Lu Jiu was unfazed. “You are throwing away your cultivation for a mere mortal. Aren’t you afraid that Uncle will take matters into his own hands?”
Lady Wang cut him off sharply. “Let him do as he pleases. If he dies, then I will die with him.”
Lu Jiu said leisurely, “The way you’re going, you’re not far from death yourself. When your soul is completely annihilated under the heavenly tribulation, he will still be discovered by the underworld envoys and taken to reincarnate. From then on, he will never remember you. He will marry, have children, and live his life with another woman…”
Before he could finish, a ball of green fire shot toward him.
Lu Jiu swiftly dodged, laughing. “I was only delivering Uncle’s message. Whatever happens in the future has nothing to do with me.” With that, he transformed into a streak of white light and disappeared.
Lady Wang stood there, her face twisted with fury, unmoving for a long moment. When she finally turned to leave, she stumbled over the unconscious man beside her. Letting out a cold snort, she kicked him aside without hesitation before vanishing into the moonlit night.
* * *
Hong Ning’s arm was being tightly gripped, her pace unsteady as she was all but dragged forward. Yang Zhen wasn’t moving particularly fast, but his strides were powerful and firm, forcing her to keep up.
Even with her usual composure, her thoughts were now in complete disarray. A faint unease crept in—after all, his concubine had been caught in an illicit affair, and the one who witnessed it was an outsider.
It was undoubtedly a humiliating situation.
And given Yang Zhen’s temperament, there was no telling how he would handle it.
At last, he stopped, releasing his grip on her.
The night wind carried a sharp chill, and the lanterns along the covered walkway cast a soft, flickering glow—dim and ambiguous.
Suddenly, Hong Ning felt an odd sense of awkwardness.
Demon women draining men’s life essence was hardly an uncommon sight—something she had long been accustomed to. Normally, it wouldn’t be a big deal, and besides, she hadn’t meant to spy.
But now, being caught by him changed everything.
It felt as if she had accidentally opened an indecent book, only for a man to walk in at that very moment.
A long silence followed.
Then, as expected, Yang Zhen finally spoke, his voice carrying a sharp reprimand.
“A young lady—peeping at such things!”
“I was just out for a walk…” Hong Ning started, but quickly realized that the more she tried to explain, the worse it sounded. Helpless, she fell silent.
To her surprise, he wasn’t nearly as angry as she had expected.
Curious, she stole a glance at his expression. His concubine had been unfaithful—yet he was taking it so calmly?
Yang Zhen’s face remained impassive, his tone filled with disdain. “Would you like to go back and take a closer look?”
So that was it.
He hadn’t actually seen the woman’s face.
Hong Ning finally understood and let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.
After all, this was a man with many wives and concubines. Lady Wang’s betrayal was not entirely her fault, but noble families placed great importance on reputation. A scandal like this in the prince’s household would be unacceptable, and knowing Yang Zhen’s proud and ruthless nature, if the truth were to come out, blood would surely be shed.
Her breath came a little too fast, the warmth of his exhale brushing against her forehead.
Startled, Hong Ning lifted her head—only to realize that at some point, Yang Zhen had stepped in close.
Too close.
Barely a foot separated them.
His gaze bore down on her, dark and unreadable, his lips curling into a faint smirk.
His voice was low, almost teasing.
“Curious about such things?”
Hong Ning sensed something was wrong and instinctively tried to step back.
But before she could move, a strong arm encircled her waist, pulling her in.
Another hand caught her chin, tilting it upward with precise control.
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