Chapter 148 Handsome Wife

Chapter 148: Handsome Wife

All eyes turned, the elite black-armored guards clearing the way.

Liu Qingci's figure finally emerged in the candlelight of the main hall.

The wind blew from behind him, outlining his slender, refined silhouette.

He was slim but not frail. Though surrounded by soldiers reeking of blood, he remained untouched, carrying only a clean, ethereal calm, unadorned and serene.

At his arrival, everyone's expressions shifted, but all were shocked—so much so that no one uttered a sound.

Staring wide-eyed at the approaching figure, they all wondered if their eyes were deceiving them.

The first to break the stunned silence was Liu Qingci himself.

"Xiao Jing, do you still intend to put up a last-ditch fight?"

His voice was louder than usual, carrying a cold, stern tone.

Hearing this, Xiao Jing seemed to snap out of his daze.

His face, twisted with madness moments ago, now seemed frozen in place, only his bloodshot eyes moving, fixed on Liu Qingci.

"You..." His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, as if something were caught in his throat. "...How did you get in?"

Liu Qingci's brows and eyes, like distant mountains veiled in mist, were delicately set on his face. He stood straight, like a bamboo or pine.

But his words were completely at odds with his demeanor.

"I fought my way in, of course," he said.

"Impossible!" Xiao Jing couldn't accept this reality.

"If His Highness Prince Rui doesn't believe me, I can send you to join the soldiers who died fighting for your rebellion."

Liu Qingci's light tone carried neither clenched-teeth anger nor deliberate intimidation.

Yet it was this matter-of-factness that sent a chill deep into Xiao Jing's bones—not a chill born of fear, but one seeping from his calm handling of such heavy matters.

From within the crowd, Xiao Yan watched Liu Qingci like this, utterly captivated.

He looked at Liu Qingci's lips as they spoke those harsh words—lips as pale as a flower on the verge of blooming in spring.

He was still clean, still cool and distant, as if he had just stepped out of his study, with the scent of ink still lingering on his sleeves.

This purity was not the innocence of someone naive, but the rare kind that came from knowing what was dirty, making it all the more precious... and all the more hard to look away from.

Though it was completely inappropriate at the moment,

Xiao Yan couldn't help it—he... shamefully got turned on.

"Liu Qingci! You want to kill me?"

Xiao Jing was utterly incredulous, as if hearing something preposterous.

Liu Qingci wearily closed his eyes.

Xiao Jing had already asked him this before, and he had already made a move.

But unfortunately, Xiao Jing had no memory of it.

Liu Qingci walked step by step toward the imperial dais, the black-armored guards following silently on both sides, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

He said clearly, "Yes, I want to kill you. I've wanted to kill you for a very long time."

Ever since Xiao Jing shot Xiao Yan from the city wall, ever since Xiao Yan fell from his arms in a pool of blood, he had wanted to kill Xiao Jing.

Xiao Jing seemed rendered speechless by this side of Liu Qingci he had never seen.

Driven by survival instinct, he panicked and grabbed Xiao Yan, who had been restrained by guards, pulling him forward as a shield, pressing his sword blade against Xiao Yan's neck.

Xiao Jing shouted, "Don't come any closer! Let me out! Do you want him to die?"

Blood still stained the sword, a glaring crimson smear across Xiao Yan's neck, as if it had already cut him.

Seeing this, Liu Qingci instantly lost control. All his calm and composure crumbled in an instant.

Something seemed to explode in his mind, blinding him, leaving only one thought: He could not die. He must not die again.

He lunged forward, his robe fluttering, his steps stumbling as if walking on cotton.

"Let him go!" His voice cracked, sharp and shrill, nothing like his cool, composed demeanor moments before.

As he surged forward, someone grabbed his arm, yanking him back with force.

He staggered half a step back and turned to meet Liu Wenyuan's eyes.

Liu Wenyuan had somehow already gotten up from the ground.

"Qingci, it's dangerous!"

Liu Wenyuan acted purely on instinct, pulling his child back at the most critical moment.

Liu Qingci struggled, trying to shake off his hand.

Liu Wenyuan didn't let go; instead, he gripped tighter, holding his son firmly.

At that moment, the black-armored guards seized the opportunity, subduing all of Xiao Jing's men in the hall.

Only Xiao Jing remained, with Xiao Yan held hostage.

They stood in the center of the crowd.

Liu Qingci's face was pale, his eyes fixed on the blood on Xiao Yan's neck.

Xiao Yan's heart ached for him.

He had been surrounded by a large group earlier and couldn't take any reckless actions.

But now, his stunning wife had come to support him.

Dealing with Xiao Jing, who had no martial arts training, was well within his ability.

Before anyone could react, Xiao Yan's right hand shot up like lightning.

His fingertips precisely caught Xiao Jing's wrist holding the sword, his thumb pressing hard into the gap between the wrist bones, twisting it hard.

A clatter rang out.

The sword in Xiao Jing's hand fell to the ground, sending sparks flying.

He didn't even have time to cry out.

Xiao Yan's left hand seized the arm that was around his own shoulder and struck hard.

Xiao Jing was flung backward, staggering and crashing into the railing of the imperial steps, his back slamming against the carved white marble with a dull thud.

Before he could straighten up, Xiao Yan was already on him.

He kicked him behind the knee.

Xiao Jing's leg gave way, and he knelt down.

His knee hit the corner of the stone step, the dull thud of bone against stone enough to set your teeth on edge.

He tried to push himself up, but Xiao Yan's foot was already pressing on his back, with just enough pressure to keep him flat on the ground, like a fish pinned to a board.