Chapter 74 Judgment: Kissing Scarlet Lips.

Chapter 74: Disposal: Kissing the Bright Red Lips.

Xu Junzheng was roughly dragged by the guards to a secluded lakeside, and Tian Qin was likewise taken. Surrounded by mountains on two sides, faint streaks of clouds brushed across the sky, the wind was chilly and biting, no birds sang—a desolate, secluded spot where even if they were killed here, no one would find them.

"Let me go..." Xu Junzheng's frail frame was thrown hard onto the gravel, curling into a ball with a muffled groan of pain.

The brawny guards patted him down and found an earring in his bosom—a delicate pink water-drop earring set with a pearl, of excellent quality, gleaming with a cold white light. They quickly presented it to Xie Tanwei.

"Master, we found it."

Xie Tanwei weighed the earring and let out a short scoff: "So you're a thief?"

Tian Qin felt like she'd been lashed with a cold whip, touching her ear—her left earring was gone, she hadn't even noticed.

"No..."

Xu Junzheng struggled, as if trying to explain, but the guards on both sides pulled a black hood over his head and started kicking and punching him. Blood seeped into the cracks between the stones, and within moments he was a limp mess, helpless as mud. He tried to scream about this disgraceful treatment, but the rain of fists drowned out any sound he made.

In the past, Xie Tanwei always handled things with words—this time he used fists.

Tian Qin's eyes burned with fury, as if they might split. She broke free from the guards, rushed to Xie Tanwei, and dropped hard to her knees with a dull thud, clutching his robe hem, her voice hoarse to the extreme: "Brother-in-law! I wasn't planning to run off with him. I was just trying to talk him into leaving by himself. I wouldn't dare go. Brother-in-law, please spare him, just let him go to live or die on his own! I'll never see him again as long as I live—I'll serve you in the Xie mansion forever."

Xie Tanwei did not soften as usual. He stood still as a mountain, his presence more terrifying than a howling blizzard, filled with an unapproachable coldness: "You truly are disappointing."

Hearing this, Tian Qin felt chilled to the bone. She knew the ominous calm before the storm all too well. She held back the blood surging in her throat, and said to him word by word: "It's all my fault. Take it out on me."

"All your fault?"

He let out a short, abrupt laugh, his expression unreadable. "Very well."

Just then, Xian Qiu and the other guests arrived, all looking worried, startled by the figure on the ground writhing in pain under the black cloth.

Xie Tanwei wiped his hands casually, then turned to face the crowd with an air of unruffled grace, saying half-truthfully: "Apologies for the disturbance, everyone. A thief has stolen something from my young sister-in-law."

Xian Qiu said, flustered: "Husband..."

She caught sight of the man on the ground and her heart sank—it was Xu Junzheng, Tian Qin's old flame. That scoundrel still hadn't learned his lesson and tried to get his hands on Tian Qin. Despite all their precautions, he'd still managed to sneak in on such an important occasion.

"Is husband unharmed?"

Xian Qiu was afraid Xu Junzheng might have brought a weapon in his desperation, and even more afraid Xie Tanwei would dig up old grudges and drag her and the Yu family into it.

Xie Tanwei ordered that both the thief and the stolen earring be reported to the authorities.

As a law-abiding citizen, reporting the crime was the only proper thing to do.

A first-rank grand councilor getting robbed at his own banquet and then handing the case to a third-rank capital magistrate—that was truly unheard of.

The thief was caught red-handed, and the earring was far too valuable. The newly appointed magistrate was a loyal Xie Tanwei supporter, known for his merciless treatment of cases, and would certainly deliver swift punishment. That unlucky thief would probably never leave the prison alive.

The other guests, clueless about the truth, saw the commotion end and treated it as a bit of entertainment, going back to their own amusements.

Tian Qin stayed frozen in place. Since when had Xu Junzheng ever stolen an earring? He'd gone through so much trouble to sneak in and see her—no way he'd steal an earring.

She and Xu Junzheng had been caught in a trap again.

From Xie Tanwei's attitude, it was clear he had no intention of letting Xu Junzheng live.

She swallowed the blood welling up in her throat and collapsed, completely drained.

Everything was finished. Completely finished.

...

Xie Residence.

The room was dark and deathly silent, as empty and cold as a haunted place. Dusk crept in, blurring all sense of time. The suffocating atmosphere was heavy, as if an invisible tug-of-war was playing out.

Tian Qin knelt as always on the cold, hard floor, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, her face pale as paper, she swayed unsteadily as if about to pass out. She had just endured a violent attack from the Love Gu—a harsh punishment for today's transgression.

It seemed like ever since the Yu family fell and she entered the Xie mansion, her knees had never stopped touching the floor.

"Sit up straight," Xie Tanwei said, nudging her side with his foot. "Only half an hour. Don't slack off."

Tian Qin straightened up. She was as thin as paper, as if a night breeze could knock her over. At first she'd begged, trying to wring a sliver of mercy from him, but when she saw it was useless, she gave up.

She and Xu Junzheng had committed an unforgivable sin, and deserved punishment. Even though she knew he had laid the trap and that Xu Junzheng had been framed with no more than a flick of his finger.

Xie Tanwei stared at the setting sun through the latticed window, cold and silent, building a wall of indifference, his expression hidden. Whenever he was like this, she didn't even have the right to beg for mercy.

"Whose are you?" he suddenly asked.

Tian Qin's heart was frozen. "I am yours."

"Then why did you meet another man?"

"...I messed up. I was out of my mind." Her nose turned red, and tears fell in droplets. The dual torment of body and mind had pushed her to the breaking point; all she wanted was forgiveness; nothing else mattered.

In the past, Xie Tanwei would have stopped at that, but today his heart was hard as iron, as if seeing her meet Xu Junzheng had ground away the last bit of humanity in him. She begged humbly, but he remained unmoved.

"Do you know why I'm angry?"

"I shouldn't have met Xu Junzheng behind your back, brother-in-law."

"And?"

Tian Qin felt like she was walking on the edge of a cliff—each wrong answer could be her end. After all, she'd bravely said, "Take it out on me," and he was taking it out on her without a shred of leniency.

She couldn't answer. If she thought about it, everything was wrong. The question itself was a trap.

The atmosphere was dead still. The water clock in the corner dripped softly, the silence driving her mad.

"You shouldn't have begged for another man."

Xie Tanwei shot her a terrifying look, his coldness bottomless, his possessiveness barely masked.

Her pleading for another man, even offering to take the blame—he saw it as a grave offense, proof that she loved that man, which he would absolutely not allow.

Her body hadn't run away, but her heart had. That's why he punished her so harshly—to scare her, to lock her in a cage so she'd never dare leave.

Tian Qin was terrified by his monstrous possessiveness. She froze, helpless, her sobs muffled as if smothered under a blanket.

Before him, she had reached a dead end.

Her trust was gone, every road blocked.

Through tear-blurred eyes, she saw Xie Tanwei break through his icy shell. He bent down deeply. He reached his hands out to her again—a gesture of extreme tenderness, but with no warmth, only a command:

"Come into my arms."

Tian Qin experienced a surge of indescribable emotion—she was actually relieved to be forgiven by him, as if being pardoned by her tormentor was her salvation. She hated herself so much that she wished she could cut her own throat and leave this filthy body behind, but her body betrayed her and fell back into his arms.

With the Love Gu curse, they could never be separated, no matter what.

Her knees were livid bruises marring her fair skin. Xie Tanwei lifted her skirt and kneaded them expressionlessly, pressing directly on the sore spots without any regard for her feelings. Tian Qin frowned and hissed in pain, turning her head away yet clinging tighter to his arm.

He always did this—after crushing her spirit with a rod, he would play the good guy, seducing her with ultimate tenderness, messing with her head until she lost all resistance without realizing it.

"Brother-in-law, what exactly do you want from me?"

Her eyes were wide open in an ordinary way as she asked a question steeped in utter despair.

"That's what I should be asking you, little sister."

Xie Tanwei gazed fixedly at her.

"There's no chance between Xu Junzheng and me anymore. His sudden appearance at the banquet today caught me completely off guard—there was no premeditation. You know all this, yet you still punished me ruthlessly, treating me like I'm not even human."

She explained everything with a tear-streaked face, trying to absolve herself of any blame, not pleading for Xu Junzheng, but simply fighting for her own chance to survive.

The black vortex in Xie Tanwei's eyes deepened as he pressed his forehead to hers, making Tian Qin's heart pound with terror: "He was that close to you just now. Do you think I should hack him to pieces?"

"No, brother-in-law, I beg you, don't. I'm not pleading for Xu Junzheng. You promised me before that you would eventually get bored and marry me off to someone. I've always revered you like a god, believing that one day you would keep your word. If you can't even stomach this, how will Tian'er ever marry in the future? Give Xu Junzheng a chance, brother-in-law, and give yourself one too."

Her voice was choked and weak, as if his promise to marry her off was a foregone conclusion. The words she uttered felt damp with emotion, fragile and innocent as she buried herself in his chest, clinging to his robes, feeling like she was drowning, her heartbeat merging with his.

"After all, it's not like I would ever leave with him."

But Xie Tanwei was unaffected by her word games, and even the promise of marrying her off seemed distant and faded now. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Tian Qin didn't understand why he insisted on trapping her in the shadows. If it was about past-life vendettas, she had already fallen into his hands for many days—surely he should be tired of her by now. If it was about bearing children, he had been avoiding conception and had never forced her to get pregnant.

He held the highest position in the court and had the power to seize any happiness he desired, while she had been entangled with him for two lifetimes, sinking deeper into the mire. It was time for her to walk her own path.

"Brother-in-law, am I your weakness?"

She found herself recalling, as if possessed, Xu Junzheng's foolish words.

Xie Tanwei crushed her fantasy coldly. "Don't call me brother-in-law."

Those two words usually didn't bother him, but now they grated on his ears.

"Brother-in-law..." Tian Qin's voice faded, so brimming with sorrow that it stirred his obsession instead. "But you'll always be my brother-in-law—my sister's husband. That fact can't change."

"Brother-in-law,"

Xie Tanwei suddenly cupped her face, his gaze carrying a dangerous glint. "Then tell me, is it okay for a brother-in-law to do this?"

With that, he kissed her hard on the lips.

Not any other vague or perfunctory spot, but precisely on her lips—the vivid red lips.

He had never kissed her lips before; being with her had only been about sating his lust. The lips symbolized pure, sacred emotions, transcending physical lust, something only truly intimate lovers would share.

In that moment, they completely stopped breathing.

Tian Qin instinctively closed her eyes, her mind blank, poised on the edge of a dangerous haze, even losing awareness for a long stretch.

Xie Tanwei, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was doing, but he chose to do it anyway—serious and focused, turning a long, lingering kiss into a solemn ritual.

He stole all her breath, and she stole his.

Fear spread like a contagion, adrift in a vast sea with nothing to cling to, except for two people clinging to each other for survival.

After a long moment, her senses slowly returned, and Tian Qin desperately grabbed his collar, trying to escape the nightmare's grasp.

But Xie Tanwei's immersion was not easily broken. He first gave her time to adjust to the rhythm, then deepened the kiss in the most dangerous direction.

After all, it was their first kiss—it shouldn't be a mere taste; it should draw blood.

"This is the true nature of our relationship."