Ji Yunshu saw that he had finally awakened and couldn’t help but feel her eyes redden, her heart surging with excitement.

She immediately hurried over and embraced him, crying out, “Jingrong!”

Jingrong had just woken up, his consciousness not yet fully clear. He looked at the woman who had thrown herself into his arms, momentarily at a loss. His parched lips moved several times but couldn’t utter a single word. His hands had nowhere to rest, suspended in the air for a long time.

Until he heard the sobbing cries of the woman in his arms, his mind was again struck by bone-drilling pain.

“Ugh!”

Ji Yunshu sensed something unusual and immediately released him, her tear-filled eyes looking at him. “Does it still hurt very much?”

Jingrong recovered after a moment and finally felt much better.

He looked around and asked, “How did I end up here?”

“Yesterday you fainted. I brought you here.”

“Yesterday…” Jingrong tried to recall but couldn’t remember no matter how hard he tried. He gently pushed Ji Yunshu away, then touched his face where the mask had been removed. His expression became stern as he immediately searched nearby, seeing the mask placed not far from his hand, and reached out to take it.

But Ji Yunshu snatched it away first, demanding, “Why, even now, are you still unwilling to face me?”

“Give it back to me!”

But Ji Yunshu forcefully threw that mask to the ground, gripping his solid arm and saying, “Before, you wore a mask, so you said I’d mistaken you for someone else. But now I’ve removed your mask and truly, really seen you! You can keep deceiving yourself, but you can’t deceive me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” His tone was weak. Then he rose from the bed, but the severe pain in his head still hadn’t completely disappeared. His steps were unsteady, he staggered several paces, his body swaying, nearly collapsing.

Ji Yunshu immediately went to support him, but he shook her off once again. He saw his clothes draped over the screen and the long sword hanging there that he always carried. He immediately put on his clothes, took the sword, and stubbornly headed for the door to leave.

Ji Yunshu rushed forward from behind and tightly embraced him, her cold cheek pressed against his back, scalding tears streaming out.

She held him tightly, refusing to let go no matter what, saying resolutely, “If you still want to leave this time, then kill me. Only if you kill me can you be rid of me forever. Otherwise, I will keep searching, keep waiting.”

Hearing this, Jingrong’s brows furrowed. He suddenly turned around, retreated several steps, drew his sword and thrust it coldly toward her throat, his words icy and severe. “Don’t force me anymore! If you continue to pester me, I really will kill you.”

At this moment, Ji Yunshu smiled, but it was an extremely bitter smile. Tears dripped down one by one. She lightly raised her head, utterly unafraid of that sword pointed before her, and said, “Perhaps death would not be such a bad thing for me. If you would rather leave than stay by my side, then what meaning is there for me to live in this world? You might as well… kill me!”

Jingrong’s palm tightened.

Ji Yunshu moved closer one step, her eyes resolute. “Do it!”

The sword was only a finger’s width from her neck. If she took one more step forward, she would die by the sword.

But Jingrong simply couldn’t bring himself to do it. He only wanted to leave here, not to hurt her.

The despair and pain in Ji Yunshu’s eyes made his heart ache sharply. He didn’t know why he would have such feelings. Could it be…

He didn’t dare think further.

In fact, since his memory began, everything he had done was to serve his master with his life. His life contained only loyalty and killing, no romantic feelings between men and women. But after encountering this woman, everything had been thrown into chaos. Unknowingly, this woman’s every word and action had been deeply branded upon his heart.

From the first day he met Ji Yunshu until now, it seemed the high wall built in his heart was gradually collapsing and crumbling. From Nansai to here, he had thought about many things. Even during the time after leaving Ji Yunshu and returning to the capital, whenever he closed his eyes, her image would flash through his mind, even every sentence she had spoken.

Many nights, it constantly disturbed him, preventing peaceful sleep.

This was something he had never experienced in these three years.

But reason told him time and again that he and that woman were nothing more than a dissipating dream. Yet he never expected to encounter her again here at Ning’an Manor, causing the emotions he had suppressed to surge up again at this moment. Still, he continued to restrain himself, because he was very clear that romantic feelings between men and women were like a dose of poison that would cost him his life. A woman like Ji Yunshu really shouldn’t be with someone like him who lived by the sword.

Seeing that he still hadn’t struck, Ji Yunshu took another small step forward. Her neck pressed against the sword, the sword tip cutting into her neck until it gradually drew blood. Her eyes red, she asked him, “Why won’t you kill me? Why?”

Jingrong couldn’t bear it and was about to withdraw the sword. How could he have known that Ji Yunshu would reach out and grasp the blade? The long sword was sharp—instantly it cut open her palm. Fresh blood seeped out from her palm and between her fingers, dripping bit by bit onto the ground.

“You…” Jingrong was shocked. The hand gripping the sword trembled, but he didn’t withdraw it, fearing that pulling the sword back would further injure her hand.

Ji Yunshu looked at him, saying through tears, “Clearly you’re standing right before my eyes, clearly I’ve recognized you, clearly you are him, yet you keep pushing me away, keep leaving me! Jingrong, in these three years my heart has been torn to shreds. Not until I found you did I know that all the pain doesn’t matter—what matters is that you’re by my side, what matters is that we’re together! But if you leave, I don’t want to live either.” As she spoke, she pressed the sword against her own chest. “Do it—kill me!”

She slowly released the sword, closed her eyes, and waited for the man before her to pierce her heart with one thrust.

But what she didn’t expect was that when she released it, the sword fell to the ground.

The icy coldness in Jingrong’s eyes gradually dissipated in this moment as he looked with heartache at the woman before him.

Ji Yunshu opened her eyes. When her gaze met his, she finally couldn’t help but throw herself into his arms, crying in complete disarray.

This time, Jingrong didn’t push her away again. His arms slowly lifted, but when they touched Ji Yunshu’s trembling shoulders, they paused. His voice was gentle as he said, “Let me look at your hand first.”

He pulled Ji Yunshu to sit by the table. Ji Yunshu’s palm had two gashes cut into it. He tore off a corner of his own garment and bandaged it for her.

Ji Yunshu felt comforted in her heart and asked him, “Let’s leave here and return to Da Lin, alright?”

Jingrong said nothing, continuing to bandage her hand.

Such silence—did it mean he agreed? Or that he didn’t agree?

…

At noon, the people from the Court of Judicial Review arrived at the manor at full gallop.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Huang Zongwen, was someone versed in both civil and military affairs. Three years ago he had been promoted from the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. This person always handled matters steadily and conducted himself righteously, so Lord Li’s impression of him was extremely good. Three years ago, his ability to become Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was partly due to Lord Li’s contribution.

Therefore, Minister Huang could be considered Lord Li’s student!

Minister Huang not only brought elite troops from the Court of Judicial Review but also two coroners, convenient for examining the body.

The results came out quickly. The deceased’s time of death was around the hour of Zi last night. He had been stabbed through the heart by a sharp dagger. Based on the knife wound on the heart in Wang Huai’s room, it indeed belonged to those white bones. Based on the bite marks on the flesh remaining on the white bones, it was determined they had been gnawed by the manor’s dogs.

Minister Huang asked the coroner, “Can you determine the deceased’s identity?”

“The deceased was twenty-seven years old. Based on his height as well, it’s indeed Young Master Wang without a doubt!” the coroner said.

The expressions of everyone present changed drastically. Though mentally prepared, they were still shocked.

Jiang Bin suddenly shouted loudly, “It must be Li Shiyan! When we came up the mountain yesterday, he had a conflict with Wang Huai. In front of everyone, he said he would kill Wang Huai and hang his heart under the eaves. Everyone heard this! And now Wang Huai’s heart has indeed been hung in his room—everything has come true! Moreover, he was always dissatisfied that Wang Huai had snatched the mutton-fat jade thumb ring he liked. Now Wang Huai’s finger has been severed—clearly this was his doing!”