Chapter 67 Paying for Life

In fact, in this world, no one except himself knows what his promise to Mrs. Meng is.

But he would never forget her dying gaze and her final plea. She insisted on asking him to help Meng Lanxi become the county lady's husband and fulfill his life.

Because he owed her in this life, and because of her unforgettable prayer, he agreed regardless of the consequences.

But he didn't expect that he entered the Changhua Palace with an ulterior motive, wanting to help Meng Lanxi get the county lord, but in the end, he fell into depravity during the days of exploration with her.

After clearing Meng Lanxi's grievances, he did not leave; after the bitter cold winter passed, he returned to Shuofang to handle affairs, but he could not suppress the lingering longing in his heart, so he returned to her with the birthday gift he prepared for her.

At that time, he knew that the things in this world that were difficult for him to control had finally happened.

But now that love has arisen, who can resist it? Even though he knew he shouldn't, he still called her "Deng Deng" and hugged her tightly when she was most vulnerable, burying everything he didn't want anyone to see in her arms.

Unfortunately, at this point, it's time to wake up from this fleeting dream. Impossible fantasies are ultimately illusions, and a love that begins under heavy disguises can only end in disgrace.

He could no longer fulfill his mother's last wish, so he could only do his best to ensure that she rested in peace in the afterlife.

Everyone in the room looked at them, but even Ji Linyou didn't move.

After all, they knew best that no one in this world could stop Ling Tianshui, so why bother trying in vain.

Ling Tianshui withdrew his gaze from Qiandeng, turned around, and walked out of the dark and cramped coffin-keeping hut.

Meng Lanxi looked at Qiandeng, his eyes filled with a complex expression. But in the end, he pursed his lips and followed Ling Tianshui out the door.

Outside the door, the Jin and Meng families had already gathered.

Standing at the front of the crowd was Jin Baoyi.

He had been standing outside, and although he didn't hear everything, he already knew the general content and understood who had killed his son.

He looked much older, with gray hair appearing on his temples in just a few days. The drooping skin on his face was trembling, making him look both scary and pitiful.

But at this moment, seeing Ling Tianshui and Meng Lanxi walking out step by step, no one in the yard dared to step forward to stop them. Even Jin Baoyi just stared at Meng Lanxi desperately and fiercely, his body trembling and unable to speak.

Just as they were about to leave, Qian Deng hurried to the door and asked sternly, "Ling Tianshui, you protected the suspect, deceived the authorities, and you still think you can get away with it?"

Ling Tianshui turned his head slightly and asked, "What about the county lord?"

"The murderer must pay with his life; accomplices will also be punished according to national law." Qian Deng strode out of the dark door, standing in the blazing sunlight, and said sternly, "Ling Tianshui, I knew you would come today, so I already deployed personnel around. Even though you are extremely skilled, do you think you can take the murderer away unscathed alone?"

Cui Fufeng, who had already told her to resolve the matter privately, took two steps towards Qiandeng and called her softly, "County Lady, how about..."

Qian Deng seemed not to hear his voice. She stared at Ling Tianshui motionlessly, letting the sunlight shine on her body, making it transparent and bright, and impossible to look at directly.

Cui Fufeng's gaze rested on her stern face for a moment. Seeing the situation had come to this point, he finally just shook his head and sadly lowered his hand that was about to stop her.

Ling Tianshui glanced around the periphery and saw the guards of the Changhua Palace who had been deployed around.

He had just been appointed as the military commander of the palace. Even though he was able to convince everyone as soon as he arrived, the guards left behind by Prince Changhua and the Crown Prince naturally obeyed the orders of the county lady, the owner of the palace.

And because of his position change, he could no longer mobilize the Shen Ce Army, the Northern Ya Imperial Guard that originally belonged to him. As she said, if he wanted to take Meng Lanxi away, he had to fight his way out of Chang'an alone.

It turned out that her sincere and heartfelt plan to keep the two together forever was just a trap she had set for this moment.

He asked coldly: "Are you setting me up?"

Qian Deng spoke word by word, "I want to save you."

There was a surge of blood in my chest, like a turbulent and convulsive wave, and I didn't know whether it was anger or grief.

He stared at Qiandeng's stubborn eyes, which were stained red with tears. For a moment, he was dazed, as if the moment she held him in her arms, the world was hazy.

At this moment of confusion, a shrill cry of pain came from the side.

The onlookers who were originally paying attention to the two people confronting each other were startled and turned to look at the source of the sound.

Meng Lanxi, who was standing behind Ling Tianshui, staggered and fell. A blood hole gushed out from her lower back, and in a blink of an eye, half of her body was dyed red, looking very scary.

The man holding the blood-stained dagger beside him was Jin Baoyi, who had approached him at some point in time.

He rushed towards Meng Lanxi, who was lying on the ground, like a madman, roaring "Give me back my life, Sanlang", and swung the dagger to stab her again.

Ling Tianshui subconsciously rushed over, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it vigorously.

The blood-soaked dagger slipped away, and Meng Lanxi's blood stained Jin Baoyi's hand red. But he struggled like a madman, not even afraid of Ling Tianshui: "Let me go, I want to kill him, kill him!"

But Meng Lanxi didn't need him to take action again. He was stabbed in the vitals, and his lower back was soaked in blood. His throat was throbbing with pain, his eyes were unfocused, and he was already doomed to die.

Ling Tianshui's ears seemed to ring again with his mother's dying words -

Lanxi has nothing, you must help him...

He agreed.

But in this life, he couldn't do anything for her, couldn't keep any of his promises to her, and couldn't let her rest in peace.

She gave birth to him in vain, and he would never be able to escape from the desert where the sunset was blood-red.

In despair and pain, he grabbed Jin Baoyi's neck with one hand and picked up the dagger on the ground with the other hand, and was about to stab it in the same vital point as Meng Lanxi.

"Ling Tianshui!"

The shadow in front of him swayed, Qiandeng's voice was urgent and sharp, and then a sharp pain came from his arm, which suddenly pulled him back to his senses.

He saw Qian Deng standing in front of him. The sharp blade he had given her was pulled out from her armlet and stabbed into his right wrist, stopping his crazy action and helping Jin Baoyi block the fatal blow.

His blood flowed from the blood groove of the sharp blade.

Qian Deng finally came to his senses at this moment and immediately pulled it out, as if he couldn't believe that he could actually stab Ling Tianshui.

After a moment of hesitation, she suddenly dropped the sharp blade in her hand, grasped his bleeding hand, and said hurriedly: "Ling Tianshui, don't make the same mistake again!"

Ling Tianshui didn't answer, shook off her hand, and approached Jin Baoyi who was lying on the ground.

Cui Fufeng grabbed Qiandeng, who had been thrown away, and quickly retreated to protect her. The guards of the outer palace also quickly surrounded her, swords drawn to protect the county lady.

Ling Tianshui was not afraid of these people. His eyes were only fixed on Jin Baoyi on the ground.

Jin Baoyi, however, had already put life and death aside. He rolled over to Meng Lanxi with his bloated body, grabbed his collar with his blood-stained hands, and cried and laughed like crazy: "Sanlang, Sanlang, did you see that? Daddy has avenged you! The person who killed you will accompany you on your journey!"

Meng Lanxi had lost all her blood and was dying. She allowed him to pull her, no longer able to struggle.

Ling Tianshui pulled Jin Baoyi away and was about to throw him out when Qian Deng shouted from behind him, "Ling Tianshui, do you know how Madam Meng has survived all these years, helpless and with her young son? Who has she relied on to survive?"

Although Ling Tianshui didn't know the answer to this sudden question, he paused before taking action.

"Jin Jingting died suddenly, and the Meng family made things difficult for the orphan and his widowed mother. But how could Madam Meng have lived with Meng Lanxi in the quiet courtyard for ten years without worrying about food and clothing? Who was helping them before you were able to pay attention to them?" Qian Deng roared, tears welling in his eyes. "It was Jin Tang! Because of his relationship with Seventh Uncle, he has been secretly caring for them. He has provided continuous support for ten years, allowing them to settle down, allowing Meng Lanxi to grow up healthy and well, to enter the Imperial College, and to have the life she has today!"