Chapter 355: Su Rao’s Final Descent into Darkness (Part Three)

Chapter 355: Su Rao's Final Descent into Darkness (Part Three)

"Lady Su..."

After Su Rao descended from the carriage, Yi Ying and Xiao Zhi emerged from the mountain path in the dark.

They converged with Su Rao.

At this moment, they no longer cared about Yun Murui and the others.

The appearance of Yi Ying and Xiao Zhi caused noticeable shifts in the expressions of the trailing Yun Murui and Yao Yeting.

Seeing the ten wooden boats anchored along the shore and Jin Chao's group appearing at the ferry, Yun Murui and Yao Yeting's expressions changed even more.

Even Xianyi Chishaou, standing next to Su Rao, betrayed a flicker of recognition upon seeing Jin Chao and the others at the ferry.

After all, no one remembered Jin Chao and his group more vividly than Xianyi Chishaou.

The incident in Tianguguan County, his secret schemes to meet Young Master Xiao, using Crown Prince Yun's hand to move goods from Lian Pavilion to lure Young Master Xiao into appearing—how could Xianyi Chishaou forget these people?

But Jin Chao and the others were thought to have died in the avalanche. Their being alive now could only mean...

His cold gaze fell on Su Rao for a moment.

Su Rao did not notice Xianyi Chishaou's reaction, but she knew the reactions of Yao Yeting and Yun Murui without even looking.

Looking at Yi Ying, who had not been seen for many days, standing beside her in the dark night, the lanterns at the ferry illuminating brightly, Su Rao could clearly see the significant changes in Yi Ying.

Her face had darkened considerably, and her cheeks were sunken and tired from the exhausting journey for Su Rao's sake...

Seeing Yi Ying brought back memories of Hao Shu and Qin Niang sacrificing themselves to protect her, making Su Rao feel as though she were being scorched from within...

A flame burned her heart.

Even the fine rain on her cheeks could not reduce the searing heat in her heart.

And now, thinking of the Su family, and Grandfather proving his innocence by colliding with a pillar...

Her concealed peach blossom eyes, subtly outlined, looked at Yun Murui in the distance, illuminated by the torches. Her eyes were cold, filled with a bone-deep hatred...

Sooner or later, she would kill them all, leaving none.

"Retreat..."

Su Rao's group boarded the boats and left under the cover of the dark night, quickly distancing themselves from the ferry shore.

Only the lonely carriage remained on the ferry shore.

With Mu Mingyue safe, Yun Murui and Yao Yeting pursued, but they could only watch helplessly as Su Rao and her group escaped, unable to catch them.

Standing at the ferry, Yun Murui clenched his fist tightly, until a voice beside him, filled with deep guilt, spoke.

"Your Highness, it was my own selfishness. She is not Rao'er cousin. If I had not left the palace, Your Highness wouldn't have let them go because of me..."

"Escort the Crown Prince’s wife back. Without this Prince's order, she is not to step out of her chambers."

Yun Murui did not heed Mu Mingyue's self-blame and guilt, not even looking at her to see if she was safe. He turned and left, heartlessly.

"Your Highness..."

Mu Mingyue stumbled, and only with the support of the maid was she able to avoid falling to the ground. She reached out, trying to grab Yun Murui's hand, but he evaded her.

A tear fell from the corner of her eye.

"Cousin-in-law..."

Yao Yeting looked for a moment, then stepped forward, gesturing for Mu Mingyue to get into the carriage.

There was no point in saying anything now. The remnants of the former dynasty had fled Langjing. It was no longer easy to capture them, so the only option was to inform the local authorities to issue arrest warrants and set up checkpoints at various passes.

Moreover, the Sixth Prince was still missing, and his fate remained uncertain. If the Sixth Prince had indeed fallen into the hands of the remnants of the former dynasty, with these remnants now having escaped, his safety was a grave concern...

In the end, Mu Mingyue could only be helped back to the carriage by the maid, while Yao Yeting escorted her back to Langjing.

Yun Murui had already left earlier to report to Emperor Yu, requesting the issuance of arrest warrants to capture the fugitive remnants.

……

The drizzling autumn rain fell softly, barely disturbing the surface of the river. Instead, the oars cutting through the water created ripples, mirroring the gloomy night.

The boats had already sailed for several miles.

At this moment, Su Rao and her group had finally found safety, at least for now.

The wooden boat at the front was the only one with a canopy; the other nine boats had no shelter from the wind and rain.

However, the canopy was of little use to the shy scholar. She had not entered it and had not sought shelter from the drizzle.

Since boarding the boat, Su Rao had been standing at the stern, gazing back toward the dock, though it was long out of sight. It was as if by climbing to the top of a mountain, she could see everything she needed to see, a hatred that spanned lifetimes.

It gnawed at her bones and her heart.

A black cloak was draped over her petite, slender frame, shielding her from the cold wind that brushed against her skin. Her skin shivered from the cold, but she felt nothing—her heart was already frozen.

Slap…

In that moment, a sharp slap rang out through the desolate night.

"Su... Rao..."

Xianyi Chishaou’s eyes darkened, his brows furrowing tightly as he watched her deliver a harsh slap to her own face.

Su Rao had slapped herself...

Jin Chao and the others also frowned.

Both Yi Su and the others showed changes in their expressions, but compared to Xianyi Chishaou and Jin Chao, they understood the reason behind Su Rao's slap and why she had done it.

The fiery sting on her cheek was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

Su Rao turned to look at Xianyi Chishaou, whose eagle-beaked mask had been removed. The Prince Yi of the Zhu Xian kingdom had indeed reappeared at Yun Lang.

Without the mask, the murderous look in his eyes—the one that always made her feel like she was in an ice cellar—was gone.

Changing identities allowed for such skillful disguises.

Cold... Dust...

Why didn't you appear earlier, why did you have to appear today of all days?

Every time I was about to see you, it was always delayed again and again before you finally appeared. Yet this time, you appeared so quickly.

It’s clear we are both from the same darkness, both capable of finding warmth in each other within this darkness, but it turns out it was all a disguise.

A fake Han Mochen, living in the shadows as an Underworld figure, but the real one is Xianyi Chishaou, the powerful Prince Yi of the Zhu Xian kingdom. How could he possibly be an Underworld figure?

And she…

Living in the sunlight as Su Rao, the beloved daughter of the Su family, she is the real Qin Rao, the real Underworld figure. She, who has long lived in the darkness, is the true Underworld figure.

How could two Underworld figures, one fake and one real, keep each other warm?

If we can’t find warmth in each other, how can we still consider ourselves a family, let alone a cooperative one? We are no longer that.

Her eyes held a biting coldness,

And hatred for her enemy.

Even if the Zhu Xian kingdom hadn’t spilled the blood of her Great Qin royal family, they had shed the blood of countless Great Qin soldiers. Back then, when the royal court was drenched in blood, they were involved. How could they possibly stay uninvolved now?

Looking at him, all her emotions were buried beneath a layer of cold indifference.

Su Rao only spoke one sentence:

“If I hadn’t hesitated, Grandfather wouldn’t have perished.”

If I hadn’t agreed to Yun Ji’s help, my second brother wouldn’t have died.

No matter how deep the affection, when tragedy struck, it could turn into the sharpest dagger, each cut, a thousand torments…