Chapter 8

Pain! A bone-chilling pain surged through her entire body. An Qixi’s cat-like, languid eyes widened in agony, filled with a hazy mist of water. Wet, innocent, and pure, that gaze—as untainted and fearful as a young child’s—was heartbreakingly pitiful. She looked timidly at Beitang Xian, whose handsome face was livid, his brows and eyes brimming with monstrous rage, her heart trembling with unease.

Is this guy trying to crush her to death? Her jaw felt like it was about to shatter! Damn it, why couldn't she move or speak?

With his sword-like brows tightly knitted, Beitang Xian stood up abruptly. His tall, imposing frame immediately engulfed the petite An Qixi in his oppressive shadow. With just one hand, his veins bulging, he easily hoisted her up. She hung in mid-air, forced to meet his gaze, her neck feeling as if it were about to be snapped!

"Not talking? Very well. Prime Minister An truly has clever methods, finding someone who doesn't fear death to deal with this Prince." Beitang Xian’s tone was terrifyingly sinister. He was like a raging lion, or perhaps a drawn sword, radiating cold light and sharp edges!

With a bang, he flung An Qixi aside without a word of wasted breath, then turned and strode away with a loud laugh. Yet, his silhouette, stretched by the candlelight, appeared exceptionally desolate and tragic, his laughter filled with both fury and bitterness.

*Yuan, I trust her...*

The words she had once spoken with such conviction still echoed in his ears—so trusting, so content. Yet, in the end, he had become nothing more than a complete joke! Beitang Xian’s laughter that night rang out for a long time, carrying far, yet it was enough to make anyone tremble in silence.

Poor little An Qixi was left dizzy and disoriented from the throw. Her body slammed against the wall, her bones feeling as if they were about to shatter. She didn't even have the strength to curse, passing out instantly.

Before she lost consciousness, she thought: *Damn you, Beitang Xian. I actually sympathized with you at first, but I never expected you to be this cruel. I curse you to never be with the one you love for the rest of your life!*

The moonlight was like water, slowly spilling down. The murmuring stream never ceased. In the lush bamboo forest, a wild wind swirled, sharp sword energy permeated the air, and hidden killing intent lurked, staging a battle of blades without a drop of blood.

"Yo, is the new groom unsatisfied or just overflowing with energy? Instead of rolling in the red waves with your beautiful bride, you’re here hacking at bamboo to vent your anger. Truly a rare sight." A bewitching, teasing voice rang out. Huang Ziyuan, dressed in fluttering white robes and looking dashing, approached with a wine jar in one hand.

There was a sour note in his words that perhaps even he didn't notice. He felt like he was going insane; for the first time in his life, he had suffered from insomnia, and he even had the urge to crash his brother’s wedding night. The fleeting glimpse of her kept flashing before his eyes, and his chest was filled with a lingering attachment to her soft, fragrant body. Damn it! Had he been bewitched? Why was he always thinking about his brother’s woman?

Beitang Xian abruptly stopped his frantic swordplay. His gaze, sharp and cold, turned toward Huang Ziyuan. He looked like a thousand-year-old glacier brought to life, a bloody embodiment of the warning: "Keep away."

He slowly stood straight, his chest still aching faintly, bleeding as if torn open. The doting and tenderness in his eyes were gone, replaced only by bone-chilling coldness and cruelty. Looking toward the moonlight, he spoke in a hoarse, powerless voice: "Why does a woman fall in love with a man? And why does she abandon him?"

Huang Ziyuan was stunned. It was his first time seeing such a profound, 'poetic' Beitang Xian, and he felt something was off. Taking a sip of strong liquor, he said lazily, "What makes a woman fall for a man is nothing more than power, money, or looks. And the reason she leaves him is, of course, because the tragic man has lost all of that! As for true love, that’s a thing of legends."

His careless words unexpectedly brought a flash of clarity to Beitang Xian’s chaotic and pained mind, striking him like a bolt of lightning. Yet, it only made his heart ache more.

Yes, he possessed all of those things, and a single lie of hers had cost him everything. Then, she had distanced herself from him without hesitation, even finding someone to take her place—and that person turned out to be her own younger sister, An Chuyi. *You are so ruthless and cold-hearted; are you still the kind and innocent person I once knew?*

A layer of thin ice seemed to cover Beitang Xian’s face. He looked at the thin document on the stone table with extreme disgust; it recorded every detail of what had happened in the An family’s back hall during the day...

With heavy footsteps, he left. The hatred in Beitang Xian’s heart burned fiercely, bloodthirsty killing intent erupting in his eyes as he suddenly bolted toward the bridal chamber.

Huang Ziyuan was lost in thought. He picked up the paper on the table, and the words he saw caused his expression to change drastically. Then, his eyes shifted with a thousand emotions, and a terrifying thought began to grow uncontrollably.

She wasn't the woman Beitang Xian was supposed to marry. She wasn't An Chuyi; her name was An Qixi. Beitang Xian didn't love her, so could he...

*Bang!* With a powerful force, he kicked the thick door open, sending wood splinters flying.

Beitang Xian, dressed in those glaring, mocking crimson wedding robes, stepped into the bridal chamber once more, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. The room was now dim, and An Qixi was still pitifully passed out in the corner, ignored by everyone.

Beitang Xian’s eyes were filled with hatred, humiliation, and the pain of betrayal, making him want to destroy this substitute right now. His figure flashed to An Qixi’s side, his thin, cold lips curling into a bloodthirsty arc. He said coldly, "Someone come here."

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and two sleepy-eyed maids walked in respectfully. "Does Your Highness have any orders?"

"Bring a bucket of cold water and serve your 'new Princess' well." He spat the words "new Princess" with such intense malice that it seemed he wanted to swallow her whole. Beitang Xian’s sharp, cold gaze darted through the chilly night, carrying a bone-deep frost.

The two maids only then noticed the bride collapsed in the corner. They gasped, then quickly responded and hurried out. They couldn't understand how the Prince, who had been so joyful just a moment ago, could be so cruel to the new Princess now.

*Splash!*

A bucket of ice-cold water was poured over An Qixi’s head and body—enough to wake the dead. She shivered violently, her muddled little head finally clearing up a bit. The bone-chilling pain throughout her body hit her immediately, causing her to moan uncontrollably.

The sound was as weak as a kitten’s, but it only caused the fire in Beitang Xian’s heart to burn more fiercely. *Feigning weakness? The An family—did they think they could dismiss him by replacing An Chuyi with a beautiful daughter? What did they take his heart for? What did they take his status for? An Chuyi, you are so cruel!*