Chapter 32 - Headshot!
This was the girl's bottom line.
She could accept the shattering of her dream of becoming a princess, but she would never accept losing her status as a wealthy young miss!
If she lost that status, she would lose everything.
Realizing that he couldn't persuade the girl, Li Nan Ke gave up and said calmly.
"Lin Jiao Yue, you're at a dead end now. Whether it's being a princess or a wealthy young miss, it's all over for you. Give up resisting and come back with me."
"Oh, really?"
Lin Jiao Yue brushed the hair away from her face. There was no trace of sadness, despair, or fear in her expression.
She asked, "If I go back with you, can you guarantee that I'll live?"
Li Nan Ke fell silent.
After committing so many murders and even creating the Demonic Creature Old Qin, ten heads wouldn't be enough to pay for her crimes.
Therefore, she would undoubtedly die.
"See? Going back with you is also a dead end."
Lin Jiao Yue sneered, her eyes devoid of any humor. She pointed to the raging river below.
"Guess if I jump, will I live or die?"
"Certain death," Li Nan Ke answered.
Lin Jiao Yue shook her head slightly.
“Li Nan Ke, don't try to trick me. I don't know about the distant past, but according to records from the past forty years, at least ninety people have fallen from here.
These people include those who committed suicide for love, those driven to suicide by hardship, those who fell accidentally, and those who were murdered...
Out of these ninety people, three survived. One drifted to Li Village, one was found in Gongshu Valley, and another appeared a hundred miles away.
So, it's not certain death. It's more like... a one in ten chance of survival."
Li Nan Ke said with an expressionless face, "So you're certain that you'll be that lucky survivor?"
The girl shook her head and said with a smile, "Of course, I can't be sure. But can you guarantee... that I will definitely die?"
Li Nan Ke didn't speak.
Lin Jiao Yue didn't dare to bet on her survival, but he also didn't dare to bet on her death.
Out of more than ninety people, even if only one survived, it meant there was a chance of escape. After all, if she jumped from here, the local authorities would have no way to find her.
If Lin Jiao Yue was lucky enough to survive, she would most likely become a hidden danger.
This was something Li Nan Ke couldn't tolerate.
That's why, when Leng Xinnan wanted to follow him, he refused firmly.
Because if this girl saw that others had come, she would jump without hesitation, gambling on that slim chance of survival.
This girl was too terrifying.
She could create a chance of survival for herself even when there was no way out. If she really survived, it would be a disaster.
For himself, for his wife, and for everyone else.
He had to eliminate this demon!
Li Nan Ke wouldn't allow himself to leave even the slightest hidden danger!
A natural-born demon was indeed terrifying, but even more terrifying was a demon baptized by life and death, reborn from the ashes. That was the truly troublesome one.
"Then why didn't you jump? Why did you wait for me?" Li Nan Ke asked.
The girl smiled and countered, "Guess?"
Lin Jiao Yue's gaze never left Li Nan Ke, especially his raised hands.
If he made any sudden moves, she would jump immediately.
This was a game between experts.
The question was easy to answer. Li Nan Ke said calmly, "Because you don't dare to gamble. You're also afraid of falling to your death, so you want to negotiate with me."
"Clever. I'm starting to like you, Li Nan Ke," the girl said, her eyes sparkling with a hint of regret.
"It's a pity I didn't meet you sooner. Maybe things would have turned out differently."
Li Nan Ke shook his head.
"It would be the same. You yearn for a life of privilege."
The girl didn't answer, her gaze unfocused and distant.
After a long silence, she gently untied her sash…
The girl's inner robe and dudou were gone, revealing her alluring figure to the man's eyes.
Under the night sky, she was utterly enticing.
"I'm using my last bargaining chip to negotiate with you," Lin Jiao Yue said earnestly.
"As long as you let me go, you can do anything to me. I can even serve you like a maid."
Seeing the man staring at her body without saying a word, Lin Jiao Yue gave a seductive smile.
"With your abilities, you can clear my name. Then, if I become a princess and have your child, wouldn't it be exciting to let them raise it? We might even become the Emperor and Empress one day."
The girl's words were tempting.
And considering the current political situation, if Prince Anping became the Emperor, it was indeed possible.
Li Nan Ke pretended to be tempted, a lewd smile appearing on his lips.
"Alright, but you have to show your sincerity. Let me taste the sweet fruit first, right?"
But as the man was about to approach, Lin Jiao Yue stepped back.
Half of her heels were practically hanging over the edge.
Li Nan Ke stopped and frowned, confused.
"What do you mean? Are you trying to trick me?"
Lin Jiao Yue looked at him deeply. The seductive and wanton expression was gone from her face, replaced by despair, helplessness, self-mockery, and a lingering sorrow.
"Li Nan Ke, eyes can't lie. I didn't see any desire to possess me in your eyes."
The girl finally understood that her bargaining chip was worthless in his eyes.
This was undoubtedly a huge blow.
Li Nan Ke tried to salvage the situation. "But my heart is moved."
But the girl had already given up on negotiating.
Li Nan Ke was helpless.
This girl was truly difficult to deal with. If she had entered the palace, she could have at least reached the rank of Imperial Noble Consort.
With her cunning that surpassed her peers!
With her inherent ruthlessness!
With her cold-bloodedness that disregarded even family!
If she were in the "Empresses in the Palace," she could have survived eight hundred episodes!
Especially since she was still young. If given the chance to hone her skills, it was terrifying to imagine what she might do in the future.
"A fortune teller once told me that I have a noble destiny..." Lin Jiao Yue said, tears welling up in her eyes.
“He said that I might become a princess. But I needed to strive for it myself.
If I took the right path, I would fly up a branch and become a phoenix.
If I took the wrong path, it would be a bottomless abyss.
Li Nan Ke, tell me, did I take the right path?"
This question didn't need an answer.
Because behind the girl was a bottomless abyss.
Crystal tears rolled down her delicate chin and landed on her alluring bosom.
Lin Jiao Yue laughed through her tears.
"Two years ago, I went to the capital and saw the coronation ceremony of Empress Lin Wei Yang. It was so beautiful, so grand, so many people kneeling before her.
At that time, I secretly vowed that I, Lin Jiao Yue, would also ascend to the throne of power in the future, and have everyone kneel before me. I wanted to become the most powerful woman in the world. But..."
The girl's youthful features gradually twisted, and she roared, "Why won't fate give me this chance!!"
Seeing the determination in the girl's eyes, Li Nan Ke asked, "Lin Jiao Yue, do you know why you lost to me?"
"Why?" the girl asked, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
The man gave his answer, "Because you're not on my level."
Lin Jiao Yue naturally didn't understand what 'level' meant, but the phrase 'not on my level' still stung her pride.
But at this point, she could only admit defeat.
"Li Nan Ke, I'll leave my fate to the heavens one last time. Whether I live or die depends on fate. I hope we'll have a chance to meet again."
The girl stepped back.
"I hope you live," Li Nan Ke said.
“I have a gift for you before you go. I hope it will protect you."
"What?" the girl asked.
Only then did she notice the rose-colored flower held between Li Nan Ke's raised right fingers.
The man released his fingers.
The wind picked up the flower and blew it towards the girl.
Lin Jiao Yue didn't pick it up, unsure if it was a trap set by the man.
But the beautiful flower still caught her attention.
The delicate veins on the vibrant petals seemed to be covered with a shimmering light, complementing the girl's beautiful, jade-like body. It was a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Just like her, withering away at this moment.
"It's so beautiful... What flower is this?" the girl asked subconsciously.
But as soon as she spoke, Lin Jiao Yue froze.
The vague yet familiar memory from the Red Rain dream, like a tide, broke through the barrier and flooded her mind, bringing back high-resolution images of the past.
Lin Jiao Yue stared blankly for a moment and then abruptly looked up.
The face that had been erased in the Red Rain dream gradually overlapped with the man's face before her.
‘It's you!’
At some point, a firearm had appeared in the man's hand.
Just like in the dream.
Li Nan Ke smiled faintly.
"A blooming head."
Bang!
Flames erupted from the muzzle.
With a spray of blood, the girl's delicate body slowly fell backward, like a willow catkin carried by the wind, and plunged into the raging river.