Zhao Lingfei burst into the military camp, joyfully returning with news of secured reinforcements and provisions. She wanted to announce to everyone that they were saved, but the camp was shrouded in gloom, white funeral banners hanging everywhere.
Soldiers moved corpses in silence and treated wounds without a word.
Standing bewildered in the camp, Zhao Lingfei suddenly spotted Yan Xiaozhou. The slender young woman emerged from a tent holding a bowl of medicine, her presence as ethereal as pale moonlight, seeming as though she might dissipate at any moment.
Zhao Lingfei called out: "Xiaozhou!"
Yan Xiaozhou turned. Her eyes remained clear and dark, still carrying that quiet gentleness. Yet Zhao Lingfei felt uneasy, sensing something amiss.
Yan Xiaozhou softly interrupted her unspoken questions: "My second brother has returned. If you have questions, ask him."
Half an hour later, standing in Yan Shang's command tent, Zhao Lingfei listened numbly as the soldier summoned by Yan Shang recounted the brutal battle in the great canyon.
The soldier's voice trembled with grief and fury: "Fifty thousand soldiers buried in the canyon! Before General Yang fell, he took down the formidable Uman King of the Southern Barbarians. Enraged, the Southern Barbarians desecrated General Yang's body."
"Of all the fallen, only General Yang's remains were completely destroyed beyond recognition. Unable to bear seeing our general dishonored even in death, we cremated him with fire."
With trembling hands, the soldier drew a golden bell from his chest.
Avoiding looking at the young woman crouched on the ground preparing medicine for her brother, he turned away: "This is the only thing General Yang left behind."
Zhao Lingfei stared blankly.
Hearing of her cousin's death, tears instantly welled in her eyes. When she saw the golden bell in the soldier's hands, she suddenly remembered her cousin's promise to marry Xiaozhou after the war. Dazedly, she turned to look at Yan Xiaozhou.
Yan Xiaozhou remained crouched, fanning the flames while preparing medicine. Her attention stayed fixed on the medicinal brew, as if she hadn't heard the soldier's report at all.
Zhao Lingfei then looked toward Yan Shang.
The Yan Erlang who had captivated her in their youth sat by the couch, draped in robes. His gaunt hands rested on his bent knees, his pallid face hanging like parchment. Yan Shang kept his eyes lowered, saying nothing, leaving the tent in heavy silence.
The normally considerate, gentle Yan Shang who always minded others' feelings simply sat without speaking.
He was utterly exhausted, profoundly isolated. Worn to his limits, coughing blood from illness, he had no words left.
Tears began falling from Zhao Lingfei's eyes.
As her face grew wet with tears, she wanted to scream that it couldn't be true, to protest how her magnificent cousin could possibly die. She raged against this war, hated the Southern Barbarians, resented Yan Shang for leaving and allowing her cousin to trade his life... and most of all, she hated herself.
Why couldn't she have brought reinforcements sooner?
Why did her father have to be a villain?
Had her father indirectly caused her cousin's death? Had she herself indirectly killed him?
Amid bitter tears and anguish, Zhao Lingfei stood frozen with these thoughts until finally she crouched down, covering her face with her hands, and wept loudly.
She cried until she could barely breathe, her whole body shaking—
Cousin! Cousin!
She hated this war, hated everyone responsible for her cousin's death, hated everything!
Lifting her tear-streaked face toward Yan Shang, Zhao Lingfei declared: "I will never, never, never... forgive my father!""Second Brother Yan, let me go to the battlefield! Let me fight the Southern Barbarians! I want to kill them, I want to avenge my cousin!"
She broke down sobbing, crouching on the ground with endless tears streaming down her face.
Yan Xiaozhou remained quiet and composed. Compared to her emotional collapse, Yan Xiaozhou was much calmer. She picked up the prepared medicine and handed it to her second brother, saying softly: "Second Brother, please take your medicine first. Second Sister-in-law is waiting for you to return, and the entire Great Wei is counting on you to uphold justice... You cannot fall."
Zhao Lingfei looked up in confusion, wondering why Yan Xiaozhou wasn't crying, why she didn't shed a single tear. Why was Yan Xiaozhou so calm, as if... coldly devoid of emotion.
Yan Shang remained silent. He took the medicine from his sister's hand and drank it in one gulp.
He then covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed up blood. Looking down at the bloodstains on the handkerchief, he instructed in a low voice: "You may leave now. Please summon the generals for me."
He needed to continue commanding the battlefield—
Yan Shang was under immense pressure.
On one side was his wife whose fate remained unknown, on the other was Yang Si who had died in battle.
Despite continuously coughing up blood, he dared not delay. After regaining consciousness that day, he forced his broken body to interrogate the envoy through the night.
The Southern Barbarian envoy from Guangzhou asked him again whether he would withdraw his troops. Yan Shang replied word by word: "Absolutely not."
Yang Si had eliminated Meng Zaishi, and the Jiannan battlefield was nearing victory. How could Yan Shang withdraw troops for personal reasons when this victory was bought with Yang Si's life?
The envoy arrogantly and angrily declared: "If you don't withdraw your troops, your wife will be killed by our king! Then you'll have no wife!"
Yan Shang's eyes showed no light.
He seemed to smile, but the smile was utterly tragic.
He said: "So be it."
As if in a daze, he murmured: "I'll repay her with my life... but I cannot withdraw the troops."
Between the nation and the individual, he ultimately had to choose the nation.
Between the common people and his beloved, he ultimately had to abandon his beloved.
It was like a prophecy—he always made such choices. In the quiet of night, even he himself would loathe and despise himself. Why must he always be like this?
When his emotions collapsed, he impulsively wanted to withdraw the troops, but he restrained himself with formidable willpower. He felt like a walking corpse, each day being torment, coughing up blood every night when thinking of Mu Wan Yao, his health deteriorating increasingly.
Just as his body was about to break down from his own strain, news of Lord Liu's heroic death arrived from distant Chang'an.
Thus Yan Shang no longer dared to be ill, no longer dared to think about Mu Wan Yao.
He forced his body back to Jiannan to command the war. With Meng Zaishi dead, the Jiannan battlefield could be concluded within a month if they acted quickly. He simultaneously abandoned Guangzhou, ceasing to have messages delivered through envoys. Having prepared for the worst, everyone noticed overnight that Yan Shang seemed like a completely different person.
He spoke very little, issuing commands in just a few words. His orders were extremely detailed, practically dictating every step the soldiers should take.
He feared a repeat of what happened to Yang Si.
He also became exceptionally cold. Violating the principle of not harming envoys, he directly used severe torture to interrogate the envoy, clearly intending to torture him to death.
Yan Xiaozhou continued treating the wounded in the military camp, while Zhao Lingfei went to the battlefield.
By June, the Jiannan campaign began winding down. Chang'an's relief forces had driven the Southern Barbarians back to Longyou and Hexi. Yan Shang finally established communication with Chang'an, which had been besieged for three months.At the same time, the envoy sensed Yan Shang's determination to kill him. Unable to withstand the severe torture, he revealed an extremely important piece of information before his death. Upon obtaining this information, Yan Shang immediately dispatched a fast rider to find someone.
In the deep night of drizzling rain, Yan Shang sat leaning against the terrace. By the light of a single candle, he draped in an outer robe with his long hair loose over his shoulders, writing a letter to Wei Shu in Chang'an: "The siege of Chang'an has finally been lifted. I am greatly comforted that you have reconciled with the Wei family.
"The calamity of Chang'an and the sins of the world lie with the foolish and unprincipled Emperor. The one who will bring ruin to the realm is this ruler alone.
"Moreover, the eunuch Liu Wenji manipulates court affairs, colludes with foreign powers, and frames loyal officials. Only his death can appease the spirits of the righteous across the land.
"I have learned a piece of news: Cheng An, the former Grand Eunuch who served the late Emperor, is still alive. He is currently in Hexi. You may send someone to search for him according to the attached map.
"Though I am in Jiannan, my heart remains with the political affairs of Chang'an. In my capacity as Tong Pingzhangshi, I humbly offer my views to discuss with you the matter of eliminating the Grand Eunuch..."
With the arrival of the imperial relief forces, the siege of Chang'an was broken. These troops took over the duties previously held by the elite Longyou soldiers, driving the Southern Barbarians back to Longyou. Meanwhile, the various states from all directions, entrusted earlier by Wei Shu, attacked from the rear, cooperating with Great Wei. The two sides trapped the Southern Barbarians in a pincer movement, striving to decisively end the Hexi battlefield and defeat the enemy forces.
The Southern Barbarians' military strength was exhausted.
Despite mobilizing the entire nation, making countless preparations, and meticulously planning this year-long invasion, this was the result. Had they captured Chang'an and used it as a stronghold, they could have triumphed over Great Wei and inflicted a devastating defeat. However, their failure to take Chang'an, combined with the death of Meng Zaishi on the Jiannan battlefield and their King Ale becoming deeply entangled in this predicament, led to the collapse of their grand scheme.
Now, with their structure crumbling, the Southern Barbarian troops fell into disarray. Unable to contact their king, they were left uncertain of their next move.
The Southern Barbarians were facing defeat.
This outcome was clear to everyone.
Only the Emperor in the palace within Chang'an remained unaware.
Because everyone concealed the truth from the Emperor, withholding this news. Even Liu Wenji, whom the Emperor trusted, assisted the ministers in keeping the Emperor in the dark.
Thus, the Emperor was left to endure nightly nightmares of Chang'an falling and himself being taken captive.
Yan Shang and Wei Shu corresponded back and forth, as did Yan Shang with several senior ministers at court. The war had claimed too many lives. Unconsciously, Yan Shang, who controlled the Jiannan campaign, and Wei Shu, who persuaded the imperial guards to betray the Emperor, became the main forces in the latter stages of the conflict.
The ministers silently cooperated with the two.
The court officials quietly watched as Yan Shang and Wei Shu wove a counterattack, spreading a dense net over Chang'an. When everyone desires one person's death, and when everyone participates in this murder, that person has no hope of survival.
Deep within the palace, the Emperor woke once again from a nightmare, drenched in cold sweat. His nerves were frayed, sometimes fearing the imperial guards would kill him, other times dreaming of being taken hostage.
In the depths of the night, his mouth parched, he cried out: "Liu Wenji! Liu Wenji!"
Liu Wenji entered the hall, lit a lamp, and soothed the Emperor. He watched as the Emperor, wrapped in his robes, sat up and gulped down three cups of water before calming down.
Trembling with fear, the Emperor grasped Liu Wenji's hand: "I dreamed the palace was unsafe, that those Southern Barbarians had broken into Chang'an... Lord Liu, haven't those Southern Barbarians attacked yet?"
The Southern Barbarians had long since withdrawn.
But everyone enjoyed watching the Emperor's terrified state, and not a single person exposed the lie.Liu Wenji maintained a stoic expression: "Your Majesty need not worry. I have already dispatched all the imperial guards from the palace to fight the Southern Barbarians. Currently, only the Northern Agency's troops remain to protect Your Majesty within the palace."
The Emperor sighed in relief: "I trust the Northern Agency's men."
Yet his anxiety resurfaced: "Who knows when the Southern Barbarians might breach our defenses? That ambitious Young Master Wei the Seventh controls the court and forbids me from leaving! Do they truly wish to see me become a captive? That would be Great Wei's ultimate disgrace!"
Liu Wenji thought to himself: Having an emperor like you is Great Wei's true disgrace.
Observing the Emperor's panicked state, Liu Wenji suddenly asked: "Does Your Majesty truly wish to leave Chang'an so desperately?"
The Emperor exclaimed fervently: "Chang'an is on the verge of falling! I only wish to leave to preserve our strength! Pity those ministers... If Suchen were here, it would be different. Suchen was the most loyal minister, always standing by my side. He would surely ensure my safe departure."
Liu Wenji sneered inwardly.
So now the Emperor remembers Yan Shang.
Liu Wenji: "The ministers oppose Your Majesty's departure because they fear losing their central pillar and causing panic among the citizens. They merely wish to use Your Majesty's presence to reassure the people. If Your Majesty truly wishes to leave, there is one method—abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince. Let the Crown Prince defend the city while Your Majesty, as Retired Emperor, may depart freely."
The Emperor immediately brightened: "Let it be done!"
Liu Wenji: "..."
He lowered his gaze: "Unfortunately, Great Wei currently has no Crown Prince."
The Emperor dismissed this casually: "Isn't the Empress's son naturally the Crown Prince? I shall appoint him immediately! Lord Liu, what else must I do? Represent me in negotiations with Young Master Wei the Seventh and his faction. So long as they permit my departure... I care not for this throne!"
Liu Wenji remarked tonelessly: "Your Majesty shows remarkable resolve."
After bringing the empire to such ruin, you still think to simply walk away.
Liu Wenji produced the prepared white proclamation and spread it across the desk: "For Your Majesty to abdicate, you must first write a 'Repentance Edict.' Only after composing this edict may I negotiate with the ministers on Your Majesty's behalf. They will then permit your departure."
The Emperor hesitated momentarily.
But remembering the Southern Barbarians' imminent invasion of Chang'an, he gritted his teeth and took up the brush: "I shall write!"
He began composing the Repentance Edict. Fearing his words might lack sufficient sincerity and be rejected by the ministers, he poured all his literary skill into crafting this profoundly emotional document—
"If I have committed offenses, let not the myriad regions suffer; if the myriad regions have committed offenses, let the blame rest upon me alone..."—
"Let the blame for all offenses rest upon me alone."
When the Emperor's abdication decree, succession decree, and Repentance Edict arrived at the Secretariat, the ministers gathered there patiently read through all three documents. Wei Shu held the imperial edict and read aloud the Repentance Edict. Under the brightly lit hall, the ministers murmured the phrase "let the blame rest upon me alone."
Initially spoken in hushed tones, their voices soon trembled with emotion.
Then someone released a hoarse, grief-stricken laugh: "He admits it... He admits it... He admits he brought ruin upon the empire! Admits he is a foolish ruler! Admits he wronged Lord Liu, caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and countless innocent commoners..."
"He admits it! He admits it!"
The hall erupted in bitter laughter that soon turned to weeping.
One by one, the ministers knelt clutching the Emperor's handwritten documents, wailing in profound sorrow.The young eunuch delivering the letter stepped back fearfully, intimidated by these officials. Trembling, he said, "His Majesty's letter has been delivered... Chief Eunuch Liu asks if the Emperor may be permitted to leave the city."
Wei Shu looked up.
Wei Shu declared, "Open the city gates! Let him depart!"
The young eunuch sighed in relief and scurried away. Chancellor Zhang wiped the tears from his face, rose from the ground, and asked in astonishment, "Ju Yuan, how can we let such a foolish ruler go...?"
Wei Shu murmured darkly, "Beyond the walls lie scattered Southern Barbarians, watching Chang'an with covetous eyes, harboring wild ambitions to fight their way back. The outside is not safe. If he leaves, he seeks his own death."
Chancellor Zhang said, "But if he tells the Southern Barbarians he is the Emperor and demands protection..."
Wei Shu replied, "We have a new Emperor now. How can there be another? He would likely be an impostor. If encountered, he should be executed to appease the people."
Chancellor Zhang lowered his gaze and nodded.
Suddenly, he asked, "Have we found Cheng An, as Su Chen requested?"
Wei Shu said indifferently, "Cheng An is only needed to convict Liu Wenji. Liu Wenji... should be executed."
Upon receiving news that Wei Shu was willing to release the Emperor, Liu Wenji was momentarily incredulous. But he immediately recognized this as an opportunity. Knowing Wei Shu and his faction would surely kill him, he began devising a plan.
He promptly arranged for guards to escort the Emperor away.
Liu Wenji led Northern Agency troops to accompany the Emperor, who insisted on gathering his favorite concubines to bring along. But as they reached the palace gates, they faced the imperial guards stationed throughout the royal city.
Torches flickered ominously as the two sides stood in silent confrontation in the darkness.
Wei Shu stood at the forefront of the imperial guards.
Liu Wenji's heart sank.
The Emperor roared, "Wei Ju Yuan, what is the meaning of this? I am no longer the Son of Heaven! I have abdicated as you demanded. Are you now blocking my departure?"
Wei Shu fixed his gaze on Liu Wenji.
Wei Shu stated, "You may leave. But everyone else must stay. Not a single soldier from the Northern Agency is permitted to go. Chang'an needs troops now. Elite soldiers cannot be wasted protecting a useless man."
The Emperor panicked.
He dared not protest being called useless. His cunning instincts told him he could not remain in Chang'an. Seeing the imperial guards willing to let him go, he immediately abandoned his concubines and avoided Liu Wenji's eyes. He scrambled inelegantly toward the city gates.
Tens of thousands of imperial guards watched silently as the fleeing Emperor resembled a clownish figure in a farce.
Wei Shu and Liu Wenji locked eyes.
Wei Shu raised his hand, and the imperial guards aimed their arrows at the Northern Agency troops. Wei Shu declared, "Eunuchs who bring chaos to the state must not be spared!"
Liu Wenji sneered.
He stepped back, allowing his Northern Agency troops to confront the imperial guards.
The eunuchs behind him seized the concubines, dragging them back into the palace. Across the palace gates, the two armies stood in tense opposition.
Knowing the situation was hopeless, Liu Wenji clung to his new Emperor... He bellowed, "Charge! Kill these treacherous rebels! They seek to control our new Son of Heaven and slaughter the imperial lineage!"
The former Emperor, stripped of his title, fled Chang'an and stood trembling under the desolate moonlight, gazing at the surrounding war-torn landscape.
He had no direction, yet felt finally safe. A relieved smile began to form on his face.
But at that moment, malicious Southern Barbarians lurking in the darkness aimed their arrows at him—"That man actually dared to flee from Chang'an City! With such splendid robes, he must be that young man surnamed Wei! I've heard that fellow is quite eloquent, rallying various small states to attack us from behind.
"His departure from the city must mean he's coming out to negotiate with us again, scheming against us! We cannot let him escape!"
The Emperor felt both relieved and tense, not daring to think too much or look back. Even after passing through Chang'an's gates, it all felt like a dream. With a sudden shudder, he recalled his nightmares, visions of Southern Barbarians killing him in countless ways.
He didn't dare stop, continuing his frantic escape.
"Swish—
"Swish swish—"
Almost imperceptible arrow sounds cut through the air as multiple projectiles shot from grass clumps and beneath shrubs toward the crazily running man.
Struck by arrows, the man collapsed. Gazing up in confusion, his nightmares resurfaced. The dark wilderness concealed deadly threats.
Suddenly filled with regret, he realized escaping the palace was a mistake. He screamed: "I am the Emperor! I am the Emperor! You cannot kill me—everyone must obey me! I am the Son of Heaven!"
Arrows mercilessly pierced him until he resembled a hedgehog. Lying face down with multiple shafts protruding, his withered hand emerged from his sleeve, clawing desperately at the empty air.
On the watchtower above Chang'an's gates, soldiers stood calmly observing the execution outside. The general leaned against the railings, quietly watching the man breathe his last.
Turning to his troops, he remarked: "Probably just another madman driven insane by war, claiming to be the Emperor. Such cases are common—pay it no mind."
The crowd maintained silence, collectively guarding their secret, witnessing the same slaughter, complicit in the murder. This killing would remain etched in their memories forever, a story they'd never share.
Outside the city, Southern Barbarians hidden in the woods muttered: "What was he saying? Could he really have been coming to negotiate peace?
"Who cares? We couldn't understand him anyway."
By July, Guangzhou had exhausted all supplies and ammunition, reaching its absolute limit.
The Southern Barbarian King who had been besieging the city had spent the previous month directing tunnel excavations into the city walls, but in recent days, even his stationed troops had lost momentum.
Both inside and outside the city, supply lines were completely severed.
King Ale listened despairingly to bad news from all fronts daily, knowing the situation was hopeless. Yet he refused to surrender, his voice growing hoarse as he commanded his remaining troops to fire flaming arrows into the city:
"Hold on just a little longer! The city has run out of food! Their resistance is crumbling—if we take Guangzhou, we haven't truly lost..."
One of his generals sat on the ground, wiping his face with a bitter laugh: "Haven't lost? What good is capturing Guangzhou? Jiannan is already hopeless, Hexi probably lost too... Even if we take Guangzhou, can we hold it?
"Your Majesty, we're defeated.
"We'll die in poverty, we'll starve to death, we'll pay the price—Great Wei won't let us off easily... We never should have started this war!"
His despair spread through the camp, and everyone began weeping mournfully.
King Ale fell silent, then roared: "We are blessed by the Mountain Goddess! We are an undefeatable people! We will not lose! All of you—get up! Take Guangzhou for me!"The Southern Barbarian army had few troops left. Urged on by King Ale's roars, they barely mustered their spirits to shoot arrows toward the city tower. A glimmer of hope stirred in their hearts at King Ale's encouragement—if they could truly capture Guangzhou, perhaps their defeat wouldn't be too devastating?
A scout rushed in with a pale face to report: "Disaster approaches—a massive army approaches from the west, flying the banners of Great Wei..."
As these words echoed, a signal arrow shot into the sky, followed by another and another, exploding midair like daytime fireworks. The Great Wei army communicated messages and military intelligence through their unique language, the thunderous roar of signal arrows reverberating through the air.
The entire military camp fell into a deathly silence—
Mu Wan Yao stood atop the city tower, watching the enemy forces shooting arrows below. As the enemy had claimed, the army had reached its limit—the city’s grain reserves were completely depleted. The soldiers were exhausted; when arrows flew from below, they no longer had the strength to evade.
They had gone without food for two days, and they had lost all hope.
No matter how much Mu Wan Yao tried to encourage them, the soldiers were drained of energy… Despair filled Mu Wan Yao’s heart as she looked at their weary faces and bloodshot eyes. She could no longer muster words of reprimand or encouragement.
When pushed to the brink of exhaustion, what more could be demanded of anyone?
It wasn’t that they feared death—it was that they saw no hope left.
Everyone asked her, “Your Highness, what should we do?”
What should we do, what should we do…
Mu Wan Yao stood numbly on the city tower, wishing for a miracle—for sweet rain to save the city’s people, or for a meteor to strike down the enemy forces below…
Just then, a soldier who had been observing from the watchtower climbed onto the city tower and shouted excitedly, “Your Highness, we are saved!
“The Jiannan Army has come to our aid!
“The Imperial Son-in-Law is here!”
All the soldiers who had been slumped against the walls struggled to their feet, verifying the news. Mu Wan Yao watched as hope ignited in their eyes. She leaned back, a faint smile gracing her lips, and closed her eyes.
Even as fire arrows continued to rain into the city, even as the city gates could no longer hold back the enemy, even as the homes of the common folk were set ablaze… none of it mattered anymore.
Mu Wan Yao raised her voice: “Ignore the battle below! Let them set fires as they please! We must save the people and extinguish the flames in the city!”
The soldiers responded in unison: “Yes!”—
Yan Shang had arrived with reinforcements.
Before coming, he had prepared for the worst. Though he claimed to be offering support, he had made all necessary arrangements and left behind letters.
He had not come to aid Guangzhou—he had come to seek death.
He intended to sacrifice himself for the city, to offer his life in exchange for hers. Months of torment had stretched him to his limit. His heart was ashen, devoid of any will to live, seeking only an end.
Yet the situation in Guangzhou was not as he had imagined…
Yan Shang entered the city. While his forces engaged the enemy outside, easily encircling them, he led another contingent into the city to rescue civilians and distribute food supplies… He moved through the crowds as if in a dream, wandering like a ghost in a daze.
Everyone who encountered him rejoiced: “Imperial Son-in-Law!
“Prefect, you’ve finally returned!
“Your Highness and all of us have been waiting for you! Her Highness has gone to the eastern part of the city to fight the fires—have you not encountered her?”
Yan Shang walked through the streets, heading toward the eastern district as directed. Chaos reigned—crowds scrambled in all directions, fires raged everywhere. Houses lay in ruins, reduced to rubble and broken walls. Women hurried to collect rations, while men, stripped to the waist, tirelessly doused flames with water.
Suddenly, Yan Shang spotted Mu Wan Yao beside a charred, collapsed wall.
She sat on the ground, her clothes covered in dust and grime, hugging her knees with her head buried between them. Even as a mere silhouette, even with her disheveled appearance, Yan Shang recognized her instantly.
He stood there, staring blankly.Kneeling beside Mu Wan Yao, Qiu Si leaned in and whispered something to the princess. Mu Wan Yao lifted her head and looked in this direction. Her gaze remained vacant, her beautiful face smeared with layers of dust and grime, yet her eyes shone with an extraordinary brightness. Upon seeing him, they ignited with an unprecedented radiance.
Yan Shang walked toward her.
He knelt before her, staring at her in a daze.
The two gazed at each other.
It seemed there was a torrent of words to say, yet also as if there was nothing to say at all.
They simply looked at each other like this.
Yan Shang whispered, "Where is the jade pendant I gave you?"
Mu Wan Yao froze, not expecting his first words to be this. She failed to react immediately, her mind momentarily numb, unable to even recall how to fabricate a lie.
And as she watched Yan Shang, she saw his eyes suddenly redden.
He perceived her confusion and knew she was about to deceive him again with lies. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he let out a soft laugh.
But then, tears began to roll from his eyes.
Mu Wan Yao had never seen him cry before. She stared in shock, then frantically fought back her exhaustion to lean closer and ask him what was wrong. She watched him like this—smiling at her while tears streamed ceaselessly from his eyes.
His face was gaunt, his expression haggard, his eyes brimming with tears, and his eyelashes glistened with droplets that fell like ticking raindrops.
Trembling, he lowered his shoulders and shakily reached out to wrap his arms around her neck.
He held her, cradling her against his chest with immeasurable tenderness. Overwhelmed by anguish, his body curled inward, and he broke into uncontrollable sobs against her neck.
Full of sorrow, yet to whom could he ever pour out his heart?
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