“Yaoyao? Yaoyao!” When the car stopped, Shen Qingyao heard Lu Zhao softly calling her, but her eyelids felt unbearably heavy. She could sense the sounds around her, yet she couldn’t open her eyes.
Lu Zhao’s expression tightened. Initially, he thought she had simply fallen asleep, but after calling her a few times and noticing something was wrong, he saw her unusually flushed face. Lu Zhao placed his hand on her forehead and, sure enough, it was burning hot.
Not daring to delay any further, Lu Zhao immediately bent down and picked her up. As he got out of the carriage, he encountered the anxious Shen siblings and Cui Qiao, who had cried several times over losing her Miss.
When they saw Lu Zhao carrying Shen Qingyao, they all sighed in relief. Shen Yushu clenched his fist to suppress his overwhelming emotions and said quietly, “It’s good that she’s found, it’s good…”
“Miss…” Cui Qiao’s eyes reddened again, filled with guilt.
But Lu Zhao had no time to explain. Frowning and hurrying, he only said, “Find a doctor!”
His words made them realize Shen Qingyao’s serious condition, and their hearts tightened. Without hesitation, Cui Qiao wiped her eyes and ran off. Shen Yushu, now unable to contain his concern, asked anxiously, “What’s wrong with Yaoyao?”
Lu Zhao didn’t respond, causing Shen Yushu’s heart to sink, and Shen Qinglin’s anxiety to grow. As her gaze shifted from Shen Qingyao, she unexpectedly spotted someone familiar in the crowd.
Kong Lin had a restless night, and had just been helped out of the car by Tu Lan. He noticed the serious expressions and, upon listening carefully, realized the little girl was ill again. Kong Lin coughed, but no one paid him any attention. Annoyed at being ignored, he was about to shout when Shen Qinglin, in disbelief, rushed over and grabbed him excitedly. “Master Kong? What are you doing here?”
Lu Zhao paused, looking over intently, “Are you Kong Lin?”
“Hmph,” Kong Lin snorted arrogantly, but Tu Lan nudged him, pointing to the unconscious Shen Qingyao and mouthing, “Help her first.”
Kong Lin hesitated, then grudgingly moved forward with his cane.
“Hmm… It’s indeed her heart condition, but she also has Gu in her body, making it more dangerous.” Kong Lin took Shen Qingyao’s pulse as Lu Zhao held her, and after a moment, spoke nonchalantly.
At the mention of danger, Lu Zhao and Shen Yushu’s expressions changed, but Kong Lin remained calm. Seeing Lu Zhao still standing, he clicked his tongue and said, “What are you standing there for? Lay her down quickly! With me here, why call for another doctor?”
He pouted, still resentful of being ignored earlier.
Tu Lan stifled a laugh as Lu Zhao carried Shen Qingyao inside. Though still worried, everyone felt somewhat reassured by the old man’s confident tone.
[Host? Host, wake up…]
“Yaoyao?”
“How is she? Why isn’t she waking up?”
“I’ve removed the Gu from her body, and there’s medicine to temporarily suppress her heart condition. Now, it’s up to the girl when she wakes up…”
*Sigh…*
Shen Qingyao could clearly hear the people around her, but she couldn’t wake up. The fragmented words floated into her ears, circling lazily before sinking into the darkness. Her consciousness grew fainter until, accompanied by a sigh whose source she couldn’t identify, she completely drifted away.
When her consciousness cleared again, she raised her eyes and saw a serene full moon overhead. The surroundings were silent, occasionally disturbed by the whistling wind, which startled a flurry of birds into flight. She found herself in a deep forest where every rustle and murmur added to the eerie atmosphere. Shen Qingyao shivered involuntarily as a gust of wind sent shivers down her spine, and she rubbed her arms, realizing her body felt unnaturally light.
Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her as something hit the ground. Startled, she turned around and spotted a figure seated against a huge rock on a nearby cliff. His eyes betrayed a hint of intoxication, and beside him lay a delicate wine jug, its contents spilling out and filling the air with a rich aroma of wine.
Shen Qingyao realized that the sound she heard earlier was the jug hitting the ground.
She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to approach. The person before her still wore moon-white garments, which shimmered softly under the moonlight. His fair face, deep eyes, high nose, and well-formed lips resembled a celestial being fallen to earth, yet alluring like a captivating spirit.
Despite his intoxication, there was a coldness and impatience in his expression that she had never seen in the Lu Zhao she remembered. He seemed like someone who had emerged from the depths of the underworld, capable of taking lives effortlessly despite his ethereal appearance. The scattered bodies around him were testament to that.
Lu Zhao leaned wearily against the rock, absentmindedly toying with something in his hand. His reddened eyes and disheveled appearance made him resemble a drowning man grasping desperately for redemption.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao…,” Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but call out softly. How had her Elder Brother Lu Zhao become like this?
As if sensing her presence, Lu Zhao suddenly looked up, his eyes red with emotions he couldn’t suppress. In an instant, the tenderness turned into boundless hostility, causing Shen Qingyao to step back in fear. Yet, she realized he wasn’t looking at her; his lips curled into a bitter smile as his gaze focused past her.
“Lu Zhao! Stop helping the tyrant!” A melodious voice rang out from behind—it was her Eldest Sister.
Her Eldest Sister was supposed to be in the Northern Frontier. How could her Eldest Sister be here now?
Shen Qingyao slowly turned around and saw Shen Qingli, accompanied by Xiao Mu at her side. Behind them stood tens of soldiers, all poised and staring at Lu Zhao with suspicion, not as the admired number one Young Master of the Great Liang, but as a dangerous outlaw.
Why was this happening? Why was her Eldest Sister here to capture Lu Zhao? Shen Qingyao shook her head, feeling something was terribly wrong.
“Heh, it’s an honor to have Prince Ning and Consort Ning come to capture me personally,” Lu Zhao sneered contemptuously. He straightened up slightly, revealing what he held in his hand—a jade fox. Shen Qingyao gasped. That pair of foxes was supposed to be in the Lu family mansion in Lingnan; they hadn’t brought them on their journey to Nanzhao.
Recalling Lu Zhao addressing her Eldest Sister and Xiao Mu as Prince Ning and Consort Ning—they were titles granted three years after her sister’s marriage—Shen Qingyao pinched herself and felt nothing, confirming her suspicion.
Realizing the inevitable, Lu Zhao ceased struggling. He swayed as he attempted to stand up, nearly losing his balance due to his drunken state. Instinctively, Shen Qingyao rushed forward to support him, only to find her hand passing through his body. It dawned on her then that no one else in the scene seemed to see her at all.
She stared blankly at her own hands. Indeed, she was dreaming again. However, this time, the dream was not about her past, but rather the ending from the original book.
Isn’t the current scene now…
—“Lu Zhao, surrounded by Xiao Mu and Shen Qingli, with no way to escape, took his own life on the cliffs under the moonlight.”
Thinking of the description of this segment from the original book, Shen Qingyao’s heart ached dullly. This was actually what happened after Lu Zhao turned evil in the original book.
On the other side, Shen Qingli trembled all over, gritting her teeth as she looked at Lu Zhao’s ghastly appearance. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, and then she was gently embraced by Xiao Mu. Shen Qingli asked slowly, “Why? You helped Xiao Jing, causing suffering to countless people, making their lives miserable. Is this what you wanted to see?”
Facing the interrogation, Lu Zhao only smirked. His eyes, however, revealed a trace of sinister intent. He lazily looked over and drawled, “Consort Ning cares for the world, unable to bear the suffering of mortals. Yet, she allowed her own sister to die in agony without any medicine. Truly noble.”
Shen Qingli choked up, unable to speak for a while. After a long silence, she finally trembled and said, “When Yaoyao left, my grief was no less than yours! She was my sister! Watching her suffer so severely, do you think I didn’t feel heartache? But now, the way you are, is this what Yaoyao wanted to see?”
Shen Qingyao was stunned by Shen Qingli’s words for a moment.
Shen Qingli’s words seemed to hit some sore spot in Lu Zhao. His murderous intent could no longer be concealed. His crimson eyes looked over, “Sister? If she’s your sister, why did I send elixirs and find doctors, but you didn’t send them in time? You watched her miss the chance for treatment and die in pain. Is that what you call caring?”
“Lu Changfeng!” Xiao Mu’s face turned cold as he rebuked.
Shen Qingli collapsed weakly into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “It’s been three years since Yaoyao left. Why won’t you believe me? Even if those things and Kong Lin arrived, they couldn’t have saved her! You’ve been deceived by Xiao Jing, why won’t you believe me?”
Lu Zhao sneered, evidently still unconvinced. He was deeply convinced that Shen Qingli was the culprit who let Shen Qingyao die in illness.
Watching all this as a bystander, Shen Qingyao was shaken to the core. She never expected Lu Zhao from the original book to turn evil because of Yaoyao’s death?
“Before Yaoyao died, she held onto that jade pendant…” Shen Qingli lowered her head, pain causing her to close her eyes.
When Shen Qingyao was critically ill, Lu Zhao was handling affairs in the northern border, and only Shen Qingli rushed back. When Lu Zhao heard her recount the situation then, his fierce expression softened slightly, showing a hint of nervousness and helplessness. Shen Qingli continued slowly, “She regained her memories from many years ago at that time. She asked me to bring back that jade fox pendant to you. Lu Zhao, look at this world again. Is this the prosperous world you wanted to show to Yaoyao?”
Lu Zhao’s face turned extremely ugly. He staggered back a few steps and closed his eyes in despair. No, that prosperous world had long been destroyed by him.
Lu Zhao raised his hand to cover his eyes. Suddenly, after a while, he laughed bitterly, increasingly frenzied. Then, with his thumb gently caressing the little fox in his palm, when everyone was unguarded, Lu Zhao suddenly drew the soft sword from his waist and placed it against his neck, then swiftly swung it without hesitation.
Warm blood flowed through Shen Qingyao’s body. She widened her eyes and screamed in despair, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao!”
Even though she knew he couldn’t see her, she still lunged towards him, kneeling beside him, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao… Elder Brother Lu Zhao…”
Lu Zhao fell heavily to the ground. The jade pendant slipped from his hand, shattered into several pieces.
Shen Qingyao leaned her forehead against his chest, crying uncontrollably even though she knew it was a dream. Besides repeatedly calling his name, she couldn’t say anything else.
Lu Zhao’s neck was bleeding profusely on the ground. He still smiled, his trembling hand lifted up, fingertips just touching her eyelashes. Shen Qingyao’s eyes trembled. She heard him whisper softly, full of endless yearning and regret, calling out, “Yaoyao…”
Then, that hand fell heavily, never to rise again…
“I’m here… Elder Brother Lu Zhao…” Shen Qingyao buried herself in his embrace, so overwhelmed with grief that she felt faint. Her hands passed through his body, but she still stubbornly tried to hold onto him. “I’m here…”
Thanks for the chapter!!!