Chapter 44 Xun Xi’s Death

Chapter 44: The Death of Xun Xi

The arrow pierced Xun Xi's slender body and stabbed Qin Jiao's heart like a dagger. "No!"

Xie Nai leaned protectively over Qin Jiao, pulling his trembling body into his arms. "Don't look."

Luo Bei parried the rain of arrows with his sword while retreating sideways, eventually dragging Xun Xi, the arrow still stuck in her, to safety.

Excruciating pain made her entire body tremble uncontrollably. The arrow had pierced her chest, and warm blood gushed like a fountain, staining the ground beneath her with blood.

"Don't move!"

"Capture them!"

Suddenly, noise erupted outside the Brocade Tower, and after a moment, the arrow storm ceased.

Qin Jiao guessed that the Lingnan Army had caught the assassins. With Luo Bei by his side, Xie Nai was not worried about injury, so the army was initially positioned around the tower.

Once it was safe, Qin Jiao hurried toward Xun Xi, who now lay in a pool of blood, her face pale as a sheet.

As it happened, Xiao Baiyu and He Zhao, who knew a bit of medicine, were both absent today. Xun Xi's injuries were too severe; she didn't have much time left.

Qin Jiao's mind was in turmoil, emotions overwhelming him.

Cong Shuang also came over, looking at Xun Xi with sorrowful eyes.

"Oh no! The roster and letters have been burned!"

Suddenly, Xiao Nianzhang rushed over frantically. It turned out that some of the arrows in the earlier storm were flaming arrows. When Xiao Yue was attacked, the roster and letters fell, and those flaming arrows seemed to have eyes, heading straight for them. By the time everyone was safe, the roster and letters had already been reduced to ashes.

"No, no!"

Xun Xi on the ground began to cough violently, warm blood splattering onto her body like vivid blood-red blossoms.

She seemed to struggle to get up, but before she could, a series of loud rumbles came from beneath everyone's feet.

"Rumble—"

The sound was abrupt and heavy, and everyone's expressions changed instantly!

"What's that sound?" Qin Jiao said as he grabbed Cong Shuang.

"There are explosives beneath us."

When Xie Nai spoke these words in a calm tone, it sent a wave of panic through everyone.

"Someone wants to blow up the Brocade Tower! Run! Your Highness, run..."

Xiao Nianzhang was the first to react, disregarding his status as he tried to pull Xie Nai, while his other hand grabbed the county magistrate of Wuyuan, apparently intending to drag them both away.

"Don't act rashly!"

Luo Bei stepped forward, blocking between Xie Nai and Qin Jiao.

The rumbling continued unabated, as if the mountains were about to crumble and the earth to split at any moment.

Whether it was Qin Jiao's imagination or not, he could even feel his body and the grass and trees in the yard slightly shaking, but Xie Nai beside him remained as steady as a rock, completely still.

"The Brocade Tower can't be blown up! There are more than thirty sets of bones buried beneath the underground chamber!"

Xun Xi had no idea there were explosives under the tower; Yun Niang had never told her.

No, perhaps Yun Niang herself didn't know either.

The master in the capital had raised those thugs in Nanzhou, not only to watch over the Brocade Tower but also, if necessary, to root out any loose ends and prevent future problems.

In Xun Xi's eyes, Qin Jiao saw a cold, deep fear and terror. She began to vomit large mouthfuls of blood, her eyes full of despair.

Though they had been wrongfully buried, this place was still the final resting place of those poor souls. If it were destroyed, their bones would be ground to dust, never to find peace.

"Xie Nai!" Qin Jiao tugged at Xie Nai, who gave him a reassuring look.

The youth's eyes were deep and calm, and Qin Jiao's heart skipped a beat—could it be...

Suddenly!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Huge forces burst out from below, and a roaring blast filled their ears!

"Ah! Help!"

Xiao Nianzhang shrieked in terror. Qin Jiao frowned uncomfortably, the piercing roar continuing endlessly. But then he noticed it wasn't gunpowder exploding—it was the sound of fireworks!

Qin Jiao stared in shock. The grass along the courtyard walls was blown open by the massive explosive force of the fireworks, and daytime fireworks shot skyward like a storm, wave after wave. The whole sky seemed to catch fire, with sparks flying and light blazing everywhere!

Qin Jiao was shocked and turned to Xie Nai. "You tricked us? You replaced the explosives with fireworks!"

He frowned, clearly annoyed. Xie Nai gently soothed him. "I didn't tell you in advance to avoid any slip-ups. I had already obtained the roster and letters from the Brocade Tower."

Qin Jiao got it right away. "So the roster that was burned was fake. So today, Your Highness came to the Brocade Tower just to watch the show and catch some assassins on the side?"

"Very smart."

Qin Jiao was speechless.

"Thanks, but you can spare me the compliment."

Xie Nai had planned everything thoroughly with deep foresight, but in the end, he failed to consider whether Xun Xi would live or die.

No, Qin Jiao thought again, or perhaps from the very beginning, Xie Nai had never counted Xun Xi's survival in his plans.

The pain had spread through her entire body. Xun Xi could only breathe like a fish out of water, gasping. Cong Shuang couldn't stand to look and crouched down, trying to press down on Xun Xi's wound to stop the bleeding, but Xun Xi waved her off.

"I'm too dirty. Don't come near me."

Xun Xi was beautiful, especially at the last moment of her life. Her eyes were bright, her lips held a smile, and she seemed completely at ease and light.

She asked Xie Nai, "Your Highness, did you already know about the skeletons buried underground? Are they... are they resting in peace?"

Her life was fading fast. Finally, Xie Nai glanced at her—just a cold, quick look.

Xun Xi felt as if her chest was being torn apart. Sounds faded from her ears like the ebbing tide. She could no longer hear the explosive roar of the daytime fireworks. Darkness gradually invaded the light before her eyes...

"They are all at Nantai Temple."

In her final moments, she heard Xie Nai say.

Nantai Temple, where Buddhist chants guide the cycle of reincarnation.

Xun Xi finally closed her eyes peacefully, and the daytime fireworks faded into silence.

————

After the events at the Brocade Tower, Xiao Nianzhang stayed to handle the follow-up matters, while Qin Jiao followed Xie Nai back to the military camp. As soon as they stepped out of the Brocade Tower, Qin Jiao saw Luo Yue escorting over a dozen men in black ahead.

At that moment, Qin Jiao suddenly understood.

In reality, Luo Yue had already returned from Huoji Mountain long ago, but he had never revealed himself. He had been waiting for this day to capture the archers outside the Brocade Tower.

If Qin Jiao’s guess was correct, those archer assassins were the thugs and guards the Brocade Tower had kept outside the city. Xun Xi had already been captured, and if Luo Yue had rashly gone out of the city to find them, it would have alerted the enemy. So Xie Nai had simply chosen to lure the snake out of its hole.

As for the bones and explosives in the Brocade Tower’s secret chamber, when Xiao Nianzhang had reported earlier that the ground in the backyard of the Brocade Tower seemed to have been disturbed, Xie Nai had likely already sent someone to investigate.

Replacing the explosives with fireworks, obtaining Xun Xi’s register and letters in advance—Xie Nai indeed had other arrangements. But Li Chengwei and Zhao Yunzhi’s plot to kill Yun Niang, and Qin Jiao being knocked unconscious by Xun Xi and taken to the secret chamber—this series of unexpected events was likely something Xie Nai hadn’t anticipated.

Qin Jiao briefly glanced at the register of names Xun Xi had kept and the letters exchanged with the master in the capital. As Xun Xi had said, most of the people on the register were wealthy merchants from Nanzhou. But apart from those merchants and minor officials, there were also a few pages with only names or honorific titles. It seemed Xun Xi didn’t know the identities of those visitors, so she had just written down the names.

In this world, there were countless people with the same names. Trying to find someone by name alone was like looking for a needle in a haystack. As for the letters, Qin Jiao had only skimmed one. The letter had no signature or seal, the paper and handwriting were unremarkable, and for now, nothing else could be inferred.

Now that both Yun Niang and Xun Xi were dead, the information about the master from the capital behind the Brocade Tower could only be traced from the men in black Luo Yue had captured.

May Heaven’s justice shine bright, and may all injustices be redressed.

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