Volume 1: Gathering Winds Chapter 45: First Move

  "Be careful..." An Muxuan grasped An Xin's arm, slightly furrowing his brow as he called out. Seeing An Xin stop in her tracks and look at him uncomprehendingly, he continued, "Before things are clear, don't jump to conclusions. Yun Mingyue is the princess of Nan Yun after all, even if she isn't liked by G, it's not possible to deal with her lightly!"

  "Dare to provoke me? Not just the princess, even the empress herself wouldn't be spared!" An Xin's eyebrows shot up, her eyes wide with rage as she shouted.

  "She didn't provoke you, she just caught your little mouse." An Mu Chen said helplessly.

  "Chi Chi represents my image, provoking it is a challenge to my authority! Can't be lenient!" An Xin said with righteous words, glancing at An Muxuan who was holding her hand. "Let go quickly, I'm leaving. If Chi Chi dies, Yun Mingyue will definitely bury it with him!"

  "Let's go take a look." An Mu Chen sighed, holding An Xin's hand as they left the inner chamber. After inquiring about Yun Ming Yue's current whereabouts, they quickly set off at a rapid pace.

  The two arrived at Mingyue Pavilion, where they saw Ling Susu leading dozens of black-clad guards facing off against Yun Minglei. Behind Yun Minglei stood a group of people in neat rows. The dark guards on both sides were dressed identically, the only difference being that Yun Minglei's people had a golden cloud embroidered on their collars with gold thread.

  "Yun Mingyue, you'd better return my daughter's belongings, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Ling Susu's gentle voice was rarely tinged with a hint of hardness. An Xin's calm gaze flickered twice as he stepped into the courtyard, then his lips curled up and he continued walking forward.

  "Sister, Miss Anxin's pet mouse bit the second young master. The second young master is the general's own son, raised in luxury since childhood, how could he be bullied? Now he was bitten by a little mouse, what if he gets the plague, who can take responsibility for this?" Yun Mingyue didn't back down at all, her beautiful eyes shot out intense anger, coldly saying.

  "Then wait for the general to return and make a decision, now hand it over to me!" Ling Susu gave Yun Mingyue a cold glance, her tone firm and unyielding.

  "When General returns, sister will naturally be handed over to him, but now the second young master is crying loudly in the room, claiming that he wants to kill this old mouse to vent his anger. I am also in a dilemma and don't know what to do!" Yun Mingyue pretended to be in a difficult situation, sighing and making gestures.

  "Princess Mingyue, you'd better listen to my mother's words. Otherwise, don't blame me for fulfilling the promise I made that day!" Anxin walked over with a smile as bright as a flower, but her lazy and harmless demeanor was accompanied by an aura of coldness emanating from her body.

  An Xin arrived so quickly, and the look of panic in Yun Mingyue's eyes flashed by, but she calmed down in an instant. She glanced at the dark and solemn guards behind her, and with the backing of having someone to rely on, she suddenly became bold. Her expression turned stern, "Miss An Xin, your pet injured Second Young Master, this is an undeniable fact. Now you're actually trying to cover up for a beast and disregard your own younger brother's well-being, what kind of heart do you have?"

  "Hand over my Chirp, and I'll naturally give you a satisfactory reply!" An Xin's calm gaze directly passed over Yun Mingyue, looking at the man behind her. The man was holding Chirp, who was already on its last breath. Chirp seemed to feel An Xin's gaze, and with great effort, it opened its weak eyes to look at her. Its black, shiny eyes had lost their usual luster, becoming dull and lifeless!

  "In the presence of everyone, Miss An's dog bit Second Master, what can you say in response? It's just a delaying tactic, wanting to drag out time." Yun Mingyue felt self-assured and got carried away with her words.

  "Miss Mingyue, my sister has already explained everything, why must you speak so harshly?" An Mushen's already pale face turned even colder, his phoenix eyes also devoid of color.

  "The facts are all in front of us, and saying more would just be making excuses. Now, the second young master is crying bitterly in his wife's arms, fearing that something bad might happen to him. The main culprit is that precious little beast, An Xin. I naturally cannot hand it over easily." Yun Ming Yue emphasized the second young master's injuries, precisely to confirm the guilt of An Xin's vicious animal. If he couldn't punish this spoiled little girl himself, could he not kill her beloved pet to vent his anger?

  "Are you going to hand it over or not?" An Xin had no patience left for this verbal sparring with the woman, a layer of unyielding chill rising in her eyes as she narrowed them and glared at Yun Ming Yue.

  Yun Mingyue sensed the intense murderous intent in An Xing's eyes, and the scene of her smashing the table that day flashed back into her mind. Her body trembled slightly, and she unconsciously took a few steps back until a male voice sounded from behind her, "Princess, don't be afraid, I'm here, she wouldn't dare hurt a single hair on you."

  When she heard her own dark guard, who was specially brought by Yun, speak up, Yun Mingyue's courage was restored, and she said with a straight face, "Miss Anxin, you can't take advantage of the general's love for you to be reckless and let your dog bite people at will. Moreover, it bit the general's own child. Are you too lawless? The General's Mansion is a strict household that cannot tolerate Miss Anxin jumping around and acting recklessly."

  Ling Su listened as Yun Mingyue shifted all the blame onto An Xin's shoulders, and even insinuated that everything was An Xin's deliberate instructions. Anger rose in her heart as she looked at the smugness in Yun Mingyue's eyes, a cold smile playing on her lips. Just as she was about to speak, she heard An Xin's icy voice, "Are you done? If not, then don't say anything!"

  As soon as the words fell, An Xin's body shook and his internal energy increased by tenfold. He also opened up his mysterious steps, and his figure was like a ghostly shadow floating towards Yun Mingyue. In just a blink of an eye, everyone in Mingyue Pavilion saw that An Xin's hand was grasping Yun Mingyue's slender neck, his clothes fluttering as if he were a deadly demon. The crowd opened their eyes wide with terror and shouted out in unison.

  "Let go or not?" An Xin's face was full of murderous intent, the force in his hand increasing bit by bit, his voice saying word by word.

  Her face was a deep red, her breathing becoming labored, and as An Xin's grip on her right hand tightened, her feet slowly left the ground. Her hands flailed wildly in the air, and the fear of impending death filled her heart. The instinct to survive made her lose her usual pride, "F...ast...save...me..."

  The guard behind Yun Mingyue obviously didn't expect An Xing to have such a fast movement, and in the blink of an eye, he was caught by Yun Mingyue. When he realized it, he wanted to rescue him but it was too late, his face changed.

  "Let go or not?" An Xin glanced at Yun Mingyue, whose eyes had already started to roll back, and paused the force in his hand. His gaze fell on the dark guard holding Zhi Zhi, and he repeated in a cold and heavy tone.

  An Wei gritted his teeth, unwilling to compromise so easily, but also worried about Yun Mingyue's life, and had no choice but to throw the small beast in his hand with force behind An Xin's back, drawing an arc across the sky.

  Digression

  Be careful, he is very powerful, ~heh heh heh.