Without any warning, the sharp blade cut through the flesh. In that instant, it was extremely painful. Liang Yuzhou's face twitched painfully a few times.
But that was all. Soon, calm returned to his face. Blood gushed out, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain.
There was even a hint of relief in his expression.
Wan Chu hated him. If she wanted to stab him a thousand times, he would endure it.
But Song Wanchu couldn't stay calm. The blood flowed down the blade onto her hand holding the hilt, drop by drop.
Her palm quickly became hot and sticky.
Her arm trembled violently. With a "clank", she loosened her grip, and the sword fell to the ground, splashing blood everywhere.
Liang Yuzhou looked at her, his eyes filled with countless complex emotions that were indescribable.
But he remained motionless.
He used his will to tell Song Wanchu that he would never let go, even if it meant death.
He had said the same thing when the crown prince tried to take Wanchu away.
Song Wanchu's body began to tremble. Liang Yuzhou's blood burned her palm.
Stabbing him with that sword didn't bring her any relief. Instead, it intensified the pain in her heart.
He had used her blood before, and now he was stabbed and bleeding.
Steadying her mind, she took off the wedding dress piece by piece and threw it at Liang Yuzhou's feet.
Then she took off the phoenix crown and casually tossed it away.
The heavy phoenix crown hit the ground, and the precious jewels and ornaments flew everywhere.
"Liang Yuzhou, from now on, we're through!"
With angry hatred, she shouted this sentence at Liang Yuzhou.
Her body swayed. Her legs were like melted sugar, unable to gather any strength. Shi Luohan quickly stepped forward and caught her.
Liang Yuzhou saw Song Wanchu leaning in Shi Luohan's arms. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in rage.
"Wanchu..." As soon as he opened his mouth, the pain in his chest spread violently. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood and covered his chest painfully.
Song Wanchu's eyes were cold, as if all emotions had left her.
Liang Yuzhou gasped roughly, like a defeated but unyielding beast.
She felt completely exhausted, and blackness danced before her eyes.
"Wanchu." Her elder brother's voice was firm and warm. "Don't be afraid. Your elder brother is here."
Song Wanchu couldn't hold back anymore. Tears streamed down her face. Seeking comfort, she hugged Shi Luohan's shoulders tightly.
"Brother, take me away. Take me away..."
Shi Luohan understood that the "away" Wanchu mentioned meant not only leaving this room and Liang Yuzhou.
"But what about Father's revenge..."
Song Wanchu didn't listen. She just shook her head blindly, her tears flying. "Take me away. Take me away..."
Shi Luohan's tense face softened at her pleading. He said in a low voice, "Okay, brother will take you away."
"Wanchu!"
Liang Yuzhou staggered forward a few steps, like a drowning man desperately trying to grab a floating log.
Finally, his knees went weak. It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body. His tall figure crashed to the ground.
In his remaining vision, there was only half of Song Wanchu's profile, every line of which showed determination.
His world plunged into darkness.
...
Liang Yuzhou returned to the day when he fought the bandit leader.
They were all highly skilled and ruthless. He was only an eighteen - year - old boy at that time, and his body was far from as strong as it was now.
But he was calm and composed, planning every step carefully. He fought while retreating. He killed seven out of the eight bandits. His chest and back were crisscrossed with wounds, and he looked like a blood - soaked man.
There was one left, the leader of the bandits. No matter how fierce and fearless he was, he was intimidated by the young man's blood - thirsty eyes.
He ran away, and Liang Yuzhou chased after him relentlessly. He fainted in the forest due to excessive blood loss.
Just when he thought he was about to die, a sob suddenly came to his ears. He forced his eyes open and saw a girl in a pink dress with teary eyes.
Their eyes met.
"Wanchu?" His voice was hoarse, unable to hide his surprise.
The girl was still young and innocent, with baby fat on her oval face. Her eyes were wide open. "Liang Yuzhou, I knew you wouldn't die. My prayers were heard by the gods, and they will protect you..."
It turned out that what he saw when he was on the verge of death was not an illusion.
Every day when he was fighting, Wanchu was praying for him devoutly.
Wanchu, Wanchu...
"Wanchu!"
He shouted and woke up, covered in cold sweat. Doctor Zhou, who was bandaging his wound, was startled.
He was in his own room. He didn't know how he got back.
The room was full of people, and there were constant sobs. He found it extremely annoying.
He saw the old lady at a glance.
"Where's Wanchu?"
The old lady was in tears. "Wanchu has left. The entire Qi family has emptied out. They've already left the capital..."
Doctor Zhou was about to stick a long piece of gauze on Liang Yuzhou's chest when Liang Yuzhou suddenly sat up and pushed him away.
He didn't even put on his shoes and walked out barefoot.
The movement was too big, and the wound that had just stopped bleeding burst open. His chest was bloody again.
The old lady and Princess Jiahe grabbed his arms from left and right and pulled him desperately.
"Zhou'er, don't chase after her. Wanchu left resolutely. The fact that she didn't hold our Duke's Mansion accountable is already the best outcome."
The old lady tried her best to persuade him.
The thing she was most worried about finally happened.
Her son was the murderer who killed Song Hengyi, and her grandson had married the murderer's daughter. She helped to hide it, and the old duke evaded it. The entire Duke's Mansion was like being trapped in a valley with a precarious boulder hanging above their heads.
When the truth was exposed, the boulder hanging above their heads rolled down, crushing everyone to pieces.
Wanchu was a pure - hearted child. She never coveted wealth, fame, or power. Everything she did was motivated by love.
After being deceived for three years, she retracted her love without hesitation.
Princess Jiahe watched Liang Yuzhou go crazy. She cried sadly and was also extremely panicked.
"Son, you can't ruin yourself for a woman! You're the heir of the Duke's Mansion and a pillar of the court. How can you lose your mind for a little love?"
Liang Yuzhou brushed off her hand. Although he didn't use much force, it was enough to push Princess Jiahe far away. His eyes were cold, but his tone was abnormally calm.
"Wanchu is my everything. Everything I've fought for is for Wanchu. Now that she's gone, all the false names mean nothing to me."
His face, pale as if almost transparent due to excessive blood loss, had extremely clear eyes. The coldness in them hurt Princess Jiahe.
"I'm sorry, Mother. It seems you can't count on me to regain the lost glory and dignity."
Exposed by her son so bluntly, Princess Jiahe felt ashamed, but she really felt heartache.
He was her son, her only hope. She had been looking forward to his well - being every day.
But he was going to abandon everything just to chase a woman who would never forgive him again.
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a bit of resentment towards Song Wanchu. She had every reason to be angry and to lash out, but why couldn't she be patient?
At least, after today, she left without caring about anything, leaving behind a crazy son and a bunch of unsuspecting guests outside.
Everyone was still waiting for him to lead his wife to the wedding ceremony. Today was supposed to be his wedding night, the day he was crowned the heir and achieved great fame. It was supposed to be a glorious day.
Now it had become a complete mess.
Liang Yuzhou didn't care and continued to walk towards the door.
Although his chest hurt, the wound wasn't deep after all.
Wanchu still cared about him and didn't have the heart to kill him.
She didn't completely hate him.
He still had a chance.
Just as his hand touched the bolt of the door.
"Bang—"
The door was kicked open. The old duke walked in, bringing a cold wind with him. He was furious.
"Rebellious son! Do you think you can just leave the Duke's Mansion whenever you want? What's your status now? Don't you care about the dignity and reputation of the Duke's Mansion at all?"