Ji Yunshu raised her chin, offering her neck to his sword. At this distance, she could feel his bloodthirsty aura emanating from Soaring Scarlet Sword, ready to plunge it into her throat.
“General Ji, are you going to kill me in the imperial palace?”
“You think I won’t dare?”
“No. You will do it. What could the ferocious Zhangqing General be afraid of? However…” She took a small step forward, pressing her neck on the tip of the sword, but there was no fear in her eyes. She continued. “If you kill me today, you too won’t be able to walk out of the palace.”
Her voice was faint, as if it was coming out from the depth of the abyss and creepily seeping into people’s skin like countless swords suddenly piercing their organs.
Ji Huan took back his sword after thinking through, leaving behind a small wound on her neck.
The truth was she was scared witless, betrayed only by the imperceptible trembling of her hands.
She knew that her bluff almost failed, but Ji Huan was someone who was susceptible to force rather than persuasion. She almost thought she was going to die when he pierced her with Soaring Scarlet.
“You knew I was never afraid of threats. You are Ji Yunshu, the one I want to kill!”
His killing intent burst out with stronger intensity.
Ji Yunshu raised her pointy chin, the gloominess in her eyes was suddenly replaced by gentleness. “Second Brother, I do not want to be enemies with you.” She stated. She finally admitted it.
Being called “Second Brother” made him frown. “I am not your second brother. You killed Yuanzhi and caused grandmother to die from anger. You are a sinner who was already expelled from the Ji family. You don’t deserve to call me brother.”
“Don’t tell me that Second Brother cannot tell right from wrong?” She had a pained expression. “That year, it was you who saved Ji Pei on the battlefield. I am very grateful to you for that, and I also believe you are different from them. Even if you are shouting about killing me, I still believe that you cannot bear to do so. If you truly believe that I caused Third Brother’s death, that’s fine by me. Just cut me with your sword then.” She stared at him firmly. She was betting everything on her conviction that her Second Brother differed from the rest of the Ji family, all of which were cold-hearted.
Although Ji Huan was a muscle-brain, it didn’t mean his brain had a problem. Ji Yuanzhi had killed people first, then he proceeded to commit suicide. It actually had nothing to do with Ji Yunshu, but Yuanzhi was his little brother. He couldn’t turn a blind eye to his death without doing anything. That was why his grief turned into a goal – killing Ji Yunshu. Therefore, he hesitated at the last moment after listening to her.
He was torn inside, and the conflicting emotions showed on his face. The hand holding Soaring Scarlet trembled while his face was flushed. In a well-hidden place, Shi Zhijin was getting restless. If he dared to injure her mistress, she would wring off his head.
“Aaah-” Ji Huan suddenly bellowed.
He madly raised his sword as if he was about to hack Ji Yunshu like a mere vegetable. Ji Yunshu shut her eyes. The sword furiously slashed down, glinting dangerously with a cold light in its course towards Ji Yunshu. Just when she thought she had been sliced in half, nothing happened to her. What was cut in half was the golden mask on her face. The mask split in two; one half fell into the lotus pond and the other fell into the lantern she held. The sudden shift in weight made her drop the lantern.