127 Plummeting Down the Cliff

Eyes widened, she watched Duan Nanyu’s palm strike toward her with lightning speed. Her heart tore asunder, and the tears she had held back streamed down her cheeks, her mournful cry echoing through the canyon. "Duan Nanyu, you must repay what you owe her, but who will repay what you owe me? Duan Nanyu, I hate you! Even in death, I will hate you. May you never find peace!"

Her voice grew faint as her body plummeted. The cold wind sliced into her skin like knives, yet it could not compare to the agony in her heart.

The tears that spilled were instantly dried by the gale. Her heart was utterly shattered, ground into fine dust. How she longed to tell him, "Once, the concubine had feelings, but the man had none; thus, love and hate took separate paths."

Their love had vanished like smoke, while their hatred had taken deeper root.

They could never go back.

"From now on, whether in life or death, I will be with her. If she lives, I live; if she dies, I shall accompany her. Never again shall she be left alone." He remembered his vow.

"Yan’er... wait for me. I will not leave you alone. What I owe you, I will repay—with my life!"

With a sudden sweep, he pulled Yun Xiyin aside, turned the blade from the man’s hand, and sliced the assailant in two. A fountain of blood erupted, causing Yun Xiyin to scream. In that instant, her pupils dilated as she watched Duan Nanyu plunge into the bottomless abyss.

"My Prince!" she shrieked, but she caught nothing.

She finally understood. Duan Nanyu had indeed given her everything—the honor, the child, his life—but he had never given her his heart or his soul. Even in death, he chose to be with Yun Xueyan.

Dead, they could be together forever, with no one to disturb or obstruct them.

A surge of thick, hot liquid flowed from beneath her. Yun Xiyin clutched her abdomen tightly as waves of pain radiated through her body. Terrified, she stared at the spreading pool of blood. She gripped her stomach desperately. Her child... she had nothing left. After all her struggles, she had ended up with nothing!

She was filled with such resentment!

The pain beneath her forced her to gasp for air. Her hands were stained with blood; she refused to accept this!

The sound of hoofbeats thundered toward them. Clad in white robes that billowed in the wind, Feng Xilou sat atop his horse, surveying the scene. Aside from Yun Xiyin, there was only a corpse.

He tried to force himself to remain calm.

"Prime Minister Feng, save me! Save my child!" Yun Xiyin pleaded bitterly, gesturing toward the abyss behind her. "And the Prince—he jumped! Hurry, send people to find him!"

She could not bear for them to be together in death; she would not allow it!

Feng Xilou’s body stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat, leaving him breathless. His usual calm vanished, replaced by a frantic, violent tone. He was terrified. "Search below! Find them alive, or bring back their bodies! Go, now!"

He tried desperately to mask his panic, but the pain was too great to hide; it erupted from him despite his efforts. He could not bear to lose her. If she were gone, how would he find the strength to endure the rest of his life?

How could he survive the torment of this parting? He had been just one step too late; he was always one step too late.

His handsome face was etched with regret. Why must she always be so cruel to him? Why couldn't she have waited—just once, for him?

Why!

Feng Xilou shook his head in despair. He refused to believe she was gone. He refused!

"Someone, take the Princess back to the Prince's estate." Turning away, he raced to catch up with the search party. He would find her; he must...