La pluie écarlate submerge la ville

Chapitre 50

I've never had such an urgent and restless thought before. I want to become strong, ruthless, to protect myself and those I want to protect, to become as fearless as her. Whatever I want, whatever I desire... I'll do anything to get it.

Suddenly someone lifted the curtain and called out to me anxiously, "Miss."

I slammed the mirror shut, letting in a cold light. Changhuan rushed in from outside, so fast that he wobbled a couple of times while holding onto the table. He looked at me and asked, "Miss's hand..."

I paused for a moment, then let go of the mirror, raised my hand, and said to him, "It's okay, I'm still here."

He wanted to reach out but hesitated, then carefully cupped my hand and asked, "Has the doctor examined you? Are there any injuries to your tendons or veins? Will it leave a scar?" He then asked, "Does it hurt?"

I stood there stunned for a long time, tears welling up in my eyes. Changhuan panicked and pulled at my sleeve to wipe my face, blurting out, "Why are you crying, young lady... It hurts, doesn't it? Should I get a doctor to take a look?"

Did you cry?

I reached up and touched the cold tears on my face, feeling a little strange. "It doesn't hurt." It really didn't hurt. I don't know why, but tears just started falling.

Seeing Chang Huan looking travel-worn, I grabbed the hand he was using to wipe my face and asked, "Did you give the antidote to Leng Baichun?"

He froze for a moment, then hurriedly avoided my eyes, lowered his head, nodded, and responded in a very low voice, "Given it..."

"You gave it to Leng Baichun yourself?" I asked again, staring at him intently.

He didn't dare look at me, but instead lowered his head and changed the subject, saying, "Are you hungry, young lady? I'll send someone to prepare some food." Then he turned and tried to leave as if fleeing.

I grabbed his sleeve, stood up to stop him, looked him closely, and asked, "Chang Huan, you didn't give the antidote to Leng Baichun?"

He looked up at me, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Are you going to lie to me too?" I asked him, looking him straight in the eye without flinching. "Chang Huan."

He then knelt down, lowered his head and said, "It is Changhuan's incompetence that I failed to keep my promise to you, Miss."

As he knelt down, my worst premonition grew exponentially stronger. I looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

He looked up at me, his voice urgent, "Changhuan had no intention of deceiving you, Miss, it's just that you are now..."

"Was she not saved, or was the antidote not given to her?" I interrupted him and asked.

He shook his head, afraid I would be anxious, and hurriedly said, "I gave the antidote to Miss Leng, but... but Gu Shaoting suddenly appeared out of nowhere..."

Gu Shaoting...

My fingertips twitched slightly for some reason. I asked Changhuan, "Did Gu Shaoting take the antidote?"

Chang Huan nodded, and my heart inexplicably sank, as if it had been adrift for a long time and had now fallen into the deepest part of the sea. I was strangely calm.

"Where is he now?" I asked calmly, staring at my fingers. "Is Ruan Bicheng there?"

Chang Huan raised her eyebrows, her brows furrowing as she said, "I didn't see Alliance Leader Ruan when I arrived; only Xiao Jiu was guarding Miss Leng. Was Alliance Leader Ruan there originally?"

I felt a wave of relief wash over me, from the bottom of my heart to every limb. No one knew how afraid I was that the answer wasn't right. If he were here too... if he were here too, I didn't know what I would do next.

Chang Huan frowned and continued, "Gu Shaoting... Gu Shaoting asked me to come back and give you a message."

"What?"

He suddenly grabbed my sleeve, pleading and anxiously saying, "Miss Leng, it seems medicine is no longer effective. Changhuan begs you not to go! It will be useless even if you go, but your injuries..."

"What?" I asked again.

He tightened his grip on my fingers, then loosened it little by little after watching me for a while. He lowered his head and said, "Gu Shaoting said that if you want to save Miss Leng, you should bring the antidote over as soon as possible."

Excellent.

I grasped Changhuan's hand, making him release me, and asked calmly, "I understand." I turned and lifted the curtain to go out, and he called to me, quickly following behind me.

Ye Baizhi was indeed outside the camp not far away. I didn't stop and ran over in a few steps. She was slightly taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

"Antidote," I whispered, "The antidote for the Heart-Stealing Powder." Seeing that she was about to ask, I said decisively, "Don't ask me what I'm doing. Just give me one more pill. I won't delay anything. I'll be back within half an hour."

She looked at me for a moment, then took out a small bottle from her sleeve, poured out an antidote for me, and said in a low voice, "Go and come back quickly."

I took the antidote, ran a few steps to the horse on the side, mounted it, whipped it, and leaped over Changhuan, heading straight for Licheng.

He traveled in haste, flashing his token at the city gate without stopping before riding into the city. After a moment's thought, he slightly reined in his horse and said to the guard, "May I borrow your sword?" He bent down, drew the sword from his waist with a clang, and whipped his horse into Licheng.

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In the dead of night, I leaped directly up to the second floor on my horse, pushed open the door, and found Xiao Jiu there, Leng Baichun there, and the Gu siblings there.

Leng Baichun lay on the couch with a deathly pale face, while Gu Biyun leaned against the couch, her acupoints seemingly sealed, her face bluish-purple, looking as if she had been poisoned.

Gu Shaoting was right beside the bed, his sword pressed against Leng Baichun's neck. When he saw me, he frowned and shouted, "Where's the antidote?"

Xiao Jiu strode over, "Su Xie..."

I gasped for breath, looking at Gu Shaoting and then at Gu Biyun, and suddenly I understood. His eagerness for the antidote was not for Leng Baichun, but for his delicate and timid sister.

How ridiculous! I couldn't help but laugh. He frowned and shouted, "What are you laughing at! Where's the antidote!"

What are you laughing at?

I looked at him and laughed, "What a great brother! He only thought of his sister after protecting himself. What if there was only one antidote?"

I don't know what noble intentions led him to take Leng Baichun's antidote first and then detoxify himself.

Gu Shaoting, however, was somewhat embarrassed and angry. His voice was hoarse as he said viciously, "It was Leng Baichun who forced me to take the medicine! Otherwise, I would never have sought out you, you vixen, to save Biyun!"

I looked at Leng Baichun; she lay on the couch, her face ashen, her expression as calm as if she were dead. I had never felt this phrase so deeply before: her heart was ashen.

Author's Note: I got back a little late from my childhood friend's engagement party, so please forgive the late update.

It feels like I wrote the last few chapters in one go! A seamless flow! But I'm only a writer who can only write 400 words an hour… I'm doomed! I'll only update twice a hour when I can write 1000 words!

59

"Hand over the antidote now! Or I'll kill her!" Gu Shaoting tightened his grip on the sword, and a bloodstain appeared on Leng Baichun's neck.

"Stop!" Xiao Jiu shouted at him, then grabbed me and said, "Save them first!"

"No need." Leng Baichun suddenly spoke quietly on the couch. She seemed to be looking at Gu Shaoting, but then again, she wasn't. "Su Xie, I don't have much time left. Do you remember what you promised me?"

"Remember."

Save the child, no matter what. I promised her.

She said nothing more, and I turned to Xiao Jiu and asked, "Does Ruan Bicheng know?"

Xiao Jiu was taken aback, then shook his head, "Ruan Bicheng left after you left. She got separated from the two of them when she entered Licheng. She met us and has been hiding here ever since, unaware that they came here..."

I just need to confirm this; nothing else matters.

I took out the antidote and said to Gu Shaoting, "You want the antidote?"

Gu Shaoting's eyes lit up, and he suddenly stretched out his hand, saying, "Give me the antidote! If you give it to me, I'll release Leng Baichun!"

With an "Oh," I tossed the small antidote out the window. Without a sound, Gu Shaoting was immediately startled and instinctively took a step forward. I suddenly stepped forward with my sword, without any moves or techniques, and thrust the sword straight into his chest.

Gu Shaoting reacted immediately, quickly retreating and thrusting his sword forward, aiming it directly at Leng Baichun's brow. He frowned and shouted, "If you take another step forward, I'll kill you..."

“She said it wasn’t necessary.” I didn’t stop, and thrust my sword straight out. “Then you can all die together.”

Gu Shaoting panicked and pulled back his sword, then thrust it at me in an instant, trying to force me to withdraw my sword and retreat. I didn't stop, and the tip of the sword pierced my shoulder with a "thud." "Su Xie... are you out of your mind!"

I reached out and grabbed the sword that was piercing his shoulder. Without stopping, I thrust the sword forward without hesitation, straight into his chest. His shoulder pierced through mine. I suddenly lunged at him, gripped the hilt with both hands, and plunged the sword in.

Blood gushed from his chest. His sword was stuck in my shoulder, and he could only stare at me with wide, stunned eyes, staring at the sword.

"Su Xie!" Xiao Jiu rushed over.

With a sudden burst of strength, I gripped the sword hilt with both hands and pinned him firmly to the bed. He spat a mouthful of blood onto my face, his eyes still glaring at me with unyielding resentment.

I gripped the sword hilt tighter and tighter... my fingers convulsed in waves.

"Su Xie..." Xiao Jiu called out to me from behind. With a flick of his finger, he snapped the sword that was piercing my shoulder in two. He pressed down on my arm and said, "Don't use any more force! Let go."

My breathing tightened, and I slowly loosened my fingers. My body was numb and tingling; I could no longer feel the sword embedded in my shoulder. The numbness traveled from my shoulder and fingers straight through my limbs and bones. My fingers were trembling as I gripped the hilt of the sword stuck in Gu Shaoting's chest, panting heavily. I propped myself up and slowly backed away, pulling the broken sword out of my shoulder. Blood and flesh were slowly drawn out from the blade.

I gritted my teeth and took a step back. The moment I stepped back, I felt as if I had lost my support and stumbled to my knees by the bed. Xiao Jiu squatted down and sealed my blood vessels to stop the bleeding. I sat on the ground, leaning against the bed, panting heavily. Cold sweat and hot blood dripped down my body.

A chill ran down my spine as Leng Baichun grabbed my hand. I turned to look at her; her grip on my fingers was cold and tight. She stared intently at me and said, "Su Xie, save the child..."

"Where is the doctor?" I asked Xiao Jiu, struggling to sit up, and said, "Go find the doctor."

Leng Baichun gripped my hand tightly, refusing to let go. "Su Xie, you must save the child! You have to save him! Su Xie..." She suddenly burst into tears, her eyes glistening with tears, her fingers gripping with surprising strength. "My child is alive. I can feel him living inside me. He's alive, Su Xie..."

I grasped her hand in return. Xiao Jiu pulled the doctor over, who shrank back by the bed in fright. He didn't even take her pulse before trembling and saying, "Please spare me! Even if the fetus wasn't affected by the poison and is still alive, but... but given this young lady's current condition, how could she possibly give birth?"

Xiao Jiu grabbed his neck and shouted, "Are you going to save him or not?!"

"Hero, spare my life!" the doctor cried, his face pale with fright. "It's not that I refuse to help, it's just that..."

“He’s alive.” Leng Baichun grabbed my hand and pressed it against her stomach, repeating to me over and over, “Su Xie is still alive.”

"That girl doesn't have the strength to give birth now!" The doctor struggled, trying to pry Xiao Jiu's fingers apart.

Leng Baichun suddenly turned to look at him, tugging at his clothes little by little, and said, "Cesarean section... Doctor, you can cut open my stomach and take it out, right?"

Cesarean section to remove the fetus?

The doctor was stunned, but Xiao Jiu spoke first: "Absolutely not! You'll die!"

"Doctor!" Leng Baichun seemed not to hear him, gripping the doctor's clothes tightly until her fingertips turned blue. "I just want my child to live, I just want my child..."

When the doctor examined Xiao Jiu, the veins on Xiao Jiu's forehead bulged, and he looked up as if he was about to knock the doctor unconscious, but I grabbed his hand.

"Su Xie!" Xiao Jiu looked at me incredulously. "You want her to go and die too?!"

“She’s dead.” I looked at Xiao Jiu. No matter how much he denied it, Leng Baichun was dead. She was like a withered tree that had already withered, lifeless.

She is still alive today, only because of this child.

Xiao Jiu wouldn't let go of the doctor no matter what I did, so I took out a dagger from my pocket and said, "I'll do it myself."

"Su Xie!" Xiao Jiu rushed over and grabbed my hand, and in an instant, Leng Baichun's hand also reached out.

She grabbed me, and she grabbed Xiao Jiu, and a light suddenly appeared in her eyes. That light made her look incredibly beautiful even as she lay dying. She said, "I want the child, I only want the child..."

Xiao Jiu finally let go of the doctor's hand, turned around and left without looking back.

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I had never seen anyone bleed so much. She lay on the bed, clutching my hand. The sound of the knife slicing through her belly was like the tearing of silk. Blood gushed out from under the knife, covering her body and the bed. Afraid of hurting the child, the blade only went in a fraction, not cutting completely open, before making another cut along the bleeding gash. Something gushed out with the blood. My stomach churned for a moment, and I hurriedly turned my eyes away, my eyelashes trembling. I dared not look, dared not listen to that piercing sound.

I could feel her gripping my fingers so tightly they were almost broken. My hands were covered in cold sweat and blood from my open wounds, but she gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound.

How much pain can a person endure?

I looked out the window, and in the languid night, a star twinkled, and from a very, very far place came an inaudible song.