Chapter 66 Escape: "One life is worth one life."
March this year was unusually cold. Snowflakes fell in abundance under the gauze lanterns hanging in front of the gate, and the steps were covered in a blanket of white snow.
Ruan Yang had been running and stumbling all the way, and the physical pain was no longer important to her. She stopped and grabbed the door bolt, panting. The white mist she exhaled made it difficult for her to see the scene in front of her clearly.
At the entrance of the Lu residence, a large crowd gathered around a dirty, sticky mass on the snow, discussing it animatedly. Some even picked up tree branches and poked the dark object with them out of curiosity.
Until the black cloth was lifted, what was underneath was a skull with bones showing, and beneath the thick layer of blood, the ruptured eyelids were still blinking weakly.
The crowd backed away, exclaiming in shock, "Ah! This...this is actually a person?"
"Good heavens, where did this beggar come from? How could he be treated like this? He's been stripped naked, look at him, there's no good flesh left on his body! Hurry up and get out of here, seeing this unclean thing is really bad luck!"
The crowd dispersed, and the world fell silent again, with only the whistling wind remaining.
Ruan Yang stared at the mutilated body for a long time, her fingertips began to tremble, and she covered her mouth and choked out a sob. Only when the dark figure spat out a mouthful of blood did she frantically run towards the inhuman-looking thing.
She fought back tears, carefully cupping Lu Wenjin's face in her hands. But no matter how gently she touched him, her fingertips still clung to the young man's bones and skin.
Ruan Yang said softly, "You're finally back. You're not afraid anymore now that you're home. Look at you, how did you get yourself into this state? I'll take you to see a doctor, and you'll be out of pain soon."
The young man remained motionless, lying on the snow like a wooden statue.
Seeing that the person remained silent, Ruan Yang choked up, "Please get up, okay? You've held on for so long, what's wrong with holding on a little longer? Can't you move a little...?"
No matter how she called out, the person in her arms remained expressionless, only able to barely open their left eye to stare at her face.
When the right eyeball, which had been carelessly stuffed into his eye socket, swelled up and fell onto the snow, and the cold, deflated eyeball touched the back of her hand, Ruan Yang completely broke down.
She could no longer ignore Lu Wenjin's appearance. His face was disheveled and covered in scabs of blood. His once exquisite features were completely destroyed. It was as if someone had gouged out his eyes, cut off his nose, pulled out his tongue, and severed his fingers. His knees were empty, with the white bones still showing through the cut surfaces.
Ruan Yang endured for a long time before finally biting her lower lip until it bled. She screamed frantically, "Speak! Who did this to you?! Speak up!"
Lu Wenjin was so badly injured that he was numb to the pain. He felt as if he were being pressed down in the icy depths of the sea, and even breathing had become a luxury.
He used the last of his strength to tug at the corner of his lips, wanting to apologize to her. This time, he was going to break his promise again. But his throat had been burned by Ning Xian's heat. He struggled to move his throat, but in the end, he could only make a strange gurgling sound.
Ruan Yang cried out helplessly to the sky. After a long while, she finally quieted down and leaned against the young man, wiping away his tears with her face.
Ning Xian is truly ruthless. Every wound he inflicted precisely avoided vital points, destroyed his meridians, and cut off any possibility of him committing suicide.
She understood that every second Lu Wenjin took to breathe was torture.
It turns out that the consequence of disobeying him was that she was forced to end the life of the man she loved with her own hands.
Lu Wenjin seemed to understand Ruan Yang's meaning and nodded eagerly.
The heavy snow covered her bright red skirt. Ruan Yang held the gold hairpin in her hand, her eyes bloodshot. She gritted her teeth, as if she had made some kind of decision.
A sharp object pierced her, and blood splattered all over her face. The person in her arms groaned, and the hand that had been protecting her stomach fell silently to her side. From that moment on, they were separated forever. He was in the dark, damp underground, while she lived in the sunlight. They would never see each other again.
Ruan Yang kissed his forehead and patted the corpse to comfort him: "I'm sorry, you've worked hard for most of your life, now you can finally get a good night's sleep."
"Don't worry, I will definitely raise our child... and I will definitely avenge you."
When Lu's mother arrived, she witnessed Ruan Yang inserting a hairpin into Lu Wenjin's chest. In an instant, she screamed in terror.
"Ah! What are you doing?!"
She rushed over and grabbed Ruan Yang by the collar, her eyes blazing with fury: "There was still hope! The person he loved most was you, why did you kill him? If he were dead, you could have reconciled with your lover and your unborn child?"
"You jinx! You caused your son's death, you should pay with your life!"
When Madam Wang saw Lu's mother lunging at her, she was quite frightened. She protected Ruan Yang, had someone pull Lu's mother away, and then hugged Ruan Yang, saying, "Madam, you were just saying things in anger. Don't take them to heart. Let's go back to our room and rest. The young general... someone will take care of things."
Lu's mother's manic and terrifying laughter echoed through the Shu County in the dead of night. The white-haired woman had to send off her black-haired son, and witnessing the tragic death of her own flesh and blood was enough to drive her insane.
Ruan Yang stood up shakily, cruelly threw away the mutilated corpse, and followed Wang Shi back.
She had no time to grieve. She was carrying the most precious keepsake Lu Wenjin had left her. The matter wasn't over yet; she needed to pull herself together and think about what to do next.
Ruan Yang didn't know how she got back to Ruixue Pavilion. She saw the bowl of longevity noodles on the table that had lumped over and gave a self-deprecating smile.
What should have been a joyous birthday turned into her husband's death anniversary, and the red silk hanging from the beams seemed like Ning Xian's irony.
With one dead, one insane, one missing, and an infant whose survival is uncertain, Ruan Yang faces an extremely difficult situation.
Lu Wenjin's funeral was kept simple. Ruan Yangyi was too cowardly to face his death and did not know where Lu Wenjin was buried. The next day, all she received was a black memorial tablet and a small urn containing his ashes.
She clung to that cold piece of wood, curled up on the bed for three days and three nights, neither eating nor drinking nor speaking to anyone, as if she were dead.
The days leading up to delivery are always difficult. These days, Wang has been taking care of her closely. In the middle of the night, Ruan Yang woke up from her dream. She got up and leaned against the soft quilt and pillow to soothe her slightly aching lower abdomen.
Suddenly, he asked Wang, "Granny, if I induce labor now, will the baby be in danger?"
Wang replied, "The time is almost up. The baby is fine, but the labor-inducing drugs are very strong, and the mother may not be able to handle it. Taking them rashly could lead to postpartum hemorrhage."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Yang grasped Wang's hand and pleaded, "Then please ask the nanny to prepare a labor-inducing medicine for me tonight."
"Shuofeng, go and call him over. After I give birth to it, tell him to take the baby away and find a good family to give it to."
Madam Wang was taken aback. She understood Ruan Yang's fierce protectiveness of her son, but she couldn't bring herself to harm someone: "Madam, please don't act rashly. Perhaps His Majesty's men won't arrive so quickly..."
Ruan Yang broke down and said, "But I'm afraid it will be too late!"
“I can’t let Ning Xian catch me, otherwise all of this will be for naught. He will never leave my child with Wen Jin.”
If she treats her husband like this, how will she treat an innocent and vulnerable child? It's not impossible that Ning Xian would strangle the child to death in front of her.
Madam Wang shook her head abruptly: "This is unacceptable. If the labor-inducing drug enters the mother's abdomen, she may die. Madam, please reconsider. Even the young general in heaven would not want to see you like this."
Ruan Yang covered her face and sobbed after hearing this. After listening to Wang's words, she slowly came to her senses.
Yes, she not only cannot die, but she must live a glorious life and take back everything she has lost from Ning Xian.
A life for a life!
"Madam, something terrible has happened!"
An urgent report came from outside the screen. One of the soldiers guarding the city rushed to the Lu residence on horseback. The situation was dire, and he disregarded the strict separation between men and women and rushed into Ruixue Pavilion.
Upon seeing this, Ruan Yang had someone help him up: "General, there's no need for such formalities. Let's talk things over slowly."
By candlelight, the biting wind and snow had chapped his lips, leaving him covered in soot, his armor destroyed, and his elbows bandaged—clearly the aftermath of a fierce battle.
When the soldiers saw the frail woman on the bed, hesitant to speak, the Shu army lost its leader. He had no choice but to tell some things to a woman who was about to give birth.
Ruan Yang smiled helplessly and said, "It's alright, just tell me. What news can I not handle now?"
"My lady, the city gates were attacked by the Ye army tonight. Shu is already at its last gasp, and the city gates will not hold out for long before the enemy breaks through. My lady, please pack your things and leave Shu County with General Shuofeng through the secret passage!"
......
The flames of war burned for three days and three nights. The once prosperous Shu region was now in ruins, with corpses strewn everywhere. The gates of the Lu family mansion were sealed and heavily guarded. The people of the county were deeply saddened to hear that nearly a hundred members of the Lu family had been executed by being cut in half at the waist.
Midnight, a bamboo house on the outskirts of Beijing.
Lu Yan recovered from her injuries by Ning Xian's side and fell asleep peacefully tonight thanks to a bowl of sleeping potion.
Someone outside the beaded curtain wanted to enter and report something important.
As soon as Ning Xian stepped out of the bedroom, she immediately inquired about Ruan Yang's condition: "Have you found her? How is she now?"
"Your Majesty, we have sent people to search the entire Shu region, but we have not found Lady Ruan. As for her situation, I have inquired with people in the vicinity, and I am afraid it is not good."
"Gone?"
Ning Xian frowned, a pang of emptiness and bitterness flashing through his heart. In this vast world, he was afraid that he would never find her again.
With red eyes, he snorted angrily, "It must have been tough for her, running away while heavily pregnant. Does she hate me that much?"
But the little bastard in her belly was incredibly resilient; no matter how much he tormented it, the curse wouldn't come off!
The soldier reassured him, "Your Majesty, rest assured, all land under heaven belongs to the king. Where could a widow like Ruan go without anyone to rely on? Give us some more time, and we will definitely find her."
Ning Xian snorted coldly after hearing this: "The Northern Frontier, she went to the Northern Frontier, it will be much more troublesome for me to find her."
He hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes and sighed, "Go after them for me."
After speaking, he picked up the sword hanging on the wall. His old wound had not yet healed, and he had not even had time to put on his cloak. He then led his group on horseback at full speed straight to Sichuan.
A fierce wind, carrying snowflakes, swept across the vast wilderness. Ning Xian kept waving his whip, letting the wind and snow disrupt his vision until his vision became completely blurred, and the wind dried the warm liquid on his cheeks, freezing it into ice.
Well, so you've refused to listen to reason and are now forced to drink the penalty cup. You dare to collude with the Northern Frontier, so don't blame him for being ruthless and heartless.
This time, he intends to personally capture the woman who has secretly conceived a child with another man, then personally eliminate the illegitimate child that stands between them, and finally administer the Soul-Separating Soup to her and plant the Lover's Gu.
Finally, he told her to stay by his side for the rest of her life...
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