Chapter 26: This Mingyue Must Not Die Yet

Mingyue had only heard that Prince Lian’s protector, Shi Zhiyan, had been ordered to the county to subdue that demonic beast, but she had never seen him, nor had she ever crossed blades with him.

She had not realized it until now, but Shi Zhiyan’s power was far beyond anything she could have imagined!

It was terrifying!

The moment their powers collided just now, Mingyue felt as though she were nothing more than an ant in his eyes. Previously, Shi Zhiyan had no interest in fighting her, but the moment he heard that Mingyue had schemed to lure him out with the intention of murdering Mingxi, his former calm vanished completely, replaced by an aura of slaughter as cold as a Shura!

After all, such a maneuver was nothing short of a provocation and an insult to him!

"Miss Ming, you had best remember your place. Do you think everyone on this continent is someone you can bully and toy with at will? Who do you think you are?!" Shi Zhiyan narrowed his eyes, gripping her jaw so tightly that a wave of agony shot through Mingyue. His expression was as if he were ready to send her straight to the underworld!

"...What exactly do you want?" Mingyue managed to choke out the words, each one steeped in pain.

"I want to bid you a permanent farewell." Shi Zhiyan reached out and tightened his grip on Mingyue’s neck, ignoring the wails of the other young ladies and the servants.

"Miss Mingyue, remember this: the person who can toy with me hasn't been born yet!"

With that, Shi Zhiyan increased the pressure. Had he exerted just a little more force, Mingyue would have been reduced to a drifting spirit.

Overcome by unbearable pain and sheer terror, Mingyue fainted the very next second.

Just as Shi Zhiyan was about to finish her off, a surprised cry suddenly came from the doorway: "Daddy! What are you doing?!"

The shout left everyone stunned—this good-for-nothing was actually here, and there was no telling what kind of relationship she had with Shi Zhiyan! Yet, even though she had appeared, no one dared to step forward to seize her.

Mingxi and Xiaotong were also taken aback when they arrived at the threshold!

Shi Zhiyan was actually... killing someone?!

Although she felt deep disgust toward Mingyue, Mingxi was not a murderer; she was merely a peerless thief and a clever fox. She lacked the stomach for killing. Furthermore, she did not know Shi Zhiyan’s true identity; she only knew that if Shi Zhiyan killed Mingyue now, the Ming estate would never let the matter rest!

"Mingxi, are you alright?" Shi Zhiyan instinctively released his grip and stood up to check on her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm perfectly alright! But... Daddy, you aren't actually going to..." Mingxi glanced at Mingyue, who lay on the ground half-dead with her bones shattered. While she felt a sense of relief, in her eyes, leaving Mingyue to suffer such a fate was enough. Moreover, in the society she came from, killing someone always carried a heavy price. She truly did not want Shi Zhiyan to take Mingyue’s life.

In the gap between their conversation, the other young ladies of the Ming estate gathered their courage to drag Mingyue’s body away. After all, if they didn't flee now, the consequences would be gruesome!

"You lot are quite bold! You dare to snatch someone right under my nose?" Shi Zhiyan’s low roar made them tremble uncontrollably!

"We are sorry, we were wrong! Our second sister was just confused! Please, we beg you to spare her!" Mingzhu and Mingmei cried out in desperation.

Shi Zhiyan let out a cold snort and began to chant a spell. Instantly, the writing brush in Mingxi’s hand flew back into his grasp. It seemed he would not be satisfied until he saw blood today!

Mingxi did not know how to stop him in time. She could only watch anxiously as he swung the brush, carving the character for "Slay" into the air. She realized that once the character was finished, a burst of power would descend to crush these young ladies of the Ming estate completely!

What should she do?

Just as Mingxi was racking her brains to find a way to stop him, Xiaotong suddenly clutched her head without warning and cried out, "Mother, my head hurts."

"What?"

Before Mingxi could even ask, she saw Xiaotong collapse to the ground!

Terrified, Mingxi shrieked in panic, "Xiaotong! What’s wrong?"