WBSGVS Chapter 154 V2

Now, preparations were still underway, and the crowd waited in anticipation for the race to begin.

The Sixth Prince, however, was speaking quietly with his brother-in-law.

“Why did you insist on turning him down?”

“And why did you follow me here today?”

The young man, dressed in black, had pale skin and naturally red lips, but his cold, detached aura made him seem distant and unreadable. Bathed in sunlight, he leaned lazily against a pillar, radiating nonchalance.

He only said three words: “Let’s race first.”

The Sixth Prince chuckled and shook his head. Because of their close relationship, he didn’t mind his brother-in-law’s aloof attitude.

“You racing too?” he asked.

The young man nodded. “Yeah.”

“You can use my horse,” the Sixth Prince offered.

Even though the young man in front of him was now a Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards—an impressive rank—he still saw him as his wife’s younger brother, someone he should take care of.

Nie Xiao rarely participated in events like these, so he hadn’t prepared a racehorse of his own. If he lost, it might hurt his pride as a young man.

But Nie Xiao simply shook his head. “No need.”

The Sixth Prince teased, “You’re so good-looking—if it weren’t for your bad temper, you’d have found yourself a wife by now. Just take the horse, alright? Win first place, and show your face a bit. Let people know the Nie family has not just the eldest son, but also a second young master!”

“Someone already knows who I am,” Nie Xiao muttered.

He was thinking about that woman from the banquet the other night—how she immediately recognized him with just one clear shout. He was sure he didn’t know her, but thinking of that incident also reminded him of the pain when he fell. It was the first time someone had bested him like that.

The Sixth Prince didn’t hear him clearly and asked, “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” Nie Xiao replied, shaking his head. He yawned lazily, looking like a night owl being forced to wake up during the day, completely unbothered and half-asleep. “It’s just for fun.”

Seeing he was still declining even after all that, the Sixth Prince rubbed his nose awkwardly and dropped the subject.

Boom—boom—boom! The drums began to beat.

The participants gathered at the start line. Nie Xiao joined them, casually leading a decent-looking horse from the stables. He walked to the innermost lane of the track and stood there, squinting slightly under the blazing sun. It seemed like he wasn’t used to the brightness, probably from spending so much time in the dark. His eyes drifted toward the Third Prince standing nearby.

An idiot, only focused on the little patch of land in front of him, and nothing else.

Right now, the Third Prince looked grim, gripping the reins tightly. His horse was also well cared for—its coat glossy and healthy, though still not as striking as the Sixth Prince’s.

Boom! The starting drum sounded.

The racers quickly mounted their horses. With a sharp crack of the whip, they were off.

Over on the Third Prince’s side, it was “Crack! Crack! Crack!”—several lashes in a row, as if beating the horse harder would make it run faster.

His horse neighed in pain, but indeed sped off faster than the others, even overtaking the Sixth Prince to take the lead.

Seeing this, the lazy expression on Nie Xiao’s face disappeared. He became serious, squeezed his legs, and his horse quickly charged forward in pursuit.

But the horse ahead started running faster and faster—unnaturally fast, with a touch of frenzy.

Nie Xiao’s eyes widened slightly. He remembered what that woman had said during the banquet and immediately shouted back, “Stop the race! Everyone, stay where you are!”

Then he lashed his horse, speeding up.

The Sixth Prince slowed down, noticing something was wrong.

The others also stopped in confusion, watching the two riders ahead continue with growing alarm.

The Third Prince, who was now far ahead, frantically yanked on the reins, but they had no effect. The horse had gone mad and refused to stop. He started looking around in panic and shouted, “The horse’s gone crazy! Help! Somebody help me—!”

But when he looked around again, his blood ran cold.

Everyone else was gone.

Only he was left on the track.

Just then, someone rode up from a cross path—Nie Xiao, cutting through the center of the ring, racing right toward him.

The Third Prince looked like he’d seen a savior and screamed at the top of his lungs, “Save me!!”

The racetrack was a large loop, with each race being three laps. Though the track was big, Nie Xiao had started on the innermost lane. When he realized something was wrong, he immediately changed lanes and cut through the center, closing the distance quickly.

“Let go of the reins!” Nie Xiao barked.

The Third Prince didn’t dare. If he let go, wouldn’t he be thrown off? At this speed, falling would be a disaster.

But just then, the frantic horse, irritated by the person on its back, reared up, trying to throw him off.

“Aah—!” A scream echoed across the racetrack.

From a distance, the Sixth Prince and the others were being shielded by guards, watching with concern.

By now, Nie Xiao had caught up. He leaned to one side on his horse, stretching out his arm. As their horses briefly lined up, he grabbed the Third Prince by the collar and yanked him over onto his horse.

With the weight off its back, the crazed horse charged forward, straight at them.

But Nie Xiao had already turned his horse, dodging the charge entirely.

With the “hostage” gone, the guards, who had been waiting in position, moved in with weapons ready.

On the sidelines, the Third Prince, now pale and nearly unconscious, was carried off.

The other nobles, terrified by what had happened, quickly retreated indoors. The Sixth Prince hurried over to check on Nie Xiao. “Are you hurt? If something happened to you, your sister would have me sleeping in the study tonight…”

“I scraped my hand,” he said, frowning slightly as he looked at the torn skin on his palm.

The Sixth Prince’s expression changed, and he immediately called for an imperial physician.

Nie Xiao pulled his hand back, visibly annoyed. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch. No need for the physician—I have my own medicine.”

He pulled out a small pouch of medicinal powder and started applying it himself.

The Sixth Prince blinked in surprise. “You came this prepared? If I didn’t know your personality, I’d think you were the one behind this whole mess.”

Nie Xiao: “…”

Seeing that he was about to put the medicine away, the Sixth Prince chuckled, took the pouch, and helped apply the powder while asking, “Now can you tell me what I asked earlier?”

“Mm… It was a young lady from the Mu family who told me,” Nie Xiao muttered.

“A Miss Mu?” The Sixth Prince thought for a moment. “Which one? The fourth daughter, or…”

“The third,” Nie Xiao answered.

The Sixth Prince coughed lightly. “The third daughter’s already married. You should call her Lady Xie.”

Right after saying that, he noticed Nie Xiao’s hand tremble ever so slightly, and some powder spilled onto his palm.

The Sixth Prince pretended not to notice. “But how would she know something like that? Don’t tell me her husband told her? That would be Xie Rongyun—the top scholar from three years ago. You’ve been out of the capital for a few years, so it makes sense you don’t know. But I remember that guy is pretty close with the Fourth Prince…”

Nie Xiao’s face tensed. “If you’re that curious, go ask yourself. No need to ramble.”