Sword Slave grit his teeth and stood in front of Feng Xun.

"Prince, this must not be done." Sword Slave knew that Feng Xun deeply loved Ye Lingyue, but Black Valley was mysterious and unpredictable, even he dared not venture too deep, let alone the Prince, who was utterly defenseless.

"What happened?" Lan Cai'er caught up soon after.

"Miss Lan, Miss Ye might have entered the Black Valley, and the Prince intends to go in to save her," Sword Slave apologized, not that he did not want to save Ye Lingyue, but even with his skills, let alone adding Lan Cai'er, it would be impossible to come out of Black Valley alive.

"This isn't your fault, if there's anyone to blame it would only be Xue Hongyu and the people of the Blood Blade Mercenary Corps," Lan Cai'er also had an anxious look.

The ground littered with severed limbs and remains made Lan Cai'er realize that Black Valley was far more perilous than the rumors suggested.

"Step aside," Feng Xun stubbornly refused to back down.

"Step aside for what, to go and get yourself killed? What were you doing earlier? When she was here, you ignored her, and now that she's gone, you suddenly want to play the hero," Lan Cai'er said, irritated.

She just as much wanted to save Ye Lingyue, but rashly barging in would be nothing but a death sentence.

These past few days, Feng Xun had been unusually cold to Ye Lingyue, and though Ye Lingyue said nothing, Lan Cai'er knew it troubled her.

She had supported Feng Xun wholeheartedly, but seeing his hot and cold attitude only fueled her anger.

"What do you know!" Feng Xun's glassy eyes shone unpredictably, and due to anger, an eerie flush appeared on his otherwise pale and jade-like cheeks.

Thinking of how Ye Lingyue might be helplessly facing danger in Black Valley at this moment, Feng Xun hated himself.

Hated his powerlessness, hated that he did not dare to face her.

These past days have not been easy for him.

Watching her from afar, fearful that he could not control himself, that he would be unreasonable to her again.

But what could he do? Eight years ago, when he was stricken by the damnable Cold Syndrome, he lost the right to harbor feelings for anyone.

All these years, he had controlled himself well, not swayed by the external joys or his own sorrows.

However, now that Ye Lingyue had appeared,

The emotions that he had long kept in check burst forth like a flood from an opened gate.

Feng Xun never told Ye Lingyue that the aphrodisiac in his system that night wasn't as potent as imagined.

By the time he kissed her, he had already regained much of his senses, but he was immersed in her exquisite taste, unable to pull himself away.

Savoring the fragrance on his lips, Feng Xun only wished to indulge, decades of reasoning lost control. This feeling, it scared Feng Xun.

Yet he only realized tonight, that no fear could compare to the fear of losing Ye Lingyue.

Feng Xun's blood-red eyes, amidst the dark night, glittered like rubies, his black hair billowed freely under the night sky, maintaining his handsome appearance but with an added eerie demon energy.

Lan Cai'er had never seen Feng Xun like this before; a strange feeling, somewhere between respect and fear, crawled up her spine.

"Prince, forgive me."

Worried that Feng Xun would come to harm, Sword Slave mustered his determination and landed a palm on the back of Feng Xun's head.

Feng Xun only felt darkness before his eyes, then passed out.

With a sigh, Sword Slave lifted Feng Xun up.

"He, what happened to Feng Xun," Lan Cai'er felt that she said something wrong. Feng Xun's appearance just now looked both crazy and sad.

That kind of desolation exceeded his age.

"Eight years ago... also on a night like this, the Prince lost his parents overnight. For the Prince, Miss Ye was the only person who mattered after his parents. Eldest Miss Lan, please forgive the Prince, he is also a pitiable person." Even Sword Slave, a man like him, couldn't help but have reddened eyes at this moment.

He only prayed that the heavens would have mercy, and that Miss Ye must be safe and sound.

Otherwise, he dared not imagine what the Prince, under anger and despair, would become.

Remembering another "Prince," Sword Slave shuddered with fear.

"I was just speaking out of anger at the moment, and I didn't really mean to blame Feng Xun. Couples always fight, and in fact, my parents often quarrel too," said Lan Cai'er in a mess, babbling out a few sentences before realizing that finding Ye Lingyue was more important right now.

But right now, only Sword Slave and she were present.

With Black Valley being so vast and filled with dangers, they had no idea where Ye Lingyue could be.

They could not count on the caravan anymore. Captain Xue Hongyu was dead, and they had completely fallen out with the Mercenary Corps. Where could they find help?

"We should quickly head to the Xixia Plain and find Tiger Wolf General Nie Fengxing. Before leaving, my father had instructed that if Ling Yue and I encounter any difficulties, we should immediately seek out Tiger Wolf General Nie Fengxing," Lan Cai'er remembered her father's instructions amidst the chaos.

"That's good, let's head back to the camp first and hurry over with all haste," Sword Slave couldn't think of any other solution at the moment. Just then, Sword Slave felt the Prince on his back seemed to have moved.

But he didn't pay any attention to it.

"Big Fool, I really have to thank you this time."

As Lan Cai'er and Sword Slave were discussing, a somewhat mocking voice floated by Sword Slave's ear.

With a start, Sword Slave blurted out,

"Prin..."

Two gusts of strong wind struck them, and both Lan Cai'er and Sword Slave's vision turned black as they fainted to the ground.

The "Feng Xun" originally on Sword Slave's back, now should be said Wu Zhong, like a poppy silently blooming in the dark night, landed on the ground.

A disdainful smile hung on his lips.

"Useless, this time it was you who willingly handed over the control of your body to me. Don't worry, I won't let Little Yueyue lose a single hair."

"Catch up, they are just ahead."

Behind, a noisy series of footsteps accompanied by a dotted line of fire dragons moved rapidly toward this place.

Captain Xue of the Blood Blade Mercenary Corps, alongside his mercenaries, caught up.

After being stunned by Feng Xun's violent deed earlier, Captain Xue grew angrier after thinking it over.

He was considered a well-known old Mercenary in Daxia, yet he was subdued by a noble young man. Moreover, if word got out that they tried to harm their employer halfway through, the reputation of the Blood Blade Mercenary Corps would be ruined.

Since they had already played the villain, they might as well play it to the end.

After regrouping, Captain Xue, holding a torch, led the Mercenary Corps to catch up.

To Captain Xue's surprise, he saw that Sword Slave and Lan Cai'er had both fainted on the ground.

It was the sickly-looking Feng Xun, who was still standing there alright.

"Hongyu!" When Captain Xue saw several corpses of mercenaries beside Feng Xun, including his daughter Xue Hongyu's body, he let out an angry roar. "It was you, you killed Hongyu, I will make you pay with your blood!"