Chapter 488: 495: She's Still Alive

Although Su Hengxuan was grieving for his younger sister, he hadn’t lost his reason. He too wished he could immediately search for her, for he couldn’t bear it if she were truly… alive, he must see her; dead, he must find her body. But knowing the enemy’s intentions and why his sister had so resolutely jumped off the cliff, Su Hengxuan understood what he needed to do. If he acted impulsively now, he would nullify all of his sister’s painstaking efforts.

“This Han Yu, I always thought he had a calm demeanor, but why is he so impulsive now? If he leaves the city, it’s hard to say how the situation will change. The enemy might take this opportunity to create chaos, really!” Su Hengxuan said irritably. If it weren’t for the fact that Han Yu was his brother-in-law, the man his sister loved deeply and would protect at all costs even if it meant death, he really wouldn’t have the energy to care, especially since he had just lost his dearest younger sister.

However, despite what Su Hengxuan said, he actually felt comforted inside. At the very least, his sister’s devoted love hadn’t been misplaced; Han Yu loved his sister just as deeply, or he wouldn’t have acted this way, disregarding everything else. If Han Yu had stayed calm and done nothing, Su Hengxuan would really have been furious. Such a man wouldn’t deserve his precious younger sister.

“Quickly! Prepare the horses at once. I must reach him before it’s too late and stop Han Yu from doing this. If Zhao Fan’s treacherous scheme succeeds, my sister won’t rest in peace even in death,” Su Hengxuan said, not daring to delay a moment longer as he hurried towards the Han Mansion, fearing he would be too late and Han Yu would have already left.

Even though he knew Han Yu had gone to Liu Xiu Mansion, Su Hengxuan, like the secret guards, understood Han Yu well. Once Han Yu made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise; he was only relying on his status as Su Wenyue’s elder brother, Han Yu’s brother-in-law, and hoped Han Yu might still listen to a few words from him.

“What? Madam Ling was chased by people sent by Zhao Fan and forced to jump off the cliff?” Liu Xiu had yet to receive the news and heard about it from Han Yu. At first, he was astonished and shocked, followed by concern. Fortunately, Han Yu still seemed to be quite normal and rational, without any excessively violent emotions.

“Yes, those sent by Zhao Fan wanted to capture my wife and child, to use them as leverage against me. But my wife is fierce by nature and cares too much about me and our child, unwilling to be manipulated by those people, so she jumped off the cliff,” Han Yu narrated the incident without much fluctuation in his tone, but Liu Xiu could sense something heavy and repressed within, on the verge of exploding.

“This scoundrel Zhao Fan is truly despicable. As a man, a soldier, one should face off on the battlefield and embrace death for honor if necessary. There’s a saying that disaster should not befall one’s wife and children. He couldn’t defeat you on the battlefield, so he resorted to such low-handed tactics – a disgrace, utterly shameless!”

Liu Xiu spoke with righteous indignation, seeing Han Yu’s expressionless face and remembering that his subordinate had just lost his wife. Patting Han Yu on the shoulder, he added, “Given the situation, Xiu Qi, don’t be too heartbroken, preserve your composure. Rest assured, since Zhao Fan has been so vile and caused such harm to Madam Ling, once we capture that scoundrel, I will let you personally behead him to avenge your wife! It’s just such a pity for Madam Ling, so young, ah!”

Liu Xiu felt genuine regret. He had not met Han Yu’s wife but knew she was a maiden of pure heart and character. While rumors suggested that Han Yu’s wife was spoiled and jealous, Liu Xiu knew Han Yu wasn’t the kind to value a woman’s beauty alone. Han Yu’s wife must have been extraordinary for him to cherish her so deeply. Moreover, Chen Li often praised Han Yu’s wife, feeling that Han Yu didn’t deserve such a woman, so Liu Xiu’s overall impression of Su Wenyue was positive.

Liu Xiu was unaware that Su Wenyue was the very woman who had once saved his life and whom he still couldn’t forget. Except for the special place he held for that unknown benefactor, Liu Xiu didn’t feel differently towards women in general, not even his own wife Yin Lihua or Chen Li. He wasn’t particularly attentive in this regard.

For him, the great ambitions of the world were what mattered most, so the loss of his wife didn’t seem like a significant event to him, aside from his sympathy. A great man need not grieve for a lost wife; someone like Han Yu, a heroic figure, would be welcomed by many women. If he lost this wife, he could remarry later. In this respect, Liu Xiu could be seen as quite heartless.

“There’s nothing to pity, and I won’t be sad,” Han Yu answered indifferently, catching Liu Xiu somewhat by surprise. Han Yu used to cherish his wife greatly, so such words seemed improper and even excessively heartless to him. If Han Yu truly felt this way, Liu Xiu would need to reassess the man. But Han Yu hadn’t finished speaking.

“My wife is blessed with good fortune. She survived near-death during childbirth three times, almost losing her life but ultimately pulling through. She’s been fine since then, as have the children. There’s no one in Yiyang City with more good fortune than her. When accompanying my wife to offer prayers, the temple’s head monk said she has enduring luck, and although she might face calamities, she would always persevere.”

“Ah?” Liu Xiu struggled to keep up with Han Yu’s train of thought, not understanding why Han Yu suddenly diverged to this topic. Was there any connection? Could it be that what Han Yu cared about most were the three children his wife had birthed? That made sense; what man didn’t value his bloodline’s continuity? Fortunately, the children were all right.

“My wife has a lifetime of good fortune ahead of her, and we are meant to spend it together. So she must be alive. She even promised that once I fulfill my ambitions and dreams, we would retire together and live a life of blissful companionship, envying only mandarin ducks and not the immortals. Since she made such a promise, she must keep it! Even though the cliff is high, who’s to say there’s no hope for survival? My wife made it through Ghost Gate before; she will certainly do it again this time!”

Although Han Yu was speaking to Liu Xiu, he was also convincing himself. The reason he could remain so calm and rational was because he had this belief to sustain him; his wife must be alive!

No matter how Liu Xiu tried, he couldn’t comprehend Han Yu’s seemingly illogical faith; such reasoning seemed quite far-fetched.

“This, Xiu Qi, I don’t mean to douse your hopes with cold water, but while I hope your chaste and virtuous wife indeed has the fortune to escape such peril, miracles, though possible, are…”

Han Yu interrupted Liu Xiu without hesitation, “There are no ifs. My wife must be alive, and perhaps she’s even now waiting for me in some corner under the cliff.”

Liu Xiu was somewhat displeased when he heard Han Yu’s words. What did Han Yu mean? Was he planning to abandon everything to search for his wife? How could Han Yu leave under these circumstances? It was sheer folly!