Chapter 66 The Self-Inflicted Injury Tactic Lin Zhi's heart tightened, and she realized something was wrong...

When He Luochen started making a scene, even He Xiang, her father, couldn't handle it. He quickly had someone hold down his daughter's hand as she smashed things, saying, "Enough! You never married into the Pei family for Pei Lang's sake."

"You keep saying you want to be more successful than your older sister, but look at the state you're in now, all for a man."

He Luochen paused, suppressing his emotions and revealing nothing of what he was thinking.

“Daughter, I’m not trying to make things difficult for you, but you can’t just think about how Pei Lang will treat you as your husband.”

"What you really want is his attention, but that doesn't necessarily require romantic love. Sometimes, there are shortcuts..."

He Luochen raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Father, what can you do?"

"You know perfectly well that your daughter is strong-willed. If she can't even outdo Lin Zhi in the small inner quarters, she might as well be dead!"

He Xiang frowned slightly in displeasure and tapped the table with his hand: "You're wrong. If you really want to think things through, you actually need Lin Zhi as your stepping stone."

Pei Lang and Lin Zhi met again eight days later. Lin Zhi suddenly bumped into someone returning home and felt as if her throat was blocked, not knowing what to say.

After a long silence, she simply bowed and said, "My husband, are you well?"

Pei Lang unconsciously twirled his fingers behind his back. He looked down, wanting to check on her, but Lin Zhi stopped him in his tracks by taking a half-step back.

"Both I and my child are well. The doctor has come to see us and said there is nothing to worry about."

Lin Zhi didn't know what was wrong with her. She longed to see him day and night, but she was also afraid that she would be sad again when she saw Pei Lang.

Pei Lang is no longer just her husband; he is also the rightful husband of others.

Lin Zhi lowered her eyes to suppress the sorrow in her heart. She feared that the only connection between the two of them now was the child in her womb and the past affection that might no longer hold any weight.

Seeing Lin Zhi turn to leave, Pei Lang suppressed his displeasure and strode forward to block her way: "What does A-Zhi mean? Do you not want to see me? Or are you blaming me?"

"But as I said, if you hadn't said a word back then, I wouldn't have gone."

Seeing the two confront each other, Chun Tao had already discerned the situation and stepped back. Lin Zhi, however, was helpless as Pei Lang had her wrist grabbed.

"You...let go!"

"This is perfectly natural! What can I say? What do you want me to say?"

Lin Zhi took a deep breath and softened her tone: "Pei Lang, I never thought of blaming you, but you can't expect me to accept it so quickly."

"I need a gradual transition."

Seeing her clutching her lower back, looking distressed and aggrieved, Pei Lang couldn't help but relax his grip. He glanced up and saw a figure approaching from not far away, then flung Lin Zhi's arm away.

"Okay, Lin Zhi, this is what you said."

"If you want things to calm down, then take this time to calm down!"

Watching Pei Lang turn and leave, Lin Zhi's tears fell in torrents. As she turned to leave, she bumped into He Luochen.

"Is my sister and husband having a fight? We women should be more considerate. Even if my sister is thinking about the child in her womb, she shouldn't be so upset."

Lin Zhi's eyes were blurry with tears, but she could clearly see that He Luochen's eyes were not filled with pity, but with uncontrollable schadenfreude.

It seems that her previous generosity towards herself was merely a way to numb herself.

Lin Zhi was unwilling to show vulnerability in front of such a person. After wiping away her tears, her expression gradually calmed down, and she bowed slightly: "Madam said that there is a misunderstanding. I am not sad for my husband. It is just that I am pregnant and uncomfortable, so my temperament is inevitably strange."

"It is Lin Zhi's fault for offending Madam, please forgive me."

Seeing her so stubborn, He Luochen forced a smile and watched her leave.

"Hard bones, hard tongue... I'll see how long this Lin Zhi can keep up her stubbornness!"

Since that day, Lin Zhi and Pei Lang seemed to have reached a stalemate, and the two no longer appeared together. Even at insignificant mealtimes, Lin Zhi would eat at her own residence.

At first, He Luochen would make a show of sending someone to invite her, but after several unsuccessful attempts, Pei Lang became impatient: "Let her do whatever she wants, there's no need to invite her!"

"This constant affectation and pretentiousness is never going to stop!"

He Luochen was naturally happy to see the two of them at odds, so she became even more gentle and considerate: "Husband, Sister Azhi is now in her second trimester, and she will probably give birth in three or four months. Why don't we go to the temple to ask for a peace talisman for her and the baby in her womb?"

"This can be considered as a token of our goodwill and an attempt to make amends. As a woman myself, I naturally understand that Sister Azhi is feeling unhappy right now."

Pei Lang raised an eyebrow at her, which made He Luochen a little nervous, but fortunately Pei Lang eventually agreed.

However, no one informed Lin Zhi about this matter. She was the last to know until she saw Pei Lang and the other person getting into the carriage in front of the mansion.

Pei Langli stood in front of the carriage checking for any mistakes, while He Luochen stood beside Lin Zhi and gently comforted her: "Don't worry, sister. My husband and I came here to pray for amulets for you and the baby. You are too far along in your pregnancy to go out, so we didn't dare tell you."

"But don't worry, we'll be back in no more than three days."

Lin Zhi looked down at the hand that was holding hers and felt an intense chill.

She slowly withdrew her hand: "What Madam said makes sense. Then Lin Zhi will wait for you to return at home."

Hearing the two talking, Pei Lang couldn't help but turn his head to look. He wondered what Lin Zhi had been eating these days, as she seemed to have lost even more weight than the last time he saw her.

Pei Lang's eyes darkened. It seemed he would have to find a reason to punish the people around her properly, and he couldn't persuade his master in the slightest.

"Be careful, sir!"

Several arrows suddenly pierced the air, and Pei Lang moved even faster than he heard Xingyun's voice. In just a few breaths, he had already shot down several arrows flying towards him.

But just as he turned his head to look at Lin Zhi, he saw an arrow flying straight towards Lin Zhi, which was extremely dangerous!

In an instant, Pei Lang's heart leaped into his throat, but the distance was too short, and even he couldn't get there in time.

Just as the arrow was less than a foot away from Lin Zhi, He Luochen reacted and stood in front of Lin Zhi. The sound of the arrow piercing flesh could be heard. He Luochen fell to the ground, his face pale, clutching his left shoulder.

Lin Zhi was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground, but a strong hand held her firmly from behind.

But by the time she came to her senses, Pei Lang had already bent down in front of He Luochen.

Frowning, Pei Lang glanced at the arrow mark on her shoulder. His gaze was as turbulent as a dangerous undercurrent lurking beneath the water, yet his face remained calm and expressionless.

He glanced in the direction the arrows came from, and ordered Swift Wind and Cloud to capture the person, while ignoring the fact that Lin Zhi had picked He Luochen up in his arms.

After all, she was the one who saved her and her child, so Lin Zhi naturally wouldn't dwell on such trivial matters. She hurriedly followed He Luochen to his residence, waiting for the doctor to remove the arrow from her.

The inner and outer rooms were not far apart, but Pei Lang had not come out of the inner room for a long time. Lin Zhi could vaguely hear He Luochen's cries of pain and sobs, mixed with Pei Lang's soft coaxing.

"Madam, when did you get such a big scratch on your palm? It's even bleeding!"

Lin Zhi felt as if a huge hole had been torn in her heart, letting in a cold wind that chilled her to the bone. Only after Chun Tao pointed it out did she look down and realize that there was a large scrape on the side of her palm.

Thinking about it carefully, perhaps he brushed against the stone lion in front of the mansion gate when He Luochen pushed him away.

The cuts on my hands from the rough stones weren't serious, but they hurt terribly.

Normally, she would feel pain for three days even without bleeding, let alone this, but today she really didn't feel anything at all.

Numbly reaching out for Chun Tao to bandage her wounds, Lin Zhi's attention was focused on the inner room, thinking that Pei Lang would come out and come to her side in the next instant.

However, it was already half an hour later when Pei Lang and the physician came out together.

"Madam is truly blessed. If the arrow hadn't deviated by just a tiny bit, Madam's left arm would probably have been ruined, and she would never have been able to play the zither or paint again."

"Fortunately, it will be fine now as long as it is properly rested and bandaged. However, please do not be careless, sir. If the wound is forcibly torn open again, it may leave a lasting problem."

After seeing the doctor off, Pei Lang pinched his brow with a troubled expression, put his hands on his hips, and turned to walk towards Lin Zhi: "You were also quite frightened today, go back and rest first."

"She still needs me."

Lin Zhi forced herself to stand up, her hands trembling slightly, and hid her bandaged hand behind her back. "Yes, thanks to Madam's timely rescue today, otherwise it would have been a tragedy involving two lives..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Pei Lang frowned deeply and rebuked her.

Realizing his tone was harsh, he paused for a moment, then said, "...That's not what I meant, it's just...today's events were far too dangerous. I'll come see you later."

Lin Zhi bit her full lips so hard she looked pitiful before she managed to hold back her emotions. She nodded slowly and then took Chun Tao's arm and left.

The gaze from behind her didn't disappear for a long time, and Lin Zhi covered her mouth and couldn't help but cry again.

Even so, Lin Zhi couldn't cry freely; her soft sobs were buried in her palms, as if only they could hear her pain.

Salty, bitter tears soaked the white gauze on her hands, and a fine, stinging pain crept from her palms into her heart. She was never afraid of the darkness; she was only afraid of the fleeting light that preceded it.

Chuntao had never seen her young mistress cry so bitterly, and she felt extremely distressed and choked up.

He Luochen recovered faster than everyone expected. In just half a month, he was able to get out of bed and walk around. It seemed that his wounds were healing well, but he was still a little haggard and weak.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhi, not wanting to be indebted to anyone, sent his servants with the best tonics to visit him.

She happened to run into He Luochen sitting at the table drinking her medicine. Upon seeing her, He Luochen forced a smile onto his pale face: "Sister Azhi is here."

"Please have a seat."

Chun Tao handed the tonics to Zi Yu. She wanted to stay, but was forced to carry the things, so she had no choice but to leave with her. Only Lin Zhi and Zi Yu were left in the room.

Lin Zhi sincerely pushed the ginseng in her hand in front of her: "Thank you, Madam, for saving me with your life. Otherwise, my child and I would have died by arrows."

He Luochen didn't even glance at the ginseng on the table. Instead, he stared at her with a playful expression: "Sister Azhi, is this how you thank me? Isn't that a bit insincere?"

Lin Zhi was stunned for a moment after hearing this, not quite understanding what she meant.

He Luochen's eyes were mocking as she stirred the medicine in the bowl with a porcelain spoon. "My husband also thanked me, but do you know how he expressed his gratitude?"

"He stayed by my bedside day and night, constantly watching over me so that the servants would change my dressings."

“Even when I was unconscious, Ziyu said that her husband had never left.”

Seeing Lin Zhi's increasingly pale face, He Luochen felt a surge of pleasure and forcefully reached out to grasp her hand: "Lin Zhi, you should know best what this feels like."

"On the day the marriage was arranged, weren't you and Pei Lang so affectionate in front of me?"

"Why are you unhappy now that it's your turn?"

Lin Zhi's heart tightened, realizing something was wrong, and she quickly tried to pull her hand away, shouting, "He Luochen! Are you crazy!"

But the hand that was gripping her tightly was suddenly pulled away. After a loud crash in the room, He Luochen collapsed to the ground, her shoulder wound torn open again and bleeding profusely.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Please, my dear friends, give me some nutritional supplements! I'll try to update more tomorrow! [Heart][Please]