Chapter 46: Kissing Her Lips

"Splash!"

A basin of cold water was poured over her head, and Nan Xueyin woke up with a start.

She struggled instinctively, but her neck and limbs were tightly bound by heavy iron chains; as she moved, the coarse metal scraped against her skin, causing piercing pain.

Even more painful were her back and chest, where various wounds crisscrossed, leaving her flesh a blurred mess.

She was still in the Dali Temple Prison, in a small, cramped cell, where the air was thick with the heavy scent of blood emanating from her own body.

"No wonder you dared to come and kill; it turns out you have such a special constitution, healing so quickly after being injured! But even so, you won't be able to withstand the torture of our Dali Temple Prison!" the head jailer sneered repeatedly.

The wounds on Nan Xueyin's left and right calves from the iron whips and iron arrows had already healed, leaving no traces on her skin.

But as the man said, the torture was too prolonged; her wounds had just healed only to be damaged and torn open again. Over time, even the most special constitution would struggle to hold on, and Nan Xueyin could feel the healing speed slowing down more and more.

This was the second time she had fainted from the pain and been splashed awake with cold water.

Now, because the injuries were truly too severe, her body was no longer healing on its own.

"From start to finish, not a single word spoken; this Zhou Lü is quite a tough man!" the square-faced man couldn't help but exclaim.

Although Nan Xueyin's Human Skin Mask was damaged, it was covered in wounds and bloodstains, so they did not suspect her true identity, still regarding her only as Zhou Lü.

The head jailer snorted coldly, "Do you think having an iron will is a good thing?"

He said viciously, "All the tortures that should have been used have been used, yet not a single word is spoken. A hard bone, indeed, but this is too hard. Since nothing can be asked, there is nothing left to ask. Just kill him!"

The voice fell into Nan Xueyin's ears, sounding near and then far. Her ear had been struck by a whip earlier and was bleeding, so she couldn't hear clearly, but he had bitten the words "kill him" very hard, and she heard them clearly.

Ah, so she had thought wrong.

They were going to kill her.

Nan Xueyin remained silent, breathing slowly and with great difficulty.

Actually, she wasn't that afraid of death. Having risked her life for Xiao Mingyu for these years, she had brushed past death countless times and was already prepared to welcome her own end.

Nor could she talk about resenting anyone; any mission could have flaws, and the number of other Assassins from the Duan Prince Mansion who had died miserably in the past was as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

The situation in Fengdu was complex, and today's assassination plan had been too rushed. Perhaps Xiao Mingyu or Wu Zhui had encountered a more urgent situation—they surely wouldn't just fail to come and rescue her.

"Since the wounds can heal themselves, right," the head jailer said, picking up an axe from the table and weighing it in his hand, "then let's see if, once the head is chopped off, it will grow a new one!"

Saying this, he handed the axe to the square-faced man, "You, go!"

The man was stunned, trembling and not daring to take it, "Boss, are we really going to kill him? Shouldn't we ask more? Or perhaps report to Official Yu and the others..."

"I said, kill him!" the head jailer interrupted him mercilessly.

"If we send him to be interrogated again and nothing is asked, we will all be punished. It is better to say he died during our initial interrogation, then this matter ends here. Whatever mistakes or crimes there are, let Zhou Lü bear them all alone!"

The square-faced man dared not resist and also felt these words made quite a bit of sense.

He accepted his fate, took the axe handle, took a deep breath, and walked closer step by step.

Nan Xueyin's expression did not change at all.

At first, she had thought someone would rush to save her, frequently looking toward the door as if expecting Xiao Mingyu to burst in with Wu Zhui standing beside him, shouting anxiously and firmly: "Stop!"

But that hope had already been worn away by endless pain.

Xiao Mingyu and Wu Zhui had not come.

Nan Xueyin had no friends and no family. Hua Lianying was her only family, but she felt no affection for her, only wanting to climb the high branches of the Duan Prince.

Therefore, no one would come to save her.

She was doomed.

The square-faced man had already stood by her side, gathered his strength, and raised the axe in his hand.

The movement stirred up a bloody wind, and Nan Xueyin simply closed her eyes.

"Cut!"

The head jailer gave the order.

At the same time, a cold reprimand came from outside the cell door: "Stop!"

The voice was not unfamiliar, and Nan Xueyin's body could not stop trembling.

It was him.

Why was it him?

She heard the people in the cell rustling as they knelt on the ground, respectfully chanting: "His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Xiao Youlan bypassed everyone and walked straight in front of her.

Nan Xueyin was in unbearable pain all over, but she used her last bit of strength to pry open her eyelids and look at the Crown Prince's overly beautiful face; his eyes were red, appearing deep and sorrowful.

Nan Xueyin's heart surged; she did not know if it was the joy of surviving a disaster or some other emotion. She wanted to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

She was stunned herself, and Xiao Youlan became even more flustered, fumbling to untie the iron chains on her body.

"Your Highness..."

The head jailer was still kneeling on the ground, moving his knees closer.

Xiao Youlan shouted angrily: "The key!"

The head jailer hurriedly rummaged through his body, but in the end, the square-faced man beside him took the key from his bosom. He snatched it away, smiling ingratiatingly, and offered it to the Crown Prince with both hands.

Xiao Youlan took it and unlocked the iron chains on Nan Xueyin's neck and limbs one by one.

Finally, the chain on her left ankle fell off, and Nan Xueyin's whole body slid down powerlessly.

Xiao Youlan opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace.

Her injuries were too severe, and there was almost no intact place on her entire body; Xiao Youlan didn't even know where to start.

Yet Nan Xueyin inexplicably did not want to be saved by him. She tried hard to clutch his lapels, actually wanting to say something harsh to tell him not to worry about her.

But she had not a shred of strength left in her body; her lips moved twice, and she fainted again.

She did not know how much time had passed.

When she regained consciousness, Nan Xueyin heard Xiao Youlan's voice; he seemed to be talking to someone else, asking: "Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

She desperately wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were as heavy as if they weighed a thousand jun, and her limbs were completely beyond her control.

She heard the sigh of an old voice again, "The young lady was truly injured too severely; although her external wounds have healed quickly, her internal state has still been affected."

Xiao Youlan then stopped speaking.

Nan Xueyin felt something warm press against her cheek, appearing to be Xiao Youlan's fingers, gently brushing her messy hair behind her ear.

After a while, she heard the sound of water, as if Xiao Youlan had dipped a clean cloth into water, scrubbed it twice, wrung it out, and taken it out.

He began to wipe the palms and backs of Nan Xueyin's hands, his movements gentle and meticulous.

Before he finished wiping, Nan Xueyin heard Wei Nian's voice again, sounding very frustrated: "Your Highness, you have been here for three days and three nights! A pile of affairs in the Eastern Palace are just waiting for you to handle them!"

Xiao Youlan did not reply, focusing on the wiping.

"Now that her Human Skin Mask has been removed, have you not seen clearly yet, Your Highness? She is a spy under Prince Duan, pretending to be Doukou to come to the Eastern Palace just to probe your secrets! Your Highness! Please wake up!"

Having finished wiping her hands, Xiao Youlan stood up, his voice calm and cold, "All of this, I have known for a long time."

"What?" Wei Nian was shocked.

"Your Highness, the medicine is ready!" Feihong's voice came from afar, drawing closer.

Xiao Youlan gave an "en" in response.

Feihong asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, Dou... er, the young lady is still unconscious, should the medicine still be taken that way?"

Nan Xueyin was puzzled; what did it mean to take it that way?

Very soon, she knew how it was taken.

Xiao Youlan helped her sit up, placed two cushions behind her lower back, then held the medicine bowl in one hand and supported her jaw with the other, took a sip himself, kissed her lips, and passed the bitter medicinal liquid into her mouth.

Nan Xueyin was astonished and her consciousness wanted to resist, but Xiao Youlan might have gained experience from feeding her this way; he rubbed her neck with a light but firm touch, and she uncontrollably swallowed, obediently gulping down all that medicinal liquid.