“Because he trusts me, and he trusts himself.” Yan Qing, though she didn’t know the details of Shi Ting’s plan, had by now pieced together the broad strokes. The one thing Shi Ting hadn’t anticipated must have been her pregnancy.
Shi Ting knew that Shi Guang would never move against Yan Qing lightly. Even though she was held captive, she was still safe.
As long as he returned in time, he could ensure she came through unharmed.
At the same time, he trusted Yan Qing, and he trusted the people around her. When the critical moment came, they would be willing to lay down their lives to protect her.
What he hadn’t expected was that this critical moment would turn on Er Dan.
Mu Bai was someone he had long stationed around the Shi Mansion. With Mu Bai’s skill, he could slip past the guards and move freely in and out, and at a critical moment he could guarantee Yan Qing’s physical safety. But the Commander’s plan was to sweep them all up in one net, so Mu Bai would not act unless it was absolutely necessary.
He understood Shi Guang, he trusted Yan Qing, and he had Mu Bai as backup — that was why he dared to play this bold move.
But now, he was deeply regretful and filled with guilt. Had he known Yan Qing was pregnant, he would never have allowed her to face even the slightest danger.
Shi Guang saw the resolve in Yan Qing’s eyes and knew there was no way he could drive a wedge between the two of them. Yet he refused to accept defeat.
He had schemed for so long, arranged so many things, and in the end he had achieved nothing — moreover, he had dragged everyone else down with him. It was as if he’d been wasting his efforts from the very beginning.
“I received word that you were surrounded by Lei Li’s forces near Hai Cheng.” Shi Guang narrowed his eyes. “Was the report false?”
Recalling that day’s encounter, Shi Ting felt a lingering chill even now.
At the time, someone had reported that they were surrounded by Lei Li’s troops. Given their numbers, they could not have withstood Lei Li — it would have been no different from throwing eggs at a rock. If they had truly been surrounded, the only path ahead would have been death.
Yet he had held onto one hope — that the force that had come was not Lei Li at all.
Before setting out for Chang Sheng Bridge to rescue the Commander, he had already dispatched riders at full speed to Tai Shan to seek Li Yongqi’s support, for he had anticipated this mission would be anything but simple.
Mobilizing forces from Shun Cheng would clearly have been too slow, so he had no choice but to draw on Li Yongqi’s strength.
In truth, Shi Ting had no deep bond with Li Yongqi. The only connection between them was that on his previous visit to Tai Shan, he had handled the matter of Li Yongqi’s son, Li Haotian, and the killing.
Li Yongqi had long held his post at Tai Shan and had taken no part in the power struggles among the Shi brothers, but that didn’t mean he had no preference. Both Shi Guang and Shi Qian had once made every effort to court his favor.
Turning to Li Yongqi for help was a gamble on Shi Ting’s part, but he was more willing to trust his own instincts.
And so, the force that had surrounded Shi Ting that day was not Lei Li — it was the Li Family Army, come to lend their support. Leading them was none other than Li Haotian.
Li Haotian had once been a pampered young wastrel who spent his days in pleasure and indulgence, but after the incident involving the killing, he had swiftly shed that old skin and grown. He studied military strategy and the art of training soldiers under his father, Li Yongqi, and had by now established himself in the army, earning Li Yongqi’s newfound respect.
This mission to reinforce Shi Ting had been one Li Haotian volunteered for himself, and as it turned out, he executed it brilliantly.
Not only did he successfully make contact with Shi Ting, but he also had a group of men disguise themselves and lead Lei Li astray, escorting Shi Ting all the way back to Shun Cheng under cover.
He had proven his transformation through action. He had not broken the promise he once made to Shi Ting. The Li Haotian of today had fully shed the label of worthless prodigal and become a man of genuine worth — and as he continued to grow, his future was boundless.
Li Haotian felt that everything he had become was because of Shi Ting. So regardless of what stance Li Yongqi might take, he would stand unwaveringly at Shi Ting’s side — not only now, but in the years to come. He would keep growing, striving to become an outstanding commander who could truly support Shi Ting.
Under Li Haotian’s escort, no one knew that Shi Ting had already brought the Commander back to Shun Cheng.
At the same time, the hidden forces that Liu Qingnian and the others had left within the city worked in concert with him from the inside out. In almost a single night, the entire situation had been overturned.
Everything had proceeded smoothly, all of it unfolding according to plan. The only thing that fell outside the plan was Yan Qing’s pregnancy.
And so, as Shi Ting now held Yan Qing close, the dominant emotion he felt was not joy — it was guilt.
“Fine. I’ve lost.” Shi Guang suddenly began to laugh. “I’ve lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly.”
He looked at Shi Ting, then at Yan Qing, and his laughter gradually took on a manic edge. “Shi Ting, do you really think you’re better than me? You’re nothing but lucky. You met Yan Qing before I did. You used underhanded means to win the Commander’s trust. And me? I’ve been plagued by misfortune all along. Marrying Yan Qin back then — that was when my bad luck began. From the moment that woman entered my household, everything went wrong for me. I just don’t understand — they’re sisters with the same surname, so why is there such a difference between the two of them? Why were you lucky enough to marry Yan Qing, while I was stuck with Yan Qin?”
Shi Ting, hearing this, turned his gaze tenderly toward Yan Qing, the corner of his mouth curling gently upward. “Shi Guang, it was you yourself who didn’t know how to cherish what you had. It was you who looked down on Yan Qing for her disability. It was you who threw away that precious treasure with your own hands. Besides, Yan Qing and Yan Qin are ordinary people — they are not fairies who can bring you fortune. Blaming all your failures on a single woman only proves you have not one ounce of accountability in you. Don’t make excuses for yourself. From the very beginning, your intentions were crooked. How many schemes you worked behind the scenes — you know that better than anyone.”
“Yes, I used plenty of schemes. I was ruthless and vicious. But are your hands clean? Now you’ve won and I’ve lost — the victors write history, and you can say whatever you like.” Shi Guang narrowed his eyes, a sharp light flickering in their depths.
Yan Qing caught that expression, and a warning bell rang in her heart.
This was a man who always kept a way out for himself. Though he had clearly been backed into a corner with no way forward, his face betrayed not the slightest hint of panic.
“Shi Ting, be careful.” Yan Qing couldn’t help but murmur a quiet warning. “I’m afraid he still has something up his sleeve.”
“Yan Qing, you’re exactly right.” Shi Guang suddenly let out a loud laugh. “Did you think you were my final trump card? Yes, you were indeed my get-out-of-death token — but I also thought ahead. If that token stopped working and my life was forfeit regardless, what would I do then?”
“What are you planning?” The Commander saw the wild, unhinged look spreading across Shi Guang’s face, and felt his heart sink. “Shi Guang, your time is up. Are you still too stubborn to repent, even now?”
“I’ve never believed I was wrong — what is there to repent?” Shi Guang laughed loudly. “You all think you’re right and I’m wrong, but from where I stand, you are the greatest mistake of all. Every man fights for himself; to fail to do so is to invite heaven’s wrath. I have done nothing but fight for my own sake.”
His gaze suddenly dropped, and he began to mutter as though talking to himself in a kind of frenzied reverie. “If that’s how it is, then let us all descend to hell together.”