Chapter 248: Chapter 248: I, Cui Yun, Am Only More Ruthless Than You Imagine (Xue Tuan Finale)
The Miao Clan’s hidden operatives were very elusive. The two had no need for discretion in their conversation.
As the Third Elder was about to extract the Gu King, it was apparent from Cui Yun’s reluctance that he still cherished Xue Tuan deeply, ultimately hesitating to speak.
"This Gu is strange and cunning, making a cat its host. Once separated from the body, death is inevitable. It is currently too injured; if we attempt to forcefully remove it, I fear it may harm Shouyang."
Cui Yun’s gaze followed the pure ice.
If he didn’t have the bracelet, the Gu worm would’ve succeeded in crawling out of Xue Tuan’s body, then it would have...
He shuddered at the thought.
He was also unwilling to gamble with Xue Tuan’s life.
"Three nights from now, it’s the full moon—the Gu will be most active then, moving throughout the body. That will be the most suitable time for removal, and it will assuredly not cause harm."
The matter of removing the Gu was ultimately postponed.
Cui Yun was heavily preoccupied, and for this reason, he even left Ji Qing behind.
"Guard him with your life."
"Third Elder, you should know, it’s better to offend a gentleman than a villain. I, Cui Yun, can be even more ruthless than you’d imagine."
The carriage on the return trip was personally driven by Cui Yun. Xue Tuan lay comfortably inside the carriage.
But along the way, an unexpected crisis arose.
At the foot of the mountain, a group of black-clad men suddenly appeared, each brandishing a blade, and the carriage exploded into pieces.
Xue Tuan’s little heart trembled. It was about to be thrown onto the ground again.
Cui Yun’s gaze was piercing. Though he carried no sword or weapon on him, he could only fight barehanded and managed to catch Xue Tuan with another agile move.
The youth, at the end of his tether, no longer had the capacity to secure Xue Tuan, having to fend off the attacks and tuck the kitten into his embrace.
Xue Tuan slid into his collar, trembling without pride.
Why did it have to suffer through all this?
Through the thin layer of undergarment, Xue Tuan could clearly hear Cui Yun’s accelerating heartbeat.
Not far off, a convoy happened to be passing by.
"I was doing just fine in Hengzhou, why did Father order me to come back?"
Ji Huo was quite dissatisfied with the situation.
He had just gotten close with the little girl next door in Hengzhou when he was abruptly pulled away—how could he not feel frustrated?
Reflecting on this, he lifted the carriage curtain for air when suddenly his gaze sharpened.
"Wow, a fight."
Then, he recognized the features of the youth—it was someone he knew.
Ji Huo was still a person of standing, and immediately ordered the guards behind him: "Rescue that man for the Princely Heir! Ha! Delightful, this means he’ll owe me a life debt! Quick, go!"
On the other side, the youth leaped into the air, tucking and rolling backward to dodge an attack, while Xue Tuan’s sharp claws clung tightly to his fastening, fearing it might accidentally be flung out.
Although Cui Yun was skilled in martial arts, how could he stand against a group of men?
They were clearly intent on killing him, every strike lethal.
Soon, Xue Tuan heard a muffled grunt—it was the sound of a blade sinking into flesh.
Following that, Cui Yun suffered several stabs but painfully persisted, managing to protect Xue Tuan in his arms all the while.
The Vajra Bodhi Bracelet on Cui Yun’s wrist was cut during his evasive maneuvers, and its scorching blood-red beads fell to the ground one by one in an instant.
Xue Tuan felt a piercing pain as something gnawed at its heart, and finally, it emerged from the spot between its eyes, crawling towards Cui Yun.
It fell to the ground alongside Cui Yun.
The hole in its forehead was frighteningly hollow, as if all its essence had been drained, leaving only the last drop perfectly falling onto one of the scattered beads.
The bead seemed to flicker with sheen and light.
Cui Yun was indeed rescued.
When he woke up again, Ji Huo had dropped his façade of the gracious savior. Holding medicine with a complex expression on his face, he said,
"I’ve collected your beads for you."
Cui Yun stared dazedly at the Vajra Bodhi Bracelet that he presented.
"Where is Xue Tuan?"
Ji Huo remained silent, simply shifting his body slightly to one side.
With his movement, the desk behind him became visible.
Cui Yun’s gaze inched over bit by bit.
There was a raised area on the desk, where the body of the cat was completely covered with a white cloth.
As Xue Tuan closed its eyes, Shen Hua’s soul no longer stubbornly drifted out. She watched with open eyes as Cui Yun rose to his feet, his wounds splitting further with his movement.
The man clearly did not care.
"You’re insane, go lie down," Ji Huo scolded.
"To rescue you, I’ve lost quite a few soldiers."
As if he hadn’t heard, Cui Yun’s fingertips trembled as he lifted the white cloth.
The cat’s body was completely stiff. Its round eyes still wide open, yet they had lost all signs of life.
Cui Yun clenched his jaw tightly. He held the cat and gently placed it on the exquisitely carved, gem-studded little bed.
The bells on the curtain hooks chimed with a light and pleasant ring as usual.
The young man opened one bottle after another of precious medicine, the milky Nourishing God Pill, the crimson Soul Reviving Pill...
This scene, Shen Hua had seen before. Yet watching it again, the feelings in her heart were vastly different; the girl felt an unbearable blockage in her chest.
The medicine pills were fed to the cat’s mouth one after another, as if they were worthless, under the man’s increasingly cold expression.
His face grew more and more unsightly, yet his hands were gentle to the utmost, afraid of hurting the pampered cat.
But, in the end, there was no response.
Ji Huo said, "I know you’re in pain, but there are some things I must mention."
"There’s news from Chi City."
This, he came to know by eavesdropping outside Prince Gong’s study when he just returned to the mansion. Upon receiving the news, he immediately came to the Marquis Yangling Mansion.
But facing Cui Yun, the words stuck in his throat. Ji Huo, uncharacteristically serious, rubbed his nose.
"Chi City has suffered heavy casualties. It was fortunate that Little General Jin arrived in time. But your father and brothers..."
He found it hard to bear.
"Have already sacrificed themselves."
After General Jin arrived, he fought with all his might and barely managed to protect Chi City. The soldiers were severely depleted and were no longer fit for battle.
Ji Huo also learned this from Prince Gong.
Upon receiving the message, Emperor He quickly made secondary preparations, fearing a re-attack by the barbarian bandits and that both cities could not be defended.
There was no suitable candidate in the court to send for aid, and the military strength was not comparable.
Thus, the ruler of the country considered seeking peace talks.
With the recent celestial anomalies already causing widespread panic, the Imperial Family intended to keep the matter hidden for as many days as possible.
Ji Huo thought it was very cowardly.
What’s the use of giving in time and time again? Wasn’t Ji Teng given away back then not enough, evidencing the insatiable greed of the barbarian enemy? Are they now expected to send another Prince? He heard that chests and chests of gold and treasures had already been prepared.
It was demeaning down to their very bones. Besides, why keep secrets? Don’t the Cui Family deserve to know? Are they supposed to wait until the coffin nearly reaches Shengjing before informing them?
He was about to speak out!
With these words, all the medicine bottles in Cui Yun’s hand fell to the ground, and that’s when he realized, when a person is in extreme grief, they feel no pain.
Shen Hua wished she could soothe the man’s deeply furrowed brows, but in the end, it was futile.
She stood quietly by Cui Yun’s side, her nose feeling a bit sour.
Shen Hua did not understand why there were so many people who wanted Cui Yun dead.
At this moment, he was just a simple young man in fine clothes and spirited horse, posing no threat to anyone.
Who were those men in black sent by?
If they were well-informed and already knew about the situation in Chi City, could it be that their ultimate goal was to completely sever the Cui Family’s lineage?
The thought was terrifying.