The Villain And His Sweet Wife

Yuan Bojing parried the attacks of two offenders; the third one had stood by, watching closely. 

It unnerved him how the third competitor stood still, not making a move. He only analyzed, surveying every one of his moves. 

Yuan Bojing gave a glance behind him, noticing that Long Xia had already struck one person down. He smirked. It was narrowed down two to one. 

His attention returned to the two men that were closing on him. 

He dodged another attack, leaning backward, dropping his weight with the base of his spine. He then whirled and lunged when the man from the Scorpion organization countered, driving a knife into his bicep.

Yuan Bojing hissed but ignored the pain. 

He could hear Long Xia's grunts as she defended the attacks from her opponents. This was not a simple fight. Each move had to be meticulously calculated ahead of the next one. He and Long Xia could easily take out lesser men, but not people like the other competitors. 

The sounds that came from Long Xia assured him that she was alive, still breathing, and it was the most incredible noise he ever heard. 

Yuan Bojing gazed from left to right, catching the subtle moves, the flex of their muscles, and the twitch of their fingers. He didn't have to watch his back because he knew Long Xia had it, just as he had hers. There was no getting to the other without getting through them first. 

Sweat beaded down his brow as he clenched his fists. He had throwing knives strapped to his legs, but he didn't use them. He needed his hands to be empty now. 

The Serpent challenger came forward, swinging his machete. Yuan Bojing was swift on his feet, moving from one place to the other. He knew the other challenger would use it as an opportunity to make a second attack, so Yuan Bojing grabbed his knife, gashing the man's thigh deeply, before strapping it back into its sheath. 

He heard Long Xia yelp in pain from behind, and he looked at her, which was a mistake. It was a mistake because even the slightest distractions can cost him his momentum and everything else after.

The man with the machete swung at him again. Yuan Bojing caught the man's wrist before it gashed his head. The serpentine man tried to fight from his grip, but Yuan Bojing would not budge. The challenger pushed at him, and his partner came over to assist, but Yuan Bojing had dropped one hand to his thigh, and plunged a dagger into the other man's throat and cut his way across as he held off the machete man with the strength of one arm. 

The serpentine man then pushed to the ground, taking him with him. Yuan Bojing gripped the machete away from his face, his neck, with his hands, blood seeping through the gash on his palms. 

He heard the crowd's unhappy yells and curses because Long Xia had taken out another competitor, as did Yuan Bojing. 

The spectators had placed big bets on each of the competitors. Every time one of them died, an investor would lose out on their money. And he knew he was betted to lose. 

Yuan Bojing pushed the Serpentine man with all the force he could muster until they were kneeling, fighting for the grip of the blade. The Serpent struggled, but he did not falter. He gritted his teeth, trying to gain control again, but Yuan Bojing did not let him. 

Yuan Bojing's muscles shook as he pushed the machete in the direction of the Serpent man. The Serpent was breathing heavy, wavering, making desperate attempts to regain his control, but Yuan Bojing grabbed the pommel and dove it through the man's chest. 

The man choked beneath as blood pooled around him. 

Yuan Bojing only watched, his chest rising and falling before he rose. When he finally stood, he watched as Long Xia killed another man, her last competitor. She screamed victoriously.

Yuan Bojing smiled before his body stilled.

He felt a sharp pain in his back, below his ribcage. He coughed blood. It was someone from the Ox organization, he now realized. 

Yuan Bojing felt faint, but Long Xia had come from behind him, keeping him straight. Her expression was cold, her voice eerily calm, as she said, "You're not going out on me now, are you, Bojing?"

He only smiled weakly, "Never." 

She smiled back as she assessed the Ox man before them, her grin dying. "Do you think you can keep fighting?" she asked Yuan Bojing quietly. She knew how many hits Yuan Bojing took. But from the looks of it, she did too. 

"Yes," Yuan Bojing answered, "but the man never made a move this entire time until now. He saved his energy. He waited until we all killed each other, and the two of us are tired." 

The man smiled as if he overheard. 

Long Xia gritted her teeth. Her brow was coated with dry blood, and he could not tell if it were hers or someone else's—perhaps both. 

"Well, I don't care if he has the energy of a hyperactive animal. I'm going to kill him," she declared more than said. 

Yuan Bojing could see she was seething. Mainly because they both knew the gash in his back was terrible, but they pretended it wasn't. And the Ox man was her new target. 

Long Xia charged toward the Ox, and he countered her attack swiftly. Long Xia was slower, less agile now, as she had exhausted most of her energy. 

Yuan Bojing gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain he had everywhere. He was losing blood. He could feel the hot thickness oozing down his back, but he didn't care. He moved from behind the Ox man, and the three of them battled. 

The Ox predicted every one of their moves, countering effortlessly, attacking from angles they least expected. 

Long Xia was moving slower, losing her momentum. Yuan Bojing sprinted, picking up his pace, when he stepped in front of Long Xia's body, shielding her. He saw the gleam in the Ox's eyes as he moved toward Long Xia. 

Her eyes widened in terror as she realized what he was doing. Long Xia gritted her teeth, pushing Yuan Bojing out the way, but the brunt of the man's knife had met Yuan Bojing's shoulder, missing the nape of his neck where he aimed. 

Yuan Bojing collapsed—mainly from the loss of blood. 

Long Xia stepped over Yuan Bojing to be close to the last challenger. She eyed him narrow and dark. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at his neck. "Let's get this shit over with." 

She had nothing else to lose now, and often, people who have nothing to lose are the most frightening. 

Her eyes darkened at her opponent as he unsheathed his weapon. "It's nothing personal," he taunted. "It's just…" he looked at her, smiling cruelly, almost flirtatiously, "I really want to win." 

She smiled back unkindly. "So do I." 

The Ox man lunged forward. Long Xia took a step back, right, then left. Her sword clashed with his, steel hissing against steel. She parried his next attack, whirling around. He sliced her arm, but she ignored the pain. 

Adrenaline coursed through her body, and she moved more fluidly than ever before. She lunged, dodged, searching for an opening or counterattack. He didn't give any. 

She then swung her blade, and it met his. She pushed her sword forward as it glided down his blade, their fisted hands touching, their eyes meeting, face to face. 

Long Xia gritted her teeth as she pushed against him. She grabbed a knife from her pocket, losing her strength for a moment. She pierced him with it as he lost his balance. The man fell with her toppled over him, their swords clattering to the ground. 

The man turned her over, strangling her neck. Long Xia began to fight for her air, for breath, but his strength was digging into the base of her throat. She probably had less than a minute now, so she straddled her legs around his body, pulling him backward. He let go, and Long Xia straddled him.

The Ox punched her in the face as she bent down and bit a part of his cheek off. He yelped in pain. "Fuck!" 

Long Xia wiped her mouth. The Ox man flipped her over, but Long Xia had wrapped her thighs around his neck, squeezing as hard as she could. Her back was flat on the ground, her legs wrapped around his shoulders from behind. She waited one minute, two, until he was no longer struggling beneath her. 

When she was sure he was not breathing, she let go, rising to her feet, picking up her sword. She then dove the blade into the Ox man's chest, making sure she finished him in an honourable way. 

She faced the crowd once more and raised a fist. 

Half the audience cheered wildly while the others watched in stunned silence. 

"Wait!" someone—a medic—said from behind her. "He's still breathing." 

Long Xia turned around, realizing it was about Yuan Bojing. Relief filled her, and suddenly her icy exterior melted. She ran up to him, shaking. 

Several people came over, hovering over Long Xia and Yuan Bojing. 

"Then the match isn't over," the Tortoise King said. "He has to die to make her claim legitimate." 

Long Xia glared at him, but before she could say anything, his head had toppled over. Long Xia's eyes widened, realizing that the Empress had beheaded the Tortoise King right in front of everyone. 

The Empress wiped her blade before she removed her mask, revealing her face, which Long Xia had longed to witness. She could not believe her eyes. 

Standing before her was the dark-haired, dark-eyed woman, the one that raised the man Long Xia was hopelessly in love with. Tears brimmed in her eyes. 

She had spent years resenting Yuan Bojing, hating him for being so involved in this society when it was a part of him down to the very core of his family. She remembered the time when Yuan Bojing had asked that question when he was drunk. If he were the son of the Empress, would she marry him to be his consort? She had said no. 

"Take him," the Empress, Shi Yen, ordered the medics to do. They obliged, pulling him over a stretcher. 

Shi Yen then faced the other rulers of the organizations and said, "The Dragon Princess will be your new Empress. If you have any objections, then challenge me if you have the balls." She stared at every single one of them, including Long Xia's father, Long Jie. 

But no one dared to rise against her. The Empress is known for her fearlessness as well as her ruthlessness. 

The Emperor, who stood next to Shi Yen, also removed his mask, revealing Yuan Shun. 

So it had been them this entire time, Long Xia thought…She was stunned as well as amazed. 

When no one spoke against her, Shi Yen came over to Long Xia. 

Long Xia was about to say something, but she couldn't form words. "Don't speak," Shi Yen told her. "I watched the man strangle you. You might not be able to talk much right now." 

Long Xia nodded. She desperately wanted to tell her she had to go—to see Yuan Bojing. 

Shi Yen smiled as if she read her thoughts. "I will take you to see him," She said. "We must go now." 

Long Xia nodded and followed her. 

Yuan Shun drove as Shi Yen comforted Long Xia in the car. It surprised her how a woman so cold could be so warm. "He loves you," Shi Yen told her. "So much."

Long Xia cried.. And cried and cried on the way to the hospital.