Chapter 317: Sealed Circle

"Go back! Let's talk properly!" Xiao Yin raised his hand, seized Gu Jiu Ling's hand, but instead of touching her skin, it was ice‑cold to the extreme.

He couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in his heart, and the lingering affection and yearning deep inside multiplied manyfold.

He longed to pull this woman into his arms, to soothe his longing of recent days, but she bore the blood of Lord Du.

For revenge, he had endured countless pain and despair, never expecting that when the truth came to light, it would be so cruel.

Gu Jiu Ling was pinned at the wrist, unable to move; he lifted his head and coldly looked at the man before him.

Her slightly trembling lips moved, yet she could not utter a single word.

She has always been proud‑hearted, never the type to meekly beg others.

The previous collaboration with Xiao Yin, the public display of weakness, all the little tricks she played were merely her own tricks.

If she were to lower herself, genuinely accommodate, and love someone who does not love her, she could not do it.

Her love is a two‑way sprint, not one side giving wholeheartedly while receiving no return.

Gu Jiu Ling knows that Xiao Yin has grown weary of her; if so, why persist in chasing?

She gradually wriggled her hand free from Xiao Yin's broad palm and let out a laugh, "I have nothing to say to the Prince."

"I'm just here today to see what the Prince has been busy with lately, and it seems the Prince is living quite comfortably."

"Having a beauty by my side is fine."

Xiao Yin's brows furrowed sharply; he hadn't expected Gu Jiu Ling to falsely accuse him so harshly.

"What nonsense about a beauty? She is the benefactor's daughter."

"The person he has always loved is Gu Jiu Ling; what ramblings is this woman spouting?"

"Gu Jiu Ling, please don't humiliate me; I have a temper too."

Xiao Yin felt what he had done was already enough.

He is the illustrious Ninth Imperial Uncle of Southern Qi; although there is a cooperative element, he has never shown such sincerity toward any woman.

He carefully tended to her, and even though the child in her womb was not his, he was willing to accept that child.

Under Xiao Yin's name, he would protect her well; what could he have done that wrong to Gu Jiu Ling?

These days he has truly been in great distress.

Without having figured out how to respond, how could he give Gu Jiu Ling a future?

On one side are his brothers, on the other his dearest one; he is squeezed in the middle, feeling the pressure, and he is the hardest part.

He hadn't expected Gu Jiu Ling to frame him so; does that mean he has a new lover, and she sees him that way?

"Humiliate?" Gu Jiu Ling chuckled lightly, "Fine, then let me humiliate the Prince."

The Prince may marry whomever he wishes in this world, take concubines if he wishes, and need not care what others say.

After some days, once I have given birth, I'll find a pretext to separate from Wang Yue.

I will not claim the Prince's estate; following the old custom, I will give half of the dowry I brought from the Gu family to the Prince as a benefit.

The previous one‑to‑nine split was unreasonable; after all, I helped cure the Prince's internal toxin, so we can consider this matter settled.

Gu Jiu Ling's speech left Xiao Yin utterly stunned.

He never imagined that one day the word "separation" would come from Gu Jiu Ling's mouth.

She simply wants to leave him.

In Xiao Yin's mind, nothing else could enter; it was only the two characters for "separation."

He instantly became furiously angry and grasped Gu Jiu Ling's delicate jaw.

"If you have the guts, say 'separation' again!"

Gu Jiu Ling was indeed frightened by Xiao Yin's imposing aura.

It was then that she understood a fact.

Xiao Yin is the most unreasonable man in Southern Qi, as well as the most ruthless and cruel in his actions.

In the past, she had been gradually numbed by Xiao Yin's tenderness, even hallucinating, believing him to be a gentle, kind, and amiable person.

At this moment, Gu Jiu Ling met Xiao Yin's slightly reddened peach‑blossom eyes, and her heart trembled.

Her heart raced wildly, and Xiao Yin, still gripping her jaw, stared coldly at her, each word deliberate: "Take it back! Retract the words you just said to this Prince!"

Gu Jiu Ling subconsciously bit her lip tightly, stared fixedly at the person before her, and stubbornly lifted her head without speaking.

Xiao Yin was on the brink of being driven mad by this woman.

These days he tried to balance his brothers' hatred toward Lord Du, but while he fought hard at the front, his backyard caught fire, as if a single blaze would consume him entirely.

Xiao Yin panicked, at a loss, as he was already unfamiliar with matters of love between men and women.

Only Gu Jiu Ling forcibly tore open his heart chamber and burst into his bone‑chilling, cold world.

At this moment, the ice in his heart melted because of Gu Jiu Ling, yet she suddenly wanted to seal that wound again.

And forever freeze him in this wasteland.

Xiao Yin's heart held not only fear, but also terror and despair; he also yearned to be loved.

"Gu Jiu Ling, take back that word you just said!"

Gu Jiu Ling's heart was also full of grievance, her mind completely chaotic, she clenched her teeth and stared fixedly at Xiao Yin's ever‑changing face: "Will you take it back? It's already been said!"

"If the Prince agrees, we can separate tomorrow!"

"But now my body is heavy, I cannot travel far, and cannot follow you to the Moon‑Old Temple, so after giving birth we will separate then."

"If the Prince cannot endure it, then we shall go tomorrow."

"Say it again," Xiao Yin's angry voice trembled slightly.

Gu Jiu Ling let out a light laugh: "You made me say it; I want to separate from you! Separate! Do you hear me clearly now?"

Xiao Yin, his fingers gripping Gu Jiu Ling's trembling, suddenly clamped her neck and leaned down to kiss her lips.

Gu Jiu Ling's eyes widened instantly; she hadn't expected Xiao Yin to do that.

What exactly does she count as to Xiao Yin here? A cooperative partner or an object of amusement?

When he's happy, he can stay all day with her, eating and lodging together, and joking.

If he's not happy, he goes more than ten days without seeing her.

He would rather sit and chat with people from the martial world than come to Peach Blossom Pavilion to glance at him.

At this moment, Xiao Yin's actions seemed more like a punishment to Gu Jiu Ling; Gu Jiu Ling instinctively pushed him away, raised her hand and slapped his face.

After that slap, both of them were stunned there.

Gu Jiu Ling stepped back, coldly staring at the man opposite.

Before she could speak, Xiao Yin, as if possessed, stepped forward and pulled Gu Jiu Ling into his embrace again.

This kiss was even more overwhelming, like a storm covering the sky and earth, and he even bit hard at the corner of her lips.

The taste of blood spread instantly, making Gu Jiu Ling shudder.

Xiao Yin watched Gu Jiu Ling's face flush red, angry to the extreme, before finally releasing her, but felt his cheeks burning with pain.

The blood at the corner of Gu Jiu Ling's lips stained his thin, cool lips; he raised his finger and gently wiped it away.

"Someone! Send the Princess Consort back to Peach Blossom Pavilion! No one may leave without my order."

He then added: "Deploy more guards around Peach Blossom Pavilion; if the Princess Consort steps even a foot outside, I will take your lives."

Ling Feng, who had been standing aside, was stunned by what unfolded before his eyes.

He quickly responded and fled from here.