Chapter 34

Chapter 34: In This Life, Never Again! At the Xu Residence, Ling Jiayue had finished administering acupuncture to Xu Hongjun, yet she still reminded him repeatedly, “Elder Xu, you need to watch your diet. Eat less rich food and less meat.” Elder Xu’s old face reddened. “You went to the General’s Residence to treat someone a few days ago, didn’t you? I was worried about you, and when I worry, I tend to eat a few extra pieces of meat.” At the mention of the General’s Residence, Ling Jiayue’s expression grew unusually solemn. Seeing the change in her face, Xu Hongjun asked, “Yue’er, girl, what’s wrong?” “To be honest, Elder Xu, someone must have deliberately plotted the incident at the General’s Residence. They intended to strike both the Prime Minister’s Residence and the General’s Residence in one move,” Ling Jiayue said. Xu Hongjun’s expression also turned grave. “Who could be so bold? Have you found any clues? To dare attack the Prime Minister’s Residence and the General’s Residence—they certainly have quite the ambitious plan.” “Elder Xu, in Madam Wang’s room, where we found the poison used against General Luo, we discovered not only the poison powder but also a jade pendant. The pendant was smooth and lustrous, without the slightest impurity, yet the character ‘three’ was carved on it,” Ling Jiayue said. “A ‘three’ was carved on it? Could it be the Third Prince? Impossible. I know the Third Prince as well—he isn’t that kind of person.” Xu Hongjun spoke solemnly. “Elder Xu, please don’t be anxious. I never said it was definitely the Third Prince. It’s just that Madam Wang was killed at the General’s Residence in front of Young Master Luo. And there aren’t many people capable of planting someone inside the General’s Residence and making such a bold move.” Seeing Xu Hongjun’s severe expression and fearing that he would blame his younger sister, Ling Jiaxuan hastily tried to smooth things over. Ling Jiayue simply fell silent. Elder Xu also realized that his reaction had been somewhat excessive, so he smiled and said, “Don’t take it to heart, Yue’er, girl. Old Man just got a little agitated.” Ling Jiayue smiled. “Elder Xu, you’re being too serious. I’ve examined your pulse today as well. Remember not to eat rich food, and just rest quietly. I’ll come back to examine you again in a few days.” “That sounds good. I’ll see you out.” Xu Hongjun escorted Ling Jiayue out of the residence. She then boarded the carriage with her brother and bade Elder Xu farewell. “Little sister, it seems Elder Xu’s relationship with the Third Prince, Mu Yuyang, is quite deep. We should probably keep our distance from him in the future.” In the carriage, Ling Jiaxuan leaned against the carriage wall and stretched lazily as he spoke. “Older Brother, Xu Hongjun is a famous wealthy merchant in the capital. Winning him over would greatly benefit the Prime Minister’s Residence and the General’s Residence,” Ling Jiayue insisted. “All right. Older Brother will listen to you,” Ling Jiaxuan said. Ling Jiayue smiled knowingly. Watching his younger sister’s radiant smile, Ling Jiaxuan felt that she truly was breathtakingly beautiful. He wondered which family’s rotten boy would benefit from marrying her in the future. At that thought, he began grinding his teeth. Ling Jiayue assumed his teeth were merely itching and paid him no more attention. She leaned against the carriage and closed her eyes to rest. “Ah!” The coachman outside the carriage gave a scream and collapsed to the ground. Ling Jiaxuan immediately rose in alarm and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. The coachman lay in a pool of blood, clearly dead from an arrow wound. A row of black-clad agents stood opposite the carriage, their killing intent chilling. Each had his face covered with a black cloth, clearly unwilling to be recognized. All of them held sharp swords and directed their murderous intent toward the carriage carrying Ling Jiayue and the others. Clearly, they had no intention of letting them go tonight. Ling Jiaxuan did not dare waste any more time. He drew the flexible sword wrapped around his waist and said to Ling Jiayue, “Yue’er, stay in the carriage and don’t come out. Take the chance to escape and return to the Prime Minister’s Residence to send word.” “What about you, Older Brother?” Ling Jiayue asked worriedly. “I’ll be fine. You must not let anything happen to you. Remember, run as soon as you get the chance, and don’t look back.” With his back to Ling Jiayue, Ling Jiaxuan faced the group of assassins alone. His back was resolute as he shielded his younger sister behind him. Ling Jiayue felt a sharp ache in her heart. What had she done to deserve Ling Jiaxuan’s protection? From that moment on, she regarded Ling Jiaxuan as her true older brother—as close to her as the three Ling brothers from her past life. “Older Brother won’t let anything happen to you.” Ling Jiaxuan turned and spoke softly to Ling Jiayue. Then he tightened his grip on the flexible sword and charged forward, leaving the chance for survival to Ling Jiayue. Ling Jiayue’s eyes stung, and tears nearly fell. She secretly told herself, Older Brother, I won’t let anything happen to you either. I was a great general who once galloped across the battlefield. How could I possibly take these few assassins seriously? Ling Jiaxuan fought the assassins desperately at the front, never willing to retreat even half a step. He knew that if he fell back, his younger sister would be in danger. If he could win even one more chance of survival for her, then he had to do so. What Ling Jiaxuan did not know was that Ling Jiayue had not fled at all. She carefully observed the assassins’ weaknesses, intending to advance and retreat together with her brother, Ling Jiaxuan. In her previous life, she had watched her family be beheaded and had been powerless to save them. In this life, never again! Ling Jiaxuan gradually began to run out of strength, and the wounds on his body multiplied. The assassins, worn down by their struggle with him, were nearly exhausted as well. Ling Jiayue seized the opportunity, drew the dagger she carried, and rushed forward. She slit the throat of one of the assassins surrounding Ling Jiaxuan. When Ling Jiaxuan saw that his younger sister had not escaped, he was both furious and anxious. His attacks became even more vicious. Before long, the two siblings had killed all the assassins. “Fool, didn’t I tell you to run? Why did you come back?” Ling Jiaxuan shouted angrily at his younger sister. “Brother, I won’t abandon you. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Ling Jiayue said softly but firmly. “Silly girl.” With reddened eyes, Ling Jiaxuan pulled Ling Jiayue into his arms. After a long while, he said in a muffled voice, “Older Brother isn’t afraid of anything happening to him. Older Brother is afraid something will happen to you.” Ling Jiayue was just about to say something when Ling Jiaxuan suddenly shoved her away and shouted, “Look out!” Before Ling Jiayue could react, Ling Jiaxuan had already fallen into a pool of blood. One of the assassins had not been completely dead and had fired a concealed weapon at Ling Jiayue. Ling Jiaxuan had taken the concealed weapon for her and collapsed instead. “Brother!” Ling Jiayue cried out in anguish. The three Ling brothers being beheaded in her previous life gradually merged with Ling Jiaxuan lying in the pool of blood before her. Her eyes reddened as she picked up the flexible sword from Ling Jiaxuan’s hand and stabbed the death warrior again and again, until he finally stopped breathing. Ling Jiayue helped Ling Jiaxuan up from the ground. The corners of his mouth had already turned bluish-black; he had clearly been poisoned. She pulled the concealed weapon from his body, performed some basic treatment, and prepared to take him home for proper care. She tried to lift Ling Jiaxuan from the ground, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not drag him. She was close to despair. If Ling Jiaxuan did not receive timely treatment, then even with her mastery of the medical arts, she would not be able to save him.