Xiao Chi Zhan ignored his taunts and said to Ye Luan, "Luan Luan, come up."
Ye Luan glanced at the innkeeper and asked, "Is my meal ready?"
The innkeeper lifted the curtain and looked into the back.
"Not yet, we'll bring it up once it's done."
"Alright."
Ye Luan picked up her saber and went upstairs.
Xiao Chi Zhan said to her, "Go into the room."
"Mhm."
The door behind them closed, and Xiao Chi Zhan's gentle expression instantly turned sinister.
He rested his hands on the railing, looking down at the large men below, his smile chilling and bloodthirsty.
"Left hand."
Xue Ren immediately understood. He drew his saber and, with incredibly brutal and swift movements, peeled the skin off the large man's hand.
The onlookers were stunned by the scene.
Skinning?!
There were often fights in the frontier, but they were always straightforward, ending after a bout with perhaps some injuries and bleeding. Never had such cruel methods been employed.
The innkeeper wanted to intervene, but a large number of hidden guards suddenly appeared, surrounding them all.
The leader handed the innkeeper a token. Upon seeing it, the innkeeper's face turned pale with fright, and he fell silent, retreating to the side.
"Tongue."
The man's words were like those of death, terrifying and chilling.
The other large men, held captive, trembled in fear. They watched as their companion's tongue was instantly severed by a sharp blade, their eyes widening in horror.
The dark guards trained by Xue Ren were exceptionally skilled, with perfect control over their movements.
The large man was in so much pain he wished for death, but he couldn't die. His mouth was stuffed with rags, blood trickled down with his drool, and he couldn't even cry out.
His Highness detested piercing screams the most. During punishment, not a single sound of agony was to be uttered.
"Ears."
Xiao Chi Zhan coldly watched the large man being tortured into an unrecognizable state, his gaze calm and unperturbed.
The diners in the main hall could no longer eat. It was too disgusting.
Several other restrained large men wet themselves in terror, the smell pungent.
"Dig out his eyeballs and feed them to him."
With a swish, a flash of white steel, and the large man collapsed, his pain so intense he fainted before he could even scream.
Xue Ren used his saber to pick out the two dark eyeballs and thrust them directly into the mouths of the other large men, a gruesome sight.
Everyone was terrified and couldn't help but look up at the white-robed man standing by the railing.
He was a figure of divine beauty, yet his heart was as vicious as a demon from hell.
Frightening.
So frightening.
The cruelty was scalp-numbingly horrifying.
The large man on the ground could no longer be called human. His hands were stripped of skin, his ears completely severed, his tongue cut off. Blood stained everything.
Xiao Chi Zhan gave a faint smile, "Xue Ren, sever their... those two pieces of flesh, and burn them."
"Yes."
Some of the more timid were already fainting from the brutal scenes.
A few of the large men tried to struggle for their lives, but they were no match for the hidden guards and were all subdued as their flesh was cut away.
Agony, soul-crushing agony.
"Your Highness, how should we handle the bodies?"
Your Highness?
The onlookers below, hearing the title, all showed varied expressions: surprise, confusion, but mostly fear.
No wonder he was so arrogant. Which region's prince was he?
His methods were truly cruel and terrifying.
"I've heard there's a ferocious beast in the northern frontier called the Heavenly Dog, which enjoys eating people. Take them and feed them to it."
Xue Ren immediately sheathed his saber and respectfully replied, "Yes."
The large men were quickly taken away.
In the main hall, the earlier liveliness was gone, replaced by a profound silence. The faint scent of blood in the air left everyone feeling somewhat dazed.
Ye Luan heard the door open and sat up from the couch, asking, "How was it handled?"
"Took them out and disposed of them."
Xiao Chi Zhan said calmly, then walked towards her.
Ye Luan's stomach rumbled uncomfortably. Just as she was about to go downstairs to inquire again, a knock came from the door.
She immediately leaped off the couch and went to open it.
"Guest, please enjoy."
The waiter's hands holding the food seemed to be trembling.
Ye Luan, puzzled, took the plate and was about to ask something when the waiter, trembling, ran off.
"What are you running for?"
She frowned, muttering a few words, and couldn't help but glance back towards Xiao Chi Zhan. What had he done to scare the waiter so much?
But she was truly starving and couldn't be bothered to think too much. She kicked the door shut with her foot and brought the food inside.
"Come and eat."
The aroma of the food that wafted towards her was extremely tempting.
Ye Luan ate with delight, "These milk buns are delicious."
Xiao Chi Zhan leaned back in his chair, watching her eat, a slight smile curving his lips.
"I didn't see Li Qiongyu downstairs earlier. Did he get angry and leave?"
"He had something to attend to and left ahead of us. He'll join us tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing this, Ye Luan's eyes narrowed slightly. Did they have informants nearby? Otherwise, where did Li Qiongyu go?
But if they did, why stay at such a humble inn with poor conditions?
Xiao Chi Zhan looked like he was unaccustomed to staying in such a place.
Indeed, how would they spend the night?
This guy always liked to be handsy, and she didn't want to share a bed with him.
But the nights in the frontier were too cold, and he would definitely be unhappy if she made him sleep on the floor.
Ye Luan ate and thought, completely oblivious to the doting look Xiao Chi Zhan gave her.
After finishing the meal, Ye Luan went to wash up first. When she returned, she saw Xiao Chi Zhan already lying on the edge of the bed. She pouted and walked over to get a quilt.
"What are you doing?"
Ye Luan pulled out a quilt and said, "I'll sleep on the floor."
As soon as she spoke, a flicker of ferocity crossed Xiao Chi Zhan's face, so quick it was almost imperceptible.
He watched Ye Luan's actions, a look of unknown emotion flashing in his deep red eyes. After a moment, he got up from the bed, squatted down, took her hand, and said gently.
"You sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."
"Ah—"
Ye Luan paused in her act of preparing the floor bedding. She hadn't expected Xiao Chi Zhan to offer to sleep on the ground.
"Go on."
Xiao Chi Zhan said, then lay down.
Ye Luan watched him close his eyes, her gaze lingering. After a moment, she got up and went to bed.
The moon hung high in the night sky above the northern frontier, large and round.
The clear moonlight shone through the gauze window, illuminating the entire room in silence.
Ye Luan saw him toss and turn, unable to sleep.
It was snowing outside, and the ground was so cold. Would he catch a chill sleeping there all night?
She couldn't help but scrutinize him. He didn't seem to be asleep, and his body was curled up, looking as if he were very cold.
She furrowed her brow slightly and leaned out, catching sight of him shivering in the moonlight.
Ye Luan started.
"Can't sleep?"
Suddenly, the man's voice rang out in the silent room, startling her.
Why was he shivering if he wasn't asleep?
"Your Highness isn't asleep yet?"
"No, it's too cold. It's fine, Luan Luan, you should sleep quickly."
His voice sounded rather pitiful.
Ye Luan's delicate brows knitted. What was she being so squeamish about? Thinking about it carefully, making do on the bed for a night wasn't a big deal.
If he truly fell ill from the cold, it would be her fault.
After a moment's thought, she spoke directly, "Your Highness, why don't you come and sleep on the bed? This bed is quite large."