People, when pushed to the brink, seemed to lose all fear. All weaknesses ceased to be weaknesses.

Just a moment ago, Yu Qingwu had been terrified of dying at Xie JinYan's hands. Now, she was like an enraged lioness, fierce and deranged.

"Xie JinYan, you don't dare, do you?"

"It doesn't matter, I'll do it for you."

Yu Qingwu stared at him blankly, her eyes cold and sharp.

Suddenly, she pulled a dagger from who-knows-where and, right under Xie JinYan's nose, slashed her face twice, quickly and accurately, cutting from her cheek to her ear.

In an instant, blood spurted out, staining her originally beautiful face into a bloody mess.

"Yu Qingwu, have you gone mad!"

Xie JinYan was stunned. He stared at Yu Qingwu in shock, never imagining that his usually cold and restrained Shijie (senior apprentice sister) would suddenly do something so crazy.

To disfigure oneself was, for a woman, almost equivalent to ruining her life.

A trace of panic flashed across his eyes. He hurriedly snatched the dagger from Yu Qingwu's hand, covering her wound, which was gushing blood, while shouting outwards, "Someone! Summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

Perhaps because the pain was too great, causing her to hallucinate, Yu Qingwu seemed to see panic, loss of control, and even… heartache in Xie JinYan's face through her blurred vision.

But now, she had no time to delve deeper.

Because it hurt too much, so much that she was about to faint, and she didn't even have the strength to speak.

But Yu Qingwu did not regret it, because this was the only way she could get rid of this mad dog, Xie JinYan.

She wondered, who would still be interested in such a hideous face?

Thinking of this, Yu Qingwu couldn't help but laugh again, "Xie JinYan, A Yue lost her virginity, and I disfigured myself. I'm even with her, and I'm even with you..."

"For our Shifu's (master) sake, let me... let me return to the Rongguo Duke's mansion..."

She spoke weakly, using the last of her strength to beg.

The answer was undoubtedly yes.

Although Xie JinYan had taken her for revenge, as a man with perfectly normal aesthetic sensibilities, he could no longer be aroused by this face. He would even find it disgusting to look at it.

The next day, he sent Granny Xun to send her back to the Rongguo Duke's mansion, without even showing his face.

Along the way, Granny Xun looked at Yu Qingwu with great sympathy, seeming to want to say something, but hesitating.

Just as the carriage was about to reach the Rongguo Duke's mansion, she finally couldn't help but speak, "Miss Yu, why did you do this to yourself? What on earth made you disfigure your face like this?"

Her eyes were full of sympathy, and she earnestly advised, "Why don't you come back to the Crown Prince's mansion with this old servant? Although His Highness is a bit unreliable, this old servant can see that he cares about you. Yesterday, when you fainted, His Highness almost killed the imperial physician. If you stay in the mansion, even if you can't be the Crown Princess, you'd still be a Liangdi (a concubine rank), which is better than returning to the Duke's mansion to suffer..."

Suffer? Would Shen Ke dare to make her suffer? Did he think the knife on her face was for nothing?

A cold glint flashed in Yu Qingwu's eyes, and she said indifferently, "Granny Xun doesn't need to worry about me. My fiancé is deeply devoted to me. He won't abandon me because of this."

As she spoke, the carriage had reached the front gate of the Duke's mansion.

When Yu Qingwu got out, she happened to run into Shen Ke and some of his friends, but she was wearing a veil and had changed her clothes, so Shen Ke didn't recognize her.

"Second cousin," Yu Qingwu called out softly.

Hearing Yu Qingwu's voice, Shen Ke was immediately shocked.

He subconsciously turned his gaze to the carriage behind her. It was... the Crown Prince's carriage.

Had she really been messing around with Xie JinYan these past two days?

He hadn't quite believed it when he heard the servants say so, after all, his cousin had always been deeply in love with him, willing to give her life for him. How could she have an affair with someone else, especially someone like Xie JinYan, the number one playboy in the capital?

But at this moment, looking at the carriage behind her and the palace maid poking her head out, Shen Ke's expression suddenly changed.

Although he tried his best to maintain his gentle and humble image, anger still surged uncontrollably in his eyes. He grabbed Yu Qingwu's hand and asked urgently and angrily, "A Wu, where have you been these past two days? Do you know, I've been going crazy looking for you?"

Going crazy looking for her? More like going crazy having fun in the lap of luxury, right?

Yu Qingwu sneered inwardly, her eyes imperceptibly scanning the newly added hickey on Shen Ke's neck, before turning back and pointing to the four-horse carriage symbolizing imperial power, replying indifferently, "I didn't go anywhere, just accepted the Crown Prince's invitation to the Crown Prince's mansion to sleep with him for two days."