Chapter 339 The Prelude to Su Rao’s Dark Transformation (Twenty-Seven)

Chapter 339 The Prelude to Su Rao's Dark Transformation (Twenty-Seven)

Though it was called the "ten-day sky," today the heavens seemed to mourn the unjust death of a loyal minister, shrouding everything in mist.

In the early morning at Qingfengju, the bamboo forest rustled softly, its green and yellow leaves dancing in the air, creating a tapestry of autumn hues across the courtyard.

Inside Qingfengju, on a bed, a red-clad woman sat quietly. A prominent scar on her face remained uncovered. Her peach-blossom eyes gazed at the Yuehua folding screen and the door that had yet to open. She had been sitting there for more than half the night.

"Cough..."

A soft cough was heard after about a quarter of an hour. Yun Ji, having returned from the secret passage, had changed from his dark clothes back into his Yuehua attire.

As he approached the bedroom, he paused. A Yuehua silk handkerchief he held to his lips was crushed in his hand, hiding the blood that had been coughed up.

Through the closed door, he could sense that she would come to him after her investigation.

"Cough..."

Another cough escaped him as he put away the crumpled handkerchief, a faint smile on his lips. He lifted his jade-like fingers to push open the door and walked in with composure.

Su Rao's previously calm peach-blossom eyes finally showed a flicker of life as Yun Ji's figure gradually appeared in her sight. Su Rao remained unmoved by his pale appearance. She stood up and walked over.

"I only need one sentence from you. Have you figured out how to save the Su family?"

Her question was not about the murder of Su Er but about the promise Yun Ji had made to her before he entered the palace—that he would save the Su family upon his return.

Su Rao stopped a step away from Yun Ji, her peach-blossom eyes fixed on him without a trace of coldness or resentment, just a steady gaze.

In the quiet room, after a moment, footsteps were heard again.

Yun Ji did not answer immediately. He walked to a small couch by the table and picked up a cup of cold tea to rid his mouth of the metallic taste.

"Very well, I'll ask another question. Did you really kill my second brother? No breath, no disguise, just a lifeless body. Is Su Er truly gone?"

Su Rao's voice carried a hint of strangeness.

"His escape was unexpected. He wanted to capture you to trade for the Su family's safety. The old Yun Ji might have spared him, but the current Yun Ji..."

Yun Ji finally answered truthfully, without deceit, expecting Su Rao's anger. His honesty hit her harder than any lie, as if her heart were being crushed, leaving her gasping for breath.

Bang...

A cup shattered in Yun Ji's hand as a silver needle flew through the air, breaking the cup and splashing the cold tea over Yun Ji's Yuehua robe.

At the same time, the red-clad figure moved swiftly, revealing a white jade hairpin. Yun Ji felt a sharp pain in his chest as blood quickly stained his clothes and the hand holding the hairpin.

The woman he loved knelt before him, mirroring the way he had struck Su Er.

The stab to his chest was not fatal, but it left a mark, not penetrating the heart. The tip of the hairpin sank into his flesh, but not deep enough to be fatal.

"Do you know what Su Rao fears, dreads, and regrets the most right now?"

Her voice was hoarse, and her peach-blossom eyes were filled with bloodshot veins and tears that made them ache unbearably.

"She isn't afraid of her true identity being revealed, nor does she fear losing her status as a Su family daughter. What she fears is the Su family ceasing to exist. She dreads reliving the past, only to have to survive and live on."

A tear formed at the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek.

“Yun… Ji…”

With a sudden, forceful motion, she pulled out the white jade hairpin, and a spray of blood instantly burst forth, splattering Su Rao's cheeks. The hairpin fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The coming-of-age hairpin Ah Xiao gave Rao Rao as a late gift for her adulthood ceremony was a symbol of their peaceful farewell.

Now, it lay in pieces on the ground.

“Mmh...”

A muffled groan escaped her lips, and a trickle of bright red blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

Yun Ji's face grew paler, but he didn’t raise his hand to cover the wound. Instead, he asked in a calm tone:

“And what do you most regret?”

Beneath the white blindfold, his slanted phoenix eyes looked at the woman before him, and he raised his hand to wipe away the tears and blood on her cheeks.

His fingertips, usually warm enough to comfort her, now felt icy cold, spreading a chill from her cheeks through her entire body, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

“If I don’t kill you today, my second brother’s death will be on me—my own foolishness led to this. It was I who chose you and sought your help. Once everything is settled, I will come back to take your life and atone for my sin against my second brother’s spirit in heaven.”

With that, Su Rao rose and left.

What she most regretted, she did not say, only a bright red corner of her robe fluttered in the air and gently fell to the ground.

This was a symbolic severing of ties.

From this moment on, there was only national enmity and family hatred between them. She would not spare any of the Yun family.

But what she regretted most was being too soft-hearted, trusting Yun Ji, treating him differently, and ultimately giving him her heart.

With a spurt, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Through the white blindfold, his blurred vision caught sight of the shattered jade hairpin, now hidden beneath the bright red fabric of her robe, and Yun Ji smiled, muttering to himself:

“Rao Rao, Yun Ji selfishly only wants you to live on. Let this hatred remain forever. Don’t soften your heart again, and don’t treat me differently.

When all is done, if you see Yun Ji again, come and kill him. But by then, Yun Ji may not want to see you, because Yun Ji does not want you to repay Yu Mo with your life.”

His body fell, and Yun Ji lay down on the small couch, slowly closing his blindfolded eyes, but again, a tear fell from the corner.

“Master...”

Yun Ling hurriedly pushed open the door.

“Amitabha, greed, anger, and delusion—these most confuse the heart.”

Behind her followed Master Hui Shan, his voice filled with compassion.

“This old monk did not know that young friend would act in such a chaotic manner. Such actions only hurt others and oneself. What could young friend have possibly gained from this...”

Sigh...

The gray sky and the gray earth, the morning breeze carried a chilling cold. Without the warmth of the sun, the world felt cold, and her body shivered with the chill.

“What I regret most: believing that you would return safely, believing that you were still the Ah Xiao from back then, that you would understand me best.”

Outside the back door of Yuehua, in the corner, a red-clad figure leaned against the wall, her voice low as she muttered, suddenly letting out a scornful laugh.

That laugh only carried deep self-mockery.

“Yun Ji, you are Ah Xiao, you wanted to protect me, but how could you forget? Qin Rao no longer has a home or a country. If the Su family is gone too, the protection you wish to give her will only be another shackle.

She has borne this burden for ten long years, and you still wish to place it on her once more. You are not Qin Rao’s father or mother. You have no right or qualification to choose life or death for Qin Rao on her behalf...”