"So, you're saying you're not going to take responsibility?" Nangong Yu asked dangerously.
Xiao Man nodded decisively, "Mhm, I'm not planning to take responsibility. There's an old saying, it's hard to raise women and petty people. I'm not just a woman, I'm also a petty person. It wouldn't be surprising if I did something like abandon someone after starting something or betray my word."
"Then everything you said before was just to appease me?"
"Your Highness can think of it that way." Xiao Man was constantly testing the boundaries of her recklessness. Heaven knew she was terrified right now, but there were still many things she needed to do. She didn't have time to waste on romantic entanglements. Moreover, she didn't want to bother dealing with the women surrounding the Prince of Qin; it was too much of a waste of time. Su Dan Novel Network
"Xiao Man, you're courting death."
"If Your Highness feels indignant and wants to hit or scold me, I will accept it." Xiao Man's expression was calm and composed.
Nangong Yu stared at Xiao Man for a long time before finally leaving without a word. As soon as Nangong Yu left, Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief. She was so scared! She thought the Prince of Qin would draw his sword and slice her into eight pieces, but instead, he just left!
On the training grounds, swords flashed and blades glinted. Si Ye was on the verge of tears. Why was Master training them so intensely after returning? What had they done wrong?
Si Chen panted heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat. Master must have been extremely upset by the young lady. It was clear the young lady's temper was not small either!
"Master, is the young lady jealous?" Si Chen suddenly asked.
"Jealous?" Nangong Yu stopped his sword and frowned. "Why would she be jealous?"
Si Chen seemed to have found a solution and quickly said, "Miss Luo claims to be Your Highness's fiancée, but the young lady's relationship with Your Highness is clearly more intimate. Now, someone has stepped forward to claim to be Your Highness's fiancée and told her to scram. Yet, Your Highness, you even stepped out to protect Miss Luo. It's only natural for the young lady to be angry and jealous."
Nangong Yu's dark expression finally softened a bit. "So, what she said was all to deliberately anger me?"
"Naturally."
"And keeping male companions?"
"Male companions?" Si Chen's eyes nearly popped out. "Are they really the young lady's male companions?"
Nangong Yu was stunned. That was right, Xiao Man was not the kind of person to keep male companions. This girl's first time was with him. The rumors about her in the outside world were all baseless! He had been tricked; Xiao Man was deliberately trying to anger him!
After Nangong Yu left, Yan Yuqing put away his teasing demeanor and sat opposite Xiao Man, asking directly, "Xiao Man, why did Zhan Tianque come to find you?"
"He offered himself, to be my male companion."
Yan Yuqing choked. Zhan Tianque offering himself to be her male companion? Zhan Tianque might draw his sword to kill her, but being her male companion was absolutely impossible!
A sharp dagger appeared in Yan Yuqing's hand. "Little beauty, I'm not in the mood to listen to your jokes. The knife in my hand is very sharp. With one careless move, it could scratch your delicate, flower-like face."
Xiao Man's expression remained unchanged. She calmly played with her teacup. "Has anyone ever told you that when you're on someone else's territory, even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up? After all, a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake."
"Oh, is that so?" Yan Yuqing immediately gathered his energy, preparing to attack Xiao Man, but his breath faltered, and he fell to the ground, unable to move. "What's happening? My internal energy..."
"My tea is quite fragrant, isn't it? This is the Qing Ling powder, refined from Ghost's Reprieve, Heartbreak Grass, and various other medicinal ingredients. It's specifically used to counteract inner energy masters." Xiao Man stroked the rim of the teacup. "Furthermore, when I lunged at you, I also sprinkled Jian Yun powder on you. When combined with Qing Ling powder, it makes one's body weak and powerless, rendering all their martial arts useless."
"You... you are skilled in poison arts."
"I know a little." Xiao Man smiled and took a sip of her tea. "A stranger enters my room without alerting my guards. Do you think I would be unguarded?"
Yan Yuqing inwardly cursed his miscalculation. He had underestimated Xiao Man. "What do you want?"
"That's what I should be asking you. You sneaked into my room in the dead of night, what exactly do you want?"
"Didn't I tell you? To offer myself, to be your male companion."
"I don't dare to take the leader of the Demonic Cult as my male companion." Xiao Man crossed her legs and hugged her arms. "Yan Yuqing, you don't really think you're not famous, do you?"
Yan Yuqing simply rolled onto the ground, looking at Xiao Man. "That's true. You can toy with Yu Qian Mo to no end, and you can even make the young master of the Wulin Alliance serve you. I was foolish to underestimate you. Tell me, what do you want to do with me?"
"It's my turn to ask questions now." Xiao Man's expression was cold. She now suspected everyone who had been by her side. "Why are you here? What is your purpose?"
Yan Yuqing looked at the girl before him, a sinister smile curving his lips. "Has anyone told you that my constitution is unusual?"
"Mhm, I know. You grew up surrounded by poisons since you were a child, so ordinary poisons can't harm you." Xiao Man said with a smile. "Therefore, I made a slight adjustment to the medicinal powder. As soon as you try to circulate your energy, your meridians will feel like they're being pricked by needles, and the more you circulate your energy, the faster your internal energy dissipates."
Yan Yuqing's face changed completely. He had also discovered that his dantian felt empty, with no trace of internal energy, and the pain was unbearable when he tried to circulate it. Yan Yuqing had to take Xiao Man seriously. This was the second time. The second time he felt so humiliated. The first time was when he fell into the hands of Du Gu Man.
"Has anyone told you that you look very much like someone?"
"No," Xiao Man's voice was steady.
"You look very much like someone I know." Yan Yuqing's voice became very gentle. "A woman who makes people love her, hate her, and yet admire her."
"Hearing you say that, I feel quite honored."
Yan Yuqing completely gave up resisting. "I came here because I found out you have a connection with Zhan Tianque and are entangled with Yu Qian Mo. I suspected you knew where the person I'm looking for is, so I infiltrated the Imperial Capital General's Mansion. I originally intended to use my charm to seduce you and then extract her whereabouts from your mouth, but I ended up trapping myself."
Xiao Man's heart grew wary. Yan Yuqing was looking for her, but why?
"Who is the person you're looking for?"
"Empress Dowager Yun Qi, Du Gu Man."
"She's already dead." Xiao Man said calmly. Du Gu Man had died long ago, from her underestimation and misplaced trust.
"No, she's still alive. If she were dead, the Red Feather Iron Cavalry would not have moved recklessly." Yan Yuqing's gaze was fixed on Xiao Man. "You know where she is, don't you?"
"She's already dead." Xiao Man said seriously. "She died in Yun Qi's harem, poisoned by a rare poison that stripped her marrow, and then her body was dissolved by a corpse-dissolving agent. From that day on, there was no one named Du Gu Man in this world!"