Suddenly, a palm strike came from behind Shangguan Che, sending him flying and releasing Shangguan Pian.
Chapter Ten: Deserved Punishment [VIP Hand-Typed Update]
After being knocked away, Shangguan Che fell to the ground not far away, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He struggled to get up, the blood staining his white clothes, making him look even more disheveled.
"Jingyan?!" After catching Shangguan Pian who had been pushed away by Shangguan Che, Shen Qianmo turned around and saw that it was Situ Jingyan.
Situ Jingyan, dressed in fiery red, looked exceptionally eerie. His obsidian-like eyes, which held three parts anger and seven parts heartache, transformed into twelve parts tenderness as he said, "Mo'er, how could you be so careless and get injured?"
Shen Qianmo smiled slightly and said calmly, "I'm fine."
"He actually injured you! This time, I won't let him get away with it!" Situ Jingyan's gaze slowly shifted to Shangguan Che, who was trembling as he got up. His eyes were filled with cold anger, shooting straight at Shangguan Che like sharp swords.
Shen Qianmo glanced at Shangguan Che, her eyes filled with nothing but deep disgust and contempt. With a lazy smile, she said indifferently, "I'm afraid he won't survive even if you don't lift a finger."
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Shangguan Che gave a desolate smile and burst into maniacal laughter. Situ Jingyan's palm strike had used seven-tenths of his internal force, almost shattering Shangguan Che's spine. He was already enduring excruciating pain just to be able to stand, and this laugh caused him to vomit several more mouthfuls of blood.
Unable to bear the excruciating pain, Shangguan Che knelt on one knee, a hint of hatred flashing in his eyes, and said, "Since things have come to this, I really don't want to live anymore! But there's no need for you to do anything."
Seeing Shangguan Che's disheveled appearance, Shangguan Pian opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but thinking of what Shangguan Che had just done, she frowned and turned her face away.
Situ Jingyan stared coldly at Shangguan Che, devoid of any emotion. His icy gaze seemed to tell Shangguan Che that he was too lazy to kill such a scoundrel.
Shen Qianmo also turned away, unwilling to look at Shangguan Che again.
When Shangguan Che saw Shen Qianmo's actions, a trace of bitterness flashed in his eyes. If he and Shen Qianmo hadn't been standing face to face, he really liked Shen Qianmo. He still hadn't forgotten that song about the country.
Drawing the soft sword from his waist, a ruthless glint flashed in Shangguan Che's eyes. The sword swiftly sliced across his neck. Since defeat was already inevitable, he was unwilling to live a life of dishonor!
Rather than be killed without dignity by them, it's better to die by one's own hand, at least preserving a last shred of dignity. He was born for the throne, and now, dying for the throne, he would die with dignity.
Blood spurting from his neck slid across the empty courtyard like a brilliant sunrise. Shangguan Che's blood-stained white robe lay on the ground. His eyes were devoid of any light, filled only with the resentment of his dying moments.
"Brother..." Shangguan Pian finally couldn't bear it and cried. Even though she resented what Shangguan Che had done, he was still her brother.
"Are you giving up now?" A hint of unreadable emotion flashed in Shen Qianmo's eyes, but it was concealed by her calm and deep gaze. Her tone was cold, without a trace of sadness.
Shangguan Pian remained silent, but obediently turned around, making her stance clear.
"Jingyan, what's wrong?" Shen Qianmo asked, seeing Situ Jingyan's still cold and stern face.
Ever since she met Situ Jingyan, he had always had a wicked smile on his face, and she was really not used to not seeing his smile anymore.
"You're not allowed to get hurt again." Situ Jingyan spat out these words through gritted teeth, his tone domineering and willful.
Although he knew that the blow wasn't serious, his heart clenched when he saw it strike Shen Qianmo from afar. If it weren't for the need to find an opportunity to save Shangguan Pian, he would have killed Shangguan Che with a single blow.
Hearing Situ Jingyan's words, Shen Qianmo's eyes were filled with emotion. She smiled ingratiatingly and, like any other girl, gently shook Situ Jingyan's arm, saying coquettishly, "Okay, okay, I know."
"Where is Yuanshan?" Shangguan Pian finally realized that if Situ Jingyan was here, then where was Yao Yuanshan?
Situ Jingyan's face showed a moment of embarrassment. He had originally brought Yao Yuanshan to meet up with Shen Qianmo, but he was worried about Shen Qianmo's condition, so he brought Yao Yuanshan in with him. When he saw Shen Qianmo being injured by Shangguan Che from afar, he panicked and threw Yao Yuanshan down from mid-air.
Situ Jingyan, with a dark line at the corner of his eye, chuckled, "It should be on the outer edge of the courtyard."
He didn't know exactly where Yao Yuanshan had landed, but the courtyard wasn't very high, and Yao Yuanshan knew martial arts. He had only grabbed Yao Yuanshan's shoulder to bring him in to avoid the guards, so he figured there shouldn't be any problems.
"Should?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow; there was something wrong with Situ Jingyan's expression.
"Because I saw you were injured, I abandoned him halfway through the journey," Situ Jingyan said with a smirk.
"What?!" Shangguan Pian immediately became agitated upon hearing this, her princess temper flaring up again. "How dare you! You actually dared to throw Yuanshan down?!"
Situ Jingyan glanced at Shangguan Pian with displeasure. If it weren't for Shen Qianmo's sake, he wouldn't have felt embarrassed, and there would be no need to explain. This Shangguan Pian is really taking advantage of his kindness!
"Alright, let's go find Yao Yuanshan." Shen Qianmo noticed Situ Jingyan's displeasure and smiled as she tried to defuse the situation.
Shangguan Pian ran the fastest, disappearing in a flash as she dashed ahead.
"Yuanshan, Yuanshan, are you alright?" Shangguan Pian anxiously held Yao Yuanshan's hand, looking him over from left to right, afraid that Yao Yuanshan had been injured.
"Pianpian, I'm fine." Yao Yuanshan felt a warmth in his heart when he saw Shangguan Pian's anxious expression, and hugged her tightly.
Shangguan Pian was taken aback by Yao Yuanshan's sudden hug. Yao Yuanshan had never hugged her before. What was wrong with him today?
However, Shangguan Pian was still very happy. Two blushes appeared on her face, and she smiled shyly, "Yuanshan, what's wrong?"
Yao Yuanshan released his hold on Shangguan Pian and saw her shy expression. A gentle smile appeared on his lips. "It's nothing, Pianpian. Let's leave here."
“Yes,” Shangguan Pian said confidently.
“But if we leave here, we’ll have to live a hard life,” Yao Yuanshan said uncertainly.
"It's okay, as long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid." Shangguan Pian said earnestly. Yes, as long as she was with Yao Yuanshan, she didn't care even if she had to suffer.
Looking into Shangguan Pian's sincere eyes, Yao Yuanshan realized that Shangguan Pian was the one he loved most, his true love. As for Shen Qianxin, she was just a dream he had created. He had always loved the real Shen Qianxin, not the one she had pretended to be.
Since it's all a misunderstanding, why dwell on it? It's better to cherish the people around you.
"In that case, you two should take care of yourselves." Shen Qianmo smiled with relief when she saw the two of them.
"If we have the opportunity in the future, we will definitely repay your great kindness," Yao Yuanshan and Shangguan Pian said solemnly.
Shen Qianmo didn't take it to heart, but she never expected that day would actually come.
"What did you see at Shangguan Jin's residence just now? Yao Yuanshan seems to have figured something out." Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and asked, watching Yao Yuanshan and Shangguan Pian's departing figures.
"When he saw Shen Qianxin's condition, he wanted to take her away, but Shen Qianxin refused, saying that she would rather be a half-dead future empress than suffer with him," Situ Jingyan said, his eyes devoid of emotion.