Chapter 76

“Senior brother, let me go!” “Min Rou” in the dream said anxiously, “Yun’er is already seriously injured and has not yet recovered. If she is not careful, her life may be in danger!”

“Junior sister, Jian’er still cherishes Fang Gu’s kindness in raising her. If I kill her, I’m afraid I will never have peace of mind for the rest of my life.”

Shi Qing looked at his wife with a complicated expression. “Besides, although what she said just now was nonsense, you and Yun’er are not biological mother and son. And Yun’er is so anxious about your matter. It’s bound to cause gossip if things don’t go smoothly. I’d better go upstairs.”

In her dream, “Min Rou” seemed to have been slapped hard across the face, her face turning deathly pale. Her red lips trembled, she hesitated to speak, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Without saying another word, Shi Qing drew his sword and charged toward the three of them, shouting, “Yun’er, have mercy!”

In her dream, “Min Rou” squatted down and picked up the sword that had slipped from her hand, tears falling to the ground.

She looked at the sword that could cut a hair in two with a single blow and muttered, “What a joke, calling it the ‘Ice and Snow Divine Sword’!”

Min Rou, who was watching from the sidelines, was not as heartbroken as she was in her dream. Instead, she felt a little guilty when she saw the look in her husband’s eyes.

The passionate kiss she shared while feeding Nie Yun still makes her heart flutter whenever she thinks about it.

Although it was only a temporary measure, Min Rou couldn’t deceive herself because of her feelings—she was indeed somewhat attracted to Nie Yun.

But when she thought of Shi Qing’s evaluation of her just now, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She thought to herself, “In your eyes, I am inferior to Mei Fanggu in every way, but in Yun’er’s eyes, I am a beautiful and virtuous ‘Ice and Snow Divine Sword’. Since you don’t cherish me, I will… I will… I will insist on being good to Yun’er!”

Min Rou recalled the flutter in her heart every time she faced Nie Yun, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on her face. As for how to be good to Nie Yun, she hadn’t thought about it in detail, nor dared to think about it…

Just then, she heard Nie Yun’s angry voice: “Father, get out of the way!”

She and her dream self looked up at the same time, only to see Nie Yun being forced to retreat repeatedly by Shi Qing and Shi Zhongjian because he was unable to fight back. Mei Fanggu also reversed her previous defeat and threw punches like the wind, attacking Nie Yun like a storm.

As she made her move, she said smugly to the “Min Rou” in her dream, “Hey Min, your little lover is about to die, why don’t you hurry up and draw your sword to help him!” Her tone was full of pride.

In the dream, “Min Rou” had tears in her eyes, her delicate body trembled slightly, her face was pale, and she did not say a word.

Upon hearing this, Nie Yun shouted, “Did you just eat shit? It stinks!”

Mei Fanggu’s face turned ashen, and she stopped speaking, only making her attacks more and more fierce.

Nie Yun tried to retaliate several times, but was blocked by Shi Qing and Shi Zhongjian, which made him roar in frustration.

Watching from the sidelines, Min Rou was extremely anxious, cursing inwardly, “Shi Qing, Shi Qing, Yun’er is avenging Yu’er, and you’re protecting this vile woman. And Jian’er, I’ve truly wasted my love for you!”

She turned to look at herself in her dream, a feeling of frustration and disappointment rising within her. Although she was extremely anxious, she could only watch helplessly as Nie Yun gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Seeing this, Shi Qing slowed down his attack and advised, “Yun’er, after all, Aunt Mei Fang has raised Jian’er for more than ten years. If you kill him, I’m afraid Jian’er will suffer for the rest of his life!”

Shi Zhongjian also pleaded, “Brother, I beg you, please let my mother go!”

Nie Yun remained silent, only wielding his sword with impenetrable skill, struggling to hold on.

After a few moves, while dodging Shi Zhongjian’s charge, he was punched in the back by Mei Fanggu. Nie Yun’s expression changed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He hurriedly darted forward a few steps, then turned to look at the three men. His hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and his face grew increasingly pale, almost devoid of any color.

Mei Fanggu was about to step forward when she was stopped by Shi Qing and Shi Zhongjian.

Although Mei Fanggu wished she could kill Nie Yun with her bare hands, she could only reluctantly back down when she saw the state of Shi Qing and his son.

However, her eyes darted around, and she turned to the “Min Rou” in her dream and shouted, “Hey, Min, your little lover beat you until he vomited blood, aren’t you going to come and see?”

A hint of displeasure flashed across Shi Qing’s face as he shouted, “Fang Gu, shut up!”

In her dream, “Min Rou” turned to look at Nie Yun, her delicate body trembling, tears streaming down her face, and said sadly, “Yun’er, forget it, in short… in short, it’s my fate to suffer, I can’t blame anyone else!”

Nie Yun did not answer, but a resolute look appeared in his eyes. Suddenly, he reached out and quickly tapped himself several times.

Upon seeing this, Shi Qing’s expression changed, and he shouted, “Yun’er, are you out of your mind!” As he spoke, he lunged at Nie Yun, seemingly trying to stop him from doing anything further.

After pointing at himself, Nie Yun’s face showed an abnormal flush, but his eyes became even more fierce.

He swayed and dodged Shi Qing’s lunge, arriving in front of Mei Fanggu. Before she could react, he raised his sword.

“No!”

Shi Zhongjian hurriedly tried to block, but Nie Yun struck first and then quickly moved behind Mei Fanggu with a series of footsteps.

His speed was incredibly fast, far exceeding his usual level.

“Could it be… could this be what they call using secret methods to unleash potential? Then Yun’er is…” Min Rou’s heart tightened and she quickly looked at Nie Yun.

He turned around, the tip of his sword pointing to the ground, and a string of blood beads slowly dripped from the sword.

Mei Fanggu touched her neck with both hands, making a “hoarse” sound as a thin bloodstain appeared on her neck. The bloodstain gradually widened, and fresh blood continued to seep out.

She stared straight ahead, as if she wanted to say something, but she had lost the strength to speak. She swayed a few times and fell into Shi Zhongjian’s arms.

Shi Zhongjian stared at Mei Fanggu’s corpse in his arms, seemingly stunned, and remained motionless for a moment.

Shi Qing sighed and said to Nie Yun, “Yun’er, why are you doing this to yourself! Last time you used the same method on Xie Yanke, which severely damaged your own strength. Now that your injuries haven’t healed, doing it again is just adding insult to injury!”

In the dream, “Min Rou” was also stunned. She rushed forward to support Nie Yun, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls, crying, “Yun’er, you… why are you so foolish?”

Looking at the dead Mei Fanggu, Nie Yun said coldly, “This person had a blood feud with my mother and hurled insults at her with foul language. How could I spare her! Letting her die like this is already too good for her!”

As he was speaking, the rosy complexion on his face vanished instantly, turning deathly pale. He then swayed and fell forward.

As Min Rou was anxiously pacing around, she suddenly felt a suction force coming from her, and then her vision blurred as she saw Nie Yun’s eyes staring straight at her.

Min Rou then realized that she had been sucked into her dream body, the two becoming one, and Nie Yun was lying in her arms.

She quickly hugged Nie Yun tightly and asked anxiously, “Yun’er, how are you feeling now?”

Nie Yun shook his head, his eyes shining like stars as he looked at Min Rou.

He said softly, “Mother… Mother, Yun’er… Yun’er has a few words to tell you…”

“Don’t speak, I’ll heal your wounds right away!” Min Rou looked at the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth with heartache, feeling as if her heart was being cut by a knife. She reached out and gently stroked Nie Yun’s face, tears streaming down her face.

Nie Yun shook his head, turned to look at Shi Qing who was comforting Shi Zhongjian, and whispered, “Mother, the first time I saw you at Huiyan Tower, you were dressed in white, like a fairy descending to earth. Since then, I have never forgotten you, but I have kept it to myself.”

Min Rou was startled, her beautiful eyes widening instantly. She stammered, “Yun’er, what…what nonsense are you talking about?”

Nie Yun gave a bitter smile and said self-deprecatingly, “Actually, Aunt Mei Fang didn’t say anything wrong just now. I… I really did want to… to hug you and kiss you, not as your adopted son, but as a man. So the reason I was so angry at the time was actually… actually because I felt guilty and felt sorry for you!”

Min Rou was increasingly shocked, but a touch of shy joy also welled up inside her. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.

With difficulty, Nie Yun reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow satin bag. He opened it, took out a pair of jade bracelets, took Min Rou’s hand, and put the bracelets on her wrist. He smiled and said, “I wanted to give these to you a long time ago, but I was afraid you wouldn’t accept them, so I never dared to give them to you. Your wrists are so white and slender, they look so beautiful on you!”

The pair of jade bracelets were warm and lustrous, with a beautiful emerald green color.

Min Rou usually loves wearing jewelry, and she could tell at a glance that these jade bracelets were rare and exquisite pieces.

She was about to take it off when Nie Yun held her hand tightly.

Min Rou blushed with embarrassment, but when she felt Nie Yun’s cold hands, her heart ached, so she stopped struggling and said softly, “Yun’er, don’t worry, I won’t take it off!”

Nie Yun didn’t speak, but just stared at her intently, his deep eyes flashing with fiery love, making Min Rou even more shy, her cheeks flushed red.

Suddenly, Nie Yun let out a muffled groan, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth again.

Min Rou panicked and asked anxiously, “Yun’er, what’s wrong?”

Nie Yun smiled bitterly, “It’s nothing. It’s better this way. The sooner I die, the sooner I can be reincarnated. Maybe I can be by your side sooner in the next life. That way, I won’t have to watch you and Father being so loving as a couple, suffering so much in my heart, while I have to pretend that nothing is wrong and be a dutiful son!”

“Yun’er…” Min Rou’s eyes reddened. Thinking of how filial Nie Yun always appeared in front of her and her husband, she finally understood the pain hidden behind his bright smile.

“Mother, you…you…can you…can you kiss me?” Nie Yun’s voice grew increasingly strained, as if she were about to breathe her last.

“This…” Min Rou hesitated. Although she was deeply moved, the moral constraints she had been bound to since childhood always made her hesitant.

“Junior sister, how is Yun’er?” At this moment, Shi Qing’s voice came, interrupting her chaotic thoughts.

“Ah… Yun’er is badly injured, Senior Brother, come here quickly!” Min Rou called out as she turned around, but when she turned back, she saw Nie Yun’s eyes filled with regret.

“Mother, you are so beautiful! Yun’er loves you!” Nie Yun looked at Min Rou deeply again, as if trying to etch her into his mind, then his eyelids slowly closed, and he breathed his last.

“Yun’er… Yun’er, wake up! I promise you, Yun’er!” Min Rou cried out desperately, her small mouth frantically kissing Nie Yun’s lips, filled with endless regret.

At this moment, she no longer cared about Shi Qing and his son Shi Zhongjian behind her; she was only blaming herself for her hesitation…

“Yun’er… Yun’er… don’t leave me!”

********************

“Madam, what’s wrong?” The continuous knocking on the door and the maid’s shouts woke Min Rou up.

She looked around with tears streaming down her face, and it took her a while to calm down.

“I…I was dreaming again?” Min Rou touched her wet face, the grief and regret in her heart still lingering and difficult to dispel.

“Madam, are you alright?” the maid’s voice rang out again.

“It’s nothing, I just had a nightmare!” Min Rou replied, telling the maid to go and rest, then got up and went to Nie Yun’s bedside.

Nie Yun remained unconscious, her pale face just like the one she saw in her dream, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

Min Rou felt utterly lost, and for a moment she even had the feeling of Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed softly, reaching out to stroke Nie Yun’s cheek, thinking about the scene in her dream where he confessed his love to her.

This confession felt more real than the one she dreamed of last time, and it moved Min Rou even more.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered the bracelet that Nie Yun had put on her in her dream.

Min Rou subconsciously looked at her wrists, but of course, her fair wrists were empty at that moment.

“Really, to actually take a dream seriously!”

Min Rou shook her head with a wry smile. Just as she was about to get up and leave, a thought suddenly popped into her mind: “Why don’t we check Yun’er’s luggage? Maybe…maybe those bracelets really are there!”

Once the thought arose, it took root and sprouted in her heart like wild grass in spring, growing rapidly and becoming impossible to shake off.

She glanced at Nie Yun, then got up and went to his luggage, her hands trembling as she slowly untied the bundle.

At that moment, she didn’t know what she was looking for, nor did she know whether she hoped to find it or not.

Inside the bundle were Nie Yun’s changes of clothes, each piece neatly folded. Min Rou untied and searched through the clothes one by one, but she still couldn’t find the pair of lustrous green jade bracelets from her dream.

“Sigh… I was so foolish. How could I take a dream seriously!” Min Rou laughed self-deprecatingly, picked up the last piece of clothing, but she had already given up hope.

“Snap!” With a crisp sound, something fell out of the clothes.

Min Rou looked down and her beautiful eyes widened instantly, her pretty face filled with shock.

There lay a yellow satin bag, exactly the same as the one that appeared in my dream.

In that instant, Min Rou almost stopped breathing. She felt all the blood rush to her head, making her feel dizzy.

She stared at the satin bag without moving, as if she had been frozen in place.

After a long while, she finally reached out, but as soon as she touched the satin bag, she pulled back as if it were on fire.

Min Rou murmured, “Impossible, it’s a coincidence, it must be a coincidence. Yun’er has always been filial, how could she possibly treat me like this…”

At this moment, Nie Yun’s words in her dream reappeared in her mind: “This way, you won’t have to watch helplessly as you and Father are deeply in love, suffering in silence, while you have to pretend to be indifferent and be a dutiful son!”

Min Rou bit her lip, her breathing becoming more and more rapid, and a struggle flashing in her eyes.

In the end, she reached out and picked up the satin bundle, slowly reaching inside.

“Oh my god!” Min Rou exclaimed softly, her whole body trembling. She took her hand out; in her hand was a pair of emerald green jade bracelets…

********************

That morning, Shi Zhongjian had just finished breakfast served by a maid when he saw Min Rou walk in.

“Mother!” Shi Zhongjian was naturally very happy to see his mother.

What puzzled him was that Min Rou seemed to be in a strange mood today. She didn’t hug him and ask about his well-being as usual, but just forced a smile.

“Mother, what’s wrong?” Shi Zhongjian asked in confusion.

Min Rou did not answer, but said to the maid beside her, “Young Master and I have a few words to say, you may leave now!”

After the maid left, Min Rou turned to look at Shi Zhongjian, her eyes fixed and her expression extremely serious.

“Mother…” Shi Zhongjian felt uncomfortable being stared at and called out softly.

“Jian’er, let me ask you a question.” Min Rou finally spoke, but her voice was a little hoarse. Only then did Shi Zhongjian notice that his mother’s face was full of fatigue, as if she hadn’t slept well last night.

“Mother, did you not rest well last night?” Shi Zhongjian asked with concern.

Min Rou felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this, and gained some confidence in the upcoming questions and answers.

She shook her head and smiled, “It’s nothing, I’m just a little unaccustomed to the new place. Jian’er, let me ask you, if you knew the real culprit behind your second brother’s murder, what would you do?”

Shi Zhongjian was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly recovered and asked in surprise, “Mother, isn’t Xie Yanke already dead?”

Min Rou shook her head and said, “I mean, if someone ordered Xie Yanke to kill your second brother, and you know her name, what would you do?”

Shi Zhongjian was kind-hearted, sincere, and generous. He had never experienced such a vendetta before, and for a moment he didn’t know how to answer.

He opened his mouth wide, his face full of confusion. Min Rou knew his personality, so she changed her approach: “If Mother were to kill this person to avenge your second brother, would you be willing to help me?”

Shi Zhongjian nodded and said, “Of course I want to go with Mother.”

Min Rou asked again, “What if… what if the real culprit is Mei Fanggu, who raised you…”

She paused, looking at Shi Zhongjian’s shocked face, her heart filled with both fear and hope, and continued to ask, “Are you willing to go with your mother to take revenge and kill her?”

Shi Zhongjian was shocked. He stammered, “Mother, you…you must be mistaken. How could my mother…no, Aunt Mei, possibly send someone to kill my second brother?”

Hearing his address to Mei Fanggu, Min Rou felt a chill in her heart, but still held onto a sliver of hope and asked, “If she really is the mastermind, what would you do?”

“I…I…” Shi Zhongjian was increasingly bewildered. He had been raised by Mei Fanggu since childhood. Although he had never received a kind look from Mei Fanggu, he had always regarded her as his mother after more than ten years of getting along with her, and their feelings for each other were extremely deep.

Moreover, he was a simple and kind-hearted person, and even after learning the truth, he still did not blame Mei Fanggu.

Hearing Min Rou say that she was the real culprit who killed her brother and that she was going to kill her to take revenge, he was terrified.

“Mother, after all, she raised me for more than ten years…” The kind-hearted Shi Zhongjian still said the exact same words as in his dream.

Min Rou looked at Shi Zhongjian, feeling extremely disappointed, but still wanted to salvage the situation, so she said urgently, “She caused us to be separated for more than ten years, and now she has killed your second brother. Don’t you hate her? Don’t you want revenge?”

Looking at his mother’s pained and disappointed expression, Shi Zhongjian felt ashamed, but his saintly nature, comparable to Zhang Wuji’s, prevented him from saying “kill Mei Fanggu”.

Min Rou’s heart grew colder and colder. She recalled the scene in her dream where Shi Zhongjian knelt before her, kowtowing and begging for mercy for Mei Fanggu. She also recalled Mei Fanggu’s gloating expression and her sarcastic words that broke her heart. She felt a surge of grievances, her eyes slowly reddened, and tears welled up in them.

Shi Zhongjian was anxious and cried out repeatedly, “Mother…don’t cry, Mother…”

Min Rou took a breath and looked at Shi Zhongjian, asking, “I’ll ask you one last time, are you willing to help me kill Mei Fanggu to avenge her? If I’m going to kill Mei Fanggu, will you stop me?”

“I…I…Mom, is there a mistake? Mom…Aunt Mei isn’t that kind of person!” Shi Zhongjian remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not agree.

“Good! Good! Good!” Min Rou stood up and walked towards the door, completely ignoring Shi Zhongjian’s calls behind her. Thinking of Shi Zhongjian’s affectionate way of addressing Mei Fanggu, her heart ached as if being torn apart.

“Indeed, the kindness of raising one is greater than the kindness of giving birth!” A string of tears fell with the wind as the mother, utterly disappointed in her son, slowly walked away…