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

The biting cold wind howled, and the sounds of fighting outside grew more and more intense. Ning Yu could even hear hurried footsteps mixed with Xie Liu's angry shouts and curses.

She realized something, and her face turned deathly pale as she looked at the door. The moonlight shone into her eyes, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, a cold glint flashed in Xie Xun's eyes, and he slightly raised his hand.

The black arrow shot out of the bowstring and flew directly towards Xie Yan, who seemed certain that he would not dare to kill him, and did not move.

A sharp arrow shot towards them, piercing the cold wind. Ning Yu quickly pulled out a small knife from her boot.

The arrow struck Xie Yan the instant it pierced his foot; the two forces combined, and the arrow snapped in two and fell to the ground.

Xie Xun watched her movements, his eyes seeming to surge with dark currents, and his veins bulging faintly.

Ning Yu, however, paid no attention to him. She glanced at Xie Yan, who remained unmoved, and couldn't help but listen carefully to the sounds outside.

Xie Yan knew Xie Xun wouldn't kill him, otherwise his men wouldn't have had the chance to go back and bring troops to rescue people.

"You are so rebellious, disregarding the rules of our ancestors and family. Aren't you truly afraid of being attacked by the entire Xie clan?"

Xie Xun smiled. "Big brother, I'm not afraid. Are you?"

He wasn't afraid. He had always been incredibly audacious. He dared to openly imprison his sister-in-law and even lay a hand on her, which meant he didn't take the Xie family seriously.

In his eyes, ancestral rules and family laws meant nothing.

"Xie Xun, you haven't truly gained control of the Xie family yet. If your father and mother find out about the outrageous things you've done, and the news gets back to the clan, the Xie family will be in chaos. Do you want everyone to know about this?"

Xie Yan's words failed to frighten Xie Xun, but instead terrified Ning Yu. She was genuinely afraid that the Xie family would find out about the commotion he had caused.

She couldn't help but look in Xie Xun's direction, her palms turning white and trembling. How could he act as if nothing had happened?!

"It's good that you know. Then we can take her back to the Xie family openly and honestly."

The arrogant words of the snatching made Xie Yan's face darken immediately. In fact, he only brought close relatives to surround the villa, just to keep the Xie family from knowing about this mess. But Xie Xun was openly trying to take it from him, not afraid of making a big fuss.

"Don't forget, you're going to marry Princess Huayang. What can you give her?"

Xie Xun glanced at Ning Yu, who had her head down and seemed lost in thought, not even looking at him.

His voice came through in a sinister tone, "Then give her a different identity and elevate her to the position of concubine."

Ning Yu was startled, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at him.

Finally looking at him properly, Xie Xun's light, airy voice sounded like a demon from hell, "When my older brother wasn't around, my sister-in-law was always clinging to me."

With a loud bang, Ning Yu's short scream was choked back in her throat.

Before Xie Yan's fist could land on him, arrows shot towards him with a whoosh, a dense rain of arrows blocking his path.

Without pausing, he grabbed Xie Xun by the collar, but with a thud, the sharp arrow changed direction and shot straight into his chest, blood trickling down.

"Young Master!" Ning Yu exclaimed and rushed over.

Xie Xun raised his hand, and the arrow that had been released from the bow slowly came to a stop. He glanced at his brother, who was spitting blood, and then looked at Ning Yu, who was rushing over with bloodshot eyes. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and held her in front of him.

Ning Yu cried out in pain, and her body fell uncontrollably toward him.

Xie Xun pulled her into his arms, their bodies almost touching. He lifted her slightly, looked down at her, and asked, "Have you decided what to choose?"

asshole.

Ning Yu knew he was ruthless, but now she felt that he was not only ruthless and cruel, but also heartless and cold-blooded, capable of killing even his own brother.

"You used to be so eloquent, but now you're too lazy to even bother lying?"

His voice was calm, yet it carried a hint of malice. Ning Yu looked up at him, her eyes uncontrollably reddening, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Is this a choice you're giving me?"

"I'm not so naive as to actually think I'm giving her a choice," Xie Xun said, stroking the back of her neck and tugging at his lips.

He wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his rough fingertips, then pulled her closer to him, forcing her to look in Xie Yan's direction.

"Then tell your elder brother, who are you going to follow?"

The back of her neck, chilled to the touch, was enveloped by his large hand. Xie Xun's indifferent voice was right next to her ear. Ning Yu could barely contain the hatred and anger in her heart, her mouth agape as she struggled to breathe.

The fighting outside grew increasingly intense, the blades flashing like rolling white waves.

Xie Yan clutched his chest wound, swiftly and decisively pulled out the arrow, and tore off a piece of his clothing to bandage the wound.

Having fought for many years and sustained numerous wounds, both major and minor, he bandaged his wounds skillfully, preventing the archer from hitting a vital spot.

He glanced at the two people not far away, saw Ning Yu's trembling body in panic, and walked over despite his injuries.

The deafening sounds of fierce fighting outside made Ning Yu realize that things had spiraled out of control. She could even hear Xie Liu angrily kicking the door, accompanied by the sounds of swords slashing.

It can't be hidden anymore. That bastard Xie Xun never intended to hide it from the Xie family, nor did he ever consider her fate.

"Ayu, get up."

"W---What happened---"

The further the Grand Princess went inside, the more terrified she became. Seeing the earth-shattering sounds of fighting inside, she almost lost her footing.

The old nanny beside her quickly supported her as she nearly fell, her voice filled with panic, "Should we call the Duke to come and see what's wrong with the two young masters? If we rush in, swords and spears have no eyes and might hurt the princess."

"They've gone mad! Absolutely mad! The brothers are mobilizing troops to fight! Are they trying to drive me crazy?" The Grand Princess's face was contorted with rage, and her elaborate headdress jingled as she hurried along.

The closer they got to the main courtyard, the louder the commotion became. The Grand Princess, with her sharp eyes, spotted Xie Liulang roaring and the two groups fighting. She shouted, "Stop it, both of you!"

"stop!"

"Auntie?!" Xie Liulang hurriedly came forward to greet her, "Princess, what brings you here?"

"What happened? Where are they?"

Her nails, painted with crimson nail polish, nearly dug into his flesh. Xie Liu lowered his eyes, unsure of what to say.

Seeing his expression, the Grand Princess gritted her teeth, shook off the nanny's hand, and strode towards the courtyard gate.

The fighting had stopped, but the guards at the gate ignored the Grand Princess's orders and stood guard firmly at the courtyard entrance.

The Grand Princess slapped them hard across the face and said angrily, "Tell those two to get out here."

"The governor has given the order, and this servant dares not disobey."

"You—" The Grand Princess's fingers trembled with anger. She looked up at the wall surrounded by archers, and her unease grew even stronger.

Her two sons were her life; if they were to fight and get hurt, she would be in excruciating pain.