Chapter 84 If Caiwei killed him, or…
How long would the moment that could trap Su Heng last?
How long can we avoid being found by him?
Jiang Geyun didn't know.
More concerned with her own body temperature than with those more distant issues.
It's a bit ominous to say, but she was in a state close to that of a zombie. Her limbs were ice-cold, and apart from the bloodstains spreading on her chest, there probably wasn't a single drop of blood to be squeezed from her body.
She looked down at her hands.
At this point, no strange spots have appeared on her body yet. I wonder what will happen later. The sensations... are quite peculiar.
In short, after escaping in an extremely extreme way, she had an experience similar to that of Bi Gan—the same Bi Gan who was dissected by King Zhou of Shang after Daji said she needed a heart with seven orifices as a medicinal ingredient.
Who could have imagined that one day I would share the same plight as Bi Gan!
Suddenly there was a knock on the window.
Jiang Geyun was taken aback.
Her actions and thoughts became much slower, and it took her two or three times longer than usual to realize what had happened.
She hoped the visitor wouldn't tell her that a person without a heart dies.
She got up and opened the window.
It was a figure that was both unexpected and expected: Pei Xueyi.
The girl in the snow-white dress nimbly slipped through the gap in the window that Jiang Geyun had opened, landing in front of Jiang Geyun in the room. She greeted her energetically, "How did it go? Was it alright?"
Jiang Geyun nodded and said, "As you can see."
Jiang Geyun originally thought that this escape would depend entirely on herself, whether it was confirming how the big villain was targeting her, confirming whether Lingxi was being monitored, or the most realistic and basic question—how to create an opportunity to escape.
Unexpectedly, Pei Xueyi, who had been released by the Hua family, returned to the capital within seven days. After realizing Jiang Geyun's intentions, she volunteered to assist her.
but……
"How did you manage to do that?"
Pei Xueyi asked casually, seemingly unconcerned that the person in front of her was far from being "good," and only concerned with satisfying her own curiosity.
Jiang Geyun didn't mind, but she wasn't going to explain the issue either.
She said, "It's just good luck."
She ultimately didn't tell Pei Xueyi the detailed plan. The more people who knew, the greater the risk of exposure. This time, only she knew how she planned to escape by using "a power that doesn't exist in this world."
--system.
When resolving the Mustard Seed Mountain issue, she worried that the middle-aged man might cause trouble again later, so she left some "trap" on him.
By activating this hidden piece, a chessboard for unfolding plans can be created.
What if he gets stopped?
Then we'll use other hidden pieces.
Having done so much here and solved so many problems, how could she, who had a habit of keeping backup plans since the mission case, do nothing?
For the past seven days, the system has been reporting how much longer she has to live before she is eliminated. She relies on this timer to confirm that she is not being deceived by another illusion and that she is living through real time.
Knowing that the time had come, Jiang Geyun activated all the hidden pieces.
Some came because of time and location constraints, some were released by her after she initially thought the matter was resolved and there was no need to continue paying attention, and some were intercepted at different stages. The one that first broke through countless checkpoints and successfully "kidnapped" her was this one from Mustard Seed Mountain.
The people in the Eastern Palace knew that Jiang Geyun was pretending to be kidnapped, but they were concerned about protecting her and dared not take any drastic actions. Therefore, they still allowed her to successfully set up the scene.
Without hesitation, she knocked the middle-aged man unconscious with a single palm strike, and then used her natal fire to separate the space, ensuring that if anyone arrived at this place before Su Heng, they would not be able to break through this barrier for a while.
Don't be fooled by the fact that your natal fire element always seems like a helpful assistant. It has different temperaments depending on who it's dealing with. It can be used for lighting, or it can burn an enemy to ashes overnight.
This time, it was used both to buy time and to cover up the presence of the animal.
She used her natal fire as her own "prison," in which she personally cut open her own chest, let her blood flow out, and rushed towards freedom.
She learned this method—separating her heart, blood, and physical body while ensuring her physical body remained temporarily undying—through painstaking effort during her studies at the Xuandu Academy.
In recent days, Jiang Geyun has been reading a lot of obscure ancient books, claiming it was for work.
Pretending not to see him was also to save more time.
So, after separating, how can one remotely control their own heart and cause it fatal damage? How can one kill themselves from thousands of miles away?
It's a system.
It's the system that's been clamoring to erase her.
The systemic remnants remaining in her heart should now have successfully "erased" her, right?
This "power that does not exist in this world" solved for her the problem of how to split into two groups and "kill" herself after her main body had escaped.
However, there was one thing that puzzled her...
Pei Xueyi was clearly dissatisfied with Jiang Geyun's perfunctory answer. She muttered something, but seeing that Jiang Geyun was resolute and didn't seem like she could get an answer just by being coaxed, she had no choice but to change the subject and steer the conversation toward another topic that she was more concerned about.
"Why did you run away? The Crown Prince should have solved all your problems. Why did you do this? What's your story?"
Pei Xueyi's eyes shone even brighter than when she had asked her how she escaped.
Clearly, gossip was more appealing to this girl than any scheme.
Considering that their current foothold relies on the person in front of them using their own resources, and that they will most likely need the person's help in the future, Jiang Geyun could share this little bit of gossip.
“You’re right,” she said.
She believed him that by following his guidance, she could completely avoid worrying about the system's problems, and even about any problems that arose or would arise in the future, without suffering any pain.
But.
Jiang Geyun said, "I believe in him, and I like him very much, but I need to believe in myself even more."
Pei Xueyi looked puzzled and murmured, "Just because of this?"
"Just because of this."
She chose to handle everything herself, willing to endure the excruciating pain of having her heart ripped out, to personally eliminate her enemies.
There are some things that cannot be done by others.
Seeing that Pei Xueyi was still not satisfied, Jiang Geyun continued helplessly: "...Whenever you are eager to obtain something, you will most likely lose it. Only when you have the absolute strength to easily obtain it will it have a chance to come into your possession."
"The same applies to this matter. If we easily accept this caged bird state, our relationship will definitely become absurd, and I... don't want to see it develop that way."
As she spoke, she suddenly realized that her mood was clearly getting worse.
She had also made some plans for their future, but if Cheng... Suheng refused, she would definitely listen to his opinion and adjust accordingly.
It wasn't because he was stronger or weaker than her, but simply because...
Thinking of this, a dull ache began to throb in her heart.
...It seems this body is really sluggish right now.
Su Heng must have a way to solve the system, and he must not have forgotten the time limit, but he didn't tell her anything. He was confident that he could solve everything and didn't need her to know anything. That's why the plan was implemented so perfectly.
Why can't I talk to her more?
Jiang Geyun sat down, hugged her knees, buried her face in them, and said in a slightly muffled voice, "Sigh, why am I saying this to you..."
Pei Xueyi was shocked: "How could you settle down in such a place! You have no heart at all now!"
That's true.
Pei Xueyi's words were clearly intended to lighten the mood.
Her previous liveliness must have had this in mind, and guiding Jiang Geyun to speak her mind was more or less out of a desire to comfort her. With this in mind, Jiang Geyun cheered up, raised her face and gave her a weak smile.
Pei Xueyi moved closer to Jiang Geyun, about to say something, when her gaze paused slightly.
As the distance closes, it becomes clear that when you get close to Jiang Geyun, in addition to the faint smell of blood, you can also smell... a lingering woody fragrance.
She asked softly, "Ah Yun, what are you going to do next?"
“I’m not really sure either… no,” Jiang Geyun’s voice trailed off, and she instinctively uttered half a sentence before turning back to say, “I want to know what he’s trying to do, why he’s doing this, and then…”
Kill him, or...
After learning her husband's true identity, she prepared to carefully consider the matter.
However, being by Su Heng's side, her thoughts were too easily discernible to him. Even if he didn't have any special abilities, the person who knew her best and whom she knew best would be able to sense her thoughts whenever he had an idea.
So she kept the thought deep in her mind until just now.
Since he's the villain she's trying to avoid at all costs, her previous plan was to live in seclusion and simply avoid him. But now...
The original novel portrays Su Heng in a partial and one-sided way. She may not care about the thoughts of unrelated people, but she is different with him.
Why did he have the idea of turning everyone in the world into ghosts? Why did he become the "big villain"?
Or rather, does he really think that way?
What exactly is the "original work"? What is he really thinking?
She and he were now in a completely independent and equal position. She wanted to know the answers to these questions. If he was beyond redemption, she would kill him, just like she had done with the supernatural and bizarre cases in the past. If…
“That’s amazing,” Pei Xueyi suddenly said.
Jiang Geyun looked slightly confused and replied, "What?"
“Ah Yun, you are such a fascinating person,” Pei Xueyi exclaimed. “There must be so many people who want to know what you’re thinking, right?” Like herself right now.
Jiang Geyun smiled but did not respond.
Knowing the situation was special, Pei Xueyi stopped wasting time. The playfulness on her face disappeared, and she said seriously, "Whether you want to kill him or save him, go to Jingzhou. There you will find all the answers."
Jiang Geyun was stunned.
"Jingzhou?"
Didn't she just take a day trip to Jingzhou not long ago, only to be packed up and sent back to the capital by Su Heng that same day? And now she's going there again? Isn't the Hua family under Su Heng's control? Won't she be "sent back" the moment she shows her face?
She may be heartless, but she's not brainless!
Pei Xueyi wasn't joking; she said seriously, "Yes, the Crown Prince has hidden a lot of things there. I thought you knew, A-Yun, but it seems you still don't... Let's see the truth first before deciding what to do next."
"For example... do you remember the forbidden areas in Jingzhou where no one is allowed to set foot?"
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Author's Note: The title "Gathering Ferns" is taken from the story of Boyi and Shuqi, but its meaning is unrelated to the original "spirit of the remnants of the fallen dynasty." It only carries the connotation of "choosing a more difficult path for the sake of a firm spiritual belief." Also, the final stage before the "Great Battle" is about to begin. Let's walk together to the end of the story!
Also: Actually, I'm not as satisfied with Chapter 82 as with Chapter 83. Although the plot was planned out in advance, I always feel that writing it when I'm well-rested and full of energy is quite different from writing it when I'm completely exhausted... I wonder what readers think? After finishing, I'll revise these memorable parts... Anyway, I'm setting a goal first...
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