It started raining halfway through, and by the time they reached Baima Temple, everyone was utterly exhausted.

Along the way, Luo Huanghun kept thinking about the key factors in the Luo family’s conviction. Luo Chenhui’s private seal was merely a tool to frame them. The Ren family’s main goal was to use Luo Huanghun to blackmail the Luos, forcing them to help consolidate power. Once the Luo family outlived their usefulness, they would strike—leaving some dead and others exiled.

And the fact that Luo Chenhui had lost his private seal even before Luo Huanghun married Ren Jingsi proved beyond a doubt that the Ren family had set this plan in motion long ago.

Much earlier than she had imagined.

Luo Huanghun’s heart sank. She only had six months to find Luo Chenhui’s private seal, divorce Ren Jingsi, and escape that quagmire once and for all.

Once they arrived at Baima Temple, she only realized Ren Jingsi had followed them after she had settled in.

But… given Ren Jingsi’s coldness and indifference toward her, why would he tag along?

Looking at his handsome face, Luo Huanghun almost wondered if her memory was playing tricks on her.

Although she didn’t know how much of a hand Ren Jingsi had in the downfall of the Luo family, based on their six-month agreement, he might not even know about Chancellor Ren’s plans yet.

But that wouldn’t stop him from imprisoning her to death for the sake of Li Ling’er.

Feeling a wave of frustration, Luo Huanghun decided that out of sight was out of mind. After offering incense with Luo Chenhui, she made an excuse to go for a walk and headed to the back mountain.

Three years ago, after her grandfather passed away and was buried at Baima Temple, she had stayed here for a period of time.

The ground was slick from the recent rain, and Luo Huanghun accidentally slipped and tumbled down a slope. A sharp pain shot through her ankle. Just as she finally managed to catch her breath, a large hand suddenly gripped her throat, and a burning hot body pressed up against her back.

How did this person appear without making a single sound?! Luo Huanghun gasped in shock!

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” A low, deep voice murmured right by her ear. Only then did she catch the scent of blood.

Her heart sank. This man was injured, but judging by how alert he was, his enemies had to be nearby.

This was bad. She was highly likely to get dragged into this…

As the thought crossed her mind, the grip on her neck tightened. The man was clearly growing impatient. She had no choice but to speak: “I came to Baima Temple to offer incense. I felt suffocated, so I came to the back mountain for a walk.”

“A young lady, walking alone in the back mountain?” The man’s voice pitched up, dripping with disbelief.

Before Luo Huanghun could reply, a rustling sound came from the surroundings. The man tightened his grip on her. “Someone’s coming. You’re coming with me. If you don’t want to die, keep quiet.”

The moment Luo Huanghun tried to take a step, a piercing pain shot through her foot. She collapsed toward the ground, finally getting a look at the man who had taken her hostage.

He was a tall, well-built man wearing a black face cloth. Only his eyes were visible—sharp as a hawk’s and radiating a powerful aura.

Facing his impatient expression, Luo Huanghun summoned her courage. “I sprained my ankle. It’s not convenient for you to carry me. Why don’t you…”

Why don’t you just leave her behind and run for your life?

The man clicked his tongue, giving her a long, deep look. Then, under her hopeful gaze, he hoisted her over his shoulder with a single arm.

Luo Huanghun’s world spun. A chuckling voice sounded near her ear, “Let you go? Wishful thinking. You might be a useless little girl, but you can still warm my bed.”

Luo Huanghun was instantly choked with anger, her face burning hot. What a scoundrel! He had absolutely no shame, throwing around talk of warming beds so casually!

He obviously suspected her identity and didn’t dare let her go.

But knowing that struggling was futile, she simply relaxed and slumped her entire weight onto him. Let’s see if she could crush this bastard!

Yet, even with her slung over his shoulder, the man’s pace didn’t falter in the slightest. He even teased her, “You’re just a slip of a girl. You highly overestimate your weight.”

Luo Huanghun was startled. This man was terrifyingly sharp. It was as if he could read her thoughts and actions perfectly.

Just who on earth was he?

It started raining halfway through, and by the time they reached Baima Temple, everyone was utterly exhausted.

Along the way, Luo Huanghun kept thinking about the key factors in the Luo family’s conviction. Luo Chenhui’s private seal was merely a tool to frame them. The Ren family’s main goal was to use Luo Huanghun to blackmail the Luos, forcing them to help consolidate power. Once the Luo family outlived their usefulness, they would strike—leaving some dead and others exiled.

And the fact that Luo Chenhui had lost his private seal even before Luo Huanghun married Ren Jingsi proved beyond a doubt that the Ren family had set this plan in motion long ago.

Much earlier than she had imagined.

Luo Huanghun’s heart sank. She only had six months to find Luo Chenhui’s private seal, divorce Ren Jingsi, and escape that quagmire once and for all.

Once they arrived at Baima Temple, she only realized Ren Jingsi had followed them after she had settled in.

But… given Ren Jingsi’s coldness and indifference toward her, why would he tag along?

Looking at his handsome face, Luo Huanghun almost wondered if her memory was playing tricks on her.

Although she didn’t know how much of a hand Ren Jingsi had in the downfall of the Luo family, based on their six-month agreement, he might not even know about Chancellor Ren’s plans yet.

But that wouldn’t stop him from imprisoning her to death for the sake of Li Ling’er.

Feeling a wave of frustration, Luo Huanghun decided that out of sight was out of mind. After offering incense with Luo Chenhui, she made an excuse to go for a walk and headed to the back mountain.

Three years ago, after her grandfather passed away and was buried at Baima Temple, she had stayed here for a period of time.

The ground was slick from the recent rain, and Luo Huanghun accidentally slipped and tumbled down a slope. A sharp pain shot through her ankle. Just as she finally managed to catch her breath, a large hand suddenly gripped her throat, and a burning hot body pressed up against her back.

How did this person appear without making a single sound?! Luo Huanghun gasped in shock!

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” A low, deep voice murmured right by her ear. Only then did she catch the scent of blood.

Her heart sank. This man was injured, but judging by how alert he was, his enemies had to be nearby.

This was bad. She was highly likely to get dragged into this…

As the thought crossed her mind, the grip on her neck tightened. The man was clearly growing impatient. She had no choice but to speak: “I came to Baima Temple to offer incense. I felt suffocated, so I came to the back mountain for a walk.”

“A young lady, walking alone in the back mountain?” The man’s voice pitched up, dripping with disbelief.

Before Luo Huanghun could reply, a rustling sound came from the surroundings. The man tightened his grip on her. “Someone’s coming. You’re coming with me. If you don’t want to die, keep quiet.”

The moment Luo Huanghun tried to take a step, a piercing pain shot through her foot. She collapsed toward the ground, finally getting a look at the man who had taken her hostage.

He was a tall, well-built man wearing a black face cloth. Only his eyes were visible—sharp as a hawk’s and radiating a powerful aura.

Facing his impatient expression, Luo Huanghun summoned her courage. “I sprained my ankle. It’s not convenient for you to carry me. Why don’t you…”

Why don’t you just leave her behind and run for your life?

The man clicked his tongue, giving her a long, deep look. Then, under her hopeful gaze, he hoisted her over his shoulder with a single arm.

Luo Huanghun’s world spun. A chuckling voice sounded near her ear, “Let you go? Wishful thinking. You might be a useless little girl, but you can still warm my bed.”

Luo Huanghun was instantly choked with anger, her face burning hot. What a scoundrel! He had absolutely no shame, throwing around talk of warming beds so casually!

He obviously suspected her identity and didn’t dare let her go.

But knowing that struggling was futile, she simply relaxed and slumped her entire weight onto him. Let’s see if she could crush this bastard!

Yet, even with her slung over his shoulder, the man’s pace didn’t falter in the slightest. He even teased her, “You’re just a slip of a girl. You highly overestimate your weight.”

Luo Huanghun was startled. This man was terrifyingly sharp. It was as if he could read her thoughts and actions perfectly.

Just who on earth was he?

It started raining halfway through the journey, and by the time they reached White Horse Temple, everyone was utterly exhausted.

All along the way, Luo Huanghun had been pondering the crucial point of the Luo family’s conviction. Luo Chenghui’s private seal was merely the means to convict the Luo family; the Ren family had primarily used Luo Huanghun as leverage to force the Luo family to help them consolidate power, then struck them down once they’d outlived their usefulness—some dead, some exiled.

And Luo Chenghui had lost his private seal before Luo Huanghun even married Ren Jingsi, which completely proved the Ren family had set this plan in motion from the very beginning.

Far earlier than she’d imagined.

Luo Huanghun’s heart sank. She had only half a year to find Luo Chenghui’s private seal, divorce Ren Jingsi, and thoroughly escape that quagmire.

After settling in at White Horse Temple, she realized Ren Jingsi had followed them there as well.

But… given Ren Jingsi’s coldness and indifference toward her, why would he tag along?

Looking at his handsome face, Luo Huanghun almost thought her memory had gone awry.

Though she didn’t know how much of a hand Ren Jingsi had played in the Luo family’s downfall, regarding this half-year agreement, Ren Jingsi might not yet know the Chancellor Ren’s plans.

But that didn’t stop him from imprisoning her until death for the sake of Li Ling’er.

A wave of suffocation rose in Luo Huanghun’s chest. She simply decided to avoid him entirely. After offering incense with Luo Chenghui, she found an excuse to slip out for a walk and made her way to the back mountain.

Three years ago, after her grandfather’s death, she’d stayed at White Horse Temple for a while during his burial.

The road was slick from the fresh rain, and Luo Huanghun accidentally tumbled down the slope. Pain shot through her ankle, and by the time she managed to recover, a large hand suddenly clamped around her throat, a scorching body pressing against her back.

How did this person appear without a sound! Luo Huanghun was violently startled!

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” A low voice sounded by Luo Huanghun’s ear, and only then did she catch the scent of blood.

Her heart sank. This man was injured, but judging by his vigilance, his enemies had to be nearby.

Situation’s not good. I’ll likely be dragged into this…

As Luo Huanghun thought this, the hand on her throat tightened—clearly the man was losing patience. She had no choice but to speak: “I came to White Horse Temple to offer incense. Feeling stifled, so I came to the back mountain for a walk.”

“A young lady, wandering the back mountain alone?” The man’s voice rose, clearly unconvinced.

Before Luo Huanghun could respond, rustling sounds came from the surroundings. The man gripped her tighter: “Someone’s coming. Come with me. Don’t make a sound if you don’t want to die.”

The moment Luo Huanghun moved, a piercing pain shot through her foot and she collapsed toward the ground, finally getting a look at the man who’d taken her hostage.

He was a tall, powerfully built man wearing a black face veil—only his eyes were visible, sharp as a hawk’s, radiating imposing presence.

Faced with the man’s impatience, Luo Huanghun summoned her courage: “I twisted my ankle. Taking me along won’t be convenient. Otherwise…”

Otherwise just leave me here and run for your life.

The man clicked his tongue, gave Luo Huanghun a deep look, then—under her hopeful gaze—hoisted her onto his shoulder with one hand.

Luo Huanghun felt the world spin. By her ear came a voice tinged with laughter: “Let you go? You think too highly of yourself, little girl. You might not be good for much, but you can still warm my bed.”

Luo Huanghun was instantly furious. Her face burned. What kind of shameless rogue was this, not an ounce of shame, spouting “warm my bed” so casually!

Clearly he suspected her identity and didn’t dare let her go easily.

But Luo Huanghun knew struggling was useless, so she simply relaxed, letting her full weight press down on him. Crush this bastard!

The man carried her without the slightest pause in his steps, even chatting as he walked: “Just a little girl, yet you overestimate your own weight.”

Luo Huanghun was shocked. This man’s perception was terrifying—her thoughts and actions seemed completely transparent to him.

Just who was he?