"How did you manage to outwit An Xin when you're so stupid?" The smile was faint, yet the patience was remarkable. "Knowing too much will eventually block your own escape route."
Zhou Xiruo opened her mouth to breathe, her heartbeat seemingly touching the blade, each beat startling and terrifying.
"You think that killing me will prevent Yan Zhen from seeing through your plot?! You're dreaming!"
"Heh..." A faint laugh, tinged with mockery, as if he had heard an extremely ridiculous joke, "Yan Zhen? He's stuck in the mud now, what can he do to me? Do you think Yan Zhen has been kept in the dark all this time?"
Zhou Xiruo coughed up blood and exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean?"
"Is the title of Right Chancellor just for show? He probably knew many things all along, but he's just putting on an act."
Zhou Xiruo felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar in an instant.
"He knew... He actually knew all along!? It must be that bastard An Xin, it must be her!" Zhou Xiruo felt a chill run through her body. She couldn't imagine how Yan Zhen could pretend to be unaware and act with her all this time, knowing the truth. This was terrifying!
"An Xin, do you know your identity now?" The voice was slow and cold, its pressure intangible yet startling Zhou Xiruo awake. She suddenly understood why this person had targeted her; was it all because he feared An Xin would discover his existence?
Zhou Xiruo laughed in fury, her laughter sharp and cutting. "You're scared? You're scared she'll see through your true colors?! Even if you kill me, she'll suffer a terrible death! She'll suffer a terrible death! Hahaha!"
The maniacal laughter made the person in the darkness slowly squint.
"Kill her." The order was given casually, as if it were a meal or a drink, but it made Zhou Xiruo's sinister smile come to an abrupt halt, replaced by a cold laugh. "You don't believe me? I put a Heart-Connecting Gu on An Xin, connecting my heart to hers. Even if you kill me, she won't live!"
"Kill her." The order was given in a calm tone, clearly showing no trust in Zhou Xiruo whatsoever.
The disheveled black figure exuded a dense aura of death, like a killing machine that simply obeyed orders. The knife piercing Zhou Xiruo's chest was slowly pulled out a little, and then thrust towards her heart again.
"Stop!" Before the voice arrived, the person was already there. The next moment, the disheveled black figure was kicked away and crashed heavily into the figure sitting in the darkness, but was swept away by a sleeve just as he got close.
Zhou Xiruo felt a sharp pain in her chest. The next moment, she was caught by someone. She opened her eyes in a daze, but when she saw who it was, she forgot to react.
Yan Zhen stared coldly at the figure in the darkness, and after a long while, he laughed, "The Empress Dowager once told me that in the past, a traitor in Baihua County caused the deaths of thousands of people. However, the traitor was not executed; he escaped, married, had children, and lived a very leisurely life until his death. Although I am not a good person, he has the burden of thousands of lives on his shoulders, yet he has survived unscathed. It seems his conscience has truly been eaten by dogs!"
The figure sitting behind the dark curtain remained motionless, yet cold and stern as a blade.
"However, this traitor caused the destruction of my Yan family. This is an irreconcilable hatred. I am not satisfied with destroying the Shura Sect." After saying that, he smiled lazily, not at all like he was talking about family feuds and old grudges. His gaze then turned to Zhou Xiruo's face. "Xiruo, you must live well, you know?"
Zhou Xiruo felt waves of sharp pain in her chest, yet her heart still pounded heavily. Could it be that he didn't know the truth, and that the man was just lying to her?
A chill ran through my heart, then warmth filled my chest; tears welled in my eyes, and I nodded vigorously.
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "Good girl."
xxx xxx
An Xin collapsed to the ground in pain. The intense agony made her truly understand what it meant to be heartbroken. Leaning against a tree trunk, she gasped for breath. Suddenly, she heard a jumble of footsteps and horses' hooves rushing forward. Her expression changed abruptly. Looking up, she saw countless soldiers rushing forward like silent, moving ghosts in the darkness.
Anxin's heart skipped a beat. Ignoring the excruciating pain, she rushed forward. Before she even got close, a cold, sharp spear was thrust at her. At the last second, she was pulled back. Anxin looked up sharply and saw Chen Zhuo.
"Come with me." Shen Zhuo was as cold as ever, and turned to leave.
An Xin staggered a step, and Shen Zhuo frowned as he regained his senses: "Your sister used this trick on me a long time ago."
Despite the excruciating pain, An Xin's lips twitched slightly. An Wan? This girl has been kept in eye on by Chen Zhuo lately, and she's already quite aware of what she's been up to...
Without saying another word, An Xin reluctantly followed Shen Zhuo forward. The further she went, the heavier An Xin's steps felt, as if they were filled with lead. In the open and in the shadows, countless archers surrounded her like an iron barrel. An Xin's heart sank, and she became increasingly silent.
With Chen Zhuo's guidance, we passed through layer upon layer of obstacles and finally entered the door.
The courtyard was silent; though it was bustling with activity, the desolation was oppressive.
Just as she was about to push open the door, it was suddenly pierced through by a knife. An Xin was so shocked that she took a step back. At that moment, the door shattered with a crash. In her panic, she looked up and her body instantly froze.
They looked at each other, speechless.
The next moment, she was pulled into someone's arms, and a finger moved to a vital point on the back of her neck. An Xin slowly closed her eyes, and for some reason, her heartache now contained something else.
She had long anticipated that their meeting would inevitably end in antagonism, but she never expected it to happen in this way...
"By imperial decree, the Left Chancellor Jing Lan is plotting a rebellion. Arrest him immediately and execute him without mercy!" The cold, stern voice proclaiming the decree echoed through the darkness, as chilling and inhuman as the night itself.
The fingers that were resting on An Xin's neck trembled slightly.
"Why bother..." An Xin sighed softly, feeling more tired than ever before. After chasing and chasing, when all the truth came out, she found that all her pursuits were so regrettable. What was the point of all that she did?
Yan Zhen slowly stepped out of the threshold, and when she saw the scene before her, her eyes suddenly darkened.
Zhou Xiruo suddenly hugged his neck and whispered, "Yan Zhen, my heart hurts so much..."
An Xin's gaze was drawn to Zhou Xiruo's voice. She saw Zhou Xiruo clinging intimately to Yan Zhen, while Yan Zhen remained oblivious, her gaze fixed coldly on Jing Lan.
An Xin sighed again, but she didn't know why. She just raised her eyelashes and looked at Jing Lan. The man was still handsome and showed no signs of being down on his luck. However, his eyes had an indescribable look of despair that was painful to look at.
Seemingly noticing An Xin's gaze, his eyes flickered, meeting hers, and he slowly smiled, saying, "Not surprised?"
An Xin stared at him without saying a word.
"How's the investigation into your headless corpse case going?" He placed one hand on her pressure point, while holding her with the other, as if nothing around them existed, chatting with her as always.
"Not good, I have no clue." An Xin pursed her lips, but her voice sounded hoarse.
"How can you make sense of something that has no clue?" He smiled, a bitter smile crossing his stunningly beautiful face. When he looked at her, his dark eyes brightened. "If I had known this would happen, I would have killed you back then."
An Xin tugged at the corner of her mouth, "One wrong step can lead to eternal regret. Many things can never be undone."
He smiled gently, "You know nothing, so what's there to hate? Even if you went back, what could you do?"
An Xin was suddenly startled, her eyelashes trembled, and she stared at him.