Sixty-nine
The relentless travel over the past few days, the extreme weakness after exhausting her spiritual energy, the increasingly clear pain in her abdomen, and the emptiness and excruciating pain deep within her soul, as if a piece had been ripped out, almost completely broke her. She staggered a few steps, only managing to stand firm when Leng Moyan grabbed her arm. Her chest heaved violently, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face was frighteningly pale.
The lingering palpitations and panic, instead of subsiding upon landing, transformed into a bone-chilling cold that instantly swept over my entire body.
Something's not right...something's really not right!
Although I sensed Zhan Zhao's life was in danger, there was still a faint connection, like a candle flickering in the wind, swaying but still present. But just now, the moment I landed, that connection... was severed.
Clean and spotless, thoroughly and completely.
It was as if that person had never existed in the world.
An unprecedented, almost overwhelming fear gripped her. She abruptly looked up, gazing in the direction of Bianjing City, her eyes seemingly trying to pierce through the deep night to see that familiar mansion.
"Mo Yan!" Her voice was shrill with extreme fear and urgency. "Into the city! To Kaifeng Prefecture! Quickly!"
Leng Moyan's usually playful peach blossom eyes were now filled with a deep stillness. He, too, clearly sensed the deathly silence of the flame of life extinguished. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward and embraced Xuan Yuantianyi's almost exhausted waist. With a light touch of his toes, his figure rose into the air like a ghost. He no longer pursued extreme speed, yet he was still fast enough to leave afterimages in the night, heading straight for the city that lay prostrate in the darkness.
The night wind was like a knife, whipping against her face and bringing a bone-chilling cold. Xuan Yuan Tianyi leaned against Leng Moyan's chest, her body trembling uncontrollably. She bit her lower lip hard, trying to suppress the metallic taste churning in her throat, only one thought screaming in her mind: Faster! Faster!
But the deathly coldness deep within her soul mercilessly mocked her extravagant hopes.
The city gates were already closed, but to Leng Moyan, they were as good as useless. He put his arm around Xuan Yuantianyi and silently crossed the towering city walls, like two wisps of smoke blending into the night, weaving through the quiet streets, heading straight for Kaifeng Prefecture.
The closer they got, the stronger the ominous premonition became. The white lanterns hanging in front of the Kaifeng Prefecture gate swayed gently in the night wind, making a heartbreaking creaking sound, like a silent elegy.
When the guards saw Leng Moyan suddenly appear and the woman in red whom he was half-supporting and half-carrying, they were first startled, then their faces showed undisguised grief and panic. They opened their mouths, but could not utter a single word. They simply knelt down with a thud and buried their heads deeply.
Xuan Yuan Tianyi's heart sank into an abyss.
Before Leng Moyan could even regain his balance, she abruptly broke free from his support and rushed into the mansion with unsteady yet unusually swift steps. Leng Moyan followed closely behind, his brows furrowed.
Every official and servant she encountered along the way wore a sorrowful expression. Upon seeing her, they all avoided her and lowered their heads, none daring to meet her gaze. A suffocating stillness and an overwhelming sadness enveloped the entire Kaifeng Prefecture.
She rushed straight to the courtyard where Zhan Zhao lived. The gate was open, and a dim, oppressive light shone from inside, like the sorrowful eyes of a giant beast.
Before even stepping into the courtyard, a strong, nauseating smell of medicine mixed with an indescribable, chilling aura of death assaulted my senses.
Her steps faltered abruptly, her body swayed uncontrollably, and she managed to steady herself by grabbing the doorframe. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, yet it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping it tightly, the pain making it hard to breathe.
She took a deep breath; the despair in the air almost suffocated her. With all her might, she stepped over the threshold.
The courtyard was filled with people, some standing, some kneeling. Bao Zheng, Gongsun Ce, Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu… all those close to Zhan Zhao were there. Hearing footsteps, they all turned around.
When they saw Xuan Yuan Tianyi, travel-worn and disheveled, appear at the door, and Leng Moyan, with a somber expression behind her, everyone was stunned. Then, even greater grief and reluctance appeared on their faces.
Bao Zheng opened his mouth, as if to say something, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times, but ultimately it turned into a heavy sigh, as if bearing the weight of a thousand pounds. He closed his eyes, and two streams of tears silently slid down his cheeks. Gongsun Ce, tears streaming down his face, turned his head away, his shoulders trembling slightly. The four captains choked back sobs, all kneeling on the ground, their heads touching the earth.
Bai Yutang slumped on the steps of the main room, his head buried in his arms. Hearing the noise, he suddenly raised his head, revealing a face streaked with tears, filled with despair and madness. When he saw Xuan Yuantianyi, his eyes instantly erupted with extremely complex emotions—immense guilt, heart-wrenching pain, and a trace of unrealistic madness in the face of a last glimmer of hope.
"Tianyi! You're finally back! Quick! Save the cat! He... he just..." He stammered, struggling to stand up, but due to exhaustion and grief, he failed several times.
Xuanyuan Tianyi didn't look at him, nor at anyone else in the courtyard. Her gaze passed over all the sorrowful faces, fixed straight and unwavering on the half-closed door that seemed to separate the living from the dead.
In the room, the candlelight flickered, casting dim and intermittent light and shadow.
She walked towards the door, step by step, extremely slowly. Each step felt like stepping on a red-hot iron, so heavy she could hardly lift it, and filled with excruciating pain. All the sounds and sights around her seemed to fade away; in her world, only the door remained, and behind it lay a chilling truth that filled her with dread.
Leng Moyan silently followed a step behind her, his eerie eyes sweeping across the entire scene, taking in everyone's grief, and he understood everything. He looked at Xuan Yuantianyi's back, which seemed as if it could shatter at any moment, and his hand in his sleeve clenched slightly.
Finally, she reached the door.
Reaching out, my fingertips were icy cold and trembled slightly uncontrollably as I gently pushed open the door.
Squeak—
The door was wide open, emitting a decaying and dull sound.
The scene inside the room, without any concealment, brutally assaulted her eyes.
The familiar room, the familiar layout. Only the air was thick with the lingering smell of medicine and a deathly stillness, as if everything had come to an end.
Zhan Zhao lay quietly on the couch, covered with a plain-colored thin quilt, only his head and shoulders exposed. His eyes were closed, his face unusually peaceful, and there even seemed to be a faint, relieved smile at the corners of his mouth, as if he had simply fallen into a deep sleep. However, his complexion was a lifeless, cold, pale white, devoid of any of its former warm and gentle radiance and warmth.
He lay there quietly, motionless.
There was no rise or fall of breathing.
There was no life stirring within.
Xuanyuan Tianyi stood at the door, her body stiff as if frozen in time. She looked at the person on the bed, her gaze sliding from his tightly closed eyes, which would never open again, over his high nose, and finally landing on his lips, which had lost all color and had once looked at her tenderly countless times, making promises to her.
She moved step by step, like a marionette, to the edge of the bed.
Slowly, she reached out her trembling hand, her fingertips icy cold, and gently touched his cheek.
Cold.
That temperature, traveling from her fingertips, instantly spread to every part of her body, freezing her blood and the last glimmer of hope in her heart that she dared not utter aloud.
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