Chapter 362 Her Life Hung by a Thread

Chapter 362: Her Life Hangs by a Thread

How could there be someone who looked exactly like her?

Even the subtle features around her brow and eyes were identical.

Jiang Shuning stood frozen in place, her heart churning with shock.

She tried to step forward, only to find herself a transparent shadow, unable to move, forced to watch helplessly.

Just as she was reeling with confusion, a tall figure stepped into the courtyard.

The man was dressed in a black brocade robe, his dark hair tied up with a white jade hairpin. His posture was as straight as a pine, his steps steady and composed.

As he drew closer, his handsome face came into view.

It was Lord Jing!

No, that wasn't right.

Jiang Shuning's heart sank heavily.

Although the facial features were exactly the same, the man before her exuded an air of authority and coldness from long-term power. Those peach blossom eyes held none of the mischief she was familiar with—only a bottomless icy pool.

The "princess consort" seemed not to notice. Her eyes practically lit up as she hurriedly took a white ceramic stew pot from the maid, lifted the lid carefully, and ladled out a steaming bowl of lamb broth.

She held the bowl out to the man, her voice dripping with tenderness: "Your Highness, it's cold outside. Drink it while it's hot."

"Mm." The man responded indifferently, taking the bowl and looking down to take a few sips.

Jiang Shuning's eyes fell on the soup.

The milky broth had no scallions or minced garlic, not even a single slice of ginger to enhance the flavor or remove the gamey taste.

An indescribable eeriness gripped her heart.

Why was this lamb broth made exactly the way that person liked it?

"Your Highness..." The princess consort, who looked exactly like her, fidgeted with her fingers. After hesitating for a long time, she finally chose her words and spoke, "Did you... go to see Yaozhen today?"

The man stopped drinking abruptly.

He slowly raised his head, those beautiful peach blossom eyes turning icy cold as they swept over her. The coldness in his eyes could freeze anyone solid: "What are you trying to say?"

The princess consort instinctively lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong, her voice barely a whisper: "I, your concubine, just feel it's not appropriate for you to visit my sister in private. After all, she is already Prince Rui's Secondary Consort..."

"Bang!"

A loud crash echoed as the white porcelain bowl slammed onto the stone table, soup splattering everywhere.

The man rose abruptly, the chill radiating from him as if it could freeze the entire garden of peonies into ice sculptures.

"Are you telling me what to do?" His voice was icy, every word like a knife scraping against her.

The princess consort's face turned deathly pale. She waved her hands frantically, her eyes instantly tearing up: "That's not what I meant! I only..."

Before she could finish explaining, the man had no patience left to hear another word.

He flung his sleeve, the hem cutting a cold, resolute arc. He turned and strode away without a hint of reluctance.

His back was as hard and cold as iron—nothing like the Lord Jing she remembered, who had once protected her with his life.

Was this a dream?

How could she have such a ridiculous dream?

In the dream, there was another version of herself, and a cold, ruthless prince with Lord Jing's face...

Jiang Shuning's mind was in a tangled mess. Countless questions swirled unanswered.

Before she could make sense of anything, the scenery around her began to warp and blur. The lush peonies in the garden and the princess consort's desperate sobbing quickly faded, and she was swept again into bottomless darkness...

—

Xiao Lingchuan pressed his thin lips tightly together, his eyes fixed on the inner chamber without blinking.

The room reeked of blood and medicinal herbs. Divine Physician Sun had been watching for two days without sleep.

Sweat beaded his forehead, and his face was even paler than Jiang Shuning's as she lay on the bed.

Her bleeding had stopped, but her breathing was faint, and her life force was ebbing away—like sand slipping through his fingers, silent and unstoppable, yet he was powerless.

Once again, Divine Physician Sun inserted silver needles into the acupoints around her heart's meridian, fighting for this fragile life.

He dared not relax for a moment nor close his eyes.

Outside the yamen, the night was ink-black.

A black shadow glided over the high wall like a specter, silently landing on the rooftop.

Jiang Tianze's face was covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of phoenix eyes blazing with madness and agitation.

He pulled a cloth bundle from his chest and flicked his wrist. A cloud of white powder scattered like a sudden snowstorm, drifting down onto the patrolling officers below.

Almost instantly, those soldiers, who had been holding their spears and looking around alertly, went limp. They didn't even have time to groan before collapsing one after another, their weapons clattering against the bluestone.

In a blink, the entire yamen fell deathly silent, with only the eerie white powder slowly dispersing in the night breeze.

"Bam!"

The door was slammed open, and Ling Wu staggered in, her face drained of all color: "Your Highness, something terrible! Jiang Tianze is here! He brought enough paralysis powder—the Deputy General and all our men are down!"

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Lingchuan's eyes. He quickly took several small porcelain bottles from his sleeve and tossed them to the guards beside him: "Take the antidote immediately! Ling Wu, stay here and guard Divine Physician Sun. Don't let anyone get close!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Ling Wu caught the bottle, hastily poured out a pill and swallowed it, then handed the bottle to the sweating Divine Physician Sun. She asked worriedly, "And you?"

Xiao Lingchuan's voice was as cold as ice: "I'll go meet him!"

With those words, he pushed open the door and strode into the strange white mist.

In the courtyard, Jiang Tianze stood alone in the center of the fallen officers, like an Asura crawling out of hell.

When he saw Xiao Lingchuan appear, a terrifying red glow instantly rose in his phoenix eyes.

"Xiao Lingchuan!" he roared, his voice twisted with extreme rage, "Where the hell have you hidden A Ning?! She promised me! She promised she would leave with me!"

Xiao Lingchuan stared at him expressionlessly, as if looking at a lunatic making a scene for no reason.

"She's injured," he said coldly, each word like a venom-tipped dagger, piercing straight into Jiang Tianze's heart. "An assassin stabbed her in the chest, damaging her heart meridian. Divine Physician Sun is treating her inside right now. If you want her to recover, don't cause any trouble at this critical moment!"

"She... was stabbed?" The madness and fury on Jiang Tianze's face froze instantly, replaced by a blank, stunned expression.

He staggered, as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

The next moment, that shock transformed into overwhelming rage, fiercer than ever before.

"Who hurt her?"

Xiao Lingchuan's dark eyes were as calm as a still lake. Facing Jiang Tianze's towering fury, he did not even bat an eye.

"Is there any point in asking that now?" His voice was flat, but it cut like a blade tempered with ice, piercing straight into Jiang Tianze's heart. "Instead of chasing down the culprit, you should be more concerned about whether she can survive."

"What do you mean?!" Jiang Tianze's heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, his breathing turning labored. "A Ning... what exactly happened to her?"

The flames of anger were instantly doused by a bucket of icy water, leaving only the pale smoke of fear.

"Her heart meridians are severely damaged, and we've just barely stopped the bleeding." Xiao Lingchuan enunciated each word, each one a thousand-pound boulder crashing down on Jiang Tianze's nerves. "Divine Physician Sun has been watching over her for two days and nights, barely keeping her alive by the slimmest of threads. Are you barging in now with paralysis powder, hoping to snap that last thread?"

All color drained from Jiang Tianze's face. He staggered back a step, his fingers, gripping the sword hilt, turned white from the strain.

He couldn't believe that the vibrant, radiant A Ning was now teetering at death's door.

"No... impossible..." he muttered, his red-rimmed eyes fixed on Xiao Lingchuan as if searching for signs of a lie on his face. "You're lying! You'll make up any story just to keep her by your side!"

"Can't you see for yourself whether I'm lying?" Xiao Lingchuan gave a cold sneer, stepping aside to reveal the tightly shut door behind him. "Divine Physician Sun is inside, and A Ning is inside too. If you don't believe me, go ahead and charge in now, and see if your ruckus doesn't send her straight to her death."

Jiang Tianze's chest heaved violently, a hint of hesitation creeping into his heart.

He didn't dare gamble with Jiang Shuning's life.

Besides, based on what he knew of Xiao Lingchuan, if he truly wanted to hide Jiang Shuning away, he would never use such a vicious method, one that bordered on a curse.

Xiao Lingchuan, more than anyone, feared the word "death" being associated with Jiang Shuning!

Just then, a terrified gasp from Divine Physician Sun came from inside the room. Xiao Lingchuan's heart tightened, and he rushed back into the room like a gust of wind.

There, an eerie black-as-ink worm was slowly crawling out from between Jiang Shuning's pallid lips—a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Xiao Lingchuan's face instantly darkened like a storm about to break, his voice shaking with barely suppressed fury: "Who on earth dared to plant a gu worm inside her?!"

As he finished speaking, he turned to look at Jiang Tianze, who had just entered the room, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.