Chapter 63 Descendants of the Suanni Clan

A moment later—

The red glow emanating from the jade pendant finally faded away. Yan Ziyu looked at Prince Xi in utter shock, asking, "What... what is the meaning of this?"

"Please look at the characters on the pendant, Princess." Prince Xi also wore a look of astonishment; it was his first time witnessing such a phenomenon, and it was truly marvelous indeed.

Yan Ziyu took the jade pendant in her hand and turned it over. A striking character—"Ni"—came into view.

"This..." She stared at Prince Xi in absolute disbelief, waiting for him to give her an explanation.

Could it be that she was...

"That's right. The blood flowing in your veins belongs to the Ni tribe. You inherited your mother's bloodline, and every abnormality in your body is due to this lineage. The reason Long Xiaoyan took you as his Princess was to keep you captive by his side, with the intention of eventually draining every drop of blood from your body. As for his ultimate purpose in doing this, it remains unknown for now. Therefore, he will not let you die; no matter what you do, he will preserve your life. Well then, isn't this secret shocking enough?" Prince Xi watched Yan Ziyu’s shocked expression, a smile curving the corner of his mouth.

The Ni tribe, the bloodline, the Princess, captivity...

So that was it. With this realization, everything finally made sense to her, though one question still remained unanswered.

After a moment of silence, Yan Ziyu slowly raised her head to look at Prince Xi. Her gaze had regained its composure, and she asked with calm and steady emotions, "Aside from bringing the dead back to life and saving people, the bloodline of the Ni tribe must have other uses, right? Otherwise, why would Long Xiaoyan go to such painstaking lengths, even forsaking the position of Princess, when simply finding a miraculous doctor would be far more effective?"

"The Princess is indeed clever."

Prince Xi made no attempt to conceal it and told her everything he knew. "That's right. The Ni tribe's bloodline has another purpose. Legend has it that members of the Ni tribe possess an unpredictable, miraculous power. This ability is deeply intertwined with their bloodline; once the inheritance within the blood is awakened, one will possess this power. Furthermore, only the blood of the Ni descendants can open the gates of the Ni tribe, granting access to its endless wealth and the favor of the heavens."

In an instant, Yan Ziyu felt a sense of absurdity wash over her. She had essentially become the flesh of the Tang Monk, with everyone wanting a bite in pursuit of eternal youth and immortality!

Except, while people wanted to eat the Tang Monk's flesh, they wanted to drink her blood.

"You also said that the blood of the Ni tribe must be offered willingly to be of any use, otherwise it is worthless, is that not so? If that is the case, how can they be sure I would willingly give them my blood rather than choosing to shatter like jade rather than remain intact as a tile, and destroy myself?" Yan Ziyu wore a cold, mocking smile and shook her head helplessly.

If it were the former Yan Ziyu, she might indeed have had her reservations, but now she was entirely alone in the world. If pushed to the absolute limit, dragging them down with her in mutual destruction was not entirely out of the question—after all, her personality possessed a streak of madness!

"If you can think of that, how could they not? Otherwise, why would you have a son?" Seeing her mocking expression, he truly loathing dampening her spirits, yet he had to speak.

Hearing this, Yan Ziyu froze completely!

"You mean, Rui'er is merely a tool used by Long Xiaoyan to keep me in check and threaten me, isn't that right?" Although she was asking him, she already knew the answer in her heart.

No wonder he didn't like Rui'er. So that was why.

Her heart grew colder and colder. Long Xiaoyan was utterly terrifying, and he disgusted her to her core!

Prince Xi remained silent; silence spoke volumes.

After a brief pause, she spoke again to break the silence. "I've heard your secret. What are your conditions?"

"I want you to help me save someone. His illness can only be cured using your blood as a medicinal guide..." Prince Xi stated his purpose directly, even intending to reveal the conditions he had prepared long ago to tempt her.

"I agree!" Yan Ziyu cut Prince Xi off, forcing the words he was about to utter back down his throat.

Under his puzzled gaze, she continued, "Thank you for telling me all this. As a transaction, I will help you save the person, but not now—six months from now!"

She needed to first acquire the ability to protect herself before she could risk saving anyone.

Six months was a bit tight, but it would be enough...

"I thank the Princess in advance. This jade pendant originally belongs to the Ni tribe, and today I return it to its rightful owner. Awakening the Princess's bloodline is rather troublesome; you will need to drip your blood onto the pendant three times just like today before the bloodline can truly awaken." Prince Xi handed the jade pendant to her and imparted the method for awakening the bloodline.

From beginning to end, Yan Ziyu did not ask how he had come to know these things, nor did he volunteer the information.

With tacit understanding, they avoided speaking of this matter, as well as Rui'er's bloodline, deliberately steering clear of both topics.

Awakening the bloodline required an immense amount of energy, and compounded with the aphrodisiac still lingering in her system and her existing injuries, Yan Ziyu's eyelids began to droop. Her head grew increasingly heavy and slipped beyond her control.

Watching Yan Ziyu, who had lowered her guard against him and lay limply slumped over the table, Prince Xi was momentarily dazed by her touching, vulnerable appearance. A strong impulse arose in him to cherish her, pamper her, and protect her...

"Ahem..."

With a cough, Prince Xi's train of thought was abruptly shattered, and he instantly regained his reason!

What was he doing? Looking at his hand suspended mid-air, he felt a profound sense of remorse. How could someone as proud as the Princess ever tolerate being forcefully violated? Acting in such a manner made him no better than a beast!

Thinking of this, Prince Xi cursed himself under his breath in vexation and immediately rose to check on Yan Ziyu's condition.

However, a cyan-clad figure had beaten him to what Prince Xi had only just thought of.

*Crack—*

A fierce, heavy slap landed squarely on Prince Xi's face, instantly causing half of his cheek to swell up.

"Get lost—"

A single icy word carried a dense, murderous intent!

Watching the cyan-robed man cradle Yan Ziyu in his arms with the utmost care, as if she were a precious treasure, Prince Xi flashed a look of disappointment, which was instantly replaced by profound shock.

He—he was—

"Get lost—!!!"

Before the shock on Prince Xi's face could fade, he heard another cold shout ring in his ear. Driven as if by some ghostly force, he turned and fled, maintaining a distracted, out-of-its-sitter expression right up until the moment he left!

A faint scent of ink lingered in the air. As this familiar fragrance appeared, Yan Ziyu's last thread of consciousness gradually faded away, and she finally drifted into a deep sleep with a faint, reassuring smile on her lips.

She knew not how long she had slept. Yan Ziyu's eyelids fluttered a few times before she opened her eyes, intending to get up and pour a cup of water. To her surprise, however, her body refused to budge, as if pinned down by some heavy weight.

Turning her head to look, she gasped sharply. Why on earth was there a man in her bed?

Shocked, she lifted her foot and delivered a fierce kick, sending the man tumbling straight off the bed...

*Thud—* That solid fall was finally enough to wake the man up.

"Ouch! Are you trying to murder your own husband?"

Yan Ziyu frowned. Why did this voice sound so terribly familiar...

"Ouch! My dear wife, you're awake. It's so cold tonight, I'm freezing. Hug me to sleep!" The cyan-robed man wore a mask, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. His rogueish tone carried a rakish air as his eyes gleamed, staring straight at Yan Ziyu while he heavily swallowed his saliva.

This man... Yan Ziyu's mouth twitched slightly. Who on earth was this fellow? Was he out of his mind?

"Wife, stop zoning out. Go to sleep quickly, I'm exhausted." The masked, cyan-clothed man yawned, brushed off his backside, and scrambled back onto the bed, throwing his arms and legs over her as he pressed down and prepared to go right back to sleep.

"What are you doing? Let go of me right now! I am not your wife, let me go..." Yan Ziyu's voice carried a hint of helplessness; the effects of the aphrodisiac seemed not to have completely worn off yet, leaving her limbs feeling somewhat weak and numb.

The cyan-robed man acted as though he hadn't heard a word she said. He buried his head into the crook of her neck, closed his eyes, and mumbled, "I saved your life, so you ought to offer your body in gratitude to repay my life-saving grace. Therefore, from this moment on, you are my wife. You must serve me well from now on, or else I'll have to enforce family discipline upon you."

"Wait... Offer my body? Have you lost your mind? Who do you think you are? Are you insane? Move aside, I want to leave, get away from me..." Yan Ziyu propped herself up with one hand, shot the cyan-robed man a glare, and rebuked angrily.

Offer her body in gratitude? Serve him closely?

Pfft—

Had his brain overheated and turned to mush?

Otherwise, why would he be spouting such nonsense? She hadn't even begged him to save her. Besides, what era was this? Saving someone's life meant marrying them? How cliché and tacky could he get?!

"I don't care about any of that. Anyway, from now on you are my wife. Wherever you go, I will follow; whatever you do, I will accompany you. In short! I will stick to your side like a shadow and never let anyone hurt you again. Come to think of it, keeping you right under my own nose gives me the greatest peace of mind, so I won't have to worry about you being bullied." The cyan-robed man extended a long arm, wrapped it tightly around her slender waist, tilted his head, and fell sound asleep.

This captivating menace—

Yan Ziyu hated him with a burning passion, yet she could neither beat him in a fight nor out-scold him. She was completely at a loss as to what to do with him.

For the remainder of the night, she did not manage to sleep a wink. She stared wide-eyed at the bed canopy, her mind replaying the story of the Ni tribe told by Prince Xi, as well as her own identity. Reaching out to touch her waist, she let out a sigh of relief—the pendant was still there!

Prince Xi had said that once the bloodline awakened, one would possess a magical ability. She was terribly curious as to what this so-called magical ability might be.

Suddenly, she recalled how Rui'er had previously been able to distinguish everyone by their scent. Could it be that her ability belonged to the same category?

Wouldn't that make her sense of smell no different from a dog's? Her mouth twitched slightly at the thought, and she silently prayed it wouldn't turn out that way!

"Mmm... so fragrant..."

A burst of sleep-talking interrupted her thoughts. The cyan-robed man rolled over, slinging a leg heavily across her thighs while wrapping a long arm around her waist. Pressing his head tightly against her neck, his warm breath puffed against her face in an intensely ambiguous manner.

Damn scoundrel!

Yan Ziyu gnashed her teeth in fury, exerting every ounce of strength she possessed, yet she failed utterly to push him away.

Just what kind of face was hidden beneath that bewitching, masked exterior?

As she looked at the masked, cyan-robed man, this thought arose in her mind. Reaching out, she tentatively attempted to lift his mask just a fraction to catch a glimpse of his features.

To her surprise, however, before her fingers could even brush his skin, he suddenly rolled over, pulling her tightly into his embrace. His wandering hands groped straight for the fullness of her chest, and he mumbled in his sleep, "This teacup is so pretty... and so soft..."

Yan Ziyu instantly fell into complete disarray—she entirely missed the faint, knowing curve at the corner of the sleeping man's lips!

The teacup is so pretty... teacup... teacup...

Teacup your sister!

"Get the hell down here, you bastard—!"

Yan Ziyu's last thread of sanity snapped with a sharp *crack*. She lifted her foot and kicked him straight off the bed, letting out an enraged roar!

...

There was simply no staying in the room any longer. Yan Ziyu stormed out fuming with anger, but the moment she stepped outside, she froze completely in her tracks!