With her delicate face and slender waist, the royal uncle lost control.

Qin Jiuchen lowered his head slightly, his deep, cold phoenix eyes fixed on her.

His voice was icy, "Do you know what you're doing?"

Yun Nian felt that the deep, magnetic voice in her ear made her even more restless.

She raised her shimmering eyes, her eyes reddening, "I don't know, I feel so bad... Young Master, I don't want to die..."

She shook her head helplessly, pressing herself even closer to his body.

Qin Jiuchen's eyes flickered slightly, and he was about to speak.

Just then, a respectful yet urgent voice came from outside the door.

"Father, I was patrolling the area just now when I saw a figure slip into your courtyard. I fear it might be a thief with ill intentions! I wonder if you are safe and sound?"

It is Qin Senyao.

Yun Nian's eyes darkened; he had indeed come looking for her.

Her body stiffened abruptly, and she instinctively shrank deeper into Qin Jiuchen's embrace.

Qin Jiuchen felt the delicate body trembling in his arms.

He looked up, his cold gaze falling on the door, about to speak.

A delicate hand quickly covered his lips.

The woman's palms were warm and soft, carrying a faint fragrance and a thin layer of sweat from nervousness.

She shook her head gently, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

She mouthed, "Please..."

Qin Jiuchen lowered his eyes and looked at her with a stern face.

His phoenix eyes were frighteningly clear and calm, and Yun Nian couldn't discern his emotions for a moment.

At this moment, Qin Senyao, who was outside the door, received no response and became increasingly anxious. "Father? Are you alright? If you don't respond soon, I'm really worried about your safety, so I had no choice but to come in."

At this moment, Qin Jiuchen suddenly took half a step back.

He bent down, his long arms reaching under her knees and back, and lifted her up in a single sweep.

Yun Nian was so startled she almost cried out.

She instinctively reached out and hugged his neck tightly.

Qin Jiuchen carried her, his steps steady, and walked backward.

A sense of foreboding rose in Yun Nian's heart. Before she could react, Qin Jiuchen walked to the edge of the bathtub and loosened his grip on her arm.

"Thump!"

Water splashed everywhere.

Caught off guard, Yun Nian was thrown into a bathtub filled with warm water, instantly submerging herself.

Warm water flowed in from all directions, enveloping her feverish body and bringing a brief moment of relief.

She instinctively struggled to stand up and catch her breath.

The moment his head broke the surface of the water, he heard Qin Jiuchen's icy voice.

"Hide well."

Yun Nian was startled and instantly understood his intention.

She immediately took a deep breath, sank down, and completely submerged in the water.

Qin Jiuchen turned and left.

The door was pulled open from the inside.

Qin Jiuchen's tall and imposing figure appeared at the doorway.

His robes were loose, his black hair cascaded down, and he exuded an invisible yet heavy pressure, like a mountain collapsing, instantly enveloping those outside the door.

Qin Senyao's momentum, which was originally driven forward by anxiety and anger, came to an abrupt halt in the face of this oppressive force.

But his eyes darted around, trying to find that familiar figure.

Qin Jiuchen lowered her eyes to look at him.

His thin lips parted slightly, and his icy words, sharp as arrows tempered with ice, rang out: "You... want to search my room?"

His tone was calm, yet it carried a chillingly terrifying aura.

It felt as if countless swords would emerge from the darkness at any moment and riddle him with holes.

Qin Senyao was stunned.

His legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud. "Your subject dares not! Your subject was merely... worried about Father's safety, fearing that some villain might disturb Father. I had no other intentions!"

Qin Jiuchen lowered his eyelids slightly, his tone still icy: "In this Great Jin Dynasty, is there anyone who can harm me?"

One sentence sent a chill down Qin Senyao's spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He recalled the terrifying past of his adoptive father.

He single-handedly stormed into the enemy camp of 100,000 men, as if entering an empty field.

He returned carrying the enemy chieftain's head, yet he himself was unharmed and returned safely.

Who could get close to such a killing god?

Who could possibly harm him in the slightest?

His earlier statement about "worrying about the assassin" now seemed so ridiculous and weak.

Qin Senyao lowered his head even further, prostrating himself on the ground, his voice hoarse: "It is...it is your foolishness that caused me to be so inconsiderate and disturb your peace, Father. Please punish me."

Qin Jiuchen's indifferent gaze swept over the trembling man on the ground. "You, go to the Feathered Lin Army and receive twenty lashes."

Qin Senyao's face paled, but he dared not voice any objection and quickly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your teachings, Father!"

He was extremely frustrated and dejected. Yun Nian had clearly drunk the aphrodisiac he had given her, and he was preparing to "catch her in the act" but he found nothing.

He noticed that the messy footprints at the door clearly came from this direction.

Where exactly is the person hiding?

The door closed again.

The footsteps approached slowly but steadily, eventually stopping beside the bathtub.

Yun Nianqian, submerged in the warm water and holding his breath, could clearly feel a tall shadow looming over him.

He just stood there, motionless.

They seemed to be investigating, or perhaps waiting for a good show.

Yun Nian felt uneasy, but suddenly a plan came to mind.

Let's see who has the greater patience.

Instead of surfacing, she relaxed her body, released all her strength, and let herself slowly sink to the bottom of the tub, her long hair spreading out in the water like seaweed.

At the edge of the bucket, Qin Jiuchen watched her gradually sink.

Take a breath.

Five breaths.

The water surface gradually calmed down.

Qin Jiuchen's brow twitched, and he suddenly bent over, his arms swiftly reaching into the water.

Just as he pulled her out of the water, Yun Nian suddenly woke up.

In her panicked struggle, kicking and flailing her arms and legs, she suddenly grabbed his body and pulled him down forcefully.

The edge of the bathtub was slippery, and Qin Jiuchen, caught off guard, was actually pulled off balance by her.

"Splash!"

With a loud splash, Qin Jiuchen's tall and imposing figure tumbled awkwardly into the large bathtub.

The warm water instantly submerged his chest, his moon-white undergarment was completely soaked, clinging tightly to his strong body, and his long, dark hair floated on the water's surface, intertwined with hers.

Yun Nian seemed to be in great shock. Her soft, wet body clung to his lean waist even more tightly as if she had found a lifeline. Her voice was soft and helpless.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I just thought I was really going to drown..."

Qin Jiuchen steadied himself in the water, water droplets sliding down his angular face.

His phoenix eyes appeared even more dark and unpredictable in the misty water vapor.

Yun Nian's breath hitched.

He asked, "Can you walk by yourself?"