Xiao Man moved her clear black and white eyes, her killing intent dissipating.
The murderous intent on her face instantly vanished, replaced by a gentle smile, her expression one of appeasement, as if asking, "Your Highness the Prince of Qin, what brings you here so late?"
Nangong Yu stared at Xiao Man for a long time, took the dagger from her hand, reached out to her, and gently traced her face with his fingers. After confirming there were no traces of disguise, he moved downwards.
In a blink of an eye, his fingers slowly unbuttoned Xiao Man's clothes, moving steadily downwards.
Xiao Man's face turned green. "You damn Nangong Yu! How can you be a prince and not get any woman you want?
In this capital, there are at least eight thousand women who want to get into your bed, yet you barge into my private chamber in the middle of the night to strip me? Believe it or not, I'll break your acupoints and kill you!"
Under Xiao Man's murderous gaze, the Prince of Qin's actions did not falter.
Xiao Man felt like crying inside. Who said the Prince of Qin was a transcendent immortal, detached from worldly desires and uninterested in women?!
Let them step forward, and she promised to cripple them and blind their dog eyes. Could someone who acted like this truly be uninterested in women?
Nangong Yu unbuttoned Xiao Man's clothes, revealing her bandaged wound.
Due to Xiao Man's excessive movements when she attacked Nangong Yu earlier, the wound had reopened, and blood had soaked through.
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man's chest, his voice low and distant, "Xiao Man, answer this king truthfully, did you clearly see the person who injured you?"
A flicker of confusion crossed Xiao Man's eyes. The Prince of Qin barged into her room in the middle of the night just to ask if she saw the person who injured her?
"Or rather, how did this wound come about?"
Xiao Man's eyes deepened slightly, a hint of caution in her expression.
Nangong Yu's suspicion was confirmed by Xiao Man's wary look. There was indeed more to Xiao Man's wound!
Did she know the person who stabbed her, or did she stab herself?
Ye Qing had said that unless one had excellent control and was extremely aware of their body's vital points, such a wound would be impossible to inflict. The dagger that pierced Xiao Man's chest seemed to have been plunged by someone standing in front of her. With Xiao Man's skills, how could she have stood still and let herself be wounded?
Unless that person was someone she was familiar with, someone she wouldn't guard against!
But Xiao Man was guarded against everyone. In this manor, the only person she might not have guarded against was her father, Xiao Zhen.
No, perhaps Xiao Man didn't even trust Xiao Zhen!
Moreover, Xiao Man had taken medicine that made her appear extremely weak. If she wasn't cooperating with someone, then the only possibility was that Xiao Man had stabbed herself!
Xiao Man looked at Nangong Yu with innocent eyes, as if she didn't understand what he was saying. No matter what Nangong Yu thought, she would never admit to stabbing herself!
Of course, she hadn't seen the assassin's face either.
After all, she and the Prince of Qin were not related. If this person was testing her, and she told the truth, the Prince of Qin would sell her out, and she would die again after finally surviving!
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man's pretense of ignorance and a bitter smile touched his lips. He unbuttoned his own clothes, revealing his strong chest.
The Prince of Qin's action made Xiao Man quickly close her eyes, cursing inwardly, "Shameless! Debauched!"
"Five years ago, I was wounded on the battlefield. That person, amidst thousands of soldiers, killed their way to me. Their strike was swift, precise, and deadly. I didn't even have time to react before their sword pierced my chest. And the location of the wound is exactly the same as yours." Nangong Yu pointed at Xiao Man's wound, his finger brushing it as lightly as a feather, causing Xiao Man to tremble uncontrollably. "Tell me, are the person who wounded me and the person who wounded you the same?"
Xiao Man's eyes snapped open. Nangong Yu's chest bore a scar, in the exact same position as her wound.
Xiao Man's pupils contracted, and a scene buried deep in her memory flashed through her mind.
That's right, how could she forget? Five years ago, she had stabbed Nangong Yu, but not severely.
Now she had used the same method to injure herself, to escape the schemes of the mastermind behind the scenes. She hadn't expected to attract Nangong Yu's suspicion. It was a miscalculation!
But who was Xiao Man? Even knowing Nangong Yu was suspicious, she would never show it. Instead, she feigned a look of bewilderment, as if asking, "Who wounded you?"
Those innocent black eyes, as pure as black pearls, made it impossible to doubt her.
Nangong Yu could see nothing from Xiao Man's expression. He sighed softly, unlocked her acupoints, and stood up.
Xiao Man quickly adjusted her clothes, clutching her collar, and shrank to the corner of the bed, as if Nangong Yu were a ferocious beast. Seeing this, Nangong Yu's breath hitched!
He was not a scoundrel or a womanizer. What did Xiao Man's guarded, distrustful look mean?
He just wanted to know if Dugu Man was still alive, if she had gone from visible to hidden, lurking in the shadows, preparing to clear the path for Murong Sheng Rui to conquer the world! He even suspected if Xiao Man was a disguise by Dugu Man, but he had examined her carefully. There were no traces of disguise on Xiao Man's face. Ye Qing was right, she was the genuine Xiao Man!
"Xiao Man, tell me, who was it that injured you?"
"I told you, it was the Thirteenth Prince..." Xiao Man choked out, her words halting, as if she had suffered great injustice.
Nangong Yu understood that he wouldn't get any useful information from Xiao Man. No matter who injured her, she wouldn't tell the truth.
"You should rest and recover." Nangong Yu stood up, his figure flashing to the door. With the sound of the door opening and closing, Nangong Yu disappeared without a trace.
Xiao Man didn't relax until she could no longer hear any sound.
"Petty! Holding a grudge after all these years! Although I wounded you back then, I also did you a big favor," Xiao Man muttered.
Five years ago, she had shown mercy to Nangong Yu, considering his young age and the difficulty of survival, and also to make Yun Qi stay vigilant, so she had let Nangong Yu off the hook. She hadn't expected him to still be holding a grudge after all these years.
Xiao Man knitted her brows. It seemed she needed to be more careful in her actions.
Nangong Yu might not be familiar with her, but he could infer her identity from a single wound.
Murong Sheng Rui, who had spent countless days with her, probably knew her even better.
Until she became powerful, she absolutely could not act rashly.
Xiao Man got up and pushed open the window, lost in thought.
In the darkness of the night, who knew how many demons and ghosts were lurking.
How many people had emerged from a palace banquet, and how many forces were involved? She had wanted to stay out of trouble until she became strong, but some people insisted on pushing her into the vortex of imperial power struggles.
A sharp, starlike glint flashed in Xiao Man's eyes. No matter who the hand in the darkness was, she would drag them out and break that black hand!