Chapter 21: Don’t Force Me to Kill

It was unclear how much time had passed before Ming Xi finally drifted into a quiet sleep. Even in her slumber, she clutched Shi Zhiyan’s arm tightly, refusing to let go, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips as if she were deeply content.

Listening to her soft, rhythmic breathing, Shi Zhiyan could only shake his head with a wry smile. He could not fathom why she felt so at ease in his embrace. After all, they had known each other for little more than a day, and she had spent that time tricking and maneuvering him so thoroughly that he was left powerless to refute even when she called him "the father of her child."

Yet, one thing struck him as truly strange: he could tell that Ming Xi’s refusal to leave his side was not entirely motivated by his wealth or his formidable strength at the Mo Xuan stage. There was something else—an inexplicable sense of affection and dependency.

He was, of course, unaware of her history. Although her arrival in this world had been a case of a soul possessing another body, she was unlike other human transmigrators who had been ace assassins. In her previous life, she had been a white fox who had cultivated for five hundred years—a white fox who had been deeply in love with her childhood sweetheart for those five centuries, only for both of them to be brutally murdered on the eve of their wedding.

To put it plainly, the moment before her rebirth, she had endured the harrowing pain of losing her spouse, a grief so profound that the first thing she did upon arriving in the Xuanling Continent was to throw herself into a suicidal frenzy.

Although the circumstances of the original Ming Xi and the pleas of young Xiao Tong had convinced her to stay and start a new life, it did not mean she had escaped the agony of her past. The current situation was clear: with Feng gone, Ming Xi was subconsciously trying to use Shi Zhiyan as a substitute. It was an instinctual way for her to soothe her own trauma.

Shi Zhiyan remained oblivious to these reasons. However, feeling her soft body pressed against him without reservation, the intense and gentle sensation made his heart race and his face flush. If anyone were to see this, he would never be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Not intending to flee, Shi Zhiyan chanted a spell. The *Oracle* lying on the table floated into the air and drifted toward him. He took the book gently and began to flip through it on the bed, his expression growing solemn.

"Godfather!" Xiao Tong’s sudden shout from outside the door startled him.

"Shh! Keep your voice down; your mother is sleeping."

"But Godfather, those guards from the Ming estate you crippled are gathered outside the gate again, plotting something. What should we do?"

"Tch, these losers aren't giving up yet?"

"That’s right, Godfather. They’re right outside, and they’ve brought a pile of wooden sticks. I don't know what they're planning."

"Wooden sticks?" A grim premonition flashed through Shi Zhiyan’s mind. *Damn it! Don't tell me those people from the Ming estate are planning to...*

"Shi! Out of respect for your position under the Prince, I didn't want to make things difficult for you! But since you insist on provoking us, don't blame us for being ruthless! If you don't hand over that wretch Ming Xi, we’ll burn your house down!"

A sharp female voice echoed from outside—likely one of the young ladies of the Ming household. Shi Zhiyan glanced toward the door and couldn't help but laugh. The guards had been decimated by him in seconds, and now the Ming family was sending their daughters to set fires?

"I was hoping to have some quiet time to study this *Oracle*, but since the Ming estate is so eager to play, this young master will gladly play along!" With that, Shi Zhiyan carefully slid his arm out from Ming Xi’s embrace. Seeing that she hadn't stirred, he breathed a sigh of relief and instructed Xiao Tong, "Take good care of her. I’m going to deal with those suicidal fools."

"Yes! Good luck, Godfather!"

Shi Zhiyan stood up and walked out of the room. Outside, Ming Zhu, the third young lady of the Ming estate, was trembling at the sound of his footsteps. "Second Sister, is it really okay to do this behind Father's back? He is, after all, a man of the Prince's household. Father clearly told us to talk to him properly, and here we are, threatening to burn his house down? This is..."

"Oh, shut up! I have my own methods! Stick to the plan. We’ll keep him occupied, and you lot are to sneak into the backyard and kill Ming Xi when the chance arises, understand?" Ming Yue commanded firmly.

"But Second Sister, didn't the Emperor say..." the fourth young lady, Ming Mei, asked timidly.

"Don't mention the Emperor to me! That Emperor is about to fall anyway! Why bother listening to him? Now, follow the plan. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Second Young Lady!"