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Zhao Xiaodie gradually calmed down from her initial alarm. Her previous arrogant expression returned as she retorted, “What, do you really dare to kill me? I’m the daughter of King Qi, someone with a title conferred by the court, Princess Butterfly! If you really do anything to me, that will be a crime punishable by nine generations of executions!”
Zu An nodded and said, “If the court finds out, it will indeed be a bit tricky.”
“You’re still not letting me go after realizing that?” Zhao Xiaodie replied, feeling a hint of pride when she heard Zu An’s tone softening. She instinctively wanted to shake off his hand, but unfortunately, Zu An already restricted her in a way that meant she couldn't muster the slightest bit of strength. She couldn't move at all.
Zu An smiled. He moved Zhao Xiaodie’s hand, bringing her glistening red nails up to her neck. He said, “This poison of yours is pretty formidable, but I don’t believe that you have immunity against your own poison. Still, you’ll be nothing more than a puddle of blood, so who would know that I did it? This alley is so secluded that no one will come here. Won’t it be fine if I just toss your brain into some random ditch, thus erasing all evidence? Oh, right. You said that even though your entire body will melt, your brain won’t, right?”
When she heard those familiar words, Zhao Xiaodie was nearly brought to tears. She really hadn’t expected retribution to arrive so quickly. With her status and her high cultivation, when had she ever been so close to another man? She could even feel the heat coming from his palm.
In the past, she had dreamed about being held that closely by her lover, but she could never have expected her first intimate experience to be in this kind of situation. However, she didn’t feel any infatuation, nor did she feel any anger. All that remained was horror.
She understood the terror of her own poison better than anyone. The process of melting in which her mind remained clear as her body gradually dissolved really would make her wish she were dead. She had an antidote, but her acupoint was sealed and she couldn't bring it out. There was no way he would feed it to her, either.
“Nooo!” Zhao Xiaodie cried out in alarm. She knew she had lost as soon as she said that, but she didn’t dare to take any risks. After all, this was someone who dared to smash her big brother’s knees to bits. Who knew what else he was willing to do? Her life was just coming into bloom; how could she die here?
“Oh?” Zu An replied, sounding amused. “Then how about you kneel down and kowtow three hundred times to me? My mood may improve and I may spare your life.”
“I clearly only asked for a hundred!” Zhao Xiaodie cried in a panic.
Zu An retorted with a scowl, “What, can’t I make you do three hundred?”
Zhao Xiaodie bit her lip and looked away silently. In response, Zu An brought her hand toward her neck again and continued, “What, you don’t want to? Then you can’t blame me for being merciless.”
Zhao Xiaodie took a deep breath, but her chest still rose and fell rapidly. It was clear that she was completely terrified, but she feigned calm as she exclaimed, “If you’re going to kill me, then kill me! As a member of the royal family, if I have to be humiliated so badly in order to live, I might as well just die! But there’s no way others won’t find out. If you really kill me, there will always be clues. If that happens, whether it’s my father, the emperor, the court, or the Heavenly Sorrow Sect, they won’t let you go!”
“Are you threatening me?” Zu An replied with a cold expression. Then, he took her fingernail and drew it across her neck.
When she felt the stinging pain and smelled a trace of blood, Zhao Xiaodie cried out in a panic, “Nooo! The antidote! Quick, give me the antidote!”
“Are you going to kowtow?” Zu An asked coldly.
“I’ll do it!” Zhao Xiaodie wailed tearfully. This guy really was a devil!
“Why didn’t you do it earlier? You just had to be disciplined first,” Zu An said coldly. “Where is the antidote?”
“It’s in my inner pocket, in the green porcelain bottle!” Zhao Xiaodie said quickly. She could feel the poison spreading through her wounds. If not for the fact that she had a strong resistance to poison from being around poisons all the time, nearly half of her body would already have rotted.
Zu An didn’t need to worry about her playing tricks. He reached out and searched the area near her chest. When he found the antidote, he fed it to her.
“Cough cough~” Zhao Xiaodie coughed fiercely. When she felt Zu An let her go, she quickly took the antidote and smeared it over the wound across her neck. This guy really was a devil! He actually dared to try to kill her so brazenly!
Zu An calmly watched her go through the process before asking, “Are you going to kowtow now?”
Zhao Xiaodie clenched her teeth. She raised her head proudly and said, “I was in the wrong before. I apologize for my actions.”
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Zu An sneered and replied, “If an apology meant anything, why would this world need laws?”
“You’re acting out of self-interest right now, aren’t you? If you have the skill, why don’t you bring me to court?” Zhao Xiaodie muttered.
Zu An laughed in annoyance, replying, “You wish.” How many officials would really dare to trouble King Qi’s daughter?
Zhao Xiaodie took a deep breath. She looked at him with a conflicted expression, saying, “I already apologized to you. What else do you want?”
“I want you to kowtow,” Zu An replied bluntly.
Zhao Xiaodie said through gritted teeth, “I am still a princess. I have my pride, you know?”
Zu An continued to stare at her coldly without any intention of changing his mind. Zhao Xiaodie braced herself and said, “You know, I’ve actually already seen through your plans. You wouldn’t actually dare to kill me. In that case, let’s both take a step back. I’ll apologize to you, and I’ll offer you a generous gift. You can choose from all kinds of treasures and divine weapons.”
“Oh? Anything I want? Do you have 'One Drop of Heaven’s Essence or some Agate of Enlightenment?” Zu An asked. If he really could get the materials he needed to recreate big sis empress’ body, not only would he let Zhao Xiaodie go, he would even consider treating her well.
“What are those?” Zhao Xiaodie asked, dumbfounded. She came from the royal family and had even studied at a top-tier sect, the Heavenly Sorrow Sect, so her knowledge was quite impressive. And yet, those were things she had never even heard the names of.
Zu An asked with a scowl, “Then how about you get me a deity-grade weapon?”
Zhao Xiaodie cried out in a panic, “There are only so many deity-grade weapons in the world! If they aren’t in the hands of the Fiend Emperor, they’re in the human emperor’s. Where would I find such a thing for you?”
Zu An sneered and said, “You keep saying no to this and that, even after saying you’d let me choose what I want? Forget it, just kowtow.”
“You’re clearly just making things hard for me!” Zhao Xiaodie cried, feeling as if she were losing her mind. “Then why don’t I find a way to get you an immortal-grade weapon? I’ll also find some top-tier medicines. This is already an extremely generous reward! Don’t go too far, because you wouldn’t actually dare to kill me either way!”
You have successfully trolled Zhao Xiaodie for +555 +555 +555…
Even though immortal-grade weapons were rare, with her father King Qi’s prestige, she still had a chance of getting one.
But father will definitely ask me why. If I tell him about what happened, won’t he skin this guy alive?
Hmph, look at how smart I am! I’ll definitely make this bastard kneel and beg for forgiveness later.
“I wouldn’t dare to kill you?” Zu An repeated, the air turning as cold as his expression.
Zhao Xiaodie felt all of her fine hairs stand up. Even though Zu An hadn’t done anything yet, she felt an aura of death manifest. She hadn’t expected that this seemingly harmless person would be able to give off such a terrifying pressure.
How could she know that after Zu An killed the Fiend Emperor in the secret dungeon and executed the grandmasters at the Fiend King Court, he had developed the most powerful presence imaginable? How could she possibly go against that?
“I was wrong…” Zhao Xiaodie sobbed, bursting into tears. “But I really can’t kowtow! Why don’t you just whip me with three hundred strikes…”
“Whip you?” Zu An replied with a strange expression. “Keep dreaming!”
Zhao Xiaodie was confused, saying, “What I’m saying is that you should beat me up to vent your anger.”
Zu An’s face heated up. He coughed a few times to hide his embarrassment, replying, “I don’t hit women!”
“Just hit me! Just count it as me begging you! As long as you can vent out your anger, that should be fine!” Zhao Xiaodie pleaded with tears in her eyes. Kowtowing would really be too humiliating! But if she were beaten up, that would be different. That would only be because she was weaker than him, so it wouldn’t bring her dignity any damage.
Zu An said with a strange expression, “In all the years I’ve been alive, I’ve never heard such a weird request.”