Ning Chen turned to Tantai Qingyue and said tenderly, "Little Tanzi, don't pay any attention to this trash... From now on I'll protect you. Anyone who bullies you, I'll kill."

Surprise filled Tantai Qingyue's cold, clear eyes. She obviously hadn't expected Ning Chen to take her side and speak up for her.

But she soon realized what he was really up to, and how vicious it was.

He was cutting her off from Xiliang's imperial house for good.

She was of the imperial house herself. She had seen more than enough of its people's hypocrisy and selfishness.

With their pathetic pride and self-regard, they would never admit they owed their lives to a woman. It would make them lose too much face.

Once they got home, they would do everything in their power to blacken her name.

And that wasn't even the most poisonous part of it... What Ning Chen was really after was the Wind and Cloud Hall.

She commanded the Wind and Cloud Hall, and what Ning Chen had just said would make the imperial house and the civil and military officials believe she had already become his woman.

The Wind and Cloud Hall recruited Xiliang's men of unusual talents, and every one of them had some special skill.

If the imperial house was afraid she would take the Wind and Cloud Hall's people over to Ning Chen's side, it would never let the Hall survive.

Tantai Qingyue's eyes turned icy. More than once she came close to drawing her sword and cutting Ning Chen down.

It was a vicious move.

She was afraid there would never be a Wind and Cloud Hall in Xiliang again.

The worst of it was that she couldn't even explain, because the imperial house and the officials would never believe a word she said.

Ning Chen smiled at her, gently, tenderly.

But Tantai Qingyue would have loved to rip apart that smiling face and the knife hiding behind it.

Ning Chen turned back to the table and sat down with his legs planted wide, like he owned the place.

His eyes settled…