Transmigration:The Villain Wants A Happy End Without His BeastHusbands-Chapter 45: Who Did You Provoke?

Ningyan couldn’t believe his ears.

What was it with male leads and their obsession with placing him beneath them?

Yes, Yan Wuhen was exactly what Jun Haoxuan and Yan Wuyin described. Manipulative, psychotic, selfish. But Ningyan wasn’t about to leap from one cage into another and call it freedom.

Jun Haoxuan studied him, clearly waiting for his answer.

Beside him, Yan Wuhen’s fingers tightened in his sleeve.

"Don’t tell me," Wuhen said lightly, though his smile was thin, "that you’re actually considering it, Yan’er."

"I’m not an idiot," Ningyan replied flatly.

He turned back to Jun Haoxuan and bowed slightly. "I don’t have a choice, Your Highness. The spirit mate chain can’t be broken. Becoming your disciple would only mean trading one prison for another."

If Lan Meishan hadn’t revealed the truth that the chain could only be transferred, never destroyed, he might have hesitated. Just for a moment.

Jun Haoxuan’s eyes sharpened. "You are clever," he said slowly, glancing at Wuhen. "But not clever enough."

Yan Wuhen released Ningyan’s sleeve.

Ningyan immediately stood, bowed once more, and forced his voice calmly. "I need some air."

Then he turned and left.

°°°°°°°°°°

The cold hit him the moment he stepped into the courtyard.

Fireworks still lit the sky in brilliant colors, but they only made the night feel colder, emptier. The wind had picked up since earlier. It was sharp now... biting.

His stomach churned.

Sweat clung uncomfortably to his skin as nausea crawled up his throat. He wiped his forehead and staggered forward, stopping beneath a tall tree at the edge of the courtyard.

Without thinking too hard about it, he climbed.

His hands shook as he pulled himself onto a thick branch and sat, legs dangling as he forced himself to breathe slowly.

That was when it came again.

That unmistakable feeling of being watched.

Ningyan stilled.

The bushes rustled.

He snapped his head toward the sound. But it was only the wind, dragging leaves across stone.

His eyes narrowed. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Slowly, he rose to his feet on the branch.

"Who’s there?" he called out.

Silence.

"Come out," he said sharply. "You creep."

Nothing.

Unease crawled up his spine.

He shifted his weight, preparing to jump down..... A sharp twang cut through the air.

A blood-red arrow materialized out of nowhere, tearing straight toward his head.

Ningyan barely had time to react.

He twisted sideways instinctively.

The arrow sliced past his face, close enough for him to feel its heat graze his skin.

He gasped, heart slamming violently against his ribs. "What the hell—?!"

Two more arrows came flying at him.

Ningyan didn’t think, he moved.

He scrambled higher up the tree, bark scraping his palms as he climbed, then leapt onto the manor’s roof with a sharp gasp. His chest burned as he spun around, his eyes darting wildly, searching for whoever was trying to kill him.

Another arrow.

Then four more.

He ran.

Tiles slid beneath his feet as he sprinted across the rooftop, breath tearing out of his lungs. In the distance, enormous shadows surged upward. Four massive dragons bursting into the sky, their wings blotting out the moonlight.

The distraction nearly killed him.

As he jumped toward another roof extension, his foot slipped. Pain exploded through his back.

"Ack! Fuck!" He cursed, staggering forward as an arrow lodged itself deep between his shoulder blades.

His vision blurred.

Grinding his teeth, he twisted around and barely managed to snatch another incoming arrow midair, his hands shaking violently as he crushed it in his grip.

Why... Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe?

Who was doing this?

Ningyan dropped from the roof.

He hit the ground hard and bolted for the manor, light footsteps pounding behind him. Panic surged, but adrenaline pushed him faster. He slid open a door and threw himself inside a dark room, slamming it shut as he collapsed to the floor.

His fingers fumbled blindly for the arrow in his back.

Pain ripped through him.

Tears burned his eyes, but he bit down hard, refusing to make a sound as he yanked it free. Blood soaked his fingers.

He stared at the glowing red arrows on the floor.

Slowly, their light dimmed.

"What is going on?" Ningyan wiped the sweat from his brow, his stomach twisting violently.

His head spun, his limbs heavy, numb. The sensation hit him all at once, ugly and familiar in the worst way.

Have I been Drugged?

His breath hitched.

The wine....

Had someone had spiked his wine?

He dragged a hand through his hair, strands sticking damply to his face and then he doubled over, vomiting hard onto the floor, coughing as his insides burned. The wound in his back throbbed sharply with every breath.

Time blurred.

Footsteps passed the door. Voices murmured. But no one came inside.

Eventually, Ningyan forced himself upright.

Staggering toward the window, he reached for the latch...

The lantern in the corner of the room suddenly flared to life. Light flooded the chamber.

Ningyan froze.

Rong Yue stood beside it. "That’s disgusting,"

Ningyan nearly screamed, barely swallowing it down as he stumbled back against the window, fingers curling around the frame, ready to jump.

"What the hell?" he snapped hoarsely. "How long have you been in here?"

"You’re losing a lot of blood, Ningyan." Rong Yue’s voice was calm as his gaze swept over him from head to toe.

Ningyan blinked, his vision swimming. "I’ll... take care of it," he said through clenched teeth.

He wouldn’t. He knew it. His limbs felt heavy, his thoughts sluggish, the room tilting dangerously.

"I doubt that," Rong Yue took a step forward. "You already look like a corpse."

Ningyan immediately thrust one leg out, bracing himself. "Don’t come any closer."

Rong Yue stopped. Those icy blue feline eyes narrowed slightly. "Someone is trying to kill you," he said. "Who did you provoke?"

Mingze’s face flashed through Ningyan’s mind.

He said nothing.

Suddenly, his instincts screamed.

Ningyan twisted just as a blood-red arrow tore through the air toward him. He caught a glimpse of a shadow perched high in a distant tree and hurled himself back into the room.

His body slammed into the floor as the arrow flew past the window and embedded itself deep into the wall with a sharp thud.

Heart pounding, Ningyan kicked the window shut and staggered upright.

Rong Yue crossed the distance in two strides and grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet. His expression had hardened.

"That was close," he said.

"Let go," Ningyan snapped hoarsely and tore himself free.

Rong Yue exhaled slowly. He walked to the wall, gripped the glowing red arrow, and ripped it free with ease, studying it with interest.

"This arrow..." he murmured.

Ningyan swallowed hard. "Do you know who it—"

The nausea hit him like a wave.

His stomach twisted violently.

He barely had time to gasp before he doubled over again, vomiting harshly, clutching his abdomen as pain ripped through him.

Everything went dark.

Rong Yue, meanwhile, watched as Ningyan collapsed beside his own vomit, blood staining his robes, his skin deathly pale and slick with sweat.

"...Troublesome indeed," he muttered.