Chapter 185: Every Single One Is So Hard to Kill

"Being publicly humiliated doesn’t feel good, does it?"

"I told you, that Princess Xuanyang is no ordinary woman. She’ll never be moved by you. You were supposed to kill her, but you want to marry her instead? I have no idea what’s going on in your head. Have you forgotten the purpose of our alliance?"

Lu Ling wiped the back of his scratched hand, glancing at the agitated Xiao Jingzhao at his side. "Of course I remember. I’m just afraid Prince Yanping is the one who’s forgotten."

He shot Xiao Jingzhao a contemptuous look. "The Lu family promised to help Prince Yanping become the new Emperor, but you were beaten into a sorry state by Princess Xuanyang. To this day, I really don’t see how you could possibly become an emperor. You can’t even defeat a single woman."

Xiao Jingzhao’s expression instantly darkened. "That was just a temporary measure. It’s not time to kill her yet."

Lu Ling retorted at once, "Then don’t even think about it. She’s mine."

Xiao Jingzhao couldn’t help but grind his teeth. "What the hell are you trying to do? That Xuanyang was your cousin’s wife! She killed Lu Yanzhi! There’s no shortage of women in the world, so why do you insist on provoking her? Do you really want to become a laughingstock for the whole world to see?"

Lu Ling sneered. "What do you know? She’s a treasure I went to great lengths to find."

Xiao Jingzhao stared at him, his expression indescribable. ’To fall for Princess Xuanyang, to be beaten, berated, and nearly killed by her, yet still consider her a treasure... Is this guy even sane?’

Lu Ling toyed with his Bone Flute. "Relax. I just want her. I won’t get in the way of your plans. But my patience is limited. If I haven’t gotten her within a month, I’m washing my hands of your affairs."

One month.

Xiao Jingzhao’s gaze turned cold. He mulled it over before saying, "That’s more than enough."

-----

The next day, a delegation from Chirong Country arrived at the Capital City in a grand and imposing procession.

Xiao Li received the news before they had even entered the city.

She couldn’t suppress the smile playing on her lips, her eyes glinting with bloodthirsty madness. ’They’re here...’

’I’ve been waiting for so long.’

Lou Yan had given her Prince Chen’s whereabouts, and she had sent people to trail him. Though they couldn’t follow too closely, she knew he had gone to the Chirong Country.

She wasn’t the least bit surprised by this outcome.

Prince Chen’s birth mother was said to be the daughter of Marquis Changling, but in truth, the marquis and his wife had found her on a battlefield.

Prince Chen’s birth mother passed away when he was seven, and no one ever told him the truth about her identity. In the original plot, however, after he seized the throne, his enemies used his mother’s origins to attack him.

That beautiful but ill-fated Princess Consort Yu, whom the late Emperor had cherished in his heart for years, was in reality the daughter of the Eagle King of the Chirong Country.

During a civil war over the throne in the Chirong Country, the Eagle King’s most beloved daughter was abducted, only to be found by Marquis Changling and his wife through a strange twist of fate.

The Eagle King eventually succeeded in taking the throne, but he passed away a decade ago. The current King of Chi Rong is the Eagle King’s eldest son, making him Princess Consort Yu’s biological older brother.

In the plot, once the King of Chi Rong learned of the male lead’s identity, he immediately issued an edict in his support and even sent his most beautiful daughter to form a marriage alliance.

Because of this princess’s special status in the marriage alliance, Xiao Jingyu was exceptionally indulgent with her, which caused Liu Xueyin, as the Empress, to suffer a great deal of injustice.

Of course, that princess ended up courting her own death by nearly killing Liu Xueyin. To avenge his beloved Empress, Xiao Jingyu had the princess summarily beaten to death. This naturally led to war between the two nations, with the third male lead, Gu Ling, marching off to battle for the sake of love and ultimately ending up guarding the border.

This time, however, due to Xiao Li’s interference, Prince Chen lost his royal title, and through a twist of fate, discovered his true parentage.

In short, thanks to his protagonist plot armor, Prince Chen was acknowledged by the King of Chi Rong. Now, he has returned, transformed into an envoy of Chi Rong.

Prince Chen’s situation was somewhat understandable. After all, blood is blood; that part made sense.

But Liu Xueyin’s case... that was so absurd it left Xiao Li astounded every time she thought about it.

Xiao Li had administered a lethal poison to her twice. The dosage wasn’t just enough to kill one person; if she’d put it in a well, she could have poisoned the entire Capital City.

Yet the first time, Liu Xueyin drank it, died, and then came back to life, with the only side effect being the poison leaving a mark on her face that looked like a birthmark.

So Xiao Li tried a second time. She personally witnessed the death again, but Liu Xueyin’s body was, as expected, taken away. And then came the truly ridiculous part: because both were lethal poisons, the two toxins battled it out inside her body and—lo and behold—magically canceled each other out.

Not only did Liu Xueyin survive, but the birthmark on her face also vanished. The only lingering effect was that her body was left frail, requiring delicate care.

Xiao Jingyu also shed his previous scumbag persona, suddenly realizing his true feelings. He began to dote on Liu Xueyin, and their love was boundless. They even held a second wedding ceremony in the Chirong Country.

’It’s like the plot is forcibly correcting itself. And the jealous rival, the Princess Chi Rong, hasn’t been forgotten either. She’s the one leading this delegation.’

Xiao Li dangled a string, making Mo Jiang tumble across the floor, but her mind was preoccupied with how to deal with Liu Xueyin this time.

’Killing her is impossible. As for poison... a third time’s not the charm. I can’t even be bothered to waste more poison on Liu Xueyin.’

’What about killing Prince Chen, then?’

’Oh, right. And there’s Lu Yanzhi, who’s now a Corpse Puppet.’

’They’re all so damn hard to kill.’

----

Xiao Li didn’t attend the Emperor’s banquet for the delegation, but she knew Prince Chen had gone, disguised as an envoy, with Liu Xueyin in tow, disguised as a man.

Even though they wore masks, their distinctive auras hadn’t changed a bit. But everyone at the banquet, every last one of them, must have been blind, because no one recognized the couple as Prince Chen and his wife.

It wasn’t until the Princess Chi Rong, Mu Yunzhu, deliberately tried to embarrass Liu Xueyin that Prince Yanping noticed something was amiss.

’So, was that banquet really a can’t-miss event?’

Xiao Li decided to hold off on dealing with them for the time being, but she couldn’t stop trouble from coming to her.

Sure enough, the very next day, the Princess Chi Rong arrived at the Princess Mansion with her entourage. She claimed it was a formal visit, but one look at her demeanor made it clear she was looking for a fight.

Surprisingly, Xiao Li—who would normally have had such a visitor beaten and thrown out—actually allowed her to enter. But only her.

Mu Yunzhu was dressed in the fashion of Chi Rong: a red outfit that revealed a sliver of her waist, accessorized primarily with gold ornaments and embellished with agate, turquoise, and dzi beads. The look was quite striking.

Chirong Country was a martial nation, and Mu Yunzhu herself was a master of martial arts. Yet her appearance lacked the sharp valiance of a warrior; instead, she was bewitchingly seductive, with a look that could steal one’s soul.

Her slender waist swayed with every step, radiating endless charm. Never mind men; even women would find their eyes glued to her.

Xiao Li took one look at her and had only a single thought: ’How on earth did Xiao Jingyu manage to resist?’

In the plot, no matter the misunderstandings or drama between Xiao Jingyu and Liu Xueyin, Xiao Jingyu strictly adhered to the principle of only sleeping with Liu Xueyin.

When he was a Prince, he used his ice-cold expression to reject countless infatuated women. Once he became Emperor, his harem was a harem in name only. Even when circumstances forced him to accept several concubines, he steadfastly refused to touch any of them.

’Look at this Mu Yunzhu before me,’ Xiao Li mused. ’That face, that waist, those legs... a bona fide goddess of the mortal world. And yet, in the end, she was beaten to death by Xiao Jingyu simply for being jealous of Liu Xueyin.’

’Well, what can I say.’

’That Xiao Jingyu isn’t a goddamn man!!’

Mu Yunzhu strode forward, her chin held high in arrogance. "You’re Princess Xuanyang?"

She looked young, but her voice was that of a mature, commanding woman—sultry and deep. Even with its unpleasant tone, it was still melodious, the kind of voice that could send a tingle down another woman’s spine.

Xiao Li was suddenly filled with regret. ’I’ve already transmigrated, so why couldn’t I have been a man?’

’If I had transmigrated as a devastatingly handsome man with the title of a Prince...’ she mused. ’Heh. I probably wouldn’t even think about going back.’

’Tsk. Got sidetracked again.’

"Why are you ignoring me?"

Seeing that the woman was about to lose her temper, Xiao Li waved a dismissive hand. "Sit down. You’re a princess, and I’m a princess. There’s no need to flaunt your authority in my home."