Chapter 63 Helping others comes at a price
As she was pondering this, her stomach started to feel uncomfortable again, and rubbing her belly didn't help.
Why don't we go to sleep? If we fall asleep, we won't be hungry anymore.
Thinking this, Tao Tao closed her eyes. It was too quiet, so quiet that her ears started ringing.
A foul stench emanated from her nasal cavity, along with a strong smell of blood, making her feel dizzy and disoriented. Before long, she lost consciousness.
The oil lamp on the wall emitted a dim yellow candlelight, moving on its own without any wind, and with a crackling sound, the faint crackling of burning oil echoed in the quiet environment.
Sometime later, the jailers had all disappeared.
A figure hurriedly approached, opened the cell where Tao Tao was, and slowly drew near. With a raised hand, a sharp dagger suddenly stabbed down.
The girl on the bed suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils contracted, and a sharp knife-like glint appeared in her eyes.
There was no time to dodge. She only slightly turned her body, and the blade pierced straight into her shoulder. She winced in pain and kicked with all her might, knocking the man to the ground.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tao Tao hurriedly got out of bed and ran towards the door. When she reached the corridor, she realized that all the prison guards had disappeared.
The person behind her kept chasing her, and she dared not stop, running forward as fast as she could.
He ran out of the government office. The streets were dark and quiet. It was curfew time. He turned around and saw that the person was still behind him, his face covered, so he couldn't see his true face.
Tao Tao's face turned pale, and she clutched her bleeding shoulder before plunging into the alley.
She leaned against the wall, blood flowing down her left arm to her fingertips, dripping and pooling on the floor.
The faint sound of footsteps, almost imperceptible, carried on the wind to my ears.
She held her breath, slowed her breathing, and tried to suppress her pounding heartbeat.
But she didn't realize that the blood dripping onto the road along the way was enough to give away her whereabouts. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, and she fell into complete silence.
After waiting for a while, just when she thought the person had left and was relaxing, she suddenly turned a corner and found her pursuers right in front of her.
There was no time to dodge; instinctively, she raised her right hand and plunged the knife into his neck.
The man's eyes widened in shock, as if he hadn't expected her to do this at all. Caught completely off guard, he fell to the ground before his dagger could strike.
Tao Tao watched the person fall with trepidation, then collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face as they splashed into the blood.
Before she could even react, she rushed over and frantically shook him, crying, "Is he dead? Don't die... don't die!"
"I don't want to kill anyone... Waaah..."
But no matter how I shook him, he wouldn't move.
She leaned down to look, her eyes still blurry, touched the wound on the side of his neck, and then reluctantly withdrew her hand.
She severed the man's carotid artery; his clothes were covered in blood, and he was beyond saving.
She looked down at her blood-stained hands. Now, the charge of murder, which she hadn't actually committed, was confirmed. What kind of mess was this...?
Tao Tao wiped away her tears and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall.
Can I still go back to the government office?
She looked around blankly.
If we go back now, there's no guarantee that if there's a first case, there won't be a second.
She wiped away her tears, walked quickly and resolutely, then started running with her head down until she bumped into someone and fell to the ground.
The man watched as she threw herself into his arms, then watched as she fell to the ground. His right hand, hanging at his side, twitched slightly.
His features were indistinct, his long eyelashes casting a thin shadow in the dim moonlight, and his voice, though cold, carried a hint of doubt: "Tao Tao?"
The girl on the ground paused, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she looked up and met his gaze, her eyes flushed and glistening with tears.
Her voice trembled as she said, "I...I killed someone..."
She looked terrified, her hair disheveled and wet, her expression full of panic and helplessness, and her trembling appearance was quite amusing.
Duan Gan suddenly curled his lips, his dark eyes as deep as an abyss, tinged with a hint of wickedness and malice.
"It's just killing someone, what's there to be afraid of?"
Tao Tao was taken aback, not quite understanding what he was saying.
He slowly crouched down, his pale fingertips grasping her delicate chin: "Why are you crying? Look at you, all dirty and pitiful... really..."
It just makes me want to break her even more.
A cold touch came from her chin, and she suddenly felt an even stronger sense of crisis than before, just like that black snake that gave her goosebumps all over.
While she was still in a daze, her body was suddenly lifted into the air, and in the blink of an eye, she was in his arms.
"Where...where are you taking me?"
Her hands gripped his shirt tightly, making them wrinkled and stained with blood.
He glanced down and saw that the exquisitely crafted brocade robe, worth its weight in gold, was ruined.
She noticed where his gaze was and was about to let go when he met her eyes the next second.
"Could it be that you really were just passing through the Privy Council...?"
His lazy tone carried a hint of mockery.
She immediately lowered her head and remained silent.
After walking through the corridor and across the courtyard, he stood at the door, reached out and pushed it open, then carried her inside.
He placed her on the soft couch, then turned around to fetch medicine and bandages.
He looked down at her with her head bowed, and as if startled, he briefly withdrew his sharp claws.
"Apply the medicine myself?"
"I can't go up, it hurts too much..."
After a while, he sat down beside her, lifted her clothes, and looked until he saw the wound.
Her pale, thin shoulder was covered in blood. She wiped the blood away; the wound was quite deep and looked rather gruesome.
Despite his gentle movements, the body's owner still gasped in pain.
Who hurt you?
"I killed someone."
The answer was irrelevant.
His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his tone was slightly somber: "That's not important."
"Answer my question properly, or you will misunderstand..." A hint of displeasure was evident in his words.
"I really killed someone."
The girl turned her head, looking at him with a panicked expression, and grabbed his forearm with her slender hands.
She didn't want to die, nor did she want to be imprisoned.
The man reached out and grabbed her chin, bringing his face close to hers, his cold gaze fixed on her.
"I told you, this isn't important. Don't you understand?"
Tao Tao was stunned, her eyes filled with confusion.
If killing isn't important, then what is?
"I...I don't know, I don't know who it is."
“But he’s already dead, he died on Huinan Street, and I was the one who did it.”
"I'll have someone handle it."
"Thanks."
He frowned; clearly, this thank you was not what he wanted to hear.
He chuckled, his voice laced with mockery: "Tao Tao, there's a price to pay for my help."
Silence spread, the air seemed to freeze, and no one responded.
Tao Tao suddenly smiled and said, "I'll give you half of my shop."
Her feigned nonchalance instantly revealed the tension hidden beneath her surface to him.
Duan Gan silently reached out and wrapped his arm around her slender waist. He felt her soft body freeze instantly, and his amber pupils widened slightly.
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