Chapter 118

A dungeon where daylight never reached.

The flames in the wall sconces illuminated bloodstains and filth scattered across the floor. Every torture instrument hanging on the wooden racks was coated with a layer of dark, dried blood. The stench of decay and gore filled the torture chamber, accompanied by endless screams.

“Will you confess or not?”

“Will you confess or not?!”

Each crack of the snakeskin whip sent a spray of blood flying.

The prisoner shackled to the torture frame was disheveled and covered in blood. He was so weak he could barely breathe, yet every time the venomous whip lashed across his body, he still could not suppress the heart-wrenching screams torn from his throat. Eventually, the pain became too much, and he fainted.

Beneath the prison uniform soaked crimson with blood, another layer of fresh red had spread, mixed with tiny fragments of flesh.

The jailer wielding the whip had long since exhausted his arms. He glared resentfully at the prisoner, who had endured dozens of lashes without opening his mouth, a faint sheen of cold sweat covering his brow.

Turning around, he cupped his fists toward the observer seated behind him and said nervously, “Marquis, this man’s mouth is too hard to pry open. He still refuses to confess. If we continue, I’m afraid he won’t survive.”

Receiving no response, his anxiety deepened.

Carefully lifting his head, he glanced into the shadows and saw the man seated in the grand chair. One elbow rested on the armrest, supporting the side of his forehead. His eyes were lowered, and his long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath them, as though he were lost in thought.

The jailer gathered his courage and called again.

“Marquis?”

The next moment, the man who had seemed immersed in his thoughts suddenly raised his eyes.

Those wolf-like eyes, cruel and icy, made the jailer’s heart tremble.

He hurriedly repeated himself.

“A-all the tortures have been used already. He… he still won’t confess.”

Xie Zheng’s cold, gloomy gaze swept toward the half-dead prisoner on the rack.

“How many lashes?”

The jailer answered respectfully, “Forty-seven.”

Not a ripple stirred in Xie Zheng’s eyes at the number.

Only a trace of impatience appeared between his brows.

“Eleven.”

Standing beside him, Xie Eleven stepped forward and gestured to the jailers.

Immediately, a bucket of cold water was dumped over the prisoner.

The unconscious man slowly came to. Water dripped from his filthy hair in strands. His entire body remained upright only because of the chains binding him to the frame.

Barely able to breathe, he still muttered instinctively, “I really… don’t know anything… I don’t know anything…”

Xie Eleven merely smiled.

“You have a daughter married into the Gao family of Jinan Prefecture.”

The moment those words were spoken, terror appeared in the blood-covered man’s vacant eyes.

Xie Eleven continued leisurely.

“And your younger son is studying at Songshan Academy. Let me guess. The Li family used your children’s futures and lives to keep your mouth shut, didn’t they? If you die, your son will receive the Li family’s support after entering officialdom. Your son-in-law will also be promoted to a position in the capital.”

“You… how do you know that?”

The prisoner blurted out in horror.

Realizing he had exposed himself, he immediately denied it.

“I have no children! I’m alone in this world! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

From behind them, Xie Zheng, seated in the grand chair, had completely run out of patience.

“My people found your children. Do you really think those hypocritical scholars of the Li family can protect them?”

His voice was cold and indifferent.

“If their heads are cut off and sent by fast horse to Jizhou Prefecture, it shouldn’t take more than three days.”

As he spoke, he rose slowly and lowered his head until his gaze was level with the prisoner’s.

His sharp phoenix eyes were lazy yet terrifyingly cold.

“My patience has never been very good. Have you thought it through, Magistrate Liu?”

The blood-covered man began shaking like a leaf.

His will had completely collapsed.

With a trembling voice, he finally confessed.

“The person is hidden at Deyue Manor.”

The two officials recording the testimony were stunned at first, then overjoyed.

They immediately wrote down the confession.

Upon receiving the answer, a layer of frost settled over Xie Zheng’s eyes.

Without another word, he turned and left the dungeon.

Xie Eleven quickly followed.

Ever since Xie Zheng warned Li Huai’an that night, he had kept people watching the Li family’s every move.

The Li family, however, were all cunning old foxes and acted with extreme caution.

After great difficulty, they had finally captured one of Li Huai’an’s clerks.

Unexpectedly, the man’s loyalty was astonishing.

Only after investigating his background did they learn that after entering the Li family’s service, he had changed both his name and identity.

Presumably, it was to prevent his family from being implicated if matters were ever exposed.

And those family members, known only to the Li family, had become the leverage used against him.

Xie Eleven hurried after Xie Zheng.

“Marquis, should we deploy troops to Deyue Manor immediately?”

The moment they stepped out of the dungeon, a cool wind greeted them.

Xie Zheng narrowed his eyes at the yellow leaves spiraling down from the treetops.

Autumn had already arrived.

He said casually, “Take three hundred elite cavalry from the Tiger Step Camp. Surround Deyue Manor under the pretense of hunting bandits. Continue monitoring the Li family closely.”

Xie Eleven hesitated.

“Marquis, this matter is extremely important. Shouldn’t we send the Blood-Clad Cavalry instead?”

The eight hundred Blood-Clad Cavalry under Xie Zheng’s command were all personally trained by him.

The first nineteen men who had been granted the surname Xie were the finest among them.

If the descendants of Crown Prince Chengde were truly hidden in Deyue Manor, only Xie Zheng’s most trusted forces should handle the mission.

Xie Zheng merely curled his lips coldly.

“Deyue Manor is nothing more than bait released by the Li family. Why the hurry?”

Xie Eleven was both shocked and confused.

Had all the effort spent investigating Magistrate Liu merely been part of a scheme to deceive the Li family?

His eyes immediately filled with admiration.

Just as he was about to follow Xie Zheng more closely, the man ahead suddenly added,

“Also keep a close watch on that military officer surnamed Zheng under He Jingyuan.”

His tone was cold enough to freeze water.

—

Li Residence.

Li Huai’an sat before his desk in a dark blue scholar’s robe.

Looking somewhat weary, he leaned back in his chair, tilted his head slightly, and rested slender fingers against his brow.

“The people under Marquis Wu’an have already gone to Deyue Manor?”

The messenger below replied,

“I personally saw several hundred cavalry secretly leave Lu City.”

Li Huai’an lifted his eyelids.

The sunlight filtering through the lattice window gave his pale eyes a glass-like brilliance.

“Send word to the villa. Tell them to leave for the capital as soon as possible.”

Deyue Manor was merely a decoy.

Once Marquis Wu’an’s forces had been lured away, the imperial grandson could secretly enter the capital.

This was a classic strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

The memorial impeaching Wei Yan had already been sent to the capital.

As soon as Wei Yan fell, they would reveal that they had located the descendant of Crown Prince Chengde and “persuade” the Emperor to abdicate.

Even if Marquis Wu’an commanded troops in the northwest, he would no longer be able to reverse the situation.

Unless he raised the banner of rebellion himself.

But Li Huai’an knew that Xie Zheng would never do that.

The Xie family had been loyal for generations.

For the sake of preserving his ancestors’ honor, Xie Zheng would never walk that path.

Besides…

There was not no one left in this world capable of restraining him.

The messenger had already withdrawn.

A loose window panel was pushed open by the evening breeze, allowing a slanting beam of sunset to spill into the room.

Li Huai’an gazed at the painting he had completed not long ago.

The painting depicted snow-covered mountains pressing down upon green pines.

Amid the vast expanse of white, a tiny speck of apricot-colored clothing on a winding official road became the only bright color in the world of the painting.

Looking closer, it was clearly a woman in an apricot jacket and skirt.

She walked away from the viewer along the rugged road.

Her face could not be seen.

It seemed she had been walking through the snow for a very long time. Frost clung to her black hair, and one bare foot had been frozen red from the cold.

One victorious general is built upon ten thousand bones.

The Li family had come too far to turn back now.

Yet even now, he still did not wish to drag her into all of this.

She was the most sincere and passionate girl he had ever met.

Like the sun itself.

A light so bright that all the filth and ugliness of the world had nowhere left to hide.

—

On the fourth day of Fan Changyu’s bed rest, Xie Seven and the personal guards she had sent finally arrived in Lu City with Changning and Aunt Zhao.

After asking around, they quickly found her residence.

When Changning and Aunt Zhao saw how badly she was injured, they hugged her and nearly cried themselves into tears.

Fan Changyu spent a great deal of effort comforting both the old woman and the little girl.

With so many people, the small courtyard provided by the army for recovering officers was far too crowded.

Fan Changyu had Xie Seven find a house in the city.

After settling everything, she moved there with the similarly injured Xie Five and had them stay with Aunt Zhao and the others.

Xie Five and Xie Seven were as close as brothers.

With Xie Seven taking care of him and Aunt Zhao cooking nourishing soups every day, the weight Xie Five had lost from his injuries quickly returned at a visible rate.

When Changning heard that the rebels had already been eliminated, she widened her round black eyes and asked nervously,

“Big Sister, what about Bao’er and his mother?”

Fan Changyu was equally concerned about finding Yu Qianqian.

Unfortunately, she had been ordered to remain at home and recover, leaving her largely ignorant of military developments.

She could only pat Changning’s little buns of hair and comfort her.

“They weren’t in the army. They probably escaped beforehand.”

Changning’s chubby little face immediately crumpled.

“So that’s how it is… We can’t find them, and they can’t find us either…”

Fidgeting with her fingers, she asked quietly,

“Will we ever see them again?”

“We will.”

Fan Changyu answered with certainty.

Only then did Changning cheer up again.

“Before Ningniang was taken away, she promised Bao’er she would find Big Sister and Brother-in-law to rescue him. Ningniang can’t break her promise.”

Fan Changyu smiled and rubbed her head, though many worries remained hidden in her eyes.

So far, she had heard no news that any rebel remnants remained.

She did not know whether Xie Zheng truly knew nothing or had deliberately suppressed the information.

Thinking of their encounter outside the dungeon that day still left her feeling uncomfortable.

Perhaps she simply had not grown accustomed to meeting him again under such circumstances.

Still, she wondered who he had been interrogating that day.

Surely it had not been that mother and son…

After He Jingyuan’s funeral ended, she requested permission to return to duty.

Tang Peiyi, however, advised her to continue resting until the imperial rewards from the capital arrived.

Fan Changyu found herself unable to explain.

She wanted to use the army’s resources to secretly search for Yu Qianqian and her son.

She also wanted to know whether Xie Zheng was still pursuing Sui Yuanhuai in secret.

Now that there was no longer any connection between them, and after everything that had happened in Lu City, she could not bring herself to drive Xie Five and Xie Seven away.

She regarded them as her own brothers.

Yet because of that, she remained completely unaware of Xie Zheng’s movements.

If Xie Zheng intended to deal with Sui Yuanhuai privately, perhaps they could cooperate.

As long as Yu Qianqian and Bao’er were spared.

If Xie Zheng knew nothing at all, then Fan Changyu would have to find Sui Yuanhuai herself and eliminate the threat once and for all.

Yu Qianqian had already lost Yixiang Tower.

As a widow with a child, she probably had nowhere to go.

Years ago, Yu Qianqian had helped Fan Changyu.

Now that Fan Changyu had finally established herself, she was more than willing to take in the mother and son.

She did not know whether she would regret this decision years later.

But Bao’er was only a child who had done nothing wrong.

He had been taken back to Prince Changxin’s estate together with Yu Qianqian.

He should not have to pay with his life for a birth he never chose.

Fan Changyu also believed Yu Qianqian would raise him well.

If, by some unfortunate chance, Bao’er grew up to be like Sui Yuanhuai and his father and sought to plunge the world into war, then with the child under her watch, she would show no mercy and stop him before disaster could occur.

—

Several days into her dreary recovery, an unexpected visitor arrived.

At the time, Aunt Zhao was forcing her to drink a freshly made bowl of old hen soup.

Xie Seven entered and reported,

“Commander Zheng Wenchang is here. He’s waiting outside.”

Fan Changyu wondered why the man had suddenly come to visit.

Was he looking for a sparring match?

If so, with her injuries not fully healed, she would probably end up bedridden for several more days afterward.

“Invite him in first.”

Not long ago, the two of them had been the subjects of ridiculous rumors in the army.

Fan Changyu did not want anyone seeing them together and creating more trouble.

Yet Xie Seven wore a strange expression.

“Commander, perhaps you should come see for yourself.”

Fan Changyu changed into suitable clothing and headed to the front gate.

The moment she saw Zheng Wenchang kneeling outside shirtless with a bundle of thorn branches strapped to his back, her eyelid twitched violently.

She quickly motioned for Xie Seven to help him up.

“General Zheng, what are you doing? Please get up!”

Zheng Wenchang remained motionless.

Only after seeing Fan Changyu did he clasp his fists.

“I, Zheng, have come bearing thorns to seek punishment from Commander Fan.

“My first offense: On the day the rebels attacked the city, Commander Fan knocked me unconscious because she feared I would act recklessly. Yet I failed to appreciate her good intentions and nearly came to blows with her outside Lord He’s memorial hall. That was unrighteous.

“My second offense: Our dispute caused misunderstandings and damaged Commander Fan’s reputation. That was discourteous.

“I beg Commander Fan to punish me with these thorn branches. Otherwise, I truly have no face left to meet Commander Fan—or Lord He in the future.”

Zheng Wenchang was always excessively upright and rigid.

Fan Changyu sighed.

“There is no need for General Zheng to dwell on it. Lord He meant just as much to me. I understood your state of mind and never took that incident to heart.

“The fact that you have regained your spirit is what would truly comfort Lord He in the afterlife.

“As for those absurd rumors, they are complete nonsense. Why pay them any attention?”

Usually stern and unyielding, Zheng Wenchang now revealed a trace of shame.

Lowering his head, he said,

“I am ashamed. Despite all my years in the army, my perspective and temperament are still inferior to yours, Commander.”

Fan Changyu replied,

“Regarding Lord He, you were simply overwhelmed by concern. There is nothing to criticize. I never cared about the rumors, and neither should you blame yourself.

“We are comrades. We were both taught by Lord He. We should never have allowed discord to come between us.

“When we work together in the future, I hope General Zheng will continue to guide me.”

Zheng Wenchang bowed deeply once more.

“I would not dare offer guidance. In the future, I am willing to serve under your command.”

With that, the two of them were completely reconciled.

Though Zheng Wenchang’s gesture of carrying thorns to seek punishment had been rather dramatic, it thoroughly extinguished the remaining rumors.

Because of He Jingyuan, their relationship had evolved beyond mere comradeship into something closer to fellow disciples.

—

Half a month later, the army held a victory banquet.

Although all the rebels had been exterminated, the official rewards had yet to arrive.

Everyone would have to travel to the capital, where the Emperor would personally confer honors in the Golden Throne Hall.

Meanwhile, the memorial impeaching Wei Yan had caused an enormous uproar in court.

The Emperor had no time to draft the reward edicts for now.

Not every soldier would be allowed to accompany the delegation to the capital.

Thus, the celebration banquet was held in the Jizhou military camp.

As one of the heroes who had defended Lu City, Fan Changyu was only a fifth-rank officer, yet her seat had been arranged near the front.

She sat directly behind Vice General He.

Only after her came Zheng Wenchang, despite his higher official rank.

The soldiers who had accompanied Xie Five out of the city also received seats at the banquet.

Apart from Xie Five, the others appeared both delighted and nervous.

Fan Changyu guessed the seating arrangement was based on merit rather than rank.

The seat at the very front was empty.

Clearly, it had been reserved for Xie Zheng.

The first table among the civil officials was empty as well.

Fan Changyu assumed it belonged to Li Huai’an.

As more and more military officers arrived, the hall gradually grew lively.

Before the banquet even began, many generals came to toast Fan Changyu.

Everyone seemed to know she had earned another great achievement and would likely receive a promotion after arriving in the capital.

Although her injuries had mostly healed, she continued using them as an excuse and insisted on substituting tea for wine.

Partly because she truly had not recovered completely.

And partly because her alcohol tolerance was not exceptional.

Once she started accepting drinks, it would be impossible to stop.

Refusing one general after accepting another’s toast would inevitably offend someone.

If she drank every cup offered, she would probably be unconscious before the banquet even began.

After turning down the toasts, she found herself trapped.

Vice General He sat to her left.

Zheng Wenchang sat to her right.

Neither was someone she could casually chat with to pass the time.

If the seating arrangements had not been fixed, she would have squeezed in beside Xie Five and the others.

At long last, the banquet was about to begin when Xie Zheng finally arrived.

However, Li Huai’an’s seat remained empty.

Fan Changyu could not tell whether he was merely late or had decided not to attend at all.

To avoid the awkwardness of meeting Xie Zheng’s eyes, she kept her head down and focused entirely on the cold dishes already set before her.

After servants filed in and placed steaming meat dishes on the tables, Fan Changyu had already taken several bites of a braised pork knuckle when she heard Xie Zheng’s deep voice from above.

“Lord Li has caught a cold and will not be attending tonight’s banquet. Nonetheless, everyone should enjoy themselves.

“The rebellion in Chongzhou lasted a year and a half and has finally been pacified.

“You are all heroes of Great Yin.

“I will first offer a toast to all of you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Fan Changyu saw everyone else stand and raise their cups.

She followed suit.

The moment she lifted her eyes and saw Xie Zheng standing at the head of the hall, a phrase suddenly came to mind.

A favored son of heaven.

He wore a black satin robe embroidered with golden pythons.

His long hair was half-bound beneath a golden crown.

Authority radiated from his sharp, handsome features.

As he raised his cup, the colorful cloud patterns on his sleeves shimmered in the candlelight, as though mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas all lay within his grasp.

There had once been a time when Fan Changyu feared precisely this.

Feared that he would shine brilliantly among the crowd while she remained no more than a grain of sand.

Feared that one day they would drift apart.

That was why she had worked so hard to catch up to him.

To stand beside him.

Now she had traveled far enough down that road.

Yet the force driving her forward was no longer him.

After draining that cup of wine, a strange melancholy suddenly washed over her.

Fan Changyu silently scolded herself.

Surely her alcohol tolerance had not become so terrible that one cup was enough to make her emotional.

Once the banquet officially began, cups clinked everywhere.

Vice General He, Tang Peiyi, and the other veteran officers all went to toast Xie Zheng.

Seeing that Fan Changyu kept her head down eating, Zheng Wenchang took the initiative.

“I would like to offer Commander Fan a toast.”

Fan Changyu raised her teacup toward him in return.

Just as she lowered the cup after drinking, she suddenly felt a cold gaze settle atop her head.

It was so tangible it seemed capable of drilling a hole through her skull.

Instinctively, she looked toward Xie Zheng.

Only to find him turned sideways, speaking to Tang Peiyi.

Confused, she wondered whether she had imagined it.

Under Xie Zheng’s command, military banquets never featured dancing girls or similar entertainment.

After three rounds of drinking, everyone was pleasantly drunk.

Some musically inclined officers began playing the huqin.

The civil officials grew inspired and started reciting poetry.

Later, thoroughly intoxicated, everyone began singing military songs.

“Who says we have no clothes? We share the same battle robe. The king raises his army, And we sharpen our spears and halberds…”

The deep, passionate singing echoed through the hall.

The battles they had endured together felt as though they had happened only yesterday.

Listening to the song, Fan Changyu felt deeply moved.

The dead were gone.

The living still had long roads ahead.

A drunken officer staggered over to toast her.

“Commander Fan… you must… hic… must drink with me. I truly admire you. Before meeting Commander Fan… hic… I never believed women could fight on battlefields.”

The man was already far too drunk.

No matter how many times Fan Changyu explained she was injured and could not drink, he refused to listen.

He insisted on offering her a cup.

Unable to refuse any longer, she finally accepted it.

Unfortunately, that one drink opened the floodgates.

Every officer still capable of standing staggered to their feet with wine cups raised, all insisting on toasting Fan Changyu.

After forcing down five or six cups, she was already feeling dizzy.

Her cheeks flushed crimson as she waved her hands.

“I can’t drink anymore.”

At the head table, Xie Zheng heard the commotion.

His eyes immediately frosted over.

Seeing the situation, Xie Five stepped forward and offered to drink on her behalf.

The officers refused.

His status was too low.

Just as Fan Changyu was considering pretending to pass out on the table, Zheng Wenchang suddenly spoke.

“Commander Fan is injured. I’ll drink for her.”

Without hesitation, he picked up a large bowl of wine and drained it in one gulp.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Then laughter and teasing erupted from every direction.

The rumors between Zheng Wenchang and Fan Changyu had already died after his public apology.

Yet this sudden gesture rekindled everyone’s suspicions.

Even Fan Changyu was stunned.

She had not expected Zheng Wenchang to help her.

Hearing the commotion, Tang Peiyi glanced over and laughed.

“That young man…”

Xie Zheng, however, was incapable of laughing.

The wine cup in his hand shattered outright.

Broken porcelain sliced into his fingers, and blood immediately flowed down.

Tang Peiyi noticed the abnormality and turned back.

Xie Zheng merely said calmly,

“My alcohol tolerance is poor. I failed to hold the cup properly.

“Please continue enjoying the banquet, Generals. I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”

Tang Peiyi watched Xie Zheng leave through the side door.

Then he looked toward Fan Changyu, who remained surrounded by officers.

Using his elbow to nudge Vice General He, he whispered,

“Old He, don’t you think something seems strange between the Marquis and Commander Fan?”

Remembering what he had witnessed before, Vice General He poked at the few remaining peanuts on his plate and played dumb.

“How would I know…”

—

After enduring that wave of toasts, Fan Changyu quickly pretended to be drunk and allowed two maids to escort her out of the hall.

Once they reached a secluded area, she dismissed them.

She intended to find somewhere quiet and sit in the breeze until she sobered up.

Yet after walking for a while, the alcohol finally hit her.

Earlier, only her face had felt hot.

Now even her steps had become unsteady.

Thinking that splashing water on her face might help, she searched the surroundings.

Unable to find a washroom, she eventually discovered a row of water vats beside a distant wall, kept there for fire prevention.

Feeling lightheaded, she staggered over and splashed water onto her face.

When that failed to cool her down, she simply dunked her entire head into the vat.

She had just begun feeling a little more awake when someone grabbed the back of her collar and yanked her upright, apparently mistaking her for a drunk about to drown herself.

“I’m not drunk,” she protested twice.

Still dangling from the person’s grip, she stared blankly at the frost-faced figure standing beneath the moonlight.

After a long pause, she finally recognized him.

Under the influence of alcohol, her sluggish brain took a moment to process it.

Then she awkwardly cupped her fists.

“Greetings, Marquis.”

The hand gripping her collar suddenly released.

Fan Changyu promptly dropped onto the ground and landed seated against the wall.

Her body felt as soft as cotton.

The fall did not hurt at all.

She merely brushed the dirt from her clothes.

Yet somehow, as she did so, an overwhelming sense of grievance suddenly welled up inside her.

Her eyes stung.

A tear fell.

Fan Changyu stared at the droplet landing on the back of her hand, not even realizing it was her own tear.

The man beside her crouched down.

His face, illuminated by moonlight, looked as though it had been carved from cold jade.

His expression was equally cold.

Reaching out, he wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and asked,

“Besides calling me Marquis, what else would you call me?”

His voice sounded self-mocking.

Or perhaps it concealed an immense hatred.

His fingers were injured, carrying the scent of blood from the shattered cup earlier.

When drunk, Fan Changyu became extraordinarily slow.

She had already forgotten why she wanted to cry.

She stared at his handsome face for a long while before finally saying two words.

“Yanzheng.”

Raising a hand, she patted his head.

“You’re Yanzheng!”

Xie Zheng’s hand beside her face froze.

The turbulent emotions surging through his dark eyes were enough to terrify anyone.

Unfortunately, Fan Changyu was drunk and saw none of it.

Her attention was drawn instead to the smell of blood and the wounds covering his hand.

Her delicate brows knitted together.

“You’re bleeding…”

Lowering her head, she fumbled through her clothes in search of the inner layer.

After finally finding it, she prepared to tear off a strip of cloth.

Suddenly, her chin was seized forcefully.

Pain shot through her jaw as her head was tilted upward.

All she could see was a pair of unfathomably dark eyes before her breath was stolen away.

Her teeth were forced apart.

His lips and tongue invaded relentlessly.

Only then did she belatedly realize what he was doing.

Angrily, she pushed at him.

He did not budge.

Instead, she found herself pinned against the wall.

By the time she was nearly suffocating from lack of air, he finally released her.

Her lips throbbed with pain.

Her mind was muddled, but she still remembered being angry.

She pushed at him again, trying to shove him farther away.

It was useless.

The next moment, she was pulled violently into his embrace.

His arms tightened around her so hard that even her bones began to ache.

He buried his face in the hollow of her neck.

Though he was as domineering as ever, his posture seemed fragile and desperate.

Like a man who had wandered through a desert for far too long and had finally glimpsed the road home.

“Fan Changyu…”

“I regret it.”

Warm moisture soaked through her clothing and spread across her shoulder.