Chapter 57 Lin Jiantao Chen Yun, I Don't Like You
In the middle of the night, the once silent hunting grounds were suddenly pierced by a sharp screech, followed by the beating of drums.
The heavy, deep drumbeats fell like raindrops, waking everyone from their dreams.
Lin Shutang opened his eyes. Outside, various noises quickly rose up. Panicked screams accompanied by the ferocious sounds of soldiers' armor clashing, clearly piercing the cold night.
Green Willow was also awakened by the noise and hurried to Lin Shutang's bedside. Seeing that the madam was already awake, she was about to reach for the cloak on the truss when Lin Shutang stopped her hand. "Green Willow, go outside and find out what happened?"
Green Willow dared not disobey her master's order, so she responded and turned to leave the tent.
Lin Shutang quickly threw off the covers and got up from the couch, still wearing the narrow-sleeved ruqun she had worn during the day. Her heart was pounding, like the drums beating in her ears.
Actually, there's no need to inquire further; just by listening to the drumbeats, one can tell that something big must have happened.
The drums and music were used to transmit intelligence. Such a display of force suggests that assassins have entered the hunting grounds. The sound of armor outside should be an urgent dispatch of soldiers to protect the emperor.
Lin Shutang lifted the curtain, and sure enough, the outside was in complete chaos. In the distance, firelight had appeared on the horizon, and the flickering, intertwined shadows were painful to the eyes.
The crowd screamed and scattered, while Lin Shutang tried to blend into the crowd and headed southwest.
Unexpectedly, a dark figure suddenly rushed in from just a few feet away, creating a howling wind that whipped the banners on the fence. The figure kept shouting, "Assassin! Run! Assassin!"
The moment their eyes met, the man ruthlessly thrust his long sword at Lin Shutang; it turned out he was a spy who had deliberately instigated panic.
Just as Lin Shutang was about to draw the token hidden at his waist in shock, he was suddenly stunned as a long sword pierced through the chest of the fleeing man.
Immediately afterwards, the blade was mercilessly pulled from his body, and the man's limp body fell to the ground, with Shen Yun almost hidden in the darkness behind him.
With his back to the firelight and his expression obscure, he slowly approached Lin Shutang, stepping on the man's bones.
The shadows, like a surging tide, climbed up Lin Shutang's ankles, slender waist, thin shoulders and neck, and trembling jaw like some enormous creature.
It completely engulfed her.
He forced her into the tent, his chilling aura penetrating the cramped space, his breath carrying a faint, horrifying stench of blood.
He lowered his eyes, carefully gazing at the fear and horror in her eyes. After a long while, he seemed to chuckle, "Where does A-Tang want to go?"
"I...I'm just a little scared," she said, trembling.
"It's alright, Yingxi will be with you." His voice was gentle, and he reached out to hold the back of her neck as if to comfort her, making her look up at him. A faint smile played on his lips. "She has always been with you."
These pointed remarks sent a chill down Lin Shutang's spine.
Shen Yun gently stroked her soft neck with his fingertips. "So, will you be a little more obedient?"
Lin Shutang stood there stunned, watching Shen Yun leave. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the room. "This subordinate will take Madam away safely. Please stay close to this subordinate."
Yingxi clasped her hands in a fist and apologized first, then pulled Lin Shutang and hurried outside.
Yingxi moved quickly, and the hand holding Lin Shutang's waist seemed to contain strength, so Lin Shutang didn't have to exert much effort to be carried quite a distance.
As the flames on the horizon grew larger, Lin Shutang glanced back at the throngs of people in the camp behind him, the sounds of clashing blades filling his ears, and a sense of horror filled his heart.
"Has something happened?" she asked.
"An assassin suddenly appeared on Mount Xiwu, of unknown origin. The Crown Prince has been ordered to apprehend him," Yingxi said succinctly.
"Then who is protecting His Majesty?" Lin Shutang asked again.
“It’s the Third Prince.” Yingxi paused for a moment. “The Divine Machine Battalion has sealed off the entire Xiwu Mountain. Those assassins shouldn’t be able to escape.”
As soon as Yingxiao finished speaking, the person next to him suddenly tumbled forward and rolled into the bushes at the edge of the forest.
Yingxi hurriedly went to help, but a cold blade flashed before her eyes—she had encountered an assassin!
She immediately drew her sword to block, but heard the person in front of her shout at Lin Shutang, "Run!"
Immediately afterwards, a large number of dark figures emerged from all directions. Yingxi was overwhelmed.
Lin Shutang got up from the ground, vaguely feeling that the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but the situation was critical at the moment, so she couldn't worry about anything else and hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran down the path.
It was very dark on Xiwu Mountain, and the candlelight on the watchtower was also extinguished. But fortunately, the faint light from a fire on the horizon illuminated the path beneath our feet.
In shock, Lin Shutang tried hard to recall the terrain and headed southwest, tripping over branches countless times along the way.
But she didn't dare to stop. After falling, she ignored the excruciating pain that felt like her bones were being crushed and desperately got up and headed southwest.
After walking for an unknown amount of time in the dark, she finally saw the marks she had made during the day and followed them into the depths of the dense forest.
The shouts of battle around her seemed to have subsided, leaving only the pounding of her heart, each beat more resounding than the last. Lin Shutang didn't know if it was because the fighting had ceased or because she was now far away.
In short, she dared not linger and only wanted to get out of the dense forest and down the mountain as soon as possible, taking advantage of the fact that Xiwu Mountain was in a mess before dawn.
She took out a tinderbox from her bosom, and a spark appeared. Then it gradually stretched out, and she could even feel a faint warmth in the smoke that blew in her face.
"Ah Tang, you're going the wrong way."
Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind her, like a ghostly whisper, which made Lin Shutang's hair stand on end.
Her steps faltered abruptly, and even the tinder in her hand scattered in the wind.
Lin Shutang felt as if her heels were nailed to the spot. She turned her stiff head to look back and saw Shen Yun standing quietly behind her, blood trickling down her forehead and flowing into his eyes, which were fixed on her intently.
His clothes were soaked with bright red blood, leaving large, irregular dark patches.
The air carried by the wind was filled with a pungent, bloody stench that brought tears to one's eyes.
"You...you...you're not..." Lin Shutang couldn't utter a complete sentence. Whether it was from the wind or from fear, her throat was trembling.
Shen Yun seemed to understand Lin Shutang's unfinished words. He walked towards her and naturally picked up the conversation, "Trapped in the camp?"
Then, he reassured you, saying, "Everything has been resolved, so I've come to pick you up."
As he spoke, he reached out to take Lin Shutang's hand, but Lin Shutang suddenly dodged backward, looking at him with wary and even frightened eyes.
Shen Yun's hand hovered in mid-air. His back was slightly bent, and he remained motionless for a long time, still holding Lin Shutang's hand.
His gaze fell on that void, gradually turning cold.
He lifted his thin eyelids to look at her, staring directly at the slender figure who was curled up in fear and in a defensive posture, her eyes reddening as she looked at him like a rabbit.
Shen Yun's smile gradually faded, and a shadow fell over his eyes, but he still patiently called out, "A-Tang, come back with me."
Lin Shutang unconsciously stepped back, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam. At this moment, a fearless courage suddenly welled up in her chest, and she could now utter the words she had never dared to say before.
"Shen Yun, since you already know, just let me go. If I stay by your side, neither of us will have an easy time."
She almost pleaded.
Shen Yun stared at her. It was dark in the jungle, but Lin Shutang's eyes, glistening with tears, were as bright as pearls. The tears that rolled down her face formed a string, making her look pitiful.
He vaguely remembered many years ago, on a very dark night like this, she looked at him with those bright, star-like eyes and said pitifully, "Chen Jun, please don't go."
"Should we stay in Yizhou?"
Shen Yun tilted her head slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes, as if she couldn't understand Lin Shutang's current behavior.
He asked softly, "Ah Tang, are you going to abandon me and the child?"
Lin Shutang stepped back in terror, tears streaming down her collar and burning her chest. She cried out in a trembling voice, "Chen Yun, I don't like you."
"Over the years, I've tried so hard to convince myself. But... why do you insist on forcing me to give birth to that child? Accepting him is just as painful as accepting you!"
"He'd be better off staying in the Duke's mansion than with me. I don't owe you anything anymore..."
The light in Shen Yun's eyes dimmed completely, his expression turned extremely cold, but a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "You don't owe me anything anymore?"
He murmured this sentence softly, as if he were pondering its meaning.
"Ah Tang, please don't make me angry, okay?" He stepped towards her, his voice gentle and even coaxing, as if Lin Shutang was just playing around and he could forgive her for everything she did tonight, which he saw as just a little tantrum.
Lin Shutang watched helplessly as he walked towards her. The pale moonlight fell over the dense forest, and she could vaguely see the bloody hole in his chest from which blood was constantly gushing.
She looked up at him; his face was so pale it was almost transparent, with only the winding lines of blood on his face resembling exploding fireworks.
His cold face blended with a strange, bewitching quality, like a monstrous ghost that could tear a person apart from the inside out, devouring bones and drinking blood.
Lin Shutang was so shocked that her mind went blank, and her whole body tensed up. She unconsciously stepped back, the dry branches under her feet making a rustling sound. Suddenly, her legs went weak and she sat down on the ground.
Seeing that towering figure approaching him step by step, Lin Shutang was so frightened that he suddenly pulled out the soft tendon powder hidden in his sleeve and waved it in the air.
Because of his injury, Shen Yun was unable to dodge in time. In addition, he had never been on guard against Lin Shutang. He suddenly inhaled a breath, his body swayed, and he fell to the ground.
He tried to get up, but it was as if he had suddenly lost all his strength. It was difficult even to lift his eyes. Looking at the person not far away, his eyes showed doubt and confusion, which were then suppressed by layers of probing and pleading that spread like a tide. His voice trembled slightly and he asked cautiously, "A-Tang, will you come back with me?"
He still said the same thing, without even blaming her for drugging him, but just looking at her with hopeful eyes, hoping to gain her sympathy for a moment.
The red veins in her eyes gradually narrowed as he watched her shakily stand up, leaning against the tree trunk behind her. He watched her look down at him from her high position, and watched her part her red lips to utter those heart-wrenching words, "Chen Yun, let's never see each other again."
"Lin Shutang, you stay." His pupils began to tremble with panic, and his usually calm face finally began to crack, revealing the turmoil hidden beneath his placid heart.
He even wanted to get up and grab her with his own hands, but he could only helplessly tremble and repeat in his sleep, "Lin Shutang, you stay."
"Don't go, please."
Lin Shutang didn't look at him again, and even had difficulty listening to his words. Now that things had come to this point, she had only one thought in her mind: she had to leave Xiwu Mountain.
Overwhelmed by a jumble of thoughts, she had neither the mood nor the ability to think or make a choice.
She couldn't stay and give up the freedom she was about to gain.
The forest was dark, and the moonlight cast thin shadows. She was extremely unsteady on her feet, yet she had never felt so relaxed with each step. Even the biting cold wind she breathed into her lungs felt like a cleansing after surviving a catastrophe.
So much so that she had no time to heed even the mournful cries of Shen Yun behind her.
"Lin Shutang, come back!"
Shen Yun stared intently at the azure figure disappearing into the distance, her misty eyes filled with blood, her gaze bloodshot and her eyes bulging as if about to burst.
"Lin Shutang!"
He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and the murderous aura surging from his chest seemed to want to break his ribs. He gritted his teeth and swallowed the metallic taste that kept rising in his throat.
Shen Yun looked down at the pool of bright red on the ground, her chest heaving and her entire back trembling. Suddenly, a few low laughs came from the dense forest, like the chanting of evil spirits.
Circling, lingering around the beams, chilling to the bone.
The warmth in his eyes gradually faded, and the bluish-white knuckles on the back of his neck bulged out, as if they had been broken.
He curled his lips into a smile, which gradually spread across his cold face, revealing a chilling smile.
Why... just won't you listen?
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Author's Note: There's a red envelope in this chapter! [doge head with rose in hand]
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