Other than her master, no one in this world knew of this oath.
Lin Xuan did not answer. He merely continued smiling at her, that smile carrying an overbearing confidence. "I only want to ask you—does that promise... still count?"
Mu Wanqing's heart pounded violently, as though it were about to leap from her throat.
She looked at Lin Xuan's handsome, aggressive face, memories of all they had shared these past days flashing through her mind.
This man possessed extraordinary martial arts, acted as he pleased, and seemed... to treat her rather well.
Though he often made her angry, she truly did not dislike him.
That night, she had even listened to him as if possessed, obediently serving him with her mouth as though under a spell.
This man had seen her face. If she did not kill him, then she had to marry him.
But...
"I..." Mu Wanqing bit her lower lip, a flicker of struggle and pain flashing through her eyes—the collision between reason and emotion.
Fueled by the alcohol, she finally revealed the secret she had buried in her heart. "What if it does count? I won't kill you... but I... I still can't be with you."
"Why?" Lin Xuan pressed her step by step.
Mu Wanqing's eyes reddened slightly, perhaps from drunken vulnerability, perhaps from the grievance in her heart.
She lowered her head, her voice trembling. "Because... because of my master. My master... she is your woman. If I were to be with you, that would be... utterly immoral."
The moment those words came out, Zhong Ling, who was gnawing on an apple nearby, nearly choked in shock.
Her round eyes widened as she stared at Lin Xuan in disbelief, then looked at Mu Wanqing.
Then she exclaimed, "Wow! Brother Xuan, you're incredible! Even Martial