Leap Forward Comics: Watch How I Become a Villainess

Chapter 155 One Last Time I'll Help You

The fire raged all night, and Chao Huaiyuan emerged from the flames in the deep palace, walking against the light. He held his own sword in his right hand and Li Yun's sword in his left.

The scenes that had occurred still lingered in his mind, refusing to fade away.

Li Yun, like a trapped beast, made a final struggle, brandishing his sword and lunging at him.

He showed absolutely no hesitation or pity.

He drew his sword horizontally and rose with the momentum.

In a single exchange, Li Yun was defeated. Facing Chao Huaiyuan's blade as it slashed down, his eyes were filled with despair.

He neither dodged nor avoided, but simply stared blankly at the blade aimed at his face.

Chao Huaiyuan knew that this was the kind of look that only someone who had given up the will to live would have.

But he didn't hold back. He slightly sidestepped the skull, and the blade slashed straight down, severing Li Yun's left collarbone.

Li Yun lost the strength to resist, and resolutely raised his right hand to strike down the long candlestick stand with his sword.

In an instant, the fire spread throughout the hall.

Li Yun slumped down on the steps, lying against the edge, abandoning his sword. His lips were tightly closed, unable to utter a sound, only endless silence and loneliness remained.

Perhaps Li Yun wanted to maintain a semblance of dignity in the end.

Chao Huaiyuan also gave him this dignity.

Picking up Li Yun's sword, he turned and walked out of the burning palace, standing guard outside until everything behind him turned to ashes.

"Lord Chao, what are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought." A sudden call pulled him back to reality.

It's Nie Qing.

"Miss Nie? What happened to you?" Chao Huaiyuan was stunned. Last night, the entire Nie family should have been arrested. How could Nie Qing be uninvolved?

“I originally belonged to Her Highness the Eldest Princess.” Nie Qing smiled at him.

Chao Huaiyuan was momentarily dazed; Nie Qing's expression seemed strangely familiar.

"Lord Chao, stop standing here in a daze and come inside."

As Nie Qing spoke, he left him behind and went inside.

Chao Huaiyuan then looked up at the words "Princess's Residence" and remembered that Lu He had summoned everyone to the Princess's Residence today to discuss important matters.

Grand Tutor Gao and his two brothers had arrived quite early. They had been chatting with Lu He inside for a while.

"I heard that Her Highness the Eldest Princess has dealt with the rebels on the border and will be returning to the capital soon. This is truly a cause for celebration," Grand Tutor Gao said kindly to Lu He.

Lu He nodded in agreement, his goal this time being to persuade Grand Tutor Gao to support Li Cen as the new emperor.

He watched as Nie Qingchao and Huaiyuan walked in one after the other.

"Miss Nie, Lord Chao, this way please." A eunuch led them over.

Grand Tutor Gao turned his head and saw Chao Huaiyuan. His eyes were meaningful. This kid is a ruthless character. In order to protect the Chao family, he knocked out his father and personally killed the prince who made a mistake.

"Lord Lu," Chao Huaiyuan bowed to Lu He, "Has Her Highness the Princess made a decision?"

"I have already reported the situation here. I believe His Highness will receive it and make his own decision. Lord Chao, please do not worry too much," Lu He comforted him.

If Bai Yu were to drive Li Cen back first, they could return in just a day or two. At most, they should be back by tomorrow.

The Chao family has also been imprisoned, unlike the Nie family who were directly handed over to the Ministry of Justice for punishment.

Now that the Nie family has been exterminated, the heroine An Linqing's great revenge has been fulfilled, and she can reclaim her identity as An Linqing.

"I want to make a decision on behalf of my father: no one in the Chao family shall ever serve as an official in the court!" Chao Huaiyuan made up his mind.

"I hope Lord Lu can convey this message to Her Highness the Eldest Princess!"

He was afraid. He was afraid that if he didn't leave now, even if Lu He became close to Li Cen, he might not be able to persuade Li Cen.

Lu He saw through Chao Huaiyuan's concerns, and she gritted her teeth: "Okay!"

Lu He then glanced at the female lead again. She didn't react at all, as if she didn't care whether Chao Huaiyuan would miss her from now on.

Lu He sighed and handed the token to Chao Huaiyuan: "Go far away, and never return to the capital..."

This was a decision she made on her own. In fact, she wasn't sure if Li Cen would let the Chao family off the hook.

Therefore, Chao Huaiyuan was instructed to lead the entire Chao family away from the capital, and even away from their homeland, the farther the better.

Chao Huaiyuan gratefully accepted the token and left.

"We're just letting him go like that?" Nie Qing looked at Lu He in confusion.

"You're reluctant to let him go?" Lu He's lips curled up slightly: "You can still catch up with him and wander the world together now."

Nie Qing shook her head: "I have my own ambitions to realize, and he has his own path. We are destined to be apart..." From the moment she lost her identity, they were destined to be apart.

"Don't you plan to reclaim your original identity?"

"What original identity?" Grand Tutor Gao and Gao Zhan and Gao Kuang were completely confused.

"Grand Tutor Gao, please forgive me. My daughter is not Nie Qing, but An Daohe's daughter, An Linqing." Nie Qing bowed respectfully to the Gao family.

Grand Tutor Gao suddenly realized why Nie Qing had been helping him scheme against the Nie family. He had never understood why she had suddenly sided with the Crown Prince.

So, this girl was Li Cen's person from the very beginning?

"You...you all..." Gao Yi finally realized, "Ah, that explains everything. Her Highness the Princess is truly amazing; she's set up a grand scheme!"

"It seems that the Grand Tutor is a wise man." Lu He nodded to him, confirming his guess.

"The reason I invited the Grand Tutor here today is to discuss with you the matter of welcoming the new emperor back to court," Lu He said, getting straight to the point.

"Well, I have nothing to object to." Gao Yi sighed, "I watched Li Guangqi grow up and I taught him. If the Princess can surpass him, she is naturally no less capable of governing the country."

He clearly acknowledged Li Cen's abilities.

“There are precedents for women becoming emperors throughout history.” Gao Yi laughed loudly: “I am not such a conservative person. Currently, only Her Highness the Eldest Princess is capable of being the emperor of Xi Kingdom.”

That's the truth. Right now, apart from Li Cen, there's no one else capable of stabilizing the country. If internal strife continues, other countries might take advantage of the situation and invade.

The fate of the nation and its people is something Gao Yi will certainly still prioritize.

"In that case, thank you very much, Lord Gao, for helping to manage the affairs of the court after Her Highness the Princess returned to the capital." Lu He thanked Gao Yi again, after all, with the help of an old minister in the court, Li Cen would have a much smoother time.

"The Prince of Hu is still imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. When the Princess returns to the capital, the Prince of Hu will be used to perform a sacrificial ceremony to establish her authority." After explaining how to pave the way for Li Cen, Gao Yi took his leave and returned home.

"And what about you?" Lu He turned back to An Linqing and asked, "Now that you've regained your identity, are you really not going to tell Chao Huaiyuan? He's always been so protective of you..."

“That’s not important anymore,” An Linqing said with a relaxed and clear smile. “I plan to become a lady-in-waiting. I have my own things to do, not to follow anyone else…”

"Thank you for your kindness, but I've already let it go, I let it go a long time ago." An Linqing knew that Lu He meant well.

“From the day my family had that incident, I gave up on love and only focused on revenge. Now that the grudges are settled, I want to live my own life, and I really don’t need love that much.”

An Linqing wanted to say that she had watched Li Cen get to where he was now step by step, and watched Lu He create miracle after miracle. She seemed to be filled with longing and admiration for this kind of vibrant and indomitable power.

Lu He smiled and nodded; she understood and supported it.

However, it seems that the male and female protagonists of this comic will not end up together.

Maybe it's a good thing; it might just be part of the mission.

Next, we just have to wait for Li Cen to return and ascend the throne...

For some reason, Lu He felt a little lost. Something that should have been joyful was now starting to feel sad...

Is it because we're about to part ways?