In this state, he lay on his back in the carriage, staring at the bumpy roof, and never before had he been more lucid than he was now—he had become a useless person who couldn't even move his hands and feet.
But he thought he would die, die in that dark and damp death cell, die from repeated torture.
His last memory before falling into a coma was being tortured. Zhang Bingzhi and the Empress Dowager were convinced that he knew the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal and were determined to get it from him.
Who saved him, and how did they get him out of prison? Where are they now? ...
Chu Huaixu belatedly thought about these questions. He glanced at himself and saw that someone had changed him into clean clothes and treated his injuries.
The Prince Duan's mansion is gone, and he is now a stray dog. It's hard to imagine who would be willing to take such a big risk to save him.
Moreover, a place like the Imperial Prison is not one that can be easily entered; ordinary people cannot even get close to it.
Could it be the eldest brother?
A secret expectation rose in Chu Huaixu's heart. When the family was in trouble, his elder brother was still guarding the border. Now, he might have already led the Xuanjia Army back to avenge the Duan Prince's Mansion.
But if that's the case, why is he in a carriage right now...?
One question after another arose, and the glimmer of hope that had just appeared was quickly suppressed. Chu Huaixu rationally thought, it couldn't be his older brother...
"Whoa—" The commotion inside the carriage startled the driver outside, and the carriage suddenly stopped. Someone lifted the beaded curtain, meeting Chu Huaixu's gaze—
The man was dressed in all black, with a black mask covering his face, and even his exposed eyes were as black as ink.
Chu Huaixu was startled for a moment, staring at the man's eyes warily, and asked, "...Who are you?"
The man didn't speak immediately, but instead took a water jug from the carriage and fed water to Chu Huaixu.
"Thank you, I'm sorry to trouble you." Chu Huaixu was already disabled and needed help with everything.
He had always been a chosen one, and this huge difference was unbearable for him.
But he was really thirsty. His throat hadn't been moistened for a long time, and it was so dry that it was difficult to speak. The first sip of water that fell into his throat felt like sweet rain that moistened Chu Huaixu's throat.
Even if it's humiliating, he can't bear to let go of her mouth.
The man stared at him for a while before slowly asking, "Aren't you afraid I'll poison the water?"
His voice was terribly hoarse, each word rough and deep, and Chu Huaixu opened his mouth in surprise.
He continued, "There's nothing to be afraid of. I was supposed to be dead anyway, and you went to all this trouble to save me. Surely you wouldn't be here to poison me yourself?"
The man's pupils visibly contracted, but Chu Huaixu didn't notice.
He lowered his head and took two more sips of water, then repeated the question from before: "So who are you, and why did you save me?"
He couldn't tell how many days he had spent in the imperial prison; the longer it went on, the less lucid he became, and even before he fell into a coma, his consciousness was unclear.
He only vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a fire in the prison, and the prisoners around him were screaming shrilly. The towering flames reminded Chu Huaixu of the great fire at the Duanwang Mansion.
He struggled to open his eyes because of the fire. He was already unable to move, and the fire made it even harder for him to move. He could only watch helplessly as the fire spread rapidly.
He thought he was going to die.
They even longed for death.
Death would end everything.
But he did not die.
He was saved by this person.
Chu Huaixu didn't know whether he should feel fortunate or regretful about this.
"I am but a commoner in the martial world. I have received great kindness from the prince and was entrusted by him to rescue you from your predicament."
Upon hearing something related to his father, Chu Huaixu was suddenly stunned, and then his chest heaved violently.
The man in black glanced at him and said, "A month ago, the Prince sent me a letter, saying that if the Prince Duan's mansion falls into trouble, I must save the young master."
It turned out that his father had known all along that the Prince Duan's mansion would face such a calamity, and had prepared a backup plan for him long ago.
"What about the others?" Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope finally rekindled in Chu Huaixu's heart. "What about my older brother?"
The man in black lowered his eyes.
The horse snorted, and Chu Huaixu's heart sank deeper and deeper into the man's silence.
His mother committed suicide in front of him, and his father and second brother were shot to death by a hail of arrows in the palace, leaving only his eldest brother.
He thought his elder brother would escape unscathed.
But judging from the man in black's reaction now, his chances of survival are slim.
"Please tell me, my benefactor, how is my elder brother...?"
Chu Huaixu desperately wanted to rush over and grab the man in black's clothes, but in reality, he couldn't move at all. He was like a dying fish, struggling even to thrash around.
Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his hair.
That was so embarrassing.
"Please, tell me..."
When the young noblewoman, born into wealth and privilege, used the word "beg" for the first time, the man in black's back suddenly stiffened, and his jaw beneath the mask tightened as he clenched his teeth, desperately trying to suppress his emotions.
He dared not look into those heartbreaking eyes, afraid that he would lose control and go mad.
"Please, please..."
The man in black squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face to the side: "Take a nap first, we'll be there soon—"
The hem of his clothes was gently tugged, and a tearful plea pierced the man's heart like a knife. He turned around abruptly, all his words falling silent.
She lowered her eyes and met Chu Huaixu's gaze.
His tendons had already been severed, and such a simple action had almost exhausted all his strength, with cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Please tell me, I want to know..." he kept pleading, his face ashen.
The man in black dared not imagine how much pain he had endured and how much determination he had made to be able to perform such a movement even with his tendons severed.
The movement was so light and so brief that Chu Huaixu couldn't bear it any longer and let go. But that brief moment was like a strong silkworm thread, tightly strangling the man in black's neck.
The man in black looked at him.
I watched it for a very long time.
Finally, he let out a long breath and said, "Dead."
Even though it was a result he had already guessed, the moment it was actually confirmed still stunned Chu Huaixu on the spot.
He couldn't describe his feelings at that moment; it felt like the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing.
"Impossible, I don't believe it..." He lowered his head and lowered his eyes.
Having endured extreme torture in the imperial prison, his body was now covered in wounds, with faint traces of new and old scars on the side of his neck, densely packed and varying in depth.
"My elder brother has the Xuanjia Army, how could he possibly... how could he..."
He couldn't bear to say that word. He lifted his eyelids again, staring at the man in black. His eyes were dull and lifeless, with a heartbreaking emptiness.
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