Chapter 21 Choice
Jingyuan settled you in his villa and hired a doctor to take care of you.
Your condition is very wrong. The physician examined you for a long time but couldn't pinpoint the source of the dragon's breath flowing through your body. He said your pulse was very irregular, possibly caused by a combination of an old ailment and a new injury, and there was no cure for the time being.
The physician prescribed only a few doses of medicine to help you recover, instructing you to take them on time. Jing Yuan respectfully saw the physician off, then returned to find you staring blankly at the ground.
Jing Yuan gently called your name, and when he saw you turn to him with a blank look in your eyes, he sighed softly.
You used to be such a cheerful person, but now you've turned into this inhuman, ghostly figure.
"You can stay here with me for a while; you can't stay in Lin Yuan Realm anymore."
"Jingyuan, I don't want to be a burden to you."
You know that by trespassing into the Dark Prison, you will inevitably face trial. Furthermore, as Danfeng's wife, the Dragon Masters will not let you off the hook.
"I will clear your name, you will be fine," Jingyuan assured you.
"..." You fell silent and turned your gaze to the window.
It was late autumn, and all the leaves on the trees had fallen, leaving only bare branches and a desolate scene.
Jingyuan silently watched you, then lowered his gaze after a moment, said he had something else to do, and turned to leave.
You stare blankly out the window at the bare branches. You heard everything Dan Shi said: the dragon breath within you… was it Dan Feng's doing? How did he do it?
You suddenly remembered the dagger and bowl you found in the secret room, and the dark red "medicine" he fed you every day.
You vaguely recall an ancient legend that dragon blood can turn decay into magic and bring the dead back to life.
You inexplicably connect these things together, and then a bold conjecture gradually takes shape in your mind.
Danfeng, will you no longer be nourished by my own blood?
Once you have this thought, you can't stop.
You recall every moment you spent with him during this time, countless images flashing through your mind: bloodless lips, his increasingly emaciated figure, the dark red unidentified liquid, the sharp dagger, the scattered pages of a book...
Everything seemed to begin to connect, eventually leading to an almost certain conclusion.
This explains the extra dragon breath in your body.
After figuring all this out, your heart begins to ache. You've thought of countless ways he could save you, but you never imagined he would sacrifice himself to let you live.
You recall the "medicinal soup" you drank every day. To mask the bloody smell, he even added flavoring agents, just so you wouldn't suspect anything and would drink his blood without any hesitation.
Your vision begins to blur, and your eyes fill with tears.
You can't imagine how he endured it. Day after day, he repeatedly cut open his healed wounds, feeding your body his own blood under the guise of medicine, merging his blood with yours.
Tears fall onto the back of your hand, icy cold, just like your heart.
Your husband loves you more than you realize.
You should have noticed it sooner! Why didn't you notice then? Why didn't you sense that something was wrong with him? If you had noticed earlier, could you have prevented all of this from happening? Wouldn't things be different now? If you were strong enough, wouldn't Bai Heng have survived? Would Dan Feng have been spared the risk of resurrecting her?
Why?
Why?
...
You can't find the answer, you can't understand the reason.
You can only watch as the invisible hand of fate pushes everything toward unpredictable danger.
The only thing you can do is prevent it from happening until then.
You must save him, you must reduce his punishment, you cannot sit idly by and wait to die.
You clear your mind of all distractions and think quietly.
After a long while, an idea takes shape in your mind...
43
Soon, the Ten Kings' Bureau came to interrogate you. Jing Yuan reassured you beforehand not to be nervous, just tell the truth, and he would take responsibility for you. You were very grateful for Jing Yuan's help; he had been running around these past few days for Dan Feng and your affairs, and had lost a lot of weight.
"Thank you, Yuan Yuan." You smiled and sincerely thanked him for his help.
Jing Yuan was taken aback by this turn of events and paused for a moment before saying that it was nothing to be ashamed of, as it was the least he could do.
Your eyes were full of longing and reluctance, but Jingyuan had already gone far away and did not notice this.
Goodbye, Jingyuan.
...
Before the Hall of Ten Kings, Jing Yuan, the acting general, sat in the audience, while the judges sat upright, demanding that he truthfully explain the whole story.
You take a deep breath and then recount how you incited Danfeng to research the Dragon Transformation Technique and how you volunteered to be his test subject.
"Ten Kings above, suspect, do not fabricate facts or confuse the public." Jing Yuan intentionally reminded you not to speak carelessly.
"General, what you say is very true. I would never speak falsely. Judge, what I have said is absolutely true. I beg you to investigate!" You insisted on your opinion, insisting that you had instructed Danfeng to make this decision, and presented the dragon breath flowing in your body as evidence that you were willing to be a test subject.
"This humble woman, greedy for immortality, betrayed the hunting party, a crime deserving of death. All of this arose from my own selfish desires and has nothing to do with anyone else. Danfeng, bewitched by me, acted against his will, leading to this chaos. I am the mastermind behind this whole affair; I beg Your Honor to judge!"
You remain calm and composed, looking directly at the stern judge without changing your expression, taking all the blame upon yourself.
Faced with the judge's questioning, you showed no fear and calmly confessed your crimes until Jing Yuan personally called a halt.
The trial was adjourned, and you were taken to a detention center by prison guards to await the verdict.
From the moment you decided to take the blame for Danfeng, you were prepared to die.
Danfeng is willing to give up his life for you, and you are equally willing to sacrifice yourself for him.
...
Jing Yuan never expected you to make such a bold statement. Knowing you as he does, how could you possibly be someone who craves immortality? Your every word and action is merely an attempt to take the blame for Dan Feng and lessen his punishment.
But have you really thought about the consequences?
Once convicted, you will be imprisoned; once your lies are exposed, you will not escape your fate either.
He thinks you've all gone mad. Danfeng is willing to die for you, and you're willing to go to jail for him.
In a sense, you and Danfeng are a perfect match.
...
The verdict came out quickly. You were found guilty of being Danfeng's accomplice, and on top of that, you were convicted of trespassing in the prison and deceiving the judge. As a result, you were sentenced to be imprisoned in the prison for 100 years.
However, thanks to Jing Yuan's mediation, the location of his imprisonment was changed from Luofu to Zhu Ming.
Before leaving, you requested to see Jingyuan to express your gratitude.
Jingyuan asked you if you wanted to see Danfeng one more time, but you shook your head and refused.
"I don't want him to see me like this. It's better to cherish the memory than to meet again, so as to avoid unnecessary sorrow."
Jingyuan doesn't understand your actions. Didn't you insist on breaking into the Prison to see him? Now that you've been given the chance, why won't you agree?
You just smiled and didn't answer his question.
"I'm leaving now. I wish you all the best and don't let me down, future general." You patted his shoulder casually, then resolutely turned around and, led by the jailer, boarded the star raft heading to the Zhu Ming Prison.
Jing Yuan watched your departing figure until the star chariot disappeared from his sight before he came back to his senses.
There was no one around him anymore...
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