Just as Shao Yingxiu was about to succeed, a strong gust of wind blew over, and Xie Ye steadily caught He Le'an. As the sleeves fluttered, Shao Yingxiu's hand, which had just swung past, unexpectedly and uncontrollably slashed towards her own face!

  "Ah!" The scream pierced the air, and it wasn't until then that everyone realized what had happened. They saw Shao Yingxiu holding a small knife in her left hand, with which she had carved a deep and long gash on her own cheek. Fresh blood trickled down her chin, drop by drop.

  Xie Ya was hugged by He Le An, who stood on the stage with a calm expression. Later, Shao Yingxiu's hand pushed her away and she fell back onto the steps, where Shao Yingshu sat. Under the night sky, Shao Yingxiu's face twisted into a crazed expression, her eyes wide with shock and terror. The small dagger slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

  Shaoyingxiu's hands trembled as she touched her face, the pain was like a knife cutting through her intestines, causing her to let out another blood-curdling scream. Her eyes, brimming with tears, stared fixedly at He Le'an, "You, you cheap slut, you ruined my looks, how dare you ruin my looks!"

  Xu Xiāo coldly smiled and said: "Stop spouting nonsense, everyone present has eyes to see, we haven't touched you."

  No, although Xie's movements were fast, they weren't so fast that the judges' table, including Dongfang Shijie and other martial artists, couldn't see them clearly. From their perspective just now, after Xie caught He Le'an, Shaoying Xiu swung out her hand in a circle and then struck towards her own face. And with sharp eyes, they could clearly see that Shaoying Xiu had malicious intentions towards the thrown-out He Le'an.

  He Le'an thought of Shao Yingxiu's ruthless knife and felt a chill, wanting to laugh but unable to lift the corners of her mouth. Her voice was icy as she said: "Shao Yingxiu, brains are a good thing, unfortunately you don't have any. My fiancé may be an ordinary merchant without power or nobility, but do you think the Marquises Xue and Dong sitting behind the judges' seats are just decorations?"

  "Who harbors evil intentions, who is guilty and cannot live with themselves, they all see it clearly. It's not something you can slander at will, even in a public trial. I believe they won't hesitate to speak the truth. Clear my name!"

  Shaoyingxiu's gaze at He Le'an was so venomous that it seemed to tear her apart. With tears in her eyes, she felt that the people around her were all cold and malicious towards her. Shaoyingyuan recovered from her shock and helped her sister, saying discontentedly to He Le'an: "He Le'an, my sister's face is already ruined, yet you still treat her with such cruelty. Your heart is truly poisonous! Who knows what kind of tricks you used in that situation? Don't think that just because you have Xue Shizhi backing you up, you can do whatever you want. Our Zhuo Yibofu is not to be trifled with!"

  He Lian was furious and laughed, "You sisters are really interesting. She pushed me and cut towards me with a small knife. What's her intention? It's obvious that as her sister, you don't feel ashamed of her behavior, but instead blame me for dodging and say she'll harm herself. This kind of logic is like that of a robber. Such shameless accusations, aren't you afraid of being ridiculed?"

  "Besides, Miss Shao, there are many martial artists around. If you don't believe my testimony, you can ask the people who witnessed the incident, such as your cousin. Let's see what really happened. Some things can be eaten carelessly, but some words cannot be spoken carelessly. The Jin Ning Hou Fu is not so confused that it blindly supports friends and becomes a laughing stock." Xue Shi Zi said coldly, of course, he would still protect his own shortcomings, this beautiful speech was just nice to hear.

  Upon hearing this, everyone looked at He Lizhe. Shao Yinyuan's eyes sparkled with a mix of anxiety and anticipation as she winked at him, but her mind was clouded by sisterly affection. However, He Lizhe was not confused, especially since he would be slapped in the face if he lied. So, pretending not to see Shao Yinyuan's hint, he said: "It's just a misunderstanding, Yinyuan should take you back for treatment first..."

  He had a mind to rebuke her, but He Luo An was not in the mood to show mercy, interrupting him: "Does Lord Gao really think that all her despicable actions are just a misunderstanding? Is it only because I haven't died yet that she doesn't count as having harmed me? Just because I'm a bastard and you're noble-born, do I have to let you bully and slander me again and again?"

  "Today, I will make it clear to everyone what a vicious woman Shao Yingxiu really is! If people don't offend me, I won't offend them. If they do offend me, I'll give them three chances. If they still offend me, I'll strike back with one needle. If they continue to offend me, then I have no choice but to cut the grass and eliminate the roots!"

  With a resolute tone, a drop of crystal clear water fell from He Le An's beautiful eye socket, like a broken string of pearls, falling down without hesitation. At this weak and pitiful moment, she was indeed weak and pitiful. In terms of cleverness, a hundred Shao Ying Xiu couldn't compare to her.

  He Le'an was originally very good-looking, and when she cried, her tears were like pear blossoms in the rain, extremely moving. Many rough men around her immediately said: "I just saw it clearly, it was that poisonous woman who used a small knife to harm people. She didn't succeed in stealing the chicken and lost the rice instead, ruining her own face. Now she's still framing others for her mistakes, really despicable, really shameless!"

  The chorus of approval was unprecedentedly enthusiastic, and everyone stood on He Le'an's side to condemn Shao Yingxiu.

  Shaoyingxiu gazed at those who couldn't wait to spit on her, and suddenly burst into a fierce laughter. Blood gushed out from her cheeks to her chin, and under the vast night sky, she looked like a ferocious ghost, pouncing on He Le'an as if she would die trying to drag him down. "He Le'an, I'm going to kill you, kill you, kill you, you despicable person!!"

  Unfortunately, Xiè did not give her a chance to harm He Le'an at all, and lightly picked up He Le'an and jumped away, dodging the incoming Shao Yingxiu. He said to He Lize who had not reacted yet: "If you don't take her away, don't blame me for being ruthless."

  His voice was as cold as the winter snow, He Lizhe suddenly came to life, got up and grabbed the crazy Shao Yingxiu, and took her away with Shao Yinyuan who had come back to her senses, while Shao Yingxiu struggled and laughed and cried.

  Shao Yingxue trembled and stood on the underground platform. He Le'an, who had been wiping away tears, said: "An older sister, you, don't blame big sister, she's just confused for a moment." She clutched her handkerchief in fear, "I know this time she really went too far, but..."

  He Le'an said with a thick nasal tone: "I'm already tired of being treated like a bone that she won't let go of. You don't need to worry about it, and when you return to the manor, there's no need to mention anything on my behalf, lest things become even more difficult in the future." The second house had been suppressed by He Shi all along, if not for Old Master Shao still being alive, they might have already been driven out.

  Shao Yingxue's heart was warmed by her considerate words and she smiled softly as she followed closely behind He Lize and the others.

  The curtain of the farce fell, but He Le'an still remembered the bet before the game. She opened her bright red eyes and looked at Xiao Qi with a tilted head, slightly curving her lips: "I won. Shouldn't Mr. Xiao Qi..."

  At this moment, the people around looked at Xiao Qi's disdainful face and then at Xue Shizhi who was holding the rice paper.

  Xue Shizi resumed his usual nonchalant demeanor, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, he opened the rice paper that He Le'an had handed him earlier. As soon as Xiao Qi saw the words on it, her entire face turned black with rage.

  Dongfang Shizi and Xiao Shi couldn't help but burst out laughing, staring at the furious Xiao Qi who was about to breathe fire. They glared viciously at their sworn brothers and sisters, then turned to glare at He Le'an, "How could you distort the truth and write such false words!"

  He Le'an didn't care about his jealousy and said, "A real man should admit defeat when he loses a bet."

  He picked up a stone and smashed his own foot, and then he had to endure the pain in silence. Xia Qi ground his teeth in hatred, and with a heavy hum, he stepped onto the stage. The crowd that had begun to disperse stopped in their tracks, curious about this new development. Xia Qi took a deep breath, suppressing his disgust, and shouted through gritted teeth:

  "He is the most handsome and elegant man in this world, with a majestic demeanor and a heart full of beauty, I admire him to the point of prostration!"

  A sentence that was almost squeezed out from between the teeth, made everyone who was curious and stayed stunned. He Le'an, however, looked at Xiao Qi's extremely shameful appearance and exchanged a smile with Xu Xie - while on stage, seeing this scene, Xiao Qi only felt extremely annoyed.

  On the way back, Xiao Shi said with a hint of regret: "Brother, I'm sorry. I thought I could at least win two rounds." She was actually thinking the same thing at first. He Le'an didn't want to participate in the competition, but it turned out that she was not prepared at all, and the result proved that her opponent's strength was strong, completely disdainful of winning, whether it was hairpin flower or carving flower, she lost with admiration.

  Xiao Qi's face didn't look good. But he wasn't going to take it out on his own sister, so he waved his hand and said, "It's nothing." He knew Eleven's abilities all too well, and had been certain that she would definitely win first prize this year. Who could have predicted that the He Le'an he had pushed onto the stage in a fit of pique would turn out to be incredibly talented, and snatch the title away? He furrowed his brow and said, "You really want to listen to Aunt's words and go to the capital? The capital isn't as free and easy as Fengzhou City..."

  **

  He Le'an was selecting exquisite handmade accessories in the Qingyu Zhai, as there were many women inside, to avoid pushing and colliding, Xu Xie and Xue Shi-zi waited outside the door. Amidst the bustling streets, Xue Shi-zi seemed nonchalant as he said: "Your internal strength appears to have improved significantly."

  Others may not have noticed, but he, who subconsciously wanted to save He Le'an, found that Xié went to catch He Le'an and swung his sleeve, bringing out a surge of internal energy that caused Shao Yingxiu's hand to turn and slap her own cheek. It seemed as if she had used too much force and couldn't pull back, looking like she was reaping what she had sown. However, this subtle retaliation was identical to the deceased Yuè Jùn Wáng's style.

  "It was you who said that the King of Yue is dead, and he entrusted to you the responsibility of protecting An Er. From now on, I, her fiancé, will take over this heavy responsibility. I must strive to do my best." Xū Xié said calmly.

  Xue Shizi smiled silently, and after a while, he slowly said: "I never thought he was a short-lived person." Moreover, after his death, the progress of the war in the southern border was surprisingly smooth, like someone's meticulous arrangement.