"Nalan Fusui, hurry up and stop the Empress, hurry!" The moment Shangguan's boy noticed something was wrong, he immediately yelled out to Nalan Fusui, who was beside Shangguan Linlang.
"What now?" Nalan Fusui asked, bewildered, and just by asking this question to Shangguan Zifeng, he delayed for a moment, which was all it took for the Empress to charge toward Han Ziyue like a wild horse—or more aptly, a crazed one—bolt fast.
The sudden turn of events shocked everyone too much to react. And Han Ziyue was completely dumbfounded; he had no idea when he had offended the stunningly beautiful girl dressed in ancient costume, whose eyes were now flaming with anger.
"Han Ziye, prepare to die." As the beauty shouted angrily, she seized Han Ziyue's throat with one hand as swift as thunder and lifted the nearly six-foot-tall man effortlessly off the ground.
Han Ziyue felt a burning pain in his throat, and even worse, he felt like he was running out of breath. Second Master Han thought he was stepping into Ghost Gate Pass and was really dying with grievances—what had he done to deserve such treatment from this young girl? She was clearly not planning to spare his life. And why were all the girls nowadays so terrifying? Not long ago, Third Young Master Li had his ribs broken by a young girl, and now was it his turn to die on Yellow Spring Road? What Han Ziyue didn't know was that the one who had sent Third Young Master Li flying was the same beauty currently intending to kill him.
"Linda, stop it now. He's not Han Ziye. He's Han Ziyue, my brother's and my good friend since childhood. He has never been the Emperor. You're mistaken. Put him down quickly, or someone will really get killed," Xuanyuan Wuji immediately stepped forward and shouted, hoping that Shangguan Linlang would spare Han Ziyue's life for the sake of her brother.
"Linda, I can guarantee that Han Ziyue is not the person you're looking for. He really isn't. You mustn't kill the wrong person," Nalan Fusui also joined in, supporting the boss. Nalan felt that his days were becoming more and more thrilling, always witnessing such ancient scenes of beheading and execution. What was to be done?
"Right, Empress, think about it. Could the person capable of imprisoning you be so useless? You caught him so easily. Recall whether Han Ziye had martial arts skills. Wasn't he quite formidable? Can he be compared to this frightened man who is nearly wetting his pants?" Shangguan's boy used his wit again, calmly analyzing the situation for the Empress in the hopes that she would refrain from rashly taking an innocent life in her rage.
"But I've sensed Han Ziye's presence from this person. Anyway, isn't everyone with the Han surname bad news? One is Han Ziye, and he's Han Ziyue. Don't tell me he has nothing to do with that murderer? Speak! Does your family have someone named Han Ziye? Confess honestly, or I assure you I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs," she threatened.
Shangguan Linlang had sensed Han Ziye's presence from the moment she laid eyes on Han Ziyue. Even though what everyone was advising her sounded reasonable, the Empress still trusted her instincts because she knew Han Ziye too well. Even if he turned to ashes, he couldn't escape her discerning eye. Hence, she continued to radiate murderous intent as she aggressively interrogated the nearly unconscious Han Ziyue in her grasp.
"For heaven's sake, at least set the man down first. If he's strangled to death by you, how will you be able to interrogate him with torture?" Shangguan's boy exclaimed in exasperation once again.
"Linda, he can barely breathe. Let him down quickly. He can't run away now, can he?" The boss once again tried to reason with the furious beauty. Nalan looked at Shangguan Linlang with a concerned expression, silently signaling her to let the man go.
When Shangguan Linlang saw that everyone was demanding her to do so, she withdrew her hand, but because the Empress was still seething with rage, her touch was still quite rough, and as she let go, Han Ziyue fell heavily to the ground, a sound that made everyone tremble once again. This time, Han Ziyue truly suffered, having just narrowly escaped from Ghost Gate Pass, yet now, judging by the situation, he likely had a broken bone, for the sound of the fracture had been heard by all. Sure enough, no sooner had everyone's sympathy for Han Ziyue emerged than they heard his pig-like screams of agony.
"Nalan, come and check on me quickly, I'm dying of pain here," Han Ziyue could no longer bear it, his forehead slick with a thin layer of sweat and his face pale as he spoke.
"Oh, it's not too bad, you haven't injured any critical areas. Your leg can still be saved, but you'll need to rest in bed for at least a month. I'll arrange for surgery now," Nalan Fusui responded after giving Han Ziyue a cursory examination, a look of embarrassment on his face.
"Damn it, what kind of bad luck did I walk into this morning? I almost broke my leg and became disabled. Have you gone mad, woman? I haven't offended you, why are you trying to kill me?"
Upon hearing Nalan Fusui's diagnosis, Han Ziyue could no longer contain the irritability in his heart and lashed out at the heartless beauty who showed no signs of remorse. Indeed, the old saying is true, a woman's heart is the most poisonous, the more beautiful a woman is, the more malevolent she tends to be.
"How dare you! You actually dare to talk back to me. If it weren't for your brother's sake, I would have sent you to Hell already. You keep evading my question. Does your family have someone named Han Ziye or not? If you tell me where he is, I'll immediately set your bone so you won't need to rest in bed and will recover instantly," Shangguan Linlang once again spoke with an unfriendly expression.
As soon as Han Ziyue heard Shangguan Linlang's words, a wave of fear washed over him. This girl had almost taken his life just now and he had no doubt she still wanted him dead. He no longer dared to spout off and, in agonizing pain, he gritted his teeth and replied, "No one in our family is named Han Ziye, really, you've got the wrong idea."
Han Ziyue's mind was a mess right now, the young lady was exceedingly strange; her speech, her moves, and even the attitudes of the people present towards her were all odd. But at this moment, the Second Master Han had no time to decipher these mysteries, as he felt he must find a way to save his leg, so he cooperated and answered Shangguan Linlang's questions.
"I don't believe you. I'll set your bone first, then you bring your family's genealogy to me for a thorough inspection."
Having said that, Shangguan Linlang approached Han Ziyue again, who shook with terror, "You, you, stay away! I will get you the genealogy you want, I'm begging you, please stop tormenting me. Let Nalan perform the surgery, I really don't need you to set the bone."
However, Han Ziyue's protests were in vain, as Shangguan Linlang pressed his acupoints to immobilize him and then roughly and quickly set his bone back in place, leaving the onlookers dumbfounded before she retreated to her brother Nalan Fusui's side.
"Huh, my leg is really fine, it doesn't hurt at all. What kind of method is this?" After Shangguan Linlang released Han Ziyue's acupoints, Han Ziyue did not feel the anticipated excruciating pain. He tried moving his injured leg and miraculously found himself healed. His look towards Shangguan Linlang became even more astonished.