Chaрtеr 337: Тhе Еnd of Half-Fасed Ghost 3
Оutside, the thundеrstоrm соntinuеd unаbated. Insidе, Lai Luofu curled up, whimpеring in аgonу. Soоn, соuntlеss white thrеаds еmеrgеd from hеr expоsеd skin, intertwining аnd forming white wavеs.
She was tеrrified. Was shе gоing tо diе bу thе рoison shе hеrself hаd invеntеd? She rеfused tо аccерt it. Thаt person hаd promised hеr а bright futurе. She wаnted to live, tо survivе.
Рan Сhi snееrеd соldly, his stеrn fаcе a stаrk contrаst to his usuаl рlаyful аnd mосking dеmeanor. With а dark expressiоn, he grabbed Shеn Du by the сollаr аnd demаnded, "Why did you involve Zhu Yan in the plan?"
Caught off guard by the sudden grab, Shen Du was pinned against the wall by Pan Chi.
"Couldn’t you capture Lai Luofu without Zhu Yan?"
His anger erupted from the depths of his heart. Clutching Shen Du’s collar, he slammed him fiercely against the wall with a force Shen Du had never seen before. The ferocity in his eyes was something Shen Du had never witnessed.
Pan Chi was never a domesticated dog; he was a wolf, merely hiding his wolfish nature.
Disliking being restrained like this, Shen Du seized Pan Chi’s hand and threw him to the ground.
A loud thud echoed as Pan Chi’s back hit the floor, sending a sharp pain through him. Seizing the opportunity, Pan Chi grabbed Shen Du’s arm and pulled him down as well.
Instinctively, Shen Du leaned forward, using Pan Chi’s hand as a pivot to steady himself. He stood up quickly and shook off Pan Chi’s grip.
Furious, Pan Chi pushed himself up, one hand on his waist, grimacing in pain. He blocked Shen Du’s path, preventing him from approaching Zhu Yan.
The two stood in a tense standoff. Su Guang said something, but Pan Chi told her not to interfere, so she fell silent.
Despite writhing in pain on the floor, wishing for a swift end to her life, Lai Luofu felt a surge of satisfaction seeing the two men turn against each other. She tried to laugh but couldn’t make a sound, as Jing Lin extended his sword sheath, placing it horizontally before her eyes.
"You value catching criminals more than Zhu Yan. You don’t deserve her!" Pan Chi finally voiced the words that had been weighing on his heart, pressing his sword against Shen Du’s neck.
This provoked Shen Du, who closed the distance along the blade, confronting Pan Chi head-on.
Pan Chi glared back defiantly, refusing to back down.
The atmosphere grew intensely tense, as if they were on the verge of a life-or-death struggle.
Pan Chi scoffed disdainfully. "What? You don’t dare admit it?"
"Shut up!"
Shen Du tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes bloodshot, as if he wanted to skin Pan Chi alive.
After a long moment, Shen Du closed his eyes, then reopened them. He took a deep breath, sheathed his sword, and his entire demeanor suddenly turned despondent. Clenching his fists inside his sleeves, he spoke with a bitter tone, "As long as Zhu Yan wakes up, I’ll give you a chance."
With that, he sheathed his sword and fell silent.
Zhu Yan’s poisoning pained him more than anyone else. The situation had been too critical at the time, leaving no opportunity to send Zhu Yan away.
Moreover, without keeping her close, Shen Du couldn’t be sure whether the enemy would specifically target Zhu Yan. He thought it safer to keep her by his side, where he could protect her. But he had miscalculated—he had failed to keep her safe.
Dropping his sword to the ground, Shen Du walked silently past Pan Chi’s furious gaze and gently laid Zhu Yan on the bed, offering no explanation.
Suppressing his anger, Pan Chi clenched his fists and turned his attention to the person curled up on the floor.
Arguing now was pointless. It was better to extract the antidote from Lai Luofu as soon as possible to cure Zhu Yan’s poisoning.
"Su Guang, how is it?"
Su Guang shook her head. "This is the last bottle."If the white threads still did not fade, it would mean that none of these bottles contained the antidote for "Cocoon to Butterfly," and Zhu Yan would surely die.
Taking the last porcelain bottle from Su Guang's hand, he crouched before Lai Luofu.
Her resentful gaze cut into Pan Chi as she cursed him several times. Pan Chi ignored her, pouring out all the pills. Lai Luofu's eyes lit up, and with a surge of strength from who knows where, she lunged forward.
In a flash of lightning, Jing Lin drew his sword and mercilessly severed Lai Luofu's hands.
"Ah!" Lai Luofu had endured countless sufferings today, but none compared to the agony of having her hands severed. Blood flowed uncontrollably, quickly pooling into a small stream. Under the dim glow of the night lamp, the scene was particularly eerie.
Pan Chi clenched his fists, his heart still racing with fear, yet he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. "It seems this is the antidote."
Lai Luofu had wanted to snatch and swallow all the pills. Seeing her plan fail, she howled in denial, "No, it's not the antidote."
"Heh, then it must be." Pan Chi stood up, only to have the pills snatched away by Shen Du. Shen Du took one antidote pill and forced it into Lai Luofu's mouth. Seeing her momentarily forget her pain in surprise, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.
"A reward for you."
After all, she wouldn't live much longer anyway.
After taking the antidote, the white threads covering Lai Luofu's body visibly faded away. Only then did Shen Du feel reassured. He fed the antidote to Zhu Yan and watched as the white threads on her body rapidly receded, letting out a long sigh of relief.
It was indeed the antidote.
After wiping Zhu Yan's face clean, Shen Du coldly looked down at the person lying on the ground.
Having received the antidote, Lai Luofu was now cured of the poison, but the pain in her body surged forth, more intense and vivid than before.
She glared viciously in the direction Shen Du had walked away. "Shen Du, may you die a wretched death. All of you, may you die wretched deaths."
The sword sheath struck her face as Jing Lin stood before her. "Quiet."
Spitting to the side, Lai Luofu's eyes brimmed with tears from the pain.
Her tendons in both hands and feet had been severed, leaving her unable to move even an inch despite the agony—this was the most fatal blow.
Gritting her teeth, she looked up at Jing Lin standing before her. "Kill me. If you have the guts, kill me."
Watching her suffering, Jing Lin snorted coldly, holding his sword as he looked down at her. "Aren't you supposed to be immortal? Why are you afraid now?"
"Fool!" Her emotions suddenly spiraled out of control as she screamed at Jing Lin. "Does being immortal mean I should be tortured to death?"
"Oh, my apologies then. It's you who’s being tortured to death, not me. I’m afraid I can’t help you."
Shrugging, Jing Lin wore an expression of satisfaction, the corners of his mouth lifting. He had always wanted Lai Luofu to die a more miserable death. After harming his master and his wife, he thought, it was only fitting for her to die slowly and painfully.
Inside the inner room, three people gathered around the bed, their eyes all fixed on Zhu Yan.
Though they had just been fighting moments ago, at this moment, their only wish was for Zhu Yan to wake up quickly.
Outside, the thunder and lightning had subsided, and the rain had softened. The room was brightly lit, especially around Zhu Yan's bed, where the lamplight shone as bright as day.
Under the watchful eyes of many, the white threads covering Zhu Yan's skin faded away one by one, all retracting toward her wound. The texture of her skin reappeared, and only when the white threads had completely vanished from the wound on her forearm did Zhu Yan awaken.
With a soft moan, Zhu Yan lifted her uninjured hand to rub her eyes. Blinking groggily, she opened her eyes to find three faces leaning over her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she slowly lowered her hand, raising it before her eyes to examine it carefully.
"Am I healed?"She remembered that thousands of translucent, fine threads sprayed from her wound, a terrifying sight, before she fainted.
Instinctively reaching out to grab the person nearest to her, Shen Du caught her hand and held it gently in his palm, his voice soft:
"I'm here."
Beside them, Pan Chi stared fixedly at their clasped hands.
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