"I won't bet."
The heavy gasps echoing in his ears grew louder with each breath, but Yan Zhao's eyes remained cold and indifferent.
He raised his eyes slightly, cutting off Mo Xun's next words. "It's not that I'm afraid; it's just that I don't want to."
Just as he had said before, Ning Yuwang was not a bet for others.
She was his wife, his most precious treasure.
Even the esteemed National Master, who stood second only to the emperor, couldn't compare to Ning Yuwang's place in his heart.
"Chu Yuanyuan has the support of the Prince of Huainan. If you, Young Master Yan, let Ning Yuwang do evil without taking any action, aren't you afraid that the Prince of Huainan will be angry and punish you?"
Mo Xun discreetly calculated with his fingers behind his back.
He had only had a superficial understanding of Yan Zhao before and arrogantly thought that a young man under twenty couldn't cause much trouble.
However, from their brief conversation today, he felt Yan Zhao's dominance and coldness.
A thought flashed through Mo Xun's mind so quickly that he didn't have time to ponder it. He only vaguely felt that Yan Zhao was not an easy person to "manipulate".
"The Prince of Huainan?"
Yan Zhao let out a cold snort. There was no smile on his face, but the corner of his mouth seemed to curl up in a sneer.
As if on cue, a cool breeze blew into the cave, carrying a hint of moisture.
"A feudal prince who acts wantonly and commits countless evils in his fiefdom truly has no one to restrain him. But once he enters the capital, he should know that a strong dragon can't overpower a local snake, especially when he doesn't even deserve to be called a strong dragon."
And Yan Zhao was no ordinary local snake.
He was someone even Emperor Chu secretly feared and pretended to favor.
How could he be afraid of a feudal prince?
Mo Xun was surprised, and his previous calculations were confirmed.
Sure enough, Yan Zhao's personality was different from the information he had obtained before.
He had underestimated Yan Zhao.
His gaze casually swept over the young boy behind him. The boy shrank slightly, and his breathing quickened.
"Young Master Yan is truly a heroic young man."
Mo Xun raised his eyebrows. "Chu Xiao underestimated you, and so did I."
Chu Xiao was the name of the current Emperor of Chu.
Mo Xun deliberately mentioned the emperor's name to warn Yan Zhao.
If he refused to obey, his usual concealment would be exposed in front of the emperor.
In the past, Yan Zhao might have been a bit more cautious, but now he no longer needed to tolerate the emperor, and he didn't care about Mo Xun's hidden meaning at all.
Yan Zhao lowered his head. "It is said that in every generation of the Chu Dynasty, the National Master has assisted the wise emperor. However, because the National Master's magic is so powerful that it might disrupt the imperial court, each National Master has made a promise not to interfere in state affairs. If they violate this, all their magic will be reversed."
His voice was as soft as a demon's whisper. "Is the National Master's current behavior an interference in state affairs?"
Dynasties change, and emperors come and go. As the National Master, who knows the past, he is not supposed to get involved.
Mo Xun's words at this moment carried a hidden threat, which was a taboo.
Mo Xun pretended to just realize this and let out a forced laugh. "It was I who couldn't bear to see a life pass away, so I spoke rashly. I appreciate Young Master Yan's reminder."
He showed a very humble attitude, but Yan Zhao didn't take the opportunity to be lenient. He simply replied, "The National Master has been away from the mountain for a long time, so it's understandable that he has forgotten some things. As a junior, I should remind him."
Mo Xun clasped his hands in salute and glanced at the bloated Chu Yuanyuan on the ground. "Life and death are predestined. One shouldn't force things."
Then, as if he had truly relieved his mind, he led the young boy away.
Yan Zhao just watched them leave with his eyes. The young boy looked back at him secretly. When their eyes met, he quickly shrank back.
Yan Zhao suppressed his curiosity and turned his gaze back to Chu Yuanyuan on the ground.
At this moment, Chu Yuanyuan struggled to open her eyes. Due to the swelling on her face, her eyes looked like two raisins on a large plate.
If one got closer, they could see the bloodshot eyes, which were ugly and terrifying.
The moment she saw Yan Zhao, Chu Yuanyuan's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but her throat seemed to be corroded, and she could only make "ho ho" gasping sounds.
Now, there was no trace of her former coquettish charm and arrogance. She looked like a ghost climbing out of hell.
Her thick fingers slowly climbed up Yan Zhao's clothes, showing an expression of unwillingness and a desire to live. Her other hand slowly scratched five characters on the ground, "Ning Yuwang harmed me!"
But Yan Zhao looked down at her from above. Seeing her dirty fingers still struggling, he suddenly kicked her hard and then stepped on Chu Yuanyuan's knuckles expressionlessly.
"Ah!"
Chu Yuanyuan let out a short scream. In fact, she only felt a moment of pain, and most of it was numbness.
She stared at her immobile fingers under Yan Zhao's shoe and then looked up at Yan Zhao. When she saw the coldness in his eyes, her movements finally stopped.
After Yan Zhao released her knuckles, she immediately shrank back timidly with a hint of fear. Her heavy breathing was hard to suppress during the movement.
She felt uncomfortable and wronged but didn't dare to make a fuss.
The always arrogant and domineering daughter of the Prince of Huainan finally realized during these days of suffering that there were some people she shouldn't have offended.
Yan Zhao had never been kind, especially when facing someone like Chu Yuanyuan, who had committed so many evils.
He thought that Chu Yuanyuan deserved this retribution.
Even if it was really done by Yuwang, so what?
In Fangshan for only two days, Chu Yuanyuan had been arrogant and even dared to "flirt" with Ning Yuwang. Yan Zhao had already had the intention to kill her.
If it were convenient, he would even turn Chu Yuanyuan into a human-skin lantern.
When the Prince of Huainan entered the capital, he would give him a big gift.
It was a pity that Chu Yuanyuan's body was now extremely swollen, and her skin was in poor condition, not suitable for making a lantern cover.
Chu Yuanyuan, who was shrinking aside, suddenly shivered. She raised her head and widened her eyes. Vaguely, she saw the killing intent in Yan Zhao's eyes.
She immediately crawled back. Her swollen legs scraped across the stones on the ground, causing sharp pain.
But she didn't dare to make a sound. She even covered her mouth with difficulty, afraid that her gasping would anger the god of death again.
She deeply regretted it in her heart. No wonder no one in the capital dared to provoke Yan Zhao. No wonder her father had told her to be low-key in front of Yan Zhao.
It turned out...
Yan Zhao was really extremely ruthless!
"My lord, do you want this subordinate to..."
Afraid that Yan Zhao would get his hands dirty, A Da stepped forward and made a slashing motion across his neck with his right hand. The meaning was obvious. He was willing to do it for his lord.
As the twin brother of A Da, A Er didn't say a word, but the killing intent in his eyes was exactly the same as A Da's.
Help!
Chu Yuanyuan shouted in her heart. She shook her head and leaned against the stone wall, with nowhere to retreat.
But A Da and A Er didn't stop. They slowly approached her.
In her panic, Chu Yuanyuan, who was already exhausted, fainted again. Her swollen body was like a dead dog.
"She fainted."
A Da was stunned and looked back at Yan Zhao. "My lord?"
He really wanted to kill this cruel woman, but since Yan Zhao hadn't given the order, he naturally didn't dare to overstep his bounds.
"The Prince of Huainan is almost at the last post station outside the capital." Yan Zhao raised his eyebrows, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. "He hasn't seen his daughter for a long time. I'm sure he misses her very much."
A Da and A Er understood each other with a look. "Yes, my lord!"