Chapter 144: What Thoughts

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The wound was nearly healed by now, the scar having formed deep and dark.

“What have you done to me?”

“You said it?”

Si Xueyi glared at him, while Yuan Qianlü nodded to himself, confirming exactly what she had said.

“Despicable.”

Si Xueyi spat directly at him—right in his face.

Yuan Qianlü was furious and wiped the saliva off his face with his clothes.

“Are you challenging me?”

Yuan Qianlü grabbed her shoulders firmly and shouted.

“Challenging you? Who do you think you are? Don’t get too conceited. In my eyes, you don’t have the standing to challenge me. You’re just a lowly, insignificant guard.”

Si Xueyi hadn’t wanted to say such harsh words, but being brought to this place had made her furious, and she spoke without thinking.

“Yes, I am just a lowly guard. But isn’t it true that you have fallen into the hands of someone like me—a mere guard?”

He stepped closer and closer, his eyes burning with anger and menace.

With both hands, he pinned her against the wall and stared at her.

“What do you want?”

The distance between them was just a few centimeters; she could feel his breath.

Suddenly, his large hand yanked at her clothes, ripping them off. Si Xueyi didn’t feel particularly ashamed—after all, she wasn’t naive about such matters.

But she resented being treated this way and pushed him hard, yet he didn’t budge an inch.

“Yuan Qianlü, don’t get out of line. I am the sister of your princess consort. If you offend me, do you think you’ll come out of it unscathed?”

She hated the feeling of being controlled. She liked to be in control, but not the other way around.

At this moment, Yuan Qianlü seemed intent on doing something to her. She could see the desire in his eyes and hear the rapid pace of his breathing. But such things required mutual consent, and she was far from willing in this situation.

“The sister of the princess consort? Hmph. You and the princess will never see each other again in this lifetime. And you will remain a prisoner in the guards’ quarters, never to escape and meet her.”

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Yuan Qianlü looked at the woman before him. Don’t think too highly of yourself. Indeed, she was the sister of Si Nuosang, but neither the prince nor he would ever allow the two of them to meet.

“Better safe than sorry. Do you really think you have the power to lock me up for life?”

Si Xueyi lifted her foot as high as she could and aimed a powerful kick at his vulnerable spot.

But Yuan Qianlü seemed well versed in her tactics and easily dodged. This gave Si Xueyi a bit more freedom, though she still felt awkward as she looked at him.

Just moments ago, when Yuan Qianlü tore at her clothes, he had almost stripped her completely.

As she reached to gather her clothes, Yuan Qianlü grabbed her and slammed her onto the ground. Then, with a wave of his hand, the candlelight was extinguished.

“Let go of me, you scoundrel!” she shouted at him.

“Slap!”

Yuan Qianlü struck her, though not on her face.

The sound was frightening, but it didn’t hurt much—the room was completely dark, pitch black.

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Suddenly, Si Xueyi screamed out in agony, a pain even more intense than the first time.

If there had been light, one would have seen tears at the corner of her eyes. Her hands clawed at him fiercely, leaving bloody marks, as if exacting revenge for his brutality.

But the more she resisted, the more exhilarated Yuan Qianlü became. Knowing this was not her first time only fueled his anger. The extremes of excitement and fury coursed through him, driving him further into madness.

Si Xueyi’s body felt as if it were falling apart, like a broken doll. She had no strength left to fight back. Exhausted, her waist felt as if it would snap. Yuan Qianlü’s physique was terrifyingly powerful. She was close to fainting.

This kind of frenzied passion was something she was experiencing for the very first time. Though it caused her pain, it also drew her deeper into the ordeal.

She didn’t know when she had finally fallen asleep, only waking to the sun’s rays shining on her face. Opening her eyes, she found Yuan Qianlü’s large hand gripping her waist. She lifted her foot and kicked him hard.

That woke him up too.

“What’s this? You still have strength?”

Yuan Qianlü straddled her waist and looked down at her.

“Get away from me.”

Si Xueyi said angrily. She couldn’t believe she had been overpowered by a man the night before. The thought made her furious. She grabbed his hand and bit down hard.

Blood flowed immediately, but she didn’t let go. Yuan Qianlü let her bite freely.

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Finally, Si Xueyi gave up.

“I’m not bothering with you anymore.”

Looking at his hand, she saw his body was hardly unscathed either—covered in bruises, bite marks, and scratches. Not a single inch of flesh was spared.

She herself was no better—bruised and battered all over. Why did something that could have been peaceful have to turn into such a fierce and clawing struggle? She hated this way.

Yuan Qianlü got out of bed and began putting on his clothes. At that moment, Si Xueyi suddenly noticed a terrifying scar crossing his entire back. It wasn’t caused by her; it looked old, like a long-ago sword wound.

“Your back?”

Si Xueyi asked unconsciously.

“You mean the scar? It was from battle, cut by an enemy’s blade. Don’t make such a fuss—anyone who spends years on the battlefield carries many wounds. To me, it’s just a memory.”

Yuan Qianlü said casually, as if it were nothing.

“It must have hurt a lot, even though you speak so plainly.”

The wound surely ran deep to the bone. Surviving was pure luck.

“Not as much as your scratches hurt.”

Yuan Qianlü stepped in front of her.

“Get lost.”

Si Xueyi, the very embodiment of shamelessness, snapped back to reality. Why should she care about this man’s injuries? He might as well die—that would make her happy.

“Where do you think you’ll go? If I leave, you’ll starve to death.”

“Starve to death? That’s none of your concern. Besides, wouldn’t that be exactly what you want? If I die without your hands on me, even if Si Nuosang finds out later, she won’t be able to blame you.”

Si Xueyi said coldly, with a sneer.

“What? You still hold onto that idea?”

Yuan Qianlü suddenly grew serious.

“What do you mean? What idea should I be holding onto?” She didn’t understand what he was implying.

“We’re already in this kind of relationship—don’t you have any thoughts about that?”