Chapter 178: Xiao Mingyu, Why Don't You Just Die

Lin Bie stood downstairs, his heart filled with a thousand emotions.

A few months ago, he was just an ordinary Hidden Guard at the Duan Prince Mansion, until Miss Nan suddenly disappeared, the Prince acted with lightning speed, punished the two brothers Bai Sheng and Bai Chuan, and successively promoted other Hidden Guards, sending them out incessantly to search for Miss Nan, yet they gained nothing.

The Prince's patience was exhausted, and he killed many people.

This time, the Qingzhou Inspector sent word that of the Assassins they had sent out, only one survivor remained; that woman claimed to be Nan Xueyin, and the Inspector said she was with a minor official who often opposed the Prince, and they were likely heading to Fengdu.

The Prince finally revealed his first smile in months: "Ah, Qingzhou. I truly never thought she would go home; I thought that, just like before, she wouldn't dare to go back..."

He made a prompt decision and led his men toward Fengdu.

Lin Bie had been promoted on short notice.

He knew clearly that if he failed in this mission, he would not escape the fate of being killed.

Hurrying and rushing, they arrived in Fengdu before dark today, and from the moment they entered the city, they inquired and searched through the inns one by one.

None of them had Miss Nan.

Lin Bie had thought he was a dead man.

Unexpectedly, Miss Nan had actually appeared here!

When he looked up at Nan Xueyin, his eyes held gratitude and relief.

Seeing that look in his eyes, Nan Xueyin thought that anyone who didn't know better would think she had saved his entire family's lives.

She looked at Xiao Mingyu again.

To her surprise, Xiao Mingyu had grown much thinner, his cheeks sunken, having almost lost all the spirit he once possessed.

When he got off the carriage, he was in such a hurry that he nearly fell to the ground; fortunately, Lin Bie was quick-eyed and fast-handed, catching him.

Xiao Mingyu entered the inn, lifted his face, and stared unblinkingly at Nan Xueyin, "Yinyin..."

For these past few months, he could only see her in his dreams.

Dreaming of her calling him husband in a soft voice, telling him about what she had seen that day, saying that a dish at lunch was delicious, saying she wanted to go to the garden to swing in the afternoon...

Xiao Mingyu was always unwilling to wake up.

But as time ticked by, her face began to blur in his dreams; his heart felt desolate, and gradually he didn't want to eat, nor did he want to handle affairs; he used to love receiving all kinds of precious gifts, but now he wasn't even interested in those.

He just desperately wanted to see her.

Now, he had finally seen her.

Upstairs and downstairs, not a far distance.

Xiao Mingyu's eye sockets were slightly red as he called her again: "Yinyin..."

Nan Xueyin looked at him, listening to these words, but only frowned in disgust: "Xiao Mingyu, why don't you just die."

Xiao Mingyu was stunned.

Nan Jiyun was even more stunned.

Heavens, was this still his niece? The dignified Duan Prince had actually traveled thousands of miles to see her, and even called her Yinyin so earnestly...

What shocked him was that his niece actually said coldly: Why don't you just die.

Even if Nan Jiyun hated Xiao Mingyu to death, upon meeting him, he would only say: "Your Highness, the crimes you have committed, do you admit to them?"

He truly hadn't expected that his niece would not only dare to call him by his full name, but also dare to tell him to go die...

What shocked him even more was that the Duan Prince didn't get angry.

He was indeed stung by Nan Xueyin's expression and words, and he pulled at the corner of his mouth in a self-deprecating manner, "Yes... after you were no longer by my side, I always felt like I was about to die..."

He took two steps forward, "Yinyin, I came here to find you this time not only to take you back, but I have also decided to formally tell the Yan Family that I will not marry their daughter. I don't want Yan Zhirong; I only want you."

Nan Xueyin retorted sarcastically: "What, several months have passed, and the marriage hasn't been called off yet?"

Xiao Mingyu choked.

Nan Xueyin really felt he was disgusting.

Saying deep words of affection, saying he liked her, loved her, and couldn't live without her.

But in reality?

These past few months, he had indeed been looking for her everywhere, but he hadn't called off the engagement.

Which meant he was still keeping Yan Zhirong on a string; he had made a two-pronged plan—if he really couldn't find Nan Xueyin, he could still marry Yan Zhirong.

However, Nan Xueyin found it strange: hadn't Yan Zhirong already taken the initiative to call off the engagement with Xiao Mingyu?

"I... I was also weighing my options," Xiao Mingyu regained the strength to speak, "Yinyin, come down and come back with me."

Nan Xueyin was clearly unmoved.

Xiao Mingyu took a deep breath, his gaze deepening, "If you are unwilling, I will have to use some extraordinary means. I know you are very capable, but this is an inn after all, and you have someone by your side; I fear you will be tied up and unable to unleash your full strength, right?"

He was referring to Nan Jiyun.

Nan Xueyin didn't speak.

Nan Jiyun took a deep breath and said to Nan Xueyin: "Little Xue, don't worry about me later!"

Nan Xueyin thought to herself, sure enough, hatred is a powerful force that sustains a person; facing Xiao Mingyu, her uncle wasn't even afraid of death.

Nan Jiyun continued: "I will find a place to hide myself well!"

Nan Xueyin:...

So he was still afraid of death after all.

"I'll ask you one last time, are you coming with me or not?" Xiao Mingyu asked.

Nan Xueyin had no intention of paying him any mind.

Receiving no response, Xiao Mingyu was not annoyed, but simply issued an order to his subordinates: "Go, bring Miss Nan before me."

Among the people he brought, quite a few had received training alongside Nan Xueyin and had been beaten by her; the worst of them had been beaten so badly they couldn't get out of bed for several days.

Therefore, at this moment, everyone was somewhat shrinking back.

Xiao Mingyu frowned: "What, are you afraid of being killed by Miss Nan, but not afraid of being killed by this Prince?"

Her words carried an obvious, terrifying intimidation.

The crowd had no choice but to bite the bullet and close in on Nan Xueyin.

Seeing that she was already surrounded, Nan Xueyin twisted her neck.

A fight was on the verge of breaking out.

Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from outside the inn: "Prince, it's bad!"

Xiao Mingyu glanced over impatiently: "What is it?"

The man ran in, flustered: "People from the Eastern Palace! People from the Eastern Palace have come too!"

Xiao Mingyu was stunned.

Nan Xueyin, however, curved her eyes into a smile.

Nan Jiyun looked downstairs, then at his niece, catching her subtle expression of a smile.

He suddenly realized something, and his entire mind went blank.

The sound of armor clashing came from outside the inn; the Eastern Palace guards surrounded the inn layer by layer, forcefully bypassed Prince Duan's luxurious carriage, entered the inn, and lined up on both sides to clear a path.

The innkeeper's legs had already gone weak, and he collapsed to the ground in fear—

For a tiny inn like his, which at most housed a few scholars traveling to the capital for exams, even if he were given ten times the courage, he would never have dared to imagine today: first Prince Duan, and now the Crown Prince...

He suspected that the smoke from his ancestors' graves was about to turn blue!

"Prince, we..."

Lin Bie wanted to persuade him; the struggle for the throne between Prince Duan and the Crown Prince had reached a white-hot stage, and if a real conflict broke out in Fengdu now, it would not benefit Prince Duan in the slightest.

He urged Xiao Mingyu to leave this place as soon as possible.

But Xiao Mingyu didn't take this matter to heart at all; he shoved Lin Bie aside and just kept walking quickly toward the upper floor: "Yinyin, weren't those years we spent together beautiful? During those few days you lost your memory, weren't we very happy together? Come with me quickly... I really, truly cannot live without you..."

Nan Xueyin frowned: "It wasn't beautiful at all, and it wasn't happy at all. You only make me feel disgusted."

Xiao Mingyu gritted his teeth: "I don't believe it..."

Nan Xueyin stepped forward, raised her hand, and gave Xiao Mingyu a heavy slap across the face.

Nan Xueyin: "Do you believe it now?"

If he didn't believe it, she wouldn't mind hitting him with another slap.

Xiao Mingyu's head was knocked to one side, and half of his cheek burned with pain; he tried very hard to digest these harsh words, as well as this slap.

His throat bobbed violently, and after a long while, he looked at Nan Xueyin again with bloodshot eyes, "I..."

At this moment, a voice as clear and refined as jade came from downstairs: "Fourth Brother, what are you trying to do to Our Crown Princess?"