Once upon a time, they loved each other so much that they were practically inseparable. Back then, were they really only attracted to each other's looks?
Luo Ningshuang's recent probing was also a form of probing by Mu Yunhe. She wanted to know just how important Luo Zhiheng was to Mu Yunhe. She was conflicted; she wanted Mu Yunhe to refuse Luo Ningshuang's request, yet she also wanted him to agree. She wanted to see Mu Yunhe not care about this imposter, yet she also wanted Luo Zhiheng to be invincible in Mu Yunhe's heart, unmatched by anyone else.
She was intensely conflicted; a dull, piercing pain, as if tearing her nerves apart, howled sharply in her mind.
But Mu Yunhe really did shout, so what did she prove? She only proved that her heart was filled with such anger and pain.
"Why are you back again?" The Poison Saint's loud shouts startled Luo Zhiheng, who was like a lost soul.
She stared blankly at the Poison Saint's grim face, not knowing how she had returned here. She hadn't actually spent a single day with Luo Zhiwu before, but the memories in her body, the fragmented images from her childhood, and the warmth of her family had led her back to her brother's side without her even realizing it, during her most confused moment.
"You go out, I need to be alone with him for a while." Luo Zhiheng's voice was hoarse as she walked straight to Luo Zhiwu's bedside and sat down.
Seeing that Luo Zhiheng's breathing and voice were not right, Poison Saint muttered to himself, and then reluctantly said, "I just gave him medicine. Detoxification is a slow process. It won't be completely cured in a day or two, and he won't wake up in a short time. Don't disturb him too much. Besides, a young lady shouldn't be alone with a grown man."
Seeing Luo Zhiheng remain silent, the Poison Saint curled his lip in frustration and turned to leave.
The moment the door closed, Luo Zhiheng's tears fell uncontrollably. She buried her face in Luo Zhiwu's chest, her voice filled with despair and sorrow: "He still didn't recognize me, brother. I shouldn't blame him, but what can I do? Seeing him with that bitch Luo Ningshuang, seeing that beast Luo Ningshuang taking everything that belongs to me, I hate it so much, I just can't help but feel angry! If Mu Yunhe loves me, how can he smile at his enemy? But he does love me, he's been kept in the dark. I want revenge, I want to make Luo Ningshuang suffer, I want Mu Yunhe to recognize me himself, why is it so hard?"
“Brother, why weren’t you by my side during the most painful years? Father wasn’t by my side either. I’m so tired. I don’t want to wait anymore. I can’t bear Luo Ningshuang’s existence any longer. Brother, because she is connected to us by blood, I have repeatedly indulged her and let her go, but she has repeatedly taken advantage of me, hurting me and even destroying me, taking everything that belongs to me. Her madness and inhumanity have made me unable to tolerate it any longer.”
Luo Zhiheng's eyes shone brightly, the fire of hatred burning within her: "If I don't kill her, my hatred will have nowhere to go. If I kill her, will you and Father blame me? In the end, I can't be as heartless and insane as Luo Ningshuang, who would do anything to achieve her goals. I care about you, I care about Father and Brother's feelings. I don't care what the world thinks of me, but if I lose Father and Brother's love because of Luo Ningshuang, my heart will be torn apart."
"So brother, please tell me, what should I do? Will you hate me and despise me?" Luo Zhiheng's tears soaked Luo Zhiwu's clothes. She murmured unconsciously, the pain and heaviness seemed to have spread into her soul. Luo Ningshuang was a thorn deeply embedded in her lungs, and even the slightest breath could make her feel like she was dying.
Luo Zhiwu's face, which had been calmly asleep, gradually turned ashen, and his furrowed brows showed his discomfort, but he kept his eyes tightly closed and could not make a sound.
Time passed in the silence between the brother and sister. Mu Yunhe stood outside the door like a statue, not even having the courage to step into the general's mansion. His clenched fists cracked at his sides, and the image of her misty eyes and resolute words in his mind made his heart clench with pain, and a suffocating feeling followed him everywhere.
From day to night, he received news that Luo Zhiheng had been keeping Luo Zhiwu company alone. His straight back and shoulders slumped, his expression was dejected, and he turned away in a daze.
The wind seemed unusually strong tonight, and the night was exceptionally cold. Every room in the priest's mansion was brightly lit by candlelight; although everyone had gone to bed, Luo Ningshuang's room remained brightly lit.
The wet nurse was arranged to sleep in the side room outside Luo Ningshuang's room because she was afraid of the word "death" on the letter. She was afraid that someone would take revenge on her or hurt her. So, regardless of whether the wet nurse was humble or not, she made the wet nurse sleep in that small and cold side room, and even claimed that she wanted to live closer to the wet nurse to get closer to her.
The wet nurse naturally didn't care about any of that; she only cared about the safety of her young master.
A gust of wind blew in, and the candlelight in the room began to flicker. The candlelight was magnified countless times on the wall, and the flickering back and forth resembled a ghostly and graceful figure, eerie and terrifying.
The wet nurse heard the wind seem to have blown open the window of Luo Ningshuang's room. She got up to close the window, but then she felt a fragrance and fainted.
Half-asleep, Luo Ningshuang seemed to hear a noise and mumbled, "Is that the wet nurse?"
A gust of cold wind swept in, carrying a chill and sharpness. It felt as if Luo Ningshuang's face had been slashed by a knife. The pain jolted her awake, and she saw that the room, which had been bright just moments before, had suddenly plunged into darkness.
It was pitch black outside the window. There were no stars or moon tonight, only the howling north wind.
"What's going on? Someone help!" Luo Ningshuang had been terrified of the dark night ever since she woke up. She was truly afraid of ghosts knocking on her door because she had done something wrong. Her room had to be kept brightly lit after nightfall, and her voice trembled slightly at this moment.
whoosh whoosh—
A sound rose and fell, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, sometimes heavy, like the wailing of ghosts, like a scream.
Startled by the sound, Luo Ningshuang immediately sat up, curled up under the covers, and retreated to the foot of the bed. She peered out through the gauze curtains in terror, trembling but trying to appear calm as she said, "Who...who is it? Stop playing tricks and come out!"
The fluctuating sound still lingered in the room. It was a pitch-black night, and suddenly, a cluster of light rose between her and her bed, like the heavy, eerie shadows of the underworld, instantly transforming the room into hell and the bed into a cage. Luo Ningshuang was trapped in this cage, awaiting Yama's judgment of death or reincarnation.
Luo Ningshuang's heart leaped into her throat. Her eyes widened in terror, her pupils contracting in circles. Her whole body trembled, her throat went dry, and she was drenched in cold sweat.
Just as she was trying to tell herself not to be afraid, the bed curtains suddenly flew up. There was clearly no one there, and no wind was blowing, so how could the curtains fly up? Luo Ning Shuang screamed immediately afterward: "Ah! A ghost!"
Before she could even close her eyes, a woman with disheveled hair and a fiery red dress suddenly appeared in her vision. She couldn't see the woman's face, but the bright red dress and the tattered marks on it made Luo Ning Shuang suddenly think of someone. She screamed in disbelief, "Luo Zhiheng?!"
The woman didn't answer. She crawled onto the bed with incredibly slow movements, as if struggling to climb out of hell. Her movements were so slow, it felt like a knife slicing through one's nerves; each movement was like a cut, causing excruciating pain, yet not death. Then, she slowly raised her head, each movement like a giant net trapping one's heart, unable to escape, only tightening as the net drew closer.
"Terrified" is not even a word to describe Luo Ningshuang's feelings at this moment; it was horror, terror, and utter dread!
Luo Ningshuang's eyes widened as if she were frozen in time. Her expression, filled with horror and fear, was one of utter disbelief. She wished she could shrink into a crack in the ground rather than face the ghostly figure before her, which was crawling toward her very slowly, bit by bit.
Crawling towards itself!!!
Luo Ningshuang felt a chill creep up from the soles of her feet to the back of her head in an instant. Every pore on her body expanded and then contracted instantly, and her hair stood on end. She trembled and screamed, "Who...who are you? Get away from me! Don't come near me!"
The person did not listen to her, but only breathed heavily, as if she was enduring great pain. She finally raised her head, but her hair was disheveled and her face could not be seen. She was still crawling, as if she had used up all her strength, but she still could not crawl to Luo Ning Shuang. Her slow speed also allowed Luo Ning Shuang to see the back of her. Along the way she crawled, there was blood everywhere, which was shocking!
Human psychological resilience is far from strong. Luo Ningshuang was so frightened by the bizarre and terrifying scene before her that her blood ran cold and her heart almost stopped beating. Suddenly, as if to comfort herself, she kept patting her head, tightly closing her eyes and muttering, "This isn't real, this can't be real. I'm having a nightmare, it's just a nightmare! Don't be afraid, it's not real, that's definitely not Luo Zhiheng!"
As if to confirm that it was real, Luo Ningshuang suddenly felt someone pat her arm. A chilling coldness spread through her body instantly from the hand on her arm. The feeling was so intense and real.
Luo Ningshuang's heart trembled; the spot in her chest where she had personally torn off a piece of flesh three years ago, only to be finished off by Luo Zhiheng, throbbed with pain. She stiffly looked up, and slowly, what came into view was a face slashed beyond recognition, a bloody mess!
"Ah!!" Luo Ningshuang's scream almost shattered the heavens, but no one could rescue her from this nightmarish nightmare.
That face, that face...
Luo Ningshuang thought of that cliff three years ago, where she held a sharp knife and swiftly and powerfully slashed at Luo Zhiheng's face, each cut leaving an almost exposed mark. The white knife was stained red, and Luo Zhiheng's face, which looked exactly like hers, was completely disfigured, becoming ghostly and terrifying!
Once, when she looked at Luo Zhiheng's face, she only felt happy and excited.
Now, when she sees Luo Zhiheng's face, she feels a chill run down her spine and is filled with terror!
"Are you scared? Why are you scared? Isn't this face your handiwork? Look, I crawled out of hell to find you. Hell is so cold, so dark, so terrifying. I'm in so much pain. My face is covered in blood, cut by cut, you carved it into my face. Have you forgotten? How could you forget? How can you live so comfortably? You killed me, and you still dare to take everything from me. I died so tragically, I'm so unwilling, I hate you so much!"
The face before her was completely disfigured, with only a pair of bulging eyes visible. It looked ferocious and twisted. Every word she spoke echoed, each utterance filled with hostility and resentment. The powerful resentment almost soared to the sky, nearly tearing Luo Ning Shuang apart.
Luo Ningshuang was almost face to face with her. Her face, her voice, and the strong smell of blood on her body were so overwhelming that Luo Ningshuang screamed in terror, "Are you a human or a ghost?!"
"I'm dead! You killed me! I can't even find my bones! It hurts so much! Why did you do this to me? I'm your sister! I hate you! I'll make you unrecognizable and leave no trace of your remains!"
"No, no! I don't want to! It's not that I want to kill you, it's that you're in my way, it's that you stole everything from me, I hate you. Why do you live a better life than me? Why do you get all the love and care? I'm also a daughter of the Luo family, I'm not an adopted child! I want everything you have, and since they're unwilling to give it to me, I'll take it myself!"
As Luo Ningshuang spoke, she felt increasingly justified. Her reason had been completely shattered by the immense shock, and she even forgot the fear before her. Her eyes were bloodshot as she roared, "You deserve to die! For two lifetimes, I've lived in your shadow, in your glory, and I refuse to accept it! If it were me, I could have done better than you! Luo Zhiheng, it was that pampering that killed you, not me!"
With a soft splatter, accompanied by Luo Ningshuang's shrill scream, a spray of blood gushed out.
Luo Ningshuang covered her face, feeling the warm, delicate liquid flowing from her wound. Her reason finally returned due to the pain and fear. She trembled as she raised her hand, and the sight of it made her dizzy. Her hand was still flowing with blood, and the excruciating pain on her face clearly reminded her that this was not a dream, not a nightmare!
Luo Ningshuang wanted to scream, but it felt like something was choking her, preventing her from making a sound. She couldn't utter a cry for help, and in this situation, she was all alone. Who could she turn to for help?
Could the person before her really be Luo Zhiheng? Has Luo Zhiheng truly returned from hell to seek revenge?!
What else could a person who was destined to die suddenly appear in this way but have become a vengeful ghost?
Luo Ningshuang thought, if she could be reborn, what was so unbelievable about the existence of ghosts in this world? But vengeful ghosts were beyond her ability to deal with. She had never believed in retribution, but today, she truly did. However, believing in it only intensified her hatred for the injustice of fate. Why hadn't Heaven given her a chance for revenge after all the humiliation and unfair treatment she had suffered? Why did Luo Zhiheng get the chance?
"You killed me, and I'll make you join me!" The chilling voice rang out again. Luo Zhiheng smiled eerily, holding a sharp dagger in her hand. Blood dripped from her hand and the knife, the stench of blood assaulting the senses and making the scene even more terrifying.
"No! I don't want to die! Get away from me!" Luo Ningshuang tried frantically to push away the female ghost in front of her.
But Luo Zhiheng remained calm and watched her collapse in a cold and mocking manner. Her eyes widened in terror as she could no longer muster any strength. Luo Zhiheng smiled at her, revealing a grotesque, bloodied face that looked even more terrifying.
Luo Ningshuang's pupils shrank to almost the size of pinpoints. She saw Luo Zhiheng slowly raise the knife, the tip of which landed on her face. Then, deliberately torturing her, she slowly sliced downwards. The pain unfolded on the tip of the knife, spreading inch by inch downwards. Luo Ningshuang didn't even have the strength to scream.
She was in so much pain, but she couldn't call for help, nor could she scream. She could only roll her eyes back; even fainting was a luxury. All the pain was amplified countless times over, so after just two cuts, Luo Ningshuang was already exhausted.
But that's far from enough!
How many cuts did Luo Ningshuang make on Luo Zhiheng's face? I think it was nineteen? Each cut brought Luo Zhiheng pain and humiliation during her treatment.
Luo Zhiheng's knife work was more meticulous and calm than Luo Ningshuang's. She made nineteen horizontal and nineteen vertical cuts on Luo Ningshuang's face. No more, no less, exactly double the amount she inflicted on Luo Ningshuang. It also perfectly sliced Luo Ningshuang's face into even squares. That face looked much better than Luo Zhiheng's disfigured and bloodied appearance.
Luo Ningshuang lay like a dead fish, gasping for breath. Her large eyes were mostly white, now stained crimson with flowing blood, her face unrecognizable. She was living a life worse than death, yet she couldn't simply die. She couldn't understand why she wouldn't pass out.
Luo Zhiheng's face remained expressionless. After doing this, she stabbed Luo Ningshuang several more times with the knife, exactly double the number of times Luo Ningshuang had stabbed her. Satisfied, she stopped, took the knife, and her voice was eerily hoarse, like a wolf's howl: "The underworld is closing its gates. I'm leaving now. I'll come back to take you with me later..."
Luo Ningshuang shuddered and finally managed to pass out.
Luo Zhiheng stopped climbing and coldly got out of bed, but her legs felt unsteady and she almost fell. Suddenly, someone appeared beside her and supported her.
"Master, are you alright?" The demoness's concerned yet chilling voice rang out.
Luo Zhiheng shook her head and tore off a bloody, mangled piece of skin from her face. In the pitch-black night, her profile was smooth and beautiful. She shook her head slightly, her disheveled hair obscuring her face. Even the demon maiden beside her didn't have time to see her mistress's beautiful face before it was covered by that golden mask.
The demon girl felt a little regretful. They had never known what their master looked like. Their master had been rescued with a bloody face, covered in wounds and with shattered bones. At that time, their master was practically a cripple. Everyone was stunned by the fact that their master had no good spots on his body.
They were baffled. What kind of ordeal could have inflicted such trauma on this young woman? What secrets lay hidden beneath her petite body, so clearly scarred and mutilated?
The former leader used all his life's blood and energy to save Luo Zhiheng's life. Luo Zhiheng later became the new leader, but apart from the deceased old leader, no one has ever seen Luo Zhiheng's new face.
The demoness had always believed that the face hidden behind the mask must conceal immense pain and suffering. But today, after she cooperated with Luo Zhiheng to complete all of this using illusion magic, her heart was filled with shock and horror, as well as disbelief and rage!
It turns out that the master's past injuries and three years of hellish life were inflicted by her own sister! It turns out that the master was actually the legendary Luo Zhiheng!!
This was an unbelievable, earth-shattering secret, yet her master revealed it to her. Besides gratitude for her master's trust, she felt immense heartache—heartache for the pain hidden beneath her master's strength.
"Don't let anyone else know this, Demoness. This is our secret." Luo Zhiheng whispered, her voice filled with deep weariness, but no longer betraying any anger or sorrow.
The demoness, being of the snake race, believed herself to be as cold-blooded, ruthless, and inhuman as a snake, with even tears being a distant concept to her. But at this moment, shocked and provoked by this scene, seeing Luo Zhiheng's calm and gentle demeanor, her eyes reddened. She felt both anger and admiration—anger that such an inhuman beast as Luo Ningshuang still existed in this world, and admiration that Luo Zhiheng, after suffering so much trauma and hatred, could still maintain her original heart, remaining true to her humanity and not deviating from her twisted personality. This was truly remarkable.
"Master, I'll kill her for you!" The demoness looked at Luo Ningshuang with a cold gaze, her murderous intent fully revealed.
Luo Zhiheng coughed a few times, leaning weakly against Yao Niang's chest. Her head felt dizzy. She whispered, "Killing her would be too easy for her. I want to make her break down little by little. Isn't she just relying on that face that looks like mine to cause trouble? Then I'll ruin that face of hers. I can't bear to let her die without making her experience the pain she inflicted on me!"
"Yes, we must make her wish she were dead, so that she can't even die!" the witch said viciously.
Luo Zhiheng chuckled softly, then suddenly staggered forward and fell unconscious.
The demoness was terrified and quickly picked up Luo Zhiheng, disappearing from the room.
The room fell silent instantly, with only the increasingly strong smell of blood spreading eerily. Two hours later, as dawn approached, a terrified scream rang out in the courtyard, and then the entire priest's mansion was alerted.
A somber mood hung over the entire priest's residence. Before dawn, groups of imperial physicians were brought to the residence. They entered with normal expressions but emerged pale-faced, gathering in the inner hall to exchange opinions nervously. Each of them wore a look of lingering fear.
Mu Yunhe sat there with a gloomy face. Seeing that the group couldn't come up with a solution, he got up to look at Luo Ningshuang. When he saw Luo Ningshuang's head, which was wrapped up like a mummy, his expression became even more gloomy.
He couldn't quite describe his feelings; he felt no heartache, but rather intense anger. Someone was practically living in his mansion without his knowledge. What if Luo Zhiheng died like this? Luo Zhiheng's injuries were already very serious; the expressions and hesitation on the faces of the imperial physicians told Mu Yunhe that Luo Zhiheng's face was completely ruined!
First update is here! There will be another update today, haha! You're disfigured, you scoundrel! You owe Ah Heng, you'll have to pay back what you owe him! Please vote, leave comments, and give monthly tickets! Group hug!
478. Love that can't be broken by any distance! (Bonus chapter for 74,000 recommendation votes)
Updated: 2013-12-04 13:40:41 Word Count: 3751
Because this woman is Luo Zhiheng, the woman Mu Yunhe still cares about even after his soul has been scattered. Now that he is alive, he cannot ignore her.
Mu Yunhe was completely baffled as to who the murderer was. The mansion was full of experts, so why hadn't anyone sensed the murderer's presence? Who exactly was the murderer?