When Ming Chen, Xia Zhen, and their men chased the bandits to the edge of the cliff, they were exhausted. They were quite confident that nothing would happen since their group obviously had an overwhelming advantage in numbers.

    By the time they had arrived, Li Ya was in so much pain that she could not even cry out anymore. She just lay on the ground, panting heavily, sweat pouring down her face like rain, and her whole body was soaked in a cold sweat.

    There was dark red blood in her mouth. And every time she exhaled, she could spit out a big mouthful of blood, which looked extremely terrifying.

    Yue Ran did not want to pay attention to such an unaesthetic picture, but she could not help but keep looking at Li Ya''s tormented figure.

    However, the more she looked, the more frightened she became.

    Ming Ze sighed when he saw such a funny sight and said while covering the girl''s eyes, "Since you are afraid, why do you keep looking at her?"

    Yue Ran was silent for a while.

    Can she say that although it looks ugly and is not aesthetically pleasing to the eye, she just likes looking at other people''s sufferings? That she takes other people''s misery as her source of joy?

    "I…" Yue Ran started, but her words gradually trailed off. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the man''s big hand, but to no avail. "She just howled so pitifully."

    Ming Ze chuckled.

    His Ran Ran is just too cute.

    "I just want to make her look so pitiful," Ming Ze whispered with an obvious smile. "If she is not pitiful, then how can I use her to scare the crown prince and General Xia?"

    Ruan Ruan: Hm? Why does Ruan Ruan not understand?

    Yue Ran: Oh, smart move.

    Yue Ran obviously understood what Ming Ze meant.

    Not far from the cliff, Ming Chen and Xia Zhan got off their horses.

    Seeing the two men''s arrival, Xue Lu''s eyes instantly lit up.

    Ever since the bandit in charge of Yue Ran, most probably the bandits'' leader, asked his subordinates to cut off Li Ya''s tongue without hesitation, she had remained silent and dared not move, just like the dead.

    She did not want to die!

    "Let them go," Ming Chen said calmly. Although he was panicking inside, he reflexively put on a calm facade on his face. "What do you want?"

    The head bandit, Ming Ze, let out a hoarse chuckle, followed by an intimidating silence. It was obvious that he did not intend to speak.

    Ming Chen straightened his lips before continuing, "Do you want power, status, or money? As long as you let them go, all of these things could be promised to you!"

    Ming Ze only blinked, then shifted his gaze to Xue Lu and said in a bewitching tone, "Did you see it? The crown prince and General Xia are here!"

    The smiling tone of the head bandit''s voice made Xue Lu shudder in fright.

    "I have long heard that you, the young lady of the Xue Mansion, had a deep friendship with both men! How romantic!" Ming Ze said sarcastically, "It is said that what men missed the most was something that they could not ask for, not to mention that you are still a person who looked at everyone coldly like a block of ice. I honestly do not understand why many people are interested in someone like you, but I guess it is what people call preferences."

    Xue Lu felt as if she had been slapped in the face by such an insult. However, she did not dare to say anything to refute it lest she would end up like Li Ya or, in the worst case, die by a sword or be pushed down the cliff in the next second.

    "Anyway, you have to beg those two men—beg them to let them save you," Ming Chen said with a sneer. "After all, you are the only daughter of the Grand Tutor, the most talented and most beautiful noble young lady in the capital, the dignified young lady of the Xue family!"

    Xue Lu: …

    Yue Ran: …

    In terms of status and wealth, she would overpower Xue Lu in both. So what was she, then?

    "Oh, if the two men, or even one of the men, end up choosing this beautiful lady in my arms instead, then your value is too useless!" Ming Ze said it icily. "And being useless meant that you are not qualified to continue living in the world; you are just wasting the good and fresh air of the world."

    Xue Lu: …

    Inexplicably, Xue Lu knew that the head bandit''s threatening words were not just for intimidation. Inwardly, she believed that those words were true. If one of the two men did not choose to save her instead, then the head bandit would really kill her!

    Xue Lu did not know why the head bandit would give up wealth, status, and power. Maybe he knew that he was outnumbered and that putting pressure on the other side would make it so that he could escape during the chaos.

    From the corner of Ming Chen''s eyes, he looked at his men, who were trying to ambush in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to save both women, and said loudly, "You can have anything you want if you just let them go. I, the crown prince, can guarantee you this."

    "Even the position of an emperor?" asked Ming Ze mockingly. There was no trace of friendliness as he looked at his big brother, related to him by blood, standing in front of him. "The crown prince is so eloquent when speaking such nonsense." There was strong malice in the head bandit''s tone. "If the crown prince insists on speaking nonsense, then I cannot guarantee that these two women will not become that thing lying on the ground."

    Ming Ze gestured to Li Ya, who does not look like a human or a ghost, on the ground. All around her was already painted red with blood.

    Li Ya did not have the strength to scream anymore. She was already saving her energy by breathing and talking less, desperately praying in her heart so that she could survive this catastrophe.

    It was afternoon at this time, and the sun was still high in the sky.

    With such bright sunlight, everyone could clearly see Li Ya''s terrifying situation.

    Ming Ze and Xia Zhan''s hearts were beating wildly. Both men instinctively looked at Yue Ran in the head bandit''s arms in fear.

    Although they kept saying that they like Xue Lu and that they only have feelings for Xue Lu, now that they have reached this life-and-death situation where no one could guarantee the other''s safety, neither of the two could lie to themselves any longer.

    Both of them like Yue Ran, not Xue Lu.

    "Do you see it clearly now?" Ming Ze asked maliciously. "I will definitely keep one of these two stunning beauties today. Even if I die, it would be a beautiful thing to take one away to marry me in the underworld!"

    Xia Zhan frowned ferociously. "What do you mean?"

    All the two men knew was that the head bandit was going crazy right now. They could not guarantee that he would not do anything to Yue Ran. They could not imagine what would happen if Yue Ran was hurt and turned into the bloody ghost-like maid on the ground.

    As long as they tried to imagine it, they felt that they could hardly breathe. Even breathing was such torture.

    This situation completely frightened them!

    The head bandit grinned and asked, "Are my words not obvious?" Ming Ze''s eyes kept going back and forth between Yue Ran and Xue Lu''s figures. "You two can only choose one of the two hostages, while I will take the other one away to die with me!"

    "You!"

    "You!"

    Both men shouted at the same time. They were both shocked and angry at the current predicament.

    Yue Ran did not want to talk. She did not have any hope for any of the two men in front of her.

    "Do not talk so much nonsense!" The head bandit barked. "Choose one quickly; otherwise, I will die with both!"

    Ming Ze''s voice was so fierce that both Ming Chen and Xia Zhan did not have much time to think.

    Choose either Yue Ran or Xue Lu. Is this not an obvious thing?

    If it were the past, Ming Chen and Xia Zhan would have most definitely chosen Xue Lu with no hesitation. But now?

    Seeing the obvious panic on Xue Lu''s face and the extremely calm Yue Ran with a soft smile on her lips, Ming Chen and Xia Zhan were at a loss.

    They obviously liked Xue Lu for so many years, but...

    The drumming heart on their chests made them hesitate.

    Yue Ran''s soft smile turned into one of mockery. She had an "I know you two men would not choose me" expression on her face.

    As for Xue Lu, she looked at the bottomless cliff behind her, and her face turned from one of panic to one of anxiety and horror. Her heart palpitated when her mind played the worst scenario in her head.

    Xue Lu immediately looked at both men with full expectation in her eyes. This made both men frown.

    "Your Royal Highness, General Xia, I am so scared." Xue Lu feigned a cry. It was rare for such a cold person to show weakness and try to look pitiful.

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