Chapter 13

Li Yuyan was moved with pity and compassion when he saw the way she was ridiculed and called the shame of the palace because of her burns. Other called her " the ugliest girl in the palace. He hated to see people oppressed. He felt him and this girl shared a similar situation. People called him the ugliest prince. Some respected his achievements as a Warlord. Fake rumors had been spread about him concerning the way he didn't have regard for human life unknown to them, the Noble consort Yan was the one that denied him this rights because his mother was absent. The palace was full of vipers and he knew they were after his life. The guards assigned to him had been spies sent to kill him. He therefore told the king that he didn't want any. Though, he had dislike for pretty girls, he looked beyond beauty and appreciated true good character. He had seen a lot of pretty ladies during his sojourn as a soldier. Most of them had beautiful smiles but beneath they were deadly.Infact, generally he did not like any girl. He gave them a very long distance. Noble consort Yan had tried to use ladies before but that was the worst of her failures because he was stone cold to them.

Noble consort Yan had sent her to his palace to spite him after hearing she was the ugliest maid with the least rank in the palace.

Hua Lian was shocked when she received the news that she had been assigned to the manor of the first prince. Noble consort Yan had It was a terrible blow to her. She had heard many stories about his manor. It was said that all the maids that were ever sent to him died the very day they came. According to the stories, he ripped out their heart with his bare hand. He was known not to have regard for human life and a bloody killer. They said he laughed hysterically whenever he slayed people in war. He was a martial prodigy. He had killed a thousand enemies when he was abandoned alone in one war. There was a situation where he was the only survivor of one war and attacked the enemy fort. That's why he was the youngest general because no one could match his skills. It was said that he wore a bronze mask due to his scary ugly face. He was said to be a monster in human form, a cold hearted and arrogant prince.

Hua Lian's body felt so heavy that she couldn't take a step. Her few friends encouraged her. There was no way she could disobey the imperial command. She mustered courage and went to his quarters. She was struck with fear. It looked like an abandoned place as if there wasn't any sign of existence. The courtyard of other princes looked more honourable but it was quite large. A touch from her would revive this dead place. She entered the house everywhere looked so dark but surprisingly neat. She didn't know what her new master would do. Would she die just like that; it was obvious she wasn't his match from what she had heard about him.

A very tall figure clad in all black emerged from one of the rooms. He was putting on a bronze mask and was escorted by his body guard a handsome young man with excellent features though not as tall as his master. He was dressed in dark blue and had a long sword strapped to his side.The deep blue eyes that assessed her from head to toe brought a hint of recognition. So this guy was the one she answered hastily when she was sent on an errand. Little did she know that he was the feared first prince. She shivered like a leaf under his intense scrutiny. She was ashen like she had seen a ghost. Her face lost all it's colour and she was terrified standing before him.

"Would she die just like that in the hands of a monstrous prince?"

Li Yuyan stifled a laugh. Was this not the fearless maid that had quietly excused herself. The way she shaked made him feel like laughing. Probably it was because of the rumors she had heard about him. Anyway, he had to keep up with the reputation, nobody should be able to get close to him or break the fence he had built around himself.He replaced the smile with a cold glare of disdain.

" What is your name" he asked in a good masculine voice

" H.. H.. Hu..a ….Li..an." He smiled at the way she stammered and squirmed. He was obviously enjoying her discomfort. Anyway, he needed to watch her closely to ascertain she wasn't a spy or threat. He later felt sorry for the fear she went through.

He left her without uttering any other word . She breathed a sigh of relief. Tianxue the body guard showed her her room and she commenced work immediately.

"At least her heart wasn't ripped out yet. "

Though, she slept with one eye open all through the night.

She was grateful to God for sparing her life.

Mingzhao suggested a hunting competition among his brothers. He said it would be an opportunity to test their skills. They even place bet involving money for the person who gets the highest skills. Li Yuyan declined because he didn't want to show off or flaunt his strength.The others were set on winning the competition. The four princes excluding Li Yuyan were present at an enclosed forest field on the outskirts of the imperial hunting grounds—lush with ancient trees, thick undergrowth, and surrounded by towering bamboo walls. The sun slanted through the treetops like shards of gold, mocking the horror beneath. Unknown to the other 3 princes. They were about to hunt humans and not animals. Mingzhao handed bows and arrows to everyone respectively. The person with the highest skill would be declared the winner.

Screams. Rustling skirts. Snapping branches.

Wait! This wasn't the sound of animals but humans. Li renshu eyes went wide with surprise as he stared intensely at Mingzhao.

Why would he be so wicked?

Li Wenjin just accepted his fate though the idea of hunting maids didn't sit well with him but he didn't have the liver to challenge Mingzhao .

Li Fenglin accepted it as an opportunity to show his prowess and he would do everything within his power to emerge the best.

The terrified cries of twenty palace maids echoed through the trees. Dressed in pale silks meant for beauty, not survival, they ran barefoot through the thorn-ridden forest.

Behind them, a guttural growl rose—followed by the snarls of four lean, silver-coated wolves, freshly imported from the western mountains. Their amber eyes glinted with bloodlust.

On a raised pavilion overlooking the hunt, Prince Li Mingzhao sipped warm wine from a jade cup. His smile was thin and mocking.

"They say fear sharpens the soul," he murmured to a trembling eunuch beside him. "Let's see which of them has spirit enough to survive."

He tossed a cherry from his plate onto the ground below, watching the chaos like one might a chessboard on fire.

Hua Lian was part of the palace maids invited to watch the hunt. They never knew they were the animals for the hunt. They were all excited when they were chosen to come. If only they knew what awaited them…

Among the fleeing girls, Hua Lian did not cry. The girls ran in fear like sheeps without a shepherd. While the wolves attacked, the princes shot them with their arrows. Some were devoured by the hungry wolves while others were shot. Hua lian ran through the woods not minding the thorns that ripped her feet. Her breath was ragged, her robes torn, but her eyes—clear and burning—scoured the terrain.

Li renshu was heartbroken when he saw his new friend among the other maids. He felt sick to his stomach. He looked intensely at Mingzhao with something that resembled deep resentment. He was not a match for his brother but if he didn't act fast. He would either lose his friend to the hungry wolves or the arrows. His mind was in disarray.

"This is not a game. This is slaughter," she whispered to herself, ducking under a low branch as some arrows wheezed past her. One maid beside her stumbled. Hua Lian grabbed her arm and yanked her up.

But the girl was injured and couldn't walk properly. She put the girl on her back and kept moving tactically and swiftly.

"Move! Keep your head down—don't scream!"

Behind them, one wolf leapt and took down a girl in a flurry of teeth and screams. Blood splashed the grass in huge pools. The others scattered like frightened rabbits.

But Hua Lian turned.

All the princes noticed her because despite her urge to help others, she still dodged arrows and ran as fast as a cheetah..

She broke a branch, snapped it to spear length, and plunged the sharpened end into the mud. She grabbed stones, tore some piece of cloth from her gown and wrapped the cloth around her hand, and waited behind a thick tree.

Another girl stumbled beside her.

"You're going to fight?" the maid whispered in horror.

"Better than dying with my back turned. I must survive"

She dropped the girl she carried on her back and carefully hid her behind the thick tree.

The wolf charged at her.

Hua Lian threw the rock—it hits square in the beast's snout. It howls, confused. As it lunged again, she sidestepped and ramed the branch upward into its belly. Not deep enough to kill—but enough to slow.

The wolf limped, snarling, but it was wounded.

The other maids stopped running. For the first time, they looked to Hua Lian as more than one of them. Their perspective of her changed, no more the ugly duckling.

"Get behind me," she commanded

"Make weapons. Branches. Stones. Anything. We won't be easy prey."

And they obeyed the order.

" We must stay united"

Mingzhao watched, amused at first—until he saw the shift.He was at the top of the list. He had killed more maids than his brothers. The second was Wenjin and Fenglin but Renshu refused to have blood on his hands. His brothers laughed feeling he was a weakling.

The formation. The makeshift weapons. The way Hua Lian moved.

"Interesting..." he muttered, eyes narrowing. "Who is she?"

The eunuch answered, "The lowest-ranking maid, Your Highness. Hua Lian the personal maid of Prince Li Yuyan."

" That's interesting, what a sharp one we've got here."

All the princes eyes were fixed on the ugliest maid. Their interest lit up.

"She fights like someone who is not ready to give up yet.She is struggling for survival. She is not ready to die"

Mingzhao lifted his hand to signal the release of two more wolves.

" Whoever kills the girl first would win the jackpot"

This being said, the other princes except Li Renshu intensified their attacks on Hua lian. She just realized that she was now the target. Arrows were flying left and right in her direction and angry wolves charged at her. One arrow missed her heart by some inches.She was in a deep mess. But her determination to survive made her dodge all the arrows and attack the wolves. She got some wounds but she managed to kill some. The maids watched with horror and awe.

The ground thundered beneath the weight of charging wolves.

The air tightened. Her breath hitched.

Was this how she would die?

Her arms shook. Her legs buckled slightly. Her vision blurred with sweat and blood.

But her will—

—remained steel.

She would not die here. Not like this.

She wasn't done.

And then—

A deafening crack! of thunder ripped across the sky.

The wind shifted.

Something changed in the air.

Then, just as Mingzhao signaled another attack—

A bronze gleam flashed like lightning between the trees. The arrow that had been aimed at Hua Lian's heart clinked harmlessly to the ground.

The world seemed to freeze for a breathless second.

From the depths of the forest, a tall figure emerged—cloaked in black, masked in bronze, sword drawn and gleaming with quiet menace.

The wolves paused, sensing something far more dangerous.

Prince Li Yuyan.

Like a ghost of vengeance, he stepped into the clearing, cold and still, as if the chaos around him were nothing but background noise.

The sight of him paralyzed everyone. The maids bowed deeply unsure of their fate. They were shocked, they didn't know if he had come to save them or kill them. According to the rumors about him, it wasn't his nature to help.

Even the other princes faltered in their movements. Mingzhao straightened, wine forgotten.

Li Yuyan didn't spare a glance at anyone else. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, locked onto Hua Lian.

She stood frozen. Bloodied. Wide-eyed. Shaking.

He had never seen her like this—bruised and battered, but still defiant. Still alive. Still fighting.

He was furious.

Not at her. Never at her.

But at them—the ones who dared reduce his maid to prey.

One of the wolves lunged with jaws open.

Before anyone could blink, Yuyan moved.

One clean, fluid slash.

Thud.

The beast dropped headless at his feet.

The other wolves froze momentarily.

He did not look at the maids. His gaze fixed coldly on the beasts.

"Useless. Starving beasts cannot recognize real prey," he murmured.

Another wolf sprang from the right.

CLANG. A blur. Another corpse.

Each movement of his sword was deliberate, deadly, and precise. Not a single stroke wasted. Not an ounce of emotion betrayed.

Relief washed over Renshu, grateful his brother had come before tragedy struck.

Li Yuyan stood between Hua Lian and the enemy now, the battered girl behind him shielded by his broad back.

Hua Lian's heart trembled.

He had come.

For her.

The monstrous prince who supposedly laughed at bloodshed.

He came… to protect her. He just saved their lives.

"Call the medics."

His gaze swept over the field, cold and furious.

"These girls are not your toys."

He turned sharply toward the pavilion, where Mingzhao still leaned on the rail with a thin smile curling.

"Brother," he called out. "You spoil the fun."

Li Yuyan did not reply. His gaze met Mingzhao's with the sharpness of blades

But beneath the silence of his blade—rage burned.

"How dare you touch my maid?" Yuyan's voice cut like a blade—refined, deadly, and dripping with disdain,fury. "She belongs to me. No one lays a hand on what's mine."

Mingzhao's smirk faltered for a brief second. The silent fury in Yuyan's voice… was not something to be taken lightly.

"Brother, don't be so dramatic—"

But Yuyan was already moving.

He reached for Hua Lian—his gloved hand wrapping gently around her wrist.

She thought he'd be cold… terrifying…

But his grip was steady. Protective.

He pulled her close without a word, shielding her from the gazes and whispers.

Then, with a final glance—dagger-sharp—at Mingzhao, he turned and walked into the trees, dragging her behind him.

Mingzhao only smiled wryly. No one was ready to incur the wrath of the cold hearted prince.

His command echoed behind him like a storm warning:

"Leave… while you still can."

The other princes watched in silence as he vanished into the trees.

No one dared follow.

No one dared speak.

The hunt ended. The princes dispersed. The forest returned to silence.

Hua Lian clutched her torn gown, stumbling as she kept pace with him. Her heart pounded—not from fear this time—but from something she couldn't name.

Gratitude.

Awe.

Confusion.

She dared to look up at the back of the man who had just saved her life. The other maids were happy as well that their lives were safe.

Perhaps, the monstrous prince was not the monster after all.