26 A Frame-up (2/2)

Her voice carried an abundance of inner energy that shook the surrounding flora. Leaves left their branches and shot straight at the guards in front, causing soreness in their arms. The weaker ones simply loosened their muscles and dropped their weapons to the ground.

Pei Yuan's face changed before she steadied herself and examined Zhan Beiye closely. Judging from his bearing, he obviously wasn't an ordinary character. After recalling that it was the emperor's birthday that day, she frowned and stopped her guards.

Despite showing signs of withdrawing, Zhan Beiye wasn't going to let the matter rest.

He had wasted so much time outside the toilet earlier. Eventually feeling uneasy, he had gone against the palace maid's resistance and kicked the cubicle door down. Upon spotting a maid disguised as Meng Fuyao sitting on the bucket, he knew instantly that he had been tricked and jumped straight into a fiery search for her. He, too, wasn't familiar with the layout of the palaces, a fact made worse by the unusual defense that had been devised for the event. His perseverance had finally paid off after much aimless walking. Alas, someone had gotten to his target first and was trying to kill her.

When he had seen blood splashing out from Meng Fuyao's shoulder, he felt an involuntary surge of anger, as if injected with adrenaline, that not even he could comprehend.

'It's not your turn to trample on my woman yet.'

He had brought his sword out since it wasn't convenient for him to enter the palace with his spear that day. Despite it not being his usual weapon, he brandished it with much ease and power. Almost reaching Pei Yuan, Zhan Beiye remarked coldly, ”You owe me 10 holes.”

It took Pei Yuan a moment to realize that he was talking about the holes she had dug into Meng Fuyao's skin. ”So what? Come at me if you can,” Pei Yuan taunted.

”Of course,” Zhan Beiye acceded with a smirk.

He lifted his fingers, and the thin sword flew in a straight golden line toward the guards standing before her. As the golden ray whizzed through the air, Pei Yuan only felt her vision turning dazzlingly bright, as if something was zooming toward her at an incredible speed. Before she could reach out to block it, a sheet of black fell into sight, and she felt a cold sensation traveling down from overhead.

She subconsciously opened her palm, and a light thin-looking object fell onto it. It was soft and cool to the touch.

Yet, her face did not hurt. She only felt an air of chilliness blasting at her. She felt the object in the head, instinctively knowing that things weren't good. She lowered her head and saw a red piece of perfectly-circled brocade. It belonged to her.

Shocked, she reached to touch her face. In the blink of an eye and in unison, the guards around her had revealed a startled expression. From that, Pei Yuan was certain that her veil had been slashed open and her scarred face had been revealed.

Only seeing black before her, Pei Yuan spat a mouthful of blood out.

Ever since she had gotten disfigured, she had always been wearing a veil, lying that she was down with rubella and unable to show her face, so no one had actually seen it. She had pinned her hopes on Zong Yue, the holy doctor known to all. Although young, he had gone to the valleys to learn the ways of a legendary master before returning with a pair of magical hands. Naturally, he had assumed a mighty position in the Five Region Continent, and the Pei Family had exhausted many resources to engage him to treat Pei Yuan's scars and to recover her original beauty.

The wild man had actually drawn a circle on her veil, exposing the face that she had been trying with all her might to conceal.

As if the hole was within her heart as well, all bloody and bitter memories reemerged. Waves of intense hatred piled up, almost drowning her. She screamed in a voice that sounded piercingly stifling.

”Kill him, kill him!”

With his sword held horizontally, Zhan Beiye laughed. ”I'll plant the next hole on this barking mouth of yours.”

”Shoot him!” Pei Yuan yelled, retreating a meter back and into the crowd of guards. She swung her red sleeve and the guards stationed at the front dashed forward and straightened their bows, aiming them at his chest.

The terrifying sound of bow strings being pulled taut filled the otherwise deadly silent air. It sounded like a grim laughter a grim reaper would produce as he waited for a fresh pool of blood feast.

Zhan Beiye tightened his grip on the sword, raised his head and threw a cold smirk their way, without bothering to look at them.

”Shoot!”

”Hold it!”

A voice cried out as two men rushed over from a distance away. The man in front was tall and dressed in a commander's uniform while the one behind had thick brows and beard, and wore a splendidly embroidered gown.

Upon identifying the man at the back as her future father-in-law, Yan Lie, Pei Yuan's face changed, and she hurriedly tore a section of her sleeve to cover her face.

As they came closer, the man in front, who had previously shouted, knitted his brow and added, ”Withdraw! What's this nonsense!”

Upon hearing their boss's words, the guards urgently withdrew their weapons. Pei Yuan raised her brows and turned to him slowly. ”Are you blaming me for causing a scene, Great Assistant Commander Tie?”

”I wouldn't dare.” Tie Cangmo bowed, neither overly servile nor supercilious. ”I daren't defy your orders, Princess, but the man you have targeted is not one I can touch. Please, on the account that this lowly life of mine is still a life, simmer down.”

”Him?” Pei Yuan threw a side glance at Zhan Beiye, a curl forming on her lips. ”Who is he?”

Tie Cangmo lowered his head, brows wrinkled. Nevertheless, he maintained a calm tone, saying, ”The brother of the Tiansha's emperor, also a noble guest of His Majesty. You've lost your manners.”

”You–––” Pei Yuan choked from his stinging rebuke. She was pissed but hesitated to take action. Tie Cangmo was an honest man and the number one player in Taiyuan Palace. He was a principled man, and it wouldn't be wise to offend him.

Yan Lie's arrival curbed Pei Yuan's anger a little bit as she was unwilling to act wantonly before him. Instead, she shot Tie Cangmo a death glare before heading over to her father-in-law.

Yan Lie's gaze brushed past the mask secured on Pei Yuan's face before stroking his beard and accepting her bow. Pei Yuan straightened her back and smiled, not the least bit haughtily. Old Sir Yan had just received her bow, so did it not mean that he had acknowledged her as his daughter-in-law?