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Yihuai's sword fell against the floor, and he looked at his shaking hands. "Y-Yuetong." His face turned pallid as he shook his head, watching the soft speckles fly into the night sky. "Yuetong!" he cried as he tried to catch the flying ashes in vain.

Jingrui gritted her teeth, tears welled in her eyes as she summoned her sword. Rage smouldered in her as she launched towards Yihuai's back. As he was deep in devastation, the blade narrowly missed his neck and cut through his shoulder.

His eyes flared with ruthlessness as blood seeped out of his bare skin. "Wretch!" he groaned as he smacked his robust arm against her body.

Jingrui was sent flying into a shelf, and jars of herbs fell down, shattering against the ground. Shards of glass pricked her skin, and her back bruised from the impact. Blood gushed from her lips as she pushed herself to stand with her sword.

Yihuai flexed his neck as he touched his bleeding wound. "This little stray dog really needs tamin," he grunted, and a lustful smile stretched his lips wide, concealing every inch of sadness in him. He whooshed in front of her in a flash, his arms held out to the side to capture her.

Jingrui's face was robbed of colour, and she clenched her fists on her sword, ready to strike him. Yihuai rolled his eyes, and with a wave, her sword flew out of her hand. The smile returned to his face, and his strong hands slammed onto her body as he rammed her onto his bed.

Jingrui struggled against his grip, grunting as she kicked his stomach. "Let go of me!" she simmered.

Yihuai stripped his pants off and she could feel something hard poking her leg. Her stomach twisted, and she swallowed down her fear. Her eyes narrowed as she pushed the images of the men in the brothel out of her head.

Yihuai lowered himself towards her and trailed his finger down her pale skin. But then, he came to a sudden stop, and the sardonic smile on his face faded. "Now, that I think about it, when you are lying on my bed like this, you look really familiar—really familiar indeed."

While Yihuai was deep in perplexion, she pulled out a hairpin that tied up her hair. One of its sides was sharp as a sword, gleaming brightly as she raised in the air. With all her force, she plunged it hard into the chest, letting it sink into his flesh. His eyes popped wide, and a howl escaped his lips.

"Presumptuous!" he grunted like an animal as she pulled the hairpin out of his heart. "You really can't be tamed!"

Jingrui scrambled out of his grip and dashed for the window. Before she could jump off, his hand whacked onto her shoulder, pulling her back into the room. She groaned as he tossed her towards the floor.

"Since you can't be tamed, you might as well just die!" Yihuai huffed hard as he summoned his sword and launched towards her.

Jingrui narrowed her eyes as she focused her energy to shield her body. But as expected from a Heavenly Emperor, his blade pierced through her barrier and penetrated her stomach. The steel smell and taste blurred her senses. She coughed, and with all her force, she clamped her hand onto the blade. Red tainted the steel. She flashed a smile.

"Die, bastard." The light in her eyes turned sombre, and before Yihuai could pull himself away, the hairpin in her hand slashed down into his small, bare groin.

A blaring roar ripped from Yihuai as he fell onto the ground, writhing in pain. His lips gushed with blood, his pupils dilated, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Jingrui's eyes turned dull as she pushed herself to stand and swayed towards the squirming and trembling Emperor within his own swamp of blood. She crouched in front of him. "You killed Xiaobai, and you killed the Goddess. And you have always taunted Zhanying for being blind and unable to take the throne." A laugh scraped out of her throat. "But now you are disabled. You are no better than an eunuch, and you will never be able reproduce an heir." She summoned a knife and held it against his neck. "Now, tell me, what do you mean by, I look familiar?"

Raw anger swam in his pool of tears. His hands clenched as he tried to lift them, but to no avail. All of his cultivation was focused on treating the pain between his legs.

Jingrui gripped tightly onto her blade, and her voice rose, "Tell me. Whom do I look like—"

"You look like a disobedient maid from my palace," a calm female voice came, seamlessly carried by the air.

Jingrui peered up to meet the gaze of the sinister Empress Dowager Lingyue. Lingyue's dark eyes were as cold as the night. There was no emotion within them, but they pierced Jingrui with a poison so deep that shivers ran down her spine.

Yihuai's body shook as he looked up at Lingyue. "M-Mommy, save me."

Lingyue looked down at her son's naked body in disgust. "How many times must I tell you not to cause trouble?" She took a step out from within the shadows, her chin raised high as she stared straight into Jingrui's soul. "Let go of the Emperor, little maid."

Jingrui's eyes narrowed at the threat, and she held her knife closer to Yihuai's throat. "Don't come closer."

Lingyue paused her steps. Her face remained calm, but an unyielding aura thickened in the air. Jingrui gulped as a sudden chill gnawed her bones.

"Let me guess. . ." Lingyue's red lips curled up. "You must be her sister. You look just like her. The fire that runs through your eyes as you stare at me in deep resentment. You are just like her."

Jingrui's eyes widened, and the suppressed fury within her filled her lungs, making her gasp for breath.

Lingyue laughed as she took steps towards Jingrui. Her towering form stared down at Jingrui with a sadistic smile and slit pupils. "Let go of him, and I'll tell you how your beloved sister died."