readytorunbook Chapter 153 I had no choice but to kill him
Chapter 153 I had no choice but to kill him
Upon hearing the name, the woman's eyes seemed to suddenly ignite with some kind of frenzied fire.
She suddenly struggled to her feet and staggered towards him.
"Where is he? Where is Xiao Hengzhi?!"
Her voice was shrill, her face was bony, and she was gripping Jiang Mian's clothes with almost all her might.
Jiang Mian had never seen such a scene before, and she stood there stunned, unable to utter a single word.
The man beside him spoke leisurely: "He's a prince now, how can you expect to see him whenever you want?!"
“I am his biological mother! If it weren’t for me, he would have died long ago!”
"It's him! He's the one who got me trapped in this godforsaken place, and he won't come to save me!"
"I want to kill him with my own hands! I want to kill him—!!"
The woman's words were incoherent, as if the hatred that had been building up for more than a decade had suddenly burst forth.
Jiang Mian stood there, stunned, her mind buzzing.
Is this really... Xiao Hengzhi's mother?
"Ha." The man next to him spat and sneered, "See? Even his own mother wanted to kill him. Now you know how heartless Xiao Hengzhi is."
"Jiang Wan, aren't you also being kept under house arrest by her and unable to return to the General's Mansion?"
Jiang Mian moved her lips, but couldn't utter a word. Her mind was in complete chaos, with only the woman's mad ramblings echoing in her ears.
She suddenly felt very cold, and her limbs stiffened like stone.
Seeing her trembling expression, the man's eyes hardened with even more ruthlessness. He suddenly pushed her to the ground and pressed the dagger against her neck once more.
"I've told you so much. If you still want to live, do as I say."
"What...what do you want to do?" Jiang Wan stammered.
He leaned down and whispered, "Do as I say, kill him. You are her Achilles' heel, it will definitely work... Once he's dead, you'll be free."
Jiang Mian held her breath as a thin line of blood appeared on her neck.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes swirling with anger and fear.
But for some reason, a deeper thought, one that went even further than fear, was—
It turns out that Xiao Hengzhi has reached where he is today by stepping on these heavy past events.
No wonder he was only eight years old, yet his body was covered in injuries.
No wonder he has a strange temper and is cold-blooded and ruthless.
No wonder he was so skilled in martial arts, even though we never saw him practice them.
.......
Suddenly, everything made sense.
"Jiang Man, he's dead...you're free now."
The man's words kept echoing in my ears.
She did not answer.
The knife was still pressed against her skin, as if reminding her, or urging her on.
But her mind was already in complete chaos.
In his past life, Xiao Hengzhi killed Ning Zhi and imprisoned her atop the Golden Palace, making her his personal trophy.
She was imprisoned in the palace, like a puppet, living in constant fear.
He was the source of her nightmares.
She had felt pain, hatred, and even vowed that if there were an afterlife, she would tear this person to pieces.
But now, she is hesitant to agree.
Many scenes from her past life even surfaced.
—She was kicked out of the Marquis's mansion, and he took her hand and said, "I will protect you from now on."
In the palace, he kissed her uncontrollably, pressing her into his arms with all his might, "Don't leave me."
—On the night the General's Mansion caught fire, he risked his life to save people from the flames.
She felt as if she were trapped in an old dream.
Past and present lives burn like flames, consuming her even her heart.
absurd......
It was clearly hatred, yet it carried a hint of sorrow.
It's clearly hatred, yet I'm also soft-hearted.
Jiang Wan's throat tightened, and for a moment she didn't know whether she should shed tears or laugh at herself.
She had said long ago that if she had the chance, she would definitely kill him with her own hands.
But when the opportunity actually came, she hesitated.
The person in front of me is still pressing me for answers.
She suddenly remembered that the doctor had said, "He has countless injuries in his body, and his lifespan is at most a few years."
He's already dying, why does he need to do it himself?
Furthermore——
Her spring ailment has not yet subsided. If she cannot find a solution on this trip, then the fifteenth of next month will be the day her meridians are severed and she suffers a fate worse than death.
And in this world, the only one who can relieve her pain is him.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally murmured something.
"Xiao Hengzhi can save my life... If he dies, I won't be able to live either."
Jiang Mian clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
The man in front of him tilted his head slightly, looking puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Jiang Wan remained silent for a moment, then, enduring the stinging pain in her throat, replied, "Do you know about the Spring Bitter Powder...?"
"Spring Bitterness Powder?" The man raised an eyebrow, his expression instantly turning amused, as if he had heard a very interesting joke.
"I am suffering from the Spring Bitterness Powder, and only Xiao Hengzhi can cure it."
He took a few steps closer, leaned down and stared at Jiang Wan's face, as if trying to guess something.
A moment later, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "...You didn't come here specifically to find an antidote, did you?"
"......Um."
"Then you're quite lucky."
Jiang Mian's heart skipped a beat, keenly sensing the hidden meaning in his words.
"Do you know the solution?"
The man slowly said, "Spring Bitter Powder is something that the Red Slave Gu Master refined. Poison and Gu are a pair. Once it enters the body, life and death are intertwined."
"This thing was originally used to deal with uncooperative women in the delivery room. After taking this medicine, if they do not comply, they will suffer unbearable pain."
“However…” he paused for a moment, “this thing… cannot be cured with medicine.”
"How do we solve this?"
Seeing the puzzled look on Jiang Wan's face, he whispered, "To cure this poison, we must use the heart's blood of the Gu Master, sacrificing one's life for another."
"My heart's blood..."
Jiang Mian felt a turmoil in her heart, as if ice water had been poured down her throat.
But his remaining rationality made him suspicious. She shook her head slightly: "No, if you want to kill him, you might be saying this on purpose."
"Why would I need to lie? Even if I didn't know about this poison, I have plenty of ways to make you listen to me."
Jiang was rendered speechless.
This man is right; he will coerce her no matter what.
“Jiang Mian, if you want to get rid of him, you have to kill him. Do you think you can kill a Red Slave by yourself?” the man said slowly. “You have no choice.”
Outside, the wind and rain intensified, and thunder rumbled.
Jiang Mian kept her head down and didn't say a word.
The man untied her and opened the door: "Go on, go back inside and tidy up. You know what to do next. Helping me now is helping yourself."
Water drips from the eaves, and the silence is oppressive.
Jiang Mian staggered outside, her fingertips gripping the hem of her clothes tightly. Her chest felt so heavy she could hardly breathe.
She wasn't afraid to kill, and it wasn't like she hadn't killed someone before.
But this time, her hand—
She was pointing at the person who had once pushed her into hell.
He was also... the one who sheltered her from the rain and snow in hell.
Xiao Hengzhi...
Perhaps it really is time to end this.