After that, the three of them continued their journey at a leisurely pace, finally arriving in Suzhou half a month later. When the carriage finally arrived safely at Qi's villa, she gave the driver double the pay, but she didn't see any joy on his face. After thanking her, she told him he could go directly back to the capital, but he lingered for quite a while until he saw that she had settled in at the villa before he was willing to leave. What a strange person.

"What did you say? It might be tuberculosis?" Huo Jingsha's expression changed drastically.

"Yes, the spies sent to Suzhou said that for the past two months, the young mistress has been coughing day and night and feeling weak all over. At first, they thought it was just due to the change in environment in the south, but after consulting several doctors, she didn't get better. Two days ago, she even coughed up blood, so the spies quickly sent a message by carrier pigeon. The last doctor diagnosed her with tuberculosis." Tuberculosis can be fatal, so this was no small matter. As soon as Xu Chang received the letter, he anxiously reported the news back.

Huo Jingsha looked stunned. He had secretly followed her and personally escorted her to Suzhou before returning to the capital in a state of utter despair. How could he have known that he would hear such an unacceptable thing so soon? He was so angry that he almost vomited blood!

"My lord, the doctors in Suzhou are certainly not as good as those in the capital. What if we delay? I heard that the young mistress's condition has deteriorated rapidly in the past few days. If she is not treated in time, she may be in danger... My lord, where are you going?" Xu Chang was taken aback when he saw him rush out like an arrow and run straight into the street.

Xu Chang was so frightened that he hurriedly followed. He saw that the adult didn't seem to have a specific destination. He just ran around the streets and alleys like a madman. Finally, he stopped in front of a narrow and dark alley. His face was ferocious. He glared fiercely at the white-haired old Taoist who had been standing in front of him and was laughing at him.

"You liar! You said you would prolong her life, but why did she get tuberculosis? That disease can kill people, do you know that?" Huo Jingsha roared furiously.

The old Taoist priest stroked his beard, still standing leisurely. "What a joke! I only promised to bring her back from the brink of death that time. Do you think I can guarantee her a smooth life forever? As long as she is still made of flesh and blood, she will get sick, and she will experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. What's wrong with that?"

"In short, nothing can happen to her!" He was in a fit of rage, his face contorted with rage. "I risked my life to save her, painfully letting her and the child leave me, not so that she would contract another serious illness and die. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have..."

"Hehe, if you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have let her go, would you? You would rather have kept her and loved her again, even if it was only for a short time, than have her die of illness with resentment and hatred towards you, right?" The old Taoist seemed to always be able to see through his thoughts, and said unhurriedly.

Veins bulged on Huo Jingsha's forehead, his face filled with unconcealed grief and indignation. He then roared out, "Yes, that's right! You can't do this to me, and you can't do this to Shu Yao! After making me suffer a fate worse than death, you let her endure being abandoned and betrayed by her husband, and then die of a serious illness! Old Daoist, how cruel you are!" He gritted his teeth, wishing he could kill this heartless old man with a single blow.

The old Taoist priest looked up and laughed heartily, “Your own destiny is of course in your own hands. Instead of questioning me, you should hurry to Suzhou. Perhaps you can see your wife one last time and accompany her on her final journey. Besides… I heard that the assassin named Qi is almost here!”

His voice still lingered in the air, but Huo Jingsha had vanished without a trace.

"Hey, your parents have all left, what are you standing here for?" The old Taoist turned around and glanced at Xu Chang, who was still standing there in a daze, and waved his whisk in front of his eyes.

Xu Chang finally came to his senses and hurriedly tried to catch up, but as soon as he lifted one leg, his collar was grabbed by the back of his collar. After all, he was eight feet tall and a dignified fourth-rank commander. It was really embarrassing to be dragged like this.

He turned to unleash his fury, but the old Taoist priest preemptively spoke first...

"Before you leave, I'd like to kindly remind you that your master will likely be returning from Suzhou in a coffin. You should have someone prepare the coffin here beforehand, so you won't be caught off guard when you get there. Do you understand?"

"You..." Xu Chang's face turned green. He angrily flung his hand away, gritted his teeth, and glared fiercely. "My young mistress is blessed with good fortune and will be fine. You old Taoist priest had better shut your mouth!" He angrily threw the old man aside and ran after the direction in which the adult had disappeared.

*** ***

Petals fluttered down, and a hundred flowers vied for attention. In a small garden, a thick blanket was laid under a locust tree. A slender figure sat quietly on it, her head resting lightly against the trunk. Although she held a book in her hand, her bright and captivating eyes were tightly closed, and her pale face looked even more haggard.

Huo Jingsha felt a heart-wrenching pain, almost to the point of despair, yet he dared not approach her for fear of disturbing her peace, and he didn't know... how to face her. She had lost a lot of weight, dressed in a simple white dress, sitting quietly amidst the vibrant colors of the flowers, like a fairy fallen to earth, yet as fragile as a porcelain doll, her skin so pale that you could see the veins beneath.

Seeing that she wasn't angry, he felt a constant pang of self-reproach, frustration, and regret. A thousand emotions swirled in his mind, almost dragging him into the deepest abyss.

The branches swayed, a cool breeze swept by, and Shu Yao lazily pulled her shawl tighter around her, followed by a series of coughs, "Cough cough... cough cough cough..."

His eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

"Cough cough cough..." She coughed until her chest ached, her brows furrowed, she pulled out the handkerchief hanging on her front and covered her mouth with it, coughing heavily a few more times. After calming down for a while, she took off the handkerchief and wiped her lips, as if she felt much better. Shu Yao sighed again and continued to stare blankly into the distance.

The wind picked up again, snatching the handkerchief from her hand, but she was oblivious, still leaning against the tree trunk, her eyes vacant, her soul seemingly adrift.

Huo Jingsha held his breath and picked up the white handkerchief that had been blown to his feet. A shocking bright red bloodstain came into view, causing his hands to tremble uncontrollably. He choked up and a wave of unbearable bitterness surged from the bottom of his heart, an indescribable pain.

But in a moment, his resolute and handsome face was filled with a gloomy look. He staggered a few steps toward the weary figure, his gaze lingering on her pale face, hesitating whether he should go forward to care for her.

God knows how much resolve it took for him to watch her leave, but this was not the ending he wanted. It wasn't like this; he wanted her to live, it wasn't like this… He didn't want to experience the heart-wrenching pain of being separated from her forever again!

Finally, he made up his mind and took a difficult step toward her, but his legs felt like they weighed a ton. How could his woman, the woman he had sworn to protect for the rest of his life, be left here so desolate, lonely, and lifeless? No, even if he had to die this time, he would die with her!