Chapter 121 Saying Goodbye
The howling wind hurt Bao'er's ears. This was the second time she had been in freefall, but this time she wasn't so lucky.
But she didn't panic, and calmly said, "001, remember what you promised me."
001 sobbed uncontrollably: [Host, don't worry, I will definitely do it, waaaaah, this is going to hurt so much, baby, waaaaah, you are my best friend]
At this moment, Zhang Ling, who had been under control, instantly regained his senses. He swayed and fell off his horse. When he came to his senses, he found that his Ah Lin was rushing towards a woman in red.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely.
The instant Li Bao'er fell, two figures rushed towards the dazzling red without regard for anything else!
Mu Cenlin's eyes were bloodshot as he pushed his speed to the limit. He had only one thought: Bao'er must not be hurt!
Helian Jin's emerald eyes were filled with unprecedented panic, and he almost broke free from gravity, his figure becoming a blur!
However, the distance was too great, and the fall was too fast!
The two of them touched the fluttering hem of her dress almost simultaneously, but could only watch helplessly as that red figure, like a kite with a broken string, crashed heavily at the foot of the city wall!
"Bang!"
The dull thud struck everyone's heart.
"Baby!!!"
Mu Cenlin was the first to rush over, almost kneeling down, and trembling as he carefully pulled the figure curled up on the ground into his arms.
"Madam, how are you? Don't be afraid, I'm here, I'm here..." His voice trembled uncontrollably as he tried to wipe the blood that kept flowing from the corner of her mouth. But the blood seemed unstoppable, staining his hands and his bloodshot eyes red.
He looked at her pale face, feeling her life rapidly ebbing away, and a tremendous fear, like ice water poured over his head, chilled him to the bone. He suddenly remembered that time at the mass grave, when she fell from that high cliff; because of the shared experience, he had shared the impact, and she had ultimately escaped unharmed!
Yes! I feel the same way!
Mu Cenlin grasped at the last straw, desperately trying to feel it! He waited for the excruciating pain to come, wishing that pain would be inflicted upon him a thousand times more!
But……
No.
There was nothing there.
The excruciating pain he had hoped for did not occur. His body was unharmed, except for the excruciating, agonizing pain in his heart.
Empathy... has disappeared?!
This realization shattered all his hopes in an instant! Why had the empathy vanished?! Was his wife... really leaving? Leaving him, returning to her original world?!
"No...no...Bao'er, don't go...please, don't leave me." Overwhelmed by immense panic and despair, this man who had never flinched even amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood was now sobbing uncontrollably, his scalding tears falling onto Li Bao'er's cold cheeks.
Li Bao'er felt as if her whole body had fallen apart, every bone screaming in excruciating pain, and her internal organs seemed to have shifted out of place. Seeing Mu Cenlin break down and cry, she felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.
She struggled to raise her hand, wanting to touch his face, but she had little strength.
She leaned close to Mu Cenlin's ear, her voice barely a whisper, and with her last strength, she managed to utter a few words, albeit haltingly.
Upon hearing her words, Mu Cenlin's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes filled with pain, and tears flowed even more profusely.
After speaking, Mu Cenlin looked at Helian Jin, who was standing to the side as if he had been frozen in place, with hatred in his eyes.
His face was deathly pale, filled with shock and panic.
Mu Cenlin spoke in a trembling voice, "She has something to say to you."
Helian Jin staggered over, step by step, like a walking corpse, and finally knelt down beside Li Bao'er with a "plop".
She wanted to reach out and touch him, but was afraid of touching her wound. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Bao'er... I'm so sorry, it's my fault. Please don't leave, okay? I won't force you anymore. I'll let you go with Mu Cenlin. I'm sorry..."
As he spoke, Ling Jin could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
Li Bao'er looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions, but there was no hatred, only a calmness bordering on pity. She opened her mouth and said to him in an almost inaudible whisper, "Ling Jin... do you still remember... what I said... when I brought you home... back in the black market?"
This time, she didn't call him Helian Jin, but Ling Jin.
Ling Jin suddenly looked up, his eyes blurry with tears, and he seemed to see that little girl with clear, bright eyes again, squatting in front of the cage, saying to him, "From now on, you're part of our family!"
Li Bao'er's breath grew weaker and weaker: "I hope you can feel the pure love and warmth around you and be happy and free like an ordinary person."
Looking at his pained and remorseful face, she gently shook her head: "I don't blame you, but don't be so stubborn."
“Ayu was very sad about your departure. He always treated you like a brother.”
"Ayu." Helian Jin murmured, the image of Li Yu calling him "Brother Ling Jin" with such energy and adoration flashing through his mind. His heart felt like it had been stabbed, more intense than any physical injury!
What exactly did he do?! The moment he gained power, he went astray and destroyed the most precious and purest emotions in the world with his own hands!
“I was wrong… Bao’er… I was really wrong…” Helian Jin sobbed uncontrollably, tightly grasping Li Bao’er’s cold hand as if grasping at the last salvation, “I promise you! I promise you anything! I will no longer be obsessed! I will go back to see A-Yu, I will not let him die.”
Hearing his words, Li Bao'er seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Her gaze gradually became unfocused, and finally she broke free from his grasp, taking a deep look at Mu Cenlin, who was holding her tightly, as if she wanted to etch him into her soul.
"My husband, don't be sad for me." After saying this, Bao'er slowly closed her eyes.
"Bao'er—!!!"
At the same time, Mu Cenlin's mournful voice rang out.
Mu Cenlin's rage swept across the Western Regions, severely damaging and weakening the region. Helian Jin was crippled by Mu Cenlin, becoming a useless person, but Mu Cenlin spared his life.
Under Helian Jin's initiative, the Western Regions completely stopped their invasion of Da Lin, and the two countries signed a peace treaty.
Helian Jin voluntarily resigned from his position as Crown Prince of the Western Regions, passing the throne to his elder brother Xiyuan. He then went far away, and it is said that after drawing out his heart's blood to save Li Yu, he left behind a generous gift and then disappeared again, never to be seen by anyone again.
Mu Cenlin thoroughly exposed and thwarted the treasonous plot of Crown Prince Mu Chen and the Eldest Princess, who colluded with foreign enemies and conspired with the Western Regions.
With irrefutable evidence, the Crown Prince was deposed and ultimately given poisoned wine. The Eldest Princess was stripped of her title, demoted to commoner status, and imprisoned for life. The Empress was also implicated and banished to the Cold Palace.
Upon hearing of this drastic change, the old emperor was so angry that his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he soon passed away in the palace.
A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. Throughout the court and the country, almost all eyes were on Prince Jing, Mu Cenlin, who was considered the undisputed new emperor.
However, in front of everyone, Mu Cen personally handed the Imperial Seal of the State to the Third Prince, Mu Yuan.
He publicly declared that his ambitions lay elsewhere, and that he had no desire for the throne. His only wish in life was to protect the peace of the frontier and spend his life with his beloved.
Amidst a sea of shocked and conflicted gazes, Mu Yuan ascended the throne, becoming the new emperor of the Great Lin.
No one knew that on the eve of the palace coup, Mu Cenlin had a late-night private conversation with Mu Yuan.
Mu Yuan bowed deeply to Mu Cenlin, his voice hoarse and heavy: "Brother, I... have come to apologize to you."
“What happened to Bao’er was despicable. I knew she was innocent and naive, but I used her to manipulate her into making enemies for you and to do despicable things through her. I betrayed her trust and hurt you. I deserve to die.”
"With Father Emperor gone, the nation depends on a worthy ruler. Now, throughout the court and the country, you are the one with the highest prestige and the strongest ability. This throne should rightfully belong to you. I am willing to serve you as my lord and assist you in my service, to atone for my past sins." As he spoke, he lifted his robes and was about to kneel down.
“No need.” Mu Cenlin finally spoke, looking at Mu Yuan with a weary gaze that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world: “That position has long lost its meaning for me.”
"This throne cannot bear the rest of my life." Mu Cenlin's gaze fell on Mu Yuan again. "Although you have selfish motives and have made mistakes, your talent is genuine. In the past, you were blinded by power and forgot your true responsibilities as a prince."
"Mu Yuan, this vast land and its hundreds of millions of people need a monarch who can calm down and sincerely govern the country, not an emperor who is addicted to personal desires and power struggles."
"In the past, I hoped you could bring peace and prosperity to the people of Dalin."
Mu Yuan listened in a daze: "Royal brother..."
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