The surrounding people looked at Feng Ran with contempt and mockery, even cursing her. They said she was cold-blooded and wouldn't help them, and that even if she died, she wouldn't be spared in the afterlife. They hurled all sorts of unpleasant words they could think of.
Feng Ran's lips curved into a slight smile as she looked at these people with disdain.
They called her heartless and unfeeling, saying she wouldn't save them. But who were they, that she should save them? Had they forgotten how they had mocked and ridiculed her just moments ago? Even when Xuanyuan Heng was about to attack her, they had looked on with schadenfreude, feeling that she deserved it.
Heh, now that the situation had turned to their disadvantage, she was the one being reviled by everyone.
It was truly laughable.
Feng Ran's gaze swept over the crowd, and she said sarcastically, "If you want to live, then beg the Regent. He's the one who wants your lives. You blame me, don't you find that amusing? Why should I sacrifice myself for people who look down on me?"
Xuanyuan Heng, standing nearby, clapped his hands and walked step by step towards Feng Ran. He roughly gripped Feng Ran's chin and said, "Feng Ran, you are indeed heartless."
"Indeed, one who can cause their own parents' death is so unfeeling and cold-blooded, how could they possibly do anything for these people they care nothing about?"
"Feng Ran, do you really wish to see this king kill those people?"
Xuanyuan Heng smiled, a chilling smile. "You'll likely be disappointed. The more you want those people to die, the less I will act so readily."
Feng Ran's lips curved into a slight smile. See, her gamble had paid off.
If she had grovelled and begged for their lives, those people might not have survived.
However, no one would ever understand Feng Ran's intentions.
When the people heard Xuanyuan Heng say he would spare them, they were filled with gratitude and repeatedly kowtowed.
But they seemed to have forgotten. It was Xuanyuan Heng who had wanted their lives from the beginning. Now that he spared them, they were so grateful. Ah, people are truly laughable.
Xuanyuan Heng glanced at the crowd and said coldly, "Remember, it was this woman who wanted your lives, and she didn't want to help you."
"From now on, you should know what to do."
Xuanyuan Heng grabbed Feng Ran's hand and walked out. Xiao Lanjue, who was nearby, was displeased. He stepped forward, blocking Xuanyuan Heng, and said playfully, "Xuanyuan Heng, I brought her here. Are you taking her away like this without regard for me?"
"Do I look like I'm easily bullied?"
Xuanyuan Heng gave him a cold glare.
Xiao Lanjue was about to speak, but he eventually backed down. He said nothing further.
The scene became awkward.
Xiao Lanjue paid no attention to the others. He turned and left.
Heh, he wasn't stupid. He knew better than anyone when to leave and when to stay. Leaving now was the best option.
...
In the room.
Feng Ran was roughly pushed inside by Xuanyuan Heng. Her head hit a corner of the wall, injuring her forehead and drawing blood.
Feng Ran got up, trying to dodge, but found herself cornered by Xuanyuan Heng. The man's eyes, filled with a bloodthirsty glint, fell upon her. His hand gripped her chin heavily, showing no intention of letting go.
"What is it? Now you know fear? Now you know to retreat? What were you doing before?"
At this moment, Feng Ran felt as if the man before her was a madman.
Feng Ran could no longer care about anything. She only wanted to crawl forward.
Xuanyuan Heng's foot stomped down. His eyes, cold and bloodthirsty, looked at Feng Ran, his gaze filled with extreme malice.
"Feng Ran, you are a smart person. If you want to live, you should know what to do."
Feng Ran was completely trapped, with nowhere to escape. Her jaw was in severe pain from Xuanyuan Heng's grip, but she dared not make a sound.
She knew that the more she cried out, the more Xuanyuan Heng would torment and humiliate her.
If she endured, perhaps Xuanyuan Heng wouldn't treat her so cruelly.
"Why did you follow Xiao Lanjue here, Feng Ran? Do you have no shame?"
Shame?
Why did she follow Xiao Lanjue?
If she could have refused to come, she wouldn't be here.
Feng Ran lowered her head and gave a bitter smile, her face etched with weariness. Xuanyuan Heng hurled insults and humiliation at her as he pleased.
But he should know better than anyone why he had become this way.
"Isn't this all your doing?"
She looked up at Xuanyuan Heng with pride and said sarcastically, "Isn't this all your creation? Isn't this the outcome you wanted to see?"
"Feng Ran, what are you saying? Think carefully before you speak." The man's cold voice rang out, his entire body exuding a terrifying aura.
He placed his hand on Feng Ran's neck and tightened his grip.
Watching Feng Ran's pale face, seeing her struggle to breathe, he felt exceptionally happy.
Feng Ran felt as if she was about to die.
"Let... let go... let go of me." Her hands flailed in the air. She couldn't die yet. She had to stay alive to atone.
She still had unfinished business.
She still had many things to do.
Xuanyuan Heng finally let go. He stood up, brushed off his clothes, and looked at Feng Ran, who had collapsed on the floor in a sorry state, with a sneer. "Feng Ran, now you know your place."
"I said, in this lifetime, you'll never escape from my grasp."
Feng Ran looked at Xuanyuan Heng and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Yes, he was the powerful Regent, and she was merely a courtesan fallen into disrepute. How could she possibly contend with him?
As he had said: Feng Ran, if you want to live, you must obey obediently.
Feng Ran hated the person before her, yet she also feared him.
Because he could take her life at any moment.
"Your Highness, it was me. I didn't know my place. It was all my fault."
"Please, Your Highness, be magnanimous and spare me this once." Feng Ran finally chose to bow her head, because in the face of survival, everything else was secondary.
Feng Ran kowtowed repeatedly. Her forehead was injured and bleeding, but she paid no mind, continuing to beg.
Bei Chenye saw this and frowned slightly, but quickly regained his composure and stood by, awaiting orders.
Xuanyuan Heng's face darkened, and it was impossible to tell his mood.
He stepped forward, and his foot directly landed on the back of Feng Ran's hand. He looked down at Feng Ran, who was kneeling and begging for mercy, with contempt. "If you had been this obedient earlier, none of this would have happened."