Chapter 620: Chapter 559: Caught in One’s Own Trap

She didn’t seem to notice Baili An’s arrival. Baili An quickly walked over; his gaze swept across the luxuriously carpeted floor, spotting traces of blood scattered along the way.

The surface of the chair and desk was a complete mess, with Ning Feiyan lying amidst this chaos, her hair ribbon unbeknownst to her had snapped.

From her slender arms along the edge of the desk, her ink-black hair cascaded down, a few strands dampened by sweat clinging to her porcelain-white nape, her shoulders subtly heaving weakly.

The daylight seeping in from the window poured a faint luminescence across the curves of her brow bone, nose, and chin, outlining a beautifully exquisite visage akin to a delicate and fragile painting.

Baili An approached from behind her, and as he looked down, he saw blood slowly seep through the layers of her white clothing, warmly staining it.

Baili An knew all too well that the battle Ning Feiyan had just fought was anything but easy.

Her current state was hardly better than that of the Peacock King, yet she had somehow maintained a calm demeanor in front of the Demon Clan.

For a moment, Baili An didn’t know what to say to her.

His fingers reached for the back of Ning Feiyan’s bloodstained clothing, about to tear it open to examine her wounds, but the moment his fingers touched her body, the lashes over Ning Feiyan’s closed eyes quivered slightly, awakening her.

“No need to tend to the wound, the injuries inflicted by Shemo Li cannot be staunched by ordinary Spiritual Medicine.”

Hearing her say this, Baili An refrained from touching her further. He withdrew his hand and asked calmly, “Miss Ning, are you dying?”

Ning Feiyan was quite surprised by his blunt words. She leaned weakly over the desk, let out a soft chuckle, and said in an eerily calm voice, “Who knows?”

Her gaze shifted slightly, her face deathly pale yet somehow still carrying a smirk, “Did you come here specifically to mock me?”

Baili An ignored her sarcasm, crouched down, and scrutinized her closely for a long time with a hint of puzzlement in his eyes, before he earnestly asked, “What exactly are you holding on to?”

Ning Feiyan replied, “What?”

Baili An continued, “Today’s Monarch’s Return Banquet is a dead end for you, yet your enthusiasm for attending was exceedingly high. If I were you, I would think of every possible way to leave the Royal City now.

The Demon Lord wants to kill you, Yihe and Shu Ci want to kill you, and even the thousands of Demon Clan at the banquet were eying your position—leaving is your only chance for survival.”

Ning Feiyan’s colorless lips curled up slightly as she whispered, “Rather than running away, I prefer the feeling of having everything under my control.”

Her fingers moved slightly, summoning a Purple Butterfly. A purple butterfly transformed upon her fingertips, eventually turning into a slender silver needle, its tip emitting a sinister purple glow.

Baili An couldn’t see how she moved her fingers; with a soft whoosh, the needle swiftly buried itself into her shoulder bone.

That must have been extremely painful. Sweat covered her forehead like beads, while a trickle of bright red blood slowly seeped from her pale lips, yet her facial expression hardly changed.

Baili An was no longer surprised by this sight.

These days, she had been using such brutally extreme methods to stabilize the internal injuries. The wound on her back soon stopped bleeding.

However, this meant that the Poison Needles that had entered her body would forever remain inside, unable to be removed even if she was fortunate enough to heal these injuries. She would have to endure the agonizing pain of the needles drilling into her bones.

This type of Poison Needle might not take her life outright, but the pain it inflicted could indeed be lethal.

Baili An could feel the Poison Needle beginning to move around inside her, while Ning Feiyan’s pale complexion seemed to regain a hint of color as if light was reflecting back.

She stood up, picked up a red cloak that had been thrown aside, put it on, and covered up the blood on her back.

Ning Feiyan couldn’t help but cough twice, then she reached into her sleeve, took out a piece of candy, and put it in her mouth.

The sweetness spread in her mouth, suppressing the surge of blood taste from her throat depths. She smiled and continued, “Becoming the Enchanting Demon of the Fourth River is unprecedented. To become such a historical figure, do you know what path I’ve walked?”

Ning Feiyan played with the candy wrapper in her hand, “True, in that illusion, you indeed saw a lot of my past, but that’s not everything. When my father and mother presented me as a tribute to Si He, I was terrified and even thought about fleeing Beiyuan Forest.

But even if I managed to escape, what then? I would always be the weak one awaiting capture. When the day comes that a blade is hung over my head with no room left to retreat, you’ll find that although this world is vast, the pathways you can choose from are few. Once they’re walked, they’re gone.

Compared to that sort of comfortable yet simplistic choice, I prefer to seek hope in adversity. Even if that path is bloody and unbearable, since it’s the one I chose, I have to walk it with my eyes open.”

Her gaze was too stubborn.

Baili An vaguely understood what she intended to do and couldn’t help but frown deeply, saying, “So you still plan to use today’s opportunity to challenge Erhe?”

Ning Feiyan looked at him, a flicker of amusement in her eyes, “What are you worried about? Do you think Zangxin would take this opportunity to kill me? It’s just a challenge under the Battle Order, not a fight to the death. He is loyal to Mi Lu, and with my status as the Young Princess Consort, even if he won’t let me win easily, he wouldn’t ruthlessly take my life.”

“Is that your confidence?”

Ning Feiyan neither confirmed nor denied but spoke casually yet earnestly, as though declaring something self-evident, “Though Mi Lu is an inescapable shackle in my life, I must admit that sometimes, this shackle can be quite protective.”