Chapter 202: He Zhao Severely Injured

Chapter 202: He Zhao Severely Injured

While Qin Jiao and He Zhao were happily catching up, Wu Tuyin, seated at the head, suddenly let out a cold laugh. "In this Lord's view, you're bound to go back on your word."

Wu Tuyin's words were clearly directed at He Zhao. Qin Jiao's face changed instantly upon hearing this. "Wu Tuyin, what do you think you're doing!"

Wu Tuyin didn't even bother answering Qin Jiao. He just raised a hand and waved it, and the next second, a bunch of burly guys came charging at He Zhao with iron hammers!

"No!"

Qin Jiao's eyes went wide in an instant. "Zhou Zhou, run!"

Qin Jiao tried to pull He Zhao away, but Wu Fei suddenly reached out and clamped down on his shoulder. "Ah!" Qin Jiao was already frail, and now he couldn't take the force, getting shoved straight to his knees by Wu Fei!

"He Zhao... cough, cough!"

Qin Jiao coughed hard. When he looked up again, he saw He Zhao being chased all over the place by those vicious brutes.

Even in his sorry state, He Zhao couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Hmph! You're way out of your league! A bunch of brainless pigs like you think you can catch me?"

The main tent wasn't that big. He Zhao knocked over a lamp stand one second, sent a table flying the next, barely dodging those fifty-to-sixty-pound iron hammers every time. At one point, he even tripped and crashed into Si Lu!

"Oops, sorry!"

He Zhao flashed an apologetic grin, but before he could get another word out, the brutes were on him again.

"These bastards are like ghosts that won't leave you alone!"

He Zhao cursed, then bolted out of the main tent in one leap. The brutes swarmed after him like flies!

"Did you get hurt?"

While Si Lu was still in a daze, Wu Tuyin's voice sounded right in his ear.

"I'm fine." Si Lu coldly backed away a few steps from Wu Tuyin, subtly tightening his grip on whatever he was holding.

Si Lu's heart was pounding like crazy, but his face stayed eerily calm. "Can you just let He Zhao go? He hasn't done anything." Si Lu tried to reason with Wu Tuyin.

"He didn't do nothing—he failed."

Wu Tuyin sneered coldly. "He disguised himself as a Princess to sneak into Mengqin, stir up trouble, and spy on our military. If I don't kill him, he'll be a huge problem."

Wu Tuyin didn't buy He Zhao's story about sneaking into Mengqin to rescue Qin Jiao. With the war going on, and He Zhao coming from Xinglin Manor, it was entirely possible Xie Nai had sent him to find a chance to poison them.

Sure, Wu Fei was good with poison too, but if it really came down to it, he was still way behind He Zhao's senior brother, Xiao Baiyu.

Besides, in a clash between two armies, morale was everything. If he could take out this "vanguard" of the Tianyuan Dynasty first, Mengqin's troops would definitely get a huge morale boost!

So no matter how you looked at it, He Zhao had to die.

"Wu Tuyin, if you dare lay a finger on He Zhao, I will kill you!"

The murderous intent coming off Wu Tuyin was way too obvious. Qin Jiao couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Outside the tent, He Zhao's voice had already died out—whether he'd been caught or escaped further away, nobody knew.

"What makes you think I wouldn't dare?"

Wu Tuyin's mocking gaze fell on Qin Jiao. "Not only will I have him killed, I'll make sure he dies in agony."

With that, Wu Tuyin signaled to Wu Fei. "Give him a dagger."

"Yes!"

Wu Fei acknowledged, and the next second, a silver dagger was shoved into Qin Jiao's hand.

Qin Jiao stared at the dagger, dazed for a second, until he heard Wu Tuyin say, "Qin Jiao, take this dagger and kill your friend with your own hands."

When Wulige died, Wu Tuyin had said he'd settle the score with Qin Jiao properly later. And now, this was just the beginning.

"No!"

With Qin Jiao's cry of alarm, He Zhao was dragged into the tent by two burly men.

"Let me go!" He Zhao struggled nonstop, completely unaware of the danger closing in.

"Your turn now." Wu Tuyin strolled over to Qin Jiao and yanked him toward He Zhao.

"Wu Tuyin, don't do this!" Si Lu tried to stop him but was firmly held back by the guards.

By now, He Zhao was pinned down by two burly men, with only his head able to move.

"No... no!" Wu Tuyin's grip on Qin Jiao's wrist was terrifyingly strong. No matter how Qin Jiao struggled, he couldn't break free. Seeing himself getting closer and closer to He Zhao, Qin Jiao shouted desperately, "Wu Tuyin, you madman, let me go!"

Qin Jiao fought with all his might as he shouted, leaving two deep drag marks on the tent floor.

It was then that He Zhao realized what Wu Tuyin was up to—he wanted them to kill each other.

"You bastard! How low can you get!" He Zhao couldn't help but curse.

Wu Tuyin dragged Qin Jiao in front of He Zhao. "Kill him." The man's voice was like a demon straight from hell.

"No!" Qin Jiao shook his head desperately, but he couldn't fight Wu Tuyin's strength. All he could do was watch helplessly as the gleaming dagger inched closer and closer to He Zhao—

At that moment, Qin Jiao and He Zhao felt like they were crushed under two great mountains. No matter how they struggled, the "mountains" wouldn't budge.

"Wu Tuyin, I beg you, kill me! Just kill me instead!" As the dagger touched He Zhao's chest, Qin Jiao broke down crying, his pale face etched with pure despair.

"Qin Jiao, don't beg him!"

He Zhao spat through clenched teeth. "He just wants to see you beg! Don't give him the satisfaction. Worst case, I die—big deal!"

Qin Jiao was shaking all over. "No, you can't! You can't!"

"Qin Jiao." Wu Tuyin called his name expressionlessly. "Remember this—he died by your hand."

As Wu Tuyin's words fell, "Thud—!" The silver dagger sank deep into He Zhao's chest! Blood dripped down in a steady stream, and at that moment, He Zhao's blood and Qin Jiao's blood mixed together, staining the ground a patch of crimson.

"Ah—!"

He Zhao let out a muffled groan as the dagger struck, then collapsed. Wu Tuyin let go of Qin Jiao at the same time. With a "clatter," the blood-stained dagger hit the ground. Qin Jiao's eyes went blank for a second, then quickly snapped back.

"Zhou Zhou, Zhou Zhou! Are you okay?"

Forgetting his own bloody, torn-up hands, Qin Jiao crawled on his knees toward He Zhao.

Qin Jiao struggled to wrap his arms around He Zhao, who was soaked in blood. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault..."

In that critical moment just now, Qin Jiao had used his own hand to cover part of the blade, deflecting some of the force. But even so, He Zhao's chest looked like a bloody gash had been torn open. Qin Jiao tried to press his hand over it, but the blood wouldn't stop.

"Wu Tuyin, save him, I beg you. I'll do anything you ask... please!" Qin Jiao looked at Wu Tuyin, sobbing and trembling. But Wu Tuyin remained as cold as ice. "High Priest, save him!" Qin Jiao was on the verge of collapse, feeling the blood in his limbs slowly turning cold. "Si Lu, I beg you, all of you—save him!"

As dusk approached, the pale blue sky merged with orange clouds, and the last rays of the setting sun spilled through the window onto Qin Jiao and He Zhao. The two stood against the light, drenched in blood, the scene harrowing and sorrowful.

"Why are you crying... cough, cough."

Having recovered slightly, He Zhao tried to comfort Qin Jiao, but the moment he spoke, his chest felt like it was being torn apart, as if someone were repeatedly twisting a knife in his heart. Forget speaking—even a single breath was sheer agony.

"Young Master Qin! The medicine is here!"

Just then, Si Lu finally broke through the guards' encirclement and rushed to Qin Jiao's side. Si Lu knew Wu Tuyin's place well, so when he had been blocked by the guards earlier and unable to help Qin Jiao, he had quickly changed tactics and gone rummaging through boxes and cabinets for hemostatic medicine.

"Hurry, sprinkle it on him!"

With trembling hands, Si Lu uncorked the bottle, and the white medicinal powder fell onto He Zhao's wound, causing him to let out a pained groan!

"Ah!" The intense pain forced He Zhao to curl up, and in the midst of the chaos, he suddenly gripped Si Lu's hand tightly, his gaze burning with a resolve that no one else could understand.

"Help me!" He Zhao's fingers nearly sank into Si Lu's wrist. "Help me..." He Zhao gritted his teeth and forced the words out.

"Alright! Young Master He, rest assured! I will definitely help protect Young Master Qin!" Si Lu hastily finished He Zhao's unspoken words. "Rest assured, rest assured!"

"Good, good..."

Relieved by the promise, He Zhao let out a breath, then slowly turned his gaze to Qin Jiao, his voice growing fainter and fainter. "Little Qin Jiao, don't worry. Your young master here won't die so easily..."

"He Zhao!"

Though He Zhao claimed he wouldn't die easily, his eyes slowly began to close. A sharp pain stabbed through Qin Jiao's chest, and he couldn't help but scream hoarsely, "Zhou Zhou, wake up! Don't scare me..."

----------------------------------------