The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 247 Explosion

"It's him. He's always so foolish, doing everything for me silently without ever asking for anything in return. He risked his life to help me escape this curse that has lasted for generations. Yin Quan, do you know how much I hate you? I hate Prince Duan so much. If it weren't for you, even though I'm cursed, at least I still have him by my side. Now I want you to taste the bitterness of losing your lover."

The totem on Mingyue's forehead brightened up, like a burning flame, reflecting a fiery red light in Mingyue's eyes. With a grab of her hands, she dragged a person bound by red cloth out of the pool. Upon closer inspection, Yin Quan realized that the person was none other than Xiahou Ying.

Xiahou Ying was soaking wet, his long white robe accentuating his slender and well-proportioned figure. However, after soaking in the pool for so long, he was coughing incessantly when he was pulled out. Yin Quan's mind went blank; it wasn't her hallucination, it really was Xiahou Ying who came to save her.

But how could he know that he was there?

"Mingyue, release him and I'll do whatever you want with him. Isn't it me you hate?"

Mingyue sneered, "You're right, I do hate you. Why is it that you, a woman, can enjoy the love of such an excellent man so peacefully? Why can you enjoy all the good things in this world so comfortably, while God won't even grant me such a humble request? You can't even imagine what kind of life I've been living all these years!"

Looking at the elegant Xiahou Ying, whose dark hair was disheveled, face was pale, and wrists were bruised from being tortured, Yin Quan didn't know where she got the courage. She put her hands on her hips and shouted, "If I don't deserve love, then you don't deserve it either. You killed your own sister with your own hands, betrayed your clan in your self-righteousness, thinking that you could selfishly give up everything to enjoy love. But how many people have you killed to protect your secret! You even killed the man you loved most. What face do you have to mention love?"

Yin Quan's words completely snapped Ming Yue's last nerve, and she entered a state of madness. Her black hair began to turn red, her fingernails grew longer, and her aura was like a vortex, stirring up a splash of water.

"You're lying! I didn't! I didn't! I didn't kill my sister, she forced me to! Back then, she crippled all my martial arts to get Qiongji, but alas, Qiongji loved me. In the end, he used my sister to help me seize the position of island lord. But he is an immortal being. How could I, with my short lifespan of just over ten years, accompany him? That's why I started consuming men's essence, just so I could stay with him for a few more years. Was I wrong? No! I wasn't wrong. If I had to choose again, I would still do the same! You wouldn't understand. Rest assured, after you've all left, I'll go with Qiongji. We'll meet again on the road to the underworld."

Mingyue's fingernails were like sharp swords, piercing straight into Xiahou Ying's chest. Yin Quan clenched her fist so tightly that she broke her own fingernails, but she was unaware of it, and cried out in heart-wrenching pain, "No! Xiahou Ying, no!"

Xiahou Ying slightly raised his lowered head, and a hint of shock appeared in Mingyue's eyes.

Xiahou Ying shattered the red ribbon in his hands with a swift movement of his arms, and his body flew to Mingyue's side like an arrow released from a bow. Mingyue instinctively dodged to the side, but Xiahou Ying turned around, grabbed Qiongji from the ground, and flew to Yin Quan's side with a light touch in the air.

He tossed his dripping long hair back, his cold eyes turning icy. "I really wanted to spare your life, but you shouldn't have touched Yin Quan. I could have saved Qiongji, but now I've given up." Mingyue was shocked.

"No! I beg you, please don't! If you can save him, I'm willing to give my life for his!"

Yin Quan hurriedly said, "No, this woman is vicious and who knows what trouble she will cause later. I think it would be better to kill her and her lover."

Yin Quan's words earned Xiahou Ying's approving smile. "Look, even my wife says she can't save you. I think we should just give up. I'm not really interested in your life." After saying that, Xiahou Ying tightened his grip, and Qiongji, who still had a faint breath, shifted uncomfortably. Mingyue broke out in a cold sweat. "No! My life is worthless, but you must want the antidote for the poison that Yin Quan was poisoned with, right?"

Xiahou Ying narrowed her eyes. "Say it again? Didn't you say this poison couldn't be cured?"

Mingyue seemed to have made a great decision and said, "Under normal circumstances, there is indeed no solution, but... but Qiongji exhausted all her efforts to fuse my body with Mingri's. Only the blood of the two of us after fusion can cure this poison, and it also needs the help of 30% of my power to cure the poison."

"Xiahou Ying, don't listen to her nonsense. She says she's channeling her inner energy for me, but she might kill me when you're not looking. Wouldn't I be at a huge loss then?"

Xiahou Ying nodded, "The princess's analysis makes a lot of sense. It seems that it would be better to kill him."

Mingyue was truly anxious this time, her voice sharp as she asked, "What exactly do you want from me to let him go?"

Xiahou Ying pondered for a moment and said, "I want the Heavenly Secret Knot."

Mingyue collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale. "You... how did you know that the secret of heaven was held by me?"

"Even if Qiongji has great abilities, he couldn't possibly merge you and Mingri into one without the Heavenly Secret Knot. Don't think that only your Qionghai Gang knows about this ancient secret technique; the Heavenly Secret Sect knows about it too."

"Who...who exactly are you?" Mingyue couldn't help but doubt Xiahou Ying's identity. How could an emperor who had been pampered since childhood possibly know so many secrets of the martial arts world?

"Who I am is not important. I'm just asking if you agree. I only want two things: the antidote and the Heavenly Secret Knot." Mingyue pursed her lips, seemingly still hesitant. Yin Quan then realized that Mingyue was saying "let's perish together," which meant she was still leaving herself a way out.

Although she didn't know what this so-called Heavenly Secret Knot was, judging from how much she treasured it, it must be a rare treasure. Yin Quan cleared her throat and said, "Alright, alright, since you value that Heavenly Secret Knot more than Qiongji's life, we won't force you. Your Highness, send him on his way."

Xiahou Ying obediently tightened his grip on her fingers, and Qiongji began to have difficulty breathing, struggling wildly with her hands. Mingyue immediately shouted, "I agree! I agree to whatever you say!"

She took out a pill from her bosom, pricked her fingertip to draw blood, and dripped the blood onto the pill, staining it blood red. Mingyue casually tossed the pill into Xiahou Ying's hand, where he squinted and examined it for a long time. Yin Quan, on the other hand, took it and swallowed it without hesitation.

"Princess Duan, you have quite the nerve. Aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?"

Yin Quan rolled her eyes at her, "You only have one life. Whether you choose to detoxify or not, you'll die. Is there any better option?"

Xiahou Ying frowned as he looked at her, and asked with some concern, "Do you feel anything unusual?"

Yin Quan shook her head and even jumped up and down a couple of times. "No, look at me, I'm perfectly fine."

Xiahou Ying turned to look at Mingyue, "There's also the Heavenly Secret Knot."

Mingyue removed her hairpin and took a silver ring ornament from her hair. Mingyue was indeed very clever. Who would have thought that she would treat such a precious secret artifact as an ordinary headdress?

Mingyue held the silver ring in her hand. "This is the Heavenly Secret Buckle that Prince Duan wanted. If you can save Qiongji now, I will give it to you."

Xiahou Ying remained silent, took out a pill from his bosom, put it into Qiongji's mouth, and tapped it on his chest. Qiongji swallowed the pill.

A moment later, Qiongji coughed slightly. The flame totem on Mingyue's forehead faded, and the red at the ends of her hair gradually disappeared. She spoke very softly, as if afraid of frightening Qiongji.

"Qiongji? Are you... are you alright?" Qiongji rubbed her neck, opened her eyes weakly, and looked around. "Where is this?"

Upon seeing the situation clearly, he struggled to sit up, spread his arms to protect the direction where Mingyue was, and the determination in his eyes moved Yin Quan.

"Don't kill her, come at me if you have a problem." If Yin Quan's dislike for Ming Yue stemmed from her arrogance and her disregard for human life, then her heartache for Qiong Ji came from this man's selfless love, who repeatedly proved his devotion to love with his life.

Aren't he and Mingyue just like her and Xiahou Ying? One always schemes for power behind the scenes, while the other, even knowing the truth, will stand in front of the other without hesitation. Isn't such love too tragic?

Moved, Mingyue shed two clear tears, "Aji... I don't deserve what you've done for me, I really don't..."

Xiahou Ying said expressionlessly, "Although she loves you now, she initially approached you to use you to obtain the Heavenly Secret Knot and the position of island lord. She didn't want to die, and she knew she needed your support. She even went so far as to cultivate evil arts to preserve her youthful appearance. What is there about such a woman that you should protect?"

Qiongji wasn't surprised. "I know everything you're saying, but this is my fate. Since what you want is the Heavenly Secret Knot, why can't you just let us go?"

Xiahou Ying's voice was like an ice blade, scraping to the bone, "Let you go? So you can escape and then detonate the explosives on the island?"

Yin Quan gasped, unable to imagine how many secrets the Qionghai Gang, with its traps at every turn, still held.

Mingyue's ruthlessness left her speechless. "Mingyue, how can you be so heartless as a woman? Although we are your enemies, there are still your people on the island. Can you bear to watch them be blown to bits?"

Mingyue slumped to the ground. "Since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser is a bandit. I have nothing to say. You can kill me or do whatever you want with me."

A murderous glint flashed in Xiahou Ying's eyes. Suddenly, the earth trembled, and a series of booming sounds filled the air. Even the four of them felt a loud bang beneath their feet, and the stone wall beneath their feet cracked open with fissures several meters wide. Mingyue exclaimed in shock, "Someone has detonated explosives!"

Xiahou Ying could no longer care about Qiongji in his hands. He pushed him to Mingyue's side. The water in the pool rose several meters high with a rumbling sound. Xiahou Ying held Yin Quan tightly in his arms. He felt the sky collapsing and the earth sinking, but Yin Quan was not afraid at all.

Mingyue shouted from afar, "Come with me into the water, or we'll all be blown up here."

She jumped down first, holding Qiongji in her arms. Xiahou Ying hesitated for a moment, then jumped down after holding Yin Quan in her arms.