So what if she's my sister-in-law? You seduced me first.

late at night.

In the back room of Huguo Temple, behind a screen, steam swirls around a woman in a bathtub, her eyes half-closed as she rests. A maidservant behind her applies perfume to the woman's rounded shoulders.

The woman was extremely beautiful, with a small, fair, and smooth face. The rising steam made her cheeks flush red, and water droplets trickled down her chin, revealing glimpses of her delicate curves beneath the water.

"Miss, the water's gotten cold. Would you like some more?"

Hearing the sound, Ning Yu slowly opened her eyes and looked out the window.

She had beautiful fox-like eyes that were slightly upturned, and her voice exuded a charming and alluring quality.

"What time is it?"

It's three-quarters past Xu hour.

Ning Yu gave a soft "hmm," and said, "Go and deliver the copied scriptures to the Buddhist hall."

Qinghe frowned in displeasure upon hearing the scriptures. "It was clearly the young master who died in battle, so how did it become that the young lady killed him?"

"Even hiding in this temple, they won't leave us alone. They copy scriptures and pray for blessings every day. Miss's hands are sore from copying so much. Why should Miss have to put up with the Xie family's rudeness---"

"Walls have ears," Ning Yu interrupted the maid's complaint. "Go quickly."

Although Qinghe thought that no one would be eavesdropping in the temple, she still obediently kept quiet.

She was just speaking out for her young lady, who was a perfectly good young lady, to be married off to a man whose fate was unknown on the battlefield. It was such a tragedy.

Now look what's happened, the news of their death has really come back. What will the young lady do now?

As soon as the door closed, Ning Yu took a handkerchief from the shelf. She didn't have much resentment; the emperor had bestowed the marriage upon them, and the Ning family dared not disobey.

She had been in this world for several years. The Ning family treated her well, providing her with fine clothes and food. She couldn't run away from the marriage and cause the entire Ning family to be imprisoned, so she married them.

Here's what happened: A month ago, news came from the front lines that Xie Yan, the heir of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, was missing and his fate was unknown. In order to appease Madam Xie, the old emperor decided to marry her into the Xie family to bring good luck.

She married into the Xie family after bowing to the rooster, but a month has passed and there is still no news of Xie Yan.

Just two days ago, an urgent report came from the border: the body of Crown Prince Xie Yan had been found. The Xie family was thrown into chaos, and the imperial clan was in turmoil. She used the excuse of praying for blessings to hide in a temple.

Thinking of this, Ning Yu's face turned cold. She had originally thought that marrying Xie Yan would be a good thing. He was rich and powerful, and he was rarely seen on the battlefield. She was happy and carefree. But now he was really dead.

The Xie family was a prominent and distinguished family with generations of officials in the imperial court. Their ancestors were relatives of the royal family and shared the same surname with the imperial family. Throughout history, the matriarchs of the Xie family had all come from the royal family.

The women in the Xie family are all formidable, and as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xie family, she has many people who want to kill her. Should she strike first and fight for her own survival?

A jumble of thoughts flashed through her mind, when suddenly a loud bang interrupted her train of thought.

Ning Yu's brow twitched. She quickly stepped barefoot out of the bathtub, grabbed some clothes from the rack, and hastily wrapped them around herself. She shouted sharply, "Who goes there?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a dark shadow flashed past the window. Ning Yu barely saw the shadow, only smelling the strong stench of blood that hit her, making her want to vomit.

Without thinking, she instinctively grabbed the edge of the screen with one hand, deftly flipped it forward, and called out to people outside.

The temple's backyard was far from the main hall, secluded and quiet, and for a while no one could hear the sounds coming from inside. Ning Yu watched as the sharp knife pierced the screen with a clang, emitting a humming vibration.

She quickly wrapped her disheveled clothes tighter and ran towards the bathroom door as fast as the wind.

Almost instantly, a gust of wind swept in, and the man's figure swiftly moved up and pressed against her back. His large, eagle-claw-like hand gripped her throat like lightning.

Ning Yu's eyes widened instantly, all her voice was choked back, and her beautiful face contorted in pain.

"If you dare to make another sound, I'll kill you right now."

A weak, emotionless voice came from beside her ear. Ning Yu could feel her neck stained with sticky blood, and the man's strength was immense; he could break her neck with just a little force.

She blinked hard, but the man behind her didn't let go. He said in a hoarse voice, "Take this."

It looked like some kind of poison. Ning Yu didn't want to eat it, so the grip on her throat tightened even more, causing her to almost suffocate from the pain.

She struggled painfully for a moment, her hand instinctively reaching for his wrist.

The man was badly injured, and as she struggled, his other hand, which was holding the medicine bottle, instinctively tightened around her waist.

Ning Yu was instantly restrained and unable to move.

She was covered in sweat, her exposed skin faintly flushed, and her clothes were mostly off from the struggle, her tall figure almost completely enveloping her.

He was probably too badly injured and had no strength left. Ning Yu could feel him pressing all his weight onto her, so heavy that she couldn't help but gasp.

"have eaten."

Ning Yu winced in pain, sensing the murderous aura emanating from him, and could only reach for the porcelain bottle in his hand with trembling fingers.

The man's heavy breathing pressed against her neck. Taking advantage of the moment he was distracted by the pain, Ning Yu suddenly turned around and kicked him hard in his groin.

The man's expression changed, and he quickly dodged to the side. In the dimly lit bathroom, the two figures were instantly entangled.

Smooth, delicate skin came into view, and the bathroom still held the fragrance of a woman after her bath. The woman in his arms was incredibly soft and delicate, but the man showed no mercy and his actions were extremely ruthless.

Ning Yu was no match for him, so he leaned back and kicked the opponent's leg.

The opponent was no pushover either. Despite being so badly injured, he was still incredibly fast, and a gust of wind from his palm struck him almost simultaneously.

Ning Yu staggered back in pain, but before she could exchange more than a few blows, her opponent swiftly moved forward and grabbed her chest with lightning speed.

The soft, incredibly elastic texture was so appealing that Ning Yu immediately bristled. She grabbed the hand on her chest and nimbly twisted her body to change position.

The man suddenly realized what he had grabbed and quickly withdrew his hand, but his eyes inevitably saw something he shouldn't have.

Enraged, Ning Yu grabbed a bottle from the shelf and smashed it at him.

The chaotic footsteps approached from afar. The man's ears twitched, and he forcefully leaped into the air, instantly appearing behind her and grabbing her around the waist.

Before Ning Yu could react, her rough fingertips quickly and forcefully pried open her mouth, shoved the medicine into it, then flung her away and retreated a few steps into the darkness, clutching her abdominal wound.

Ning Yu stumbled twice from the push, but steadied herself by holding onto the stool. She gritted her teeth and looked at the man.

Only then did she truly see what the thief who broke into her room looked like, and what she saw made her gasp.