Chapter 65 He Doesn’t Want to Be Her Brother!

Chapter 65: He Has No Desire to Be Her Brother!

The carriage soon arrived at the nearest clinic.

Jiang Shuning and Jiang Tianze accompanied Jiang Yaozhen inside and asked the physician to examine the cut on her cheek.

"Physician, will my face... leave a scar?" Jiang Yaozhen asked, tears welling in her eyes, her voice filled with worry.

The physician carefully examined her wound for a moment before gently reassuring her, "Young lady, do not worry. Although the wound bled, it is not deep. I will prescribe some excellent medicine for muscle regeneration and scar removal. Apply it daily as instructed, and it will heal completely within a few days without leaving any trace."

Hearing this, the anxiety in Jiang Yaozhen's heart finally eased a little, but she immediately broke into sobs again, as if grievously wronged.

Jiang Tianze watched coldly from the side. Seeing her like this, he was inwardly scoffing and couldn't help but mock her, "So the Second Sister *does* care about her looks!"

Jiang Yaozhen already harbored deep resentment towards Jiang Tianze. Hearing his sarcastic remark now only fueled her rage, "Just what are you implying, Third Brother?"

Jiang Tianze slowly approached her and whispered sinisterly in her ear, "Second Sister, I just want to give you a piece of advice—Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you!"

A chill instantly shot from the soles of Jiang Yaozhen's feet to the top of her head, plunging her into an icy chill.

Jiang Tianze indeed knew that she was the one who had hired those thugs to deal with Jiang Shuning today!

Damn it! It must have been Third Aunt who told him!

This mother and son, despite sharing the blood of the Nanyue People, refused to help her. How utterly despicable!

Jiang Shuning stepped out of the clinic and instructed the coachman, Lao Yang, to go report this to the authorities. She then boarded the carriage with Madam Jiang and Jiang Tianze to wait for Jiang Yaozhen.

Madam Jiang had not yet recovered from the shock, "Today, we were truly fortunate that you, Ning, carried your sleeve crossbow with you, allowing you to stop that thug in time. If he had truly disfigured Zhen's face, what would we have done!"

Jiang Tianze said softly, "Eldest Sister is still too kind-hearted."

He thought to himself: If only she hadn't used the sleeve crossbow to stop that ruffian, letting Jiang Yaozhen be completely disfigured would have been true poetic justice!

Jiang Shuning glanced at him, then turned to Madam Jiang and said gently, "Mother, perhaps you should go check on Yaozhen. She must be in a state of shock right now."

"That's a good idea," Madam Jiang agreed and got off the carriage, turning back to enter the clinic.

After Madam Jiang left, Jiang Shuning turned to Jiang Tianze, about to question him, when she saw him suddenly lean his head gently against her shoulder, putting on a pitiful, shaken act, "It was all thanks to you, Eldest Sister, otherwise I don't know how we would have escaped."

Jiang Shuning recalled Jiang Tianze's ferocious and efficient moves when dealing with the thugs after she fired the crossbow. It was a stark contrast to the fragile figure now leaning against her shoulder.

"Third Brother, did you already anticipate that someone intended me harm? Is that why you deliberately called Yaozhen 'Eldest Sister'?"

Jiang Tianze's voice was soft and low, deceptively gentle, "Eldest Sister, as I said before, I was just too frightened and misspoke in the heat of the moment."

"Tianze." Jiang Shuning gently moved his head from her shoulder, her gaze intense as she stared into his eyes, her expression serious, "Look me in the eye and tell me the truth. Regarding today's incident, was Yaozhen the mastermind behind it?"

Jiang Yaozhen's desperate eagerness to silence the thug earlier made it impossible not to suspect her.

Jiang Tianze met her gaze for a moment before finally nodding slowly, "Yes."

"I knew it!" Jiang Shuning took a deep breath, biting back her anger, and continued to press, "How did you know?"

Jiang Tianze didn't answer her question. Instead, he leaned his head against her shoulder once more.

This time, he faced her, pressing close as if in an embrace.

The young woman's subtle, sweet scent lingered around him. He closed his eyes, greedily inhaling this scent deep into his lungs.

Jiang Shuning instinctively wanted to push him away but was interrupted by his voice, "Eldest Sister, that's not important. You just need to remember that no matter the time or place, I will always stand by your side. I will never let anyone harm you."

Hearing this, Jiang Shuning's heart trembled, then a warm feeling blossomed in her chest.

Having recently lost her elder brother, she had once thought she would have no one to protect her for the rest of her life. Yet now, she felt a precious sense of sibling affection from Jiang Tianze.

"Alright, I won't press further," she said softly. "Since we are siblings, it's only natural you would protect me."

Jiang Tianze didn't speak, but a dark undercurrent swirled in the depths of his eyes.

He has no desire to be her brother!

——

In the west courtyard flower hall of the Prime Minister's residence, Ling Wu suddenly opened her eyes, meeting the smiling face of Third Madam Jiang.

"Third Madam?" Ling Wu was bewildered and shocked. "What am I doing here?"

Third Madam Jiang smiled amiably, her tone gentle, "Miss Lingwu, you must have overexerted yourself practicing martial arts and fell asleep just now. It's alright. Even martial artists need proper rest. Don't wear yourself out."

However, these seemingly concerned words filled Ling Wu with dread. A nameless terror shot through her.

She had practiced martial arts since childhood. No matter how exhausted or sleepy she was, she always remained vigilant. It was impossible for her to fall unconscious for no reason.

The only explanation was—she had been drugged!

Yes! It must have been the Nanyue Poison Master before her who plotted against her!

But what was her purpose?

"Eldest Miss!" A terrifying thought flashed through her mind. Ling Wu, forgetting all propriety, stood up and rushed towards the Jade Bamboo Courtyard, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Eldest Miss, you mustn't come to any harm!

Just as she reached the entrance of the Jade Bamboo Courtyard, she ran into Jiang Shuning, who had just returned.

"Eldest Miss!" Ling Wu rushed forward excitedly, carefully examining her, and asked urgently, "Are you alright?"

She still looked relieved at her narrow escape, "Ling Wu, earlier, Mother, Third Brother, and I went out to buy New Year's goods and nearly met with danger. Fortunately, Third Brother was there, and both Mother and I are safe and sound."

She recounted everything that happened today to Ling Wu in detail, including how Jiang Yaozhen had schemed to harm her but ended up suffering the consequences herself when a thug slashed her cheek.

Ling Wu listened, her heart pounding with fear and lingering dread.

She never imagined that during the time she was drugged by the Nanyue Poison Master, Eldest Miss had experienced such a perilous ordeal.

If Jiang Tianze hadn't deliberately mistaken their titles, the one with a disfigured face now would have been Eldest Miss!

"Eldest Miss, you must have had a terrible fright today. You should return to your room and rest soon," Ling Wu suggested.

Having gone through such a heart-stopping experience, Jiang Shuning was indeed physically and mentally exhausted.

She returned to her room, lay down on the bed, half-closed her eyes, and murmured softly, "Just one day without you by my side, and something like this happened. Next time, no matter what, you must accompany me..."

Ling Wu knew it wasn't that Jiang Shuning didn't want her to follow; someone had deliberately kept her away!

She left the room and instructed Xia Chan, who was guarding outside the door, "I have some private matters to attend to outside. If Eldest Miss asks, tell her that a relative of mine in the capital needed help, and I went to assist."

Xia Chan asked, "Sister Lingwu, when will you be back?"

"It could be as quick as an hour or two, or as slow as..." Ling Wu's expression fell, leaving the latter half unspoken.

As slow as never returning in this lifetime.

She was an orphan.

At the age of twelve, her father was brutally murdered by a local tyrant.

To avenge him, she sold her life to the Fourth Prince, willingly becoming a deathsworn, solely to kill her enemy with her own hands.

The Fourth Prince kept his promise, not only helping her find her father's killer but also having the villain cut into a thousand pieces before her eyes.

The Fourth Prince was right—the dying screams of an enemy were the most beautiful music in the world.

Witnessing her enemy die in agony before her, Ling Wu felt a fierce, vengeful satisfaction.

She trained diligently, practicing day and night, and within just five years, she rose above the rest, becoming a highly skilled shadow guard.

Thus, she was chosen by the Fourth Prince and assigned to Jiang Shuning's side, becoming the young lady's personal guard.

That Jiang Shuning came to harm was her failure, which allowed the Nanyue Poison Master to strike.

As a deathsworn, failing a mission carried only one penalty: death. It was an inescapable destiny.

Her master, the Fourth Prince, was no merciful master either.

This return to the palace was to give her report—and to receive her death.