"Mòhán, if one day I let you down, will you... hate me?" Xiao Man asked softly. Her brother, Wén Mòhán, loved her so much that to resolve the animosity between her and Wén Mòyǔ, he even gave her the Wén family's heirloom. And she was determined to kill Wén Mòyǔ.
"No matter when, no matter what you do, I will never hate you." Wén Mòhán stood behind Xiao Man, suppressing the urge to embrace her. He was always restrained and polite, never daring to overstep, even if his heart yearned for her immensely. He would tell himself to proceed slowly.
"Even if I hurt someone you care about?"
Wén Mòhán chuckled. Xiao Man turned around, and Wén Mòhán reached out to playfully flick her nose. "Silly girl, you are the one I care about."
Xiao Man ran her hands through her hair in distress. Wén Mòhán's words echoed in her mind. He cared for her so much as a friend; should she let Wén Mòyǔ go this once?
"No, I absolutely cannot let her go!" Xiao Man angrily slammed her fist on the table. Wén Mòyǔ had hurt someone she cared about, and that was unforgivable!
"What troubles you so much?" Nángōng Yù asked as he climbed through the window, amused to see Xiao Man so distressed, pulling her hair and hitting the table.
"Wén Mòyǔ." Xiao Man slumped onto the table, her brow furrowed in worry. "This is the first time I've been so conflicted because of someone."
Nángōng Yù's thoughts stirred. He picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. "Because of Wén Mòhán."
Xiao Man's expression shifted slightly. She sat up straight. "He treats me so well, and yet I'm intent on killing his sister. Isn't that ungrateful?"
"He is he, and Wén Mòyǔ is Wén Mòyǔ. They are completely different people. Why must you equate them?" Nángōng Yù said, "Let's play a game of chess. Your mind will be clearer, and you won't be so agitated."
"Excellent." Xiao Man moved to the chessboard and sat down, picking up the black pieces. Nángōng Yù naturally took the white pieces and made the first move. Xiao Man followed suit, with the intention of dominating the game.
"I heard you went to Lǎn Xiāo Pavilion today."
Xiao Man's hand trembled, and she made a wrong move. Before she could retrieve it, Nángōng Yù placed his piece, blocking her attempt to correct her mistake.
"Wǔ'er wanted to experience it, so I took her. We only listened to music; there were no improprieties." Xiao Man quickly explained. Nángōng Yù merely smiled, showing no anger. Xiao Man was immediately relieved and continued the game, but reality proved she had relaxed too soon.
"I also heard that you tackled Cén Yù at Lǎn Xiāo Pavilion." Nángōng Yù continued as Xiao Man was about to place a piece, successfully distracting her. She made another wrong move, and Nángōng Yù blocked her escape route, leaving her in a complete rout. She had no choice but to surrender.
"You cheated!"
"Isn't it the truth?"
"It was a misunderstanding. I tripped on the carpet and fell, and by coincidence, I fell right into Cén Yù's arms."
"Are you sure it wasn't because you coveted Cén Yù's beauty? I recall you saying Cén Yù was a heavenly beauty, breathtakingly stunning, making one want to hold her close and cherish her." Nángōng Yù's voice was gentle, betraying no anger, yet it sent shivers down Xiao Man's spine.
"Your Highness, please spare me. I had no such intentions!" Xiao Man pleaded immediately.
Nángōng Yù raised an eyebrow and looked at Xiao Man. "What did you call me?"
"Yù Gēge." Xiao Man, with strong survival instincts, immediately called out sweetly, "Brother."
"Suddenly, I feel like calling me 'brother' makes me sound too old," Nángōng Yù said with feigned seriousness, "How about calling me Ā Yù?"
A scene flashed through Xiao Man's mind: Dúgū Màn was teaching Nángōng Yù swordplay hand-in-hand. "Ā Yù, the sword isn't used like this. Let me teach you. Your strike should be fast, fierce, and accurate. If you don't want to kill with one blow, then you must incapacitate the opponent with the first strike."
"Ā Yù." Xiao Man called out softly, with a gentle smile. Nángōng Yù's expression moved, and his heart raced. "Let's play a game."
"Okay." Nángōng Yù agreed without hesitation.
Xiao Man put down her chess piece and gathered all the pieces from the board into the container. She took a wolf-hair brush from a nearby pen holder and placed it on the chessboard. Then, she took several jars of wine from a cabinet.
Nángōng Yù glanced at the wine jars and then at Xiao Man. "A drinking contest?"
"No, a game." Xiao Man spun the brush on the chessboard. "When the brush stops, it points to someone, and that person must answer one question from the other. If they refuse to answer, they must drink a penalty cup!"
To show the severity of the punishment, Xiao Man deliberately used a teacup as a wine cup. Even if Nángōng Yù had a strong tolerance for alcohol, he couldn't withstand this.
Xiao Man spun the brush, and it pointed at herself. "You can ask me a question."
"Who is the person you like the most?"
"Myself!"
After Xiao Man answered, she spun the brush again, and it still pointed at herself.
"Who is the person who left the deepest impression on you?"
Xiao Man was silent for a moment, then looked at Nángōng Yù and slowly said, "You."
Nángōng Yù smiled. Xiao Man spun the brush again, this time pointing at Nángōng Yù. "When you cannot have both the empire and a beauty, which do you choose?"
"You."
"Me?" Xiao Man pointed at herself in surprise. "Why me?"
"I am your man. What is beauty to me if not you?"
Xiao Man's face flushed red. She spun the brush again, and it still pointed at Nángōng Yù. "Do you have any connection with Yāo Yuè Tower?"
"No." Nángōng Yù replied calmly. "Let me spin."
"Okay."
Nángōng Yù spun the brush, pointing at himself. "Your turn to ask."
"Who is Luò Bīngqīng?"
Nángōng Yù's eyes twinkled with a smile. He thought Xiao Man truly didn't care, but it seemed she did. "She is my junior sister. Her father is my master and also my savior. If my master hadn't imparted half of his cultivation to me back then to help me suppress the蛊 poison in my body, I might not have waited until you."
Nángōng Yù continued to spin the brush, which still pointed at himself. "It seems you can ask me many questions tonight. Whatever you wish to ask, I will answer truthfully and fully." Su Dan Novel Network.
"When did you discover I was the person you were looking for? I want the truth."
"Gǎnyè Temple. I saw the tooth mark on your shoulder."
"But I was disguised at the time. You couldn't have seen it!"
"I later sneaked into your room. You were bathing."
Xiao Man suddenly remembered. At that time, she had been ambushed by Xiāo Xiāng, and Nángōng Yù had snuck in. However, she hadn't known then that Nángōng Yù was the master of Tiān Jī Pavilion.
"Is Yè Qīng one of your people?"
"Yes, Yè Qīng, courtesy name Qīngtí, is the current valley master of Medicine King Valley."
"How did the previous valley master of Medicine King Valley die?"
"He died from his junior brother Wàn Dúzi's unique poison, the Seven Insect Seven Flower Poison."
"How did Consort Xuě die?"
"It's my turn." Xiao Man looked at the chessboard and realized it had pointed at her.