Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

Qi Zexun reined in the horses.

The horse lunged forward two steps, its front hooves raised.

When it landed, it left two deep craters in the snow.

He rode on horseback, looking at Su Wuli squatting on the ground from a distance.

Her face was very pale.

It's not the kind of white that comes from cosmetics, but the white that's been exposed to the light of snow and the cold wind.

Qi Zexun looked at her, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

"So this is what the Regent of Nanhuai's women look like during the day." His voice wasn't loud, but carried by the wind, each word was clear.

He tilted his head and looked her up and down.

His gaze fell on her loose, long hair. "She looks even better than that night."

She didn't even need to comb the most elaborate hairstyles in the palace, nor wear the heaviest hairpins.

Just by standing there in the crowd, I recognized him at a glance.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment.

It's whiter than the snow on the ground.

It was so white it was dazzling.

The two guards behind him remained silent, their hands resting on their sword hilts.

His gaze swept from Feng Xi to the Nanhuai soldiers carrying firewood.

More than twenty cavalrymen spread out and surrounded the dozen or so of them.

The horses' hooves trampled the snow, turning it into mud.

Qi Zexun placed his hands on the saddle and leaned forward slightly.

"I like it very much too." He said this without looking at Feng Xi, his eyes fixed on Su Wuli.

Feng Xi's sword was already drawn, blade facing forward.

He pulled Su Wuli behind him again to shield her.

"Step back," he repeated, his tone deep.

Qi Zexun did not dismount.

He sat on the horse, one hand on the reins and the other hanging casually at his side, in a relaxed posture.

It was as if Su Wuli was already his.

The opposing team consisted of only a small squad of a dozen or so, while his side had an overwhelming numerical advantage, and even included two highly skilled guards.

Qi Zexun glanced at Feng Xi, then looked at Su Wuli hiding behind Feng Xi.

With a slight smile, he spoke slowly and deliberately, "If you voluntarily come back with me, I will pretend I didn't see these people."

His tone was conciliatory, "How about it?"

Before Su Wuli could answer, Feng Xi had already placed the knife in front of him.

With a flick of his wrist, the blade flipped, and a flash of snow danced across its edge.

He turned his head to look at Su Wuli, "Even if I die, I won't let you take her away."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Zexun looked at the knife and smiled.

He tugged at the corners of his mouth slightly upwards before stopping.

He raised his right hand and gently pointed his fingers forward.

The cavalry behind him took a step forward.

The horses' hooves lifted and fell simultaneously, making a dull thud as they were trampled on the snow.

The twenty-odd horses moved forward a foot, tightening the encirclement.

Feng Xi did not withdraw his blade; he remained locked in a standoff with his opponent.

Qi Zexun pulled his hand back and placed it on the saddle.

He looked at Feng Xi, then at Su Wuli, and said, "No rush, I have time."

There's nothing more to say about the current situation; we can only fight it out.

Feng Xi's sword was swift; the blade slashed from the left, and the guard on the right blocked it with his scabbard.

He pulled his knife back and slashed to the left, but the guard on the left dodged to the side.

The blade grazed past his shoulder armor.

The two guards, one on the left and one on the right, worked together very well.

One side attacks the upper body, the other attacks the lower body.

Feng Xi blocked the left but couldn't block the right; he blocked the right but the left came too.

He took a step back, his boots slipping on the snow.

Steady your body.

He held the knife horizontally in front of him to block the knife thrusting from his right, while the knife on his left had already slashed at his shoulder.

He turned his head away.

He didn't retreat, but took another step forward, thrusting his knife toward the throat of the guard on his left.

The man tilted his head back to dodge, but the knife on his right had already struck his waist.

He sidestepped, but the knife slowed down.

During a lull in the fight, he turned his head and couldn't help but glance at the direction where Su Wuli was crouching.

In that one glance, the hilt of the guard on his left slammed into his wrist.

The bone cracked, and the knife flew from his hand and landed on the ground.

The guard on the right immediately grabbed his shoulder from behind, pressed his knee against the back of his knee, and pushed him down.

Feng Xi tried to hold on but couldn't, and fell forward, his knee hitting the snow with a dull thud.

A knife was held to his neck, the blade grazing his skin. He didn't move.

The guard pressed the knife against his neck again, and his chin lifted.

Other soldiers were also captured one after another.

Feng Xi was forced to kneel on the ground by his shoulders, looking at the soldiers who were also being pressed down and lying on the snow.

Qi Zexun watched all this from his horse, quite satisfied.

He then turned his head to look at Su Wuli.

Qi Zexun looked at her as if she were a pet, a rabbit with nowhere to escape.

Su Wuli looked at the situation, which had become irreversible, and her gaze darted back and forth helplessly to the side.

Upon finding a bow next to her, she didn't hesitate and immediately squatted down to pick it up.

When she held it in her hand, she found it was heavier than she had imagined.

The string was taut, and she had to use all her strength to loosen it a little.

The arrow was nocked and aimed directly at Qi Zexun.

She was some distance away from him, and she wasn't sure if she had enough strength to shoot the arrow over there.

The soldier holding the shield next to Qi Zexun had already taken a step forward, the shield blocking his way.

Qi Zexun turned his head to look at the soldier and raised his hand in a gesture of greeting.

The soldier paused for a moment, then withdrew his shield and stepped aside.

The others also stepped back, and the cavalry on both sides pulled on their reins to make way, clearing a path in the middle.

Qi Zexun rode his horse slowly forward.

He watched Su Wuli draw her bow.

It's clearly shaking.

His smile widened a little more.

The way she was trembling made her look like a small animal cornered against a wall.

Even though she was terrified, she still showed her teeth and tried to keep herself from collapsing.

He found it interesting.

These are not the opponents we've faced on the battlefield; those are people we're also afraid of.

But their fear concealed murderous intent, and they were ready to retaliate at any moment.

She's different; her fear is genuine.

A clean and pure fear.

Qi Zexun rode his horse and walked towards her step by step.

"Little beauty," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice, "that's not how you draw an arrow."

His gaze fell on her wrist.

That hand was very white, with slender fingers, small knuckles, and a small protruding wrist bone.

Her muscles were clearly stretched to their limit; if she held on a little longer, the string would slip from her grasp.

"Your hand is shaking, you won't hit the target," he kindly reminded him.

Su Wuli knew this all too well, but she couldn't let it go now.

He then bit his lip and pulled the bowstring taut with all his might.

The string was pulled back an inch, leaving a red mark on her finger.

It hurts.

She held her breath and warned, "If you come any closer, I'll really shoot an arrow."

Qi Zexun not only did not stop, but instead loosened his hands from the reins and opened his arms.

"Aim carefully." He looked at her, his expression pleased. "I'll let you shoot."

In his eyes, such a delicate beauty was nothing more than someone playing with a bow and arrow.

Then he'll play with her, and when she's done, it'll be his turn.