CH 34

How could Ah Qin die? (PTSD)

In these past few days, Ming Qin had noticed that Murong Yan’s body had become increasingly slender whenever she hugged her. She would then place all the food on the table in front of her and patiently coax her to eat more.

Murong Yan would chew her food slowly, afraid that she might choke. Ming Qin would then hurry to boil some hot water, oblivious to the tenderness and attachment in Murong Yan’s eyes.

Once Ming Qin poured her water, she propped up her arm and grinned at the woman as she ate, as if Murong Yan eating a few more bites would make her happier.

“Ah Qin, aren’t you going to eat?” Murong Yan asked, looking at the person in front of her who was just staring at her. There was only one set of utensils on the table.

Ming Qin waved her hand and said, “I’ve already eaten. You eat more.”

As a shadow guard, experiencing hunger during missions was a common occurrence for Ming Qin.

She had already eaten some dry rations while Murong Yan was still asleep, and she had even consumed a burnt sweet potato that she had accidentally roasted. It had all gone into her stomach.

Murong Yan silently ate half of the dishes on the table before setting down her utensils.

Observing that the woman was no longer using her chopsticks, Ming Qin tilted her head and asked in confusion, “Aren’t you going to eat anymore? Please have some more.”

“But if Ah Qin isn’t eating, then I also don’t have much of an appetite,” Murong Yan replied. She then picked up an egg from her bowl, held it up to Ming Qin’s lips, and coaxed the hesitant shadow guard, “Just eat it, consider it as keeping me company.”

As soon as Ming Qin heard the offer, she leaned in and took the egg from the woman’s hand. Her cheeks bulged from the egg, making her injured left cheek appear even more pronounced.

Murong Yan lowered her head, a smile on her lips, and reached for a dish. Suddenly, she heard a dripping sound. Looking up, she saw bright red blood mixed with darker chunks pouring from Ming Qin’s nose, unstoppable.

Ming Qin appeared unaware of the blood and simply rubbed her nose. She then noticed the blood on the table and panicked, covering her nose and moving away from the table as if afraid of dirtying the food.

Seeing Ming Qin’s face covered in blood, Murong Yan turned pale and reached out to her, her lips trembling.

The warm blood stained Ming Qin’s hands, and she was afraid that her appearance would frighten Murong Yan. She was about to tell her that she would go outside to the well to clean up when a chunk of blood unexpectedly flowed into her throat, causing her to cough uncontrollably.

“Cough cough…” With each cough, fresh blood flowed from Ming Qin’s nose, making it difficult for her to speak.

“Ah Qin! Ah Qin!” Murong Yan stood up anxiously, limping towards Ming Qin and accidentally knocking over the porcelain cup, causing warm water to drip down the table.

Ignoring the spilled water, Murong Yan’s voice was filled with fear and panic that had never been revealed before. “Ming Qin… What’s wrong with you?”

Still coughing, Ming Qin hurriedly removed her black outer coat, which was stained with blood, and used it to cover her nose and mouth to stop the bleeding. The white inner lining of the coat was already soaked with blood.

Unable to speak, Ming Qin anxiously waved her hand at Murong Yan, indicating that she should not come closer for fear of getting blood on her hands and staining her clothes.

Murong Yan didn’t mind at all. She reached out to touch Ming Qin’s face, full of agony and worry, trying to help her stop the bleeding. Her throat was sore, her voice almost off-key, “Ah Qin, what’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

Confused about why she was bleeding, Ming Qin just shook her head slightly to indicate that she didn’t need to worry. She gestured outside with her finger, indicating that she wanted to go out.

Before Murong Yan could react, Ming Qin used her elbow to open the window and jumped into the snowy night.

The red drops on the ground extended out of the window, mixing with the spilled water and blood on the ground, but there was no way to eliminate the stench of blood. It only made them look more glaring.

Looking at the fresh blood in her hand that belonged to Ming Qin, Murong Yan’s hand trembled violently. Her mind was blank, and only the bright red blood in front of her was stimulating her nerves.

What’s wrong, Ah Qin?

Ah Qin, are you bleeding?

You’re bleeding a lot.

With so much blood, will you die?

End up like my mother did, bleeding like this.

Murong Yan’s thoughts raced as she watched the blood flow from Ming Qin’s nose. She leaned against the wall and slid down, feeling her strength leaving her.

Her hands were stained with blood, but she ignored it as she tightly curled her fingers against her mouth. She forced herself to stay silent, suppressing the absurd thought that had just flashed through her mind.

No.

No, no, no!

Ah Qin can’t die.

How could Ming Qin die?

If that’s the case, then heaven is too cruel.

Murong Yan grabbed her arms as if embracing herself to prevent herself from collapsing, repeating in her mind over and over again.

Ming Qin cannot leave her.

It’s impossible.

Impossible.

On the grand hall of the palace, Murong Xiao, always elegant and well-dressed, sat slumped on the dragon throne. His hair was in disarray and there were scattered jade pots around him.

Dozens of court officials in official robes knelt on the ground, bowing to the man reeking of alcohol above them.

“You’re telling me you haven’t found her yet?” Murong Xiao scoffed at his kneeling subjects, playing with a jade cup filled with clear liquor in his hand.

The man in red, who was being questioned, banged his head heavily on the ground, making a loud noise echoing in the vast hall. He trembled in a fearful voice, “Your Majesty, I’ve sent all my men to track Princess Chongwen’s footsteps, and they rode northward at full speed until they seized an opportunity to hijack a boat on the canal. But…”

“But?” Murong Xiao raised an eyebrow, looking down on him with a cold tone.

“But it was discovered that the person on the boat was not the princess, but rather a servant disguised to mislead us,” the man in the red robe said, swallowing nervously, his voice trembling as he kept his head pressed tightly to the ground. “My men killed them, and we are currently searching for the whereabouts of the real princess.”

The man in the red robe was terrified and uneasy, but he did not receive the expected angry outburst. Instead, he looked up in confusion and saw Murong Xiao slowly walking towards him with an expressionless face, holding a wine cup.

Despite his heavy drinking, Murong Xiao’s face was even paler than usual. He approached the prostrate man and slowly poured the wine from his cup over him.

The warm wine flowed down the man’s head and neck, seeping into his collar, mingling with the sweat on his forehead, and dripping down his chin, staining the large red carpet on the floor.

“Would you like a taste of my wine?” Murong Xiao crouched down and spoke slowly, like a venomous snake. “Do you like it?”

The man in the red robe couldn’t comprehend the unstable behavior of the person in front of him, who appeared to have no control over his emotions. He trembled and spoke in a low voice, “G-great…it’s delicious.”

“Is it?” Murong Xiao smiled, then forcefully grabbed the man’s collar, inserted his fingers into his mouth, and shoved the jade cup in. With a wicked expression, Murong Xiao laughed maniacally and said, “Then I’ll give you a little more to drink.”

He pressed the struggling man to the ground and used all his strength to cover his nose and mouth. The small, delicate wine cup slid into the man’s throat, cutting off his air supply and causing him to grasp his neck and foam at the mouth.

With disgust, Murong Xiao took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands and stood up, observing the man roll and struggle with a gaze that appeared to look at a sewer rat.

The entire hall was silent, except for the man’s painful moans. Nobody dared to speak, fearing for their own safety.

A few moments later, the hall was once again shrouded in a deathly silence.

Murong Xiao nonchalantly opened his eyes and sauntered to the front of the crowd, sneering, “What good are you to me if you cannot even find a few rats scurrying about in the capital or locate my sister outside the city?”

“Hmm?” Murong Xiao abruptly kicked the head of the person nearest to him and bellowed, “What use are you, a pack of incompetent fools?!”

The person crumpled to the ground, clenching his teeth and making no sound.

“Xiao Bu!”

Upon hearing the prince’s shout, a scar-faced man guarding outside the hall hastily flung open the door and replied, “Your Highness, I am here.”

“You don’t need to prepare anything in the army. Leave the city immediately and bring my sister back to me,” said Murong Xiao, staring at the man kneeling before him with one knee. His eyes were bloodshot and he was growling hysterically, “Bring my sister back at any cost, no matter what it takes.”

His voice was filled with madness.

“And if anyone tries to stop you, kill them.”