xiao Jingxi, aren't you so ill you're about to die? Why must you drag her down? If you just want a decorative wife, why can't you marry anyone else?"
Xiao Jingxi replied indifferently, "What does it have to do with you?"
Yun Wenfang sneered and raised his hand to strike at Xiao Jingxi, saying, "Since you're going to die sooner or later, why not die now? That way, you won't drag someone down with you."
The murderous intent emanating from Yun Wenfang was genuine—at this moment, he truly wanted Xiao Jingxi dead.
Yun Wenfang was no longer at an age of naivety. His years of experience at the border had taught him much about the ways of the world, so initially, he had not intended to risk his life against Xiao Jingxi. He still harbored some reservations about the identity of the Second Young Master of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. However, Xiao Jingxi's words, "She will only be my wife," had completely driven Yun Wenfang mad, causing the bloodlust he had long suppressed to surge forth and shatter his already precarious rationality. In Yun Wenfang's eyes, Xiao Jingxi, despite his impending death, insisted on marrying Ren Yaoqi, intending to ruin her entire life—this was utterly detestable and deserving of death!
The guards who had been watching the situation from afar immediately sensed something amiss and rushed over to intervene, but Xiao Jingxi subtly gestured for them to halt. Even Tong He, who had been about to step forward to block Yun Wenfang, abruptly stopped in his tracks and instead retreated three steps, leaving the combat zone.
Because he genuinely wanted Xiao Jingxi dead, Yun Wenfang struck with all his strength, his movements swift as lightning, aiming to end the fight quickly. However, just as his hand was about to reach Xiao Jingxi's neck, it was forcefully restrained by a sudden, overwhelming power.
The neck is one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body, especially in close combat. A sudden twist to an opponent's neck is the most direct and lethal move. Yun Wenfang had used this technique to take the lives of no fewer than twenty people on the battlefield, never once failing. Thus, when confronting Xiao Jingxi, he instinctively employed the same move, fearing that any hesitation might lead to cowardice or regret. He intended to kill with a single strike.
When his hand was blocked by a slender-fingered one, Yun Wenfang was momentarily stunned. Upon realizing that the hand belonged to Xiao Jingxi himself, shock flashed in his eyes.
How was this possible?
Yun Wenfang was well aware of his own abilities. Against a top-tier expert like Xiao Hua, who had been trained as a shadow guard, he stood little chance in close combat. However, dealing with ordinary masters was no challenge at all, let alone a sickly man like Xiao Jingxi.
Thinking it was a coincidence, Yun Wenfang quickly regained his composure and attacked Xiao Jingxi's Jiǔwěi acupoint with his other hand. This acupoint is one of the body's vital points; striking it accurately with sufficient force during a surprise attack can shatter a person's heart meridian, severely injuring the chest and abdominal organs—another fatal blow.Yet Yun Wenfang's hand was still blocked by Xiao Jingxi's wrist. Xiao Jingxi stood his ground without moving; while blocking Yun Wenfang's attack, his loosely clenched hand opened slightly, and his ring and middle fingers struck with an eerie speed and tricky angle, lightly tapping the spot seven inches above Yun Wenfang's navel and half an inch below the xiphoid process—precisely landing on the "Jiuwei acupoint" that Yun Wenfang had just targeted in his surprise attack.
Yun Wenfang's body stiffened, his steps faltering as he staggered back several paces. Then, he suddenly lowered his head and vomited a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his robe with the crimson he had just expelled.
Still couldn't resist staying up late... 〒_〒
P.S.: Being suspected by a rival in love of having a weak constitution or something... no man can stand that! Even a male god is still a man! You know what I mean! ╮(╯_╰)╭
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