128 Not Found

The Ugly Bride Brought as Dowry

The search continued for several days, and Feng Xilou was beginning to lose hope. He entered Prince Xiao’s residence and went straight to Duan Nanyu’s room.

Inside, Duan Nanyu stared blankly into the distance, his pupils narrowed to pinpoints, his gaze devoid of life.

Feng Xilou sighed and strode forward, his expression cold. “Duan Nanyu, could you show a little backbone? Yan’er isn’t dead yet, so you—”

His words abruptly stopped as pain spread through his chest. He, too, hoped she was safe.

Forcing down his anguish, he had searched for her day and night, following the rushing river downstream. Yet all he had found was Duan Nanyu, gravely wounded. As for Yun Xueyan, he had not even seen her corpse.

He did not know whether he should be anxious or relieved. At the very least, her death had not been confirmed.

“Why did you save me?” Duan Nanyu moved his cracked lips, his voice hoarse and dry. “Yan’er will be afraid alone down there. I told her I would stay with her. I don’t want her to face the darkness by herself.”

If he was not there, would she be afraid? Would she be lonely? He had abandoned her so many times, and this time… he had abandoned her again.

His chest ached with suffocating grief. He could not bear the thought of losing her. They had missed one another again and again—even in death, they had still missed each other.

This time, he had truly hurt her. Even if he went to accompany her now, could she forgive him?

“You practically wish Yan’er were dead, don’t you?” Feng Xilou roared. “We still haven’t found her body, so stop jumping to conclusions! Duan Nanyu, if this was how things would end, why did you ever bother? I told you that if you couldn’t protect Yan’er, you could hand her over to me. But you stubbornly refused to let go—and then you heartlessly struck her off the cliff!”

Feng Xilou was livid.

He wanted to sink into despair, too. He wanted to drown his sorrow in wine and abandon all hope. But he could not. He firmly believed that Yun Xueyan was still alive. He simply believed it.

He just could not find her. No matter how long he searched, she remained beyond his reach. Still, he would wait for her to return.

If he ever met her again, he would not give her a choice. He would hold her tightly at his side. Her resistance would be futile. She had no idea how much pain her loss had caused him, nor how agonizing it was to keep forcing himself onward in the search for her.

He was… almost desperate.

Feng Xilou did not know why Duan Nanyu had ruthlessly struck Yun Xueyan off the cliff, but he had uncovered something else and did not know whether the two matters were connected.

“Duan Nanyu!” Feng Xilou’s voice was calm, but he could not conceal the anger in it. What was this supposed to be? Duan Nanyu was neither truly living nor truly dead.

The man lying on the bed still had no focus in his eyes, as though he were a statue stretched out there. Feng Xilou closed his eyes and drew several deep breaths before finally calming himself.

“I want to tell you something. If… after hearing it, you can still remain this indifferent, then I will say nothing more.”

“What is it?” Duan Nanyu finally recovered a measure of awareness.

“Your Highness!”

Just as Feng Xilou was about to speak, a young maid suddenly rushed into the room and fell to her knees. “The princess consort is causing trouble again. We servants cannot restrain her!”

Duan Nanyu’s face instantly turned cold. His normally feeble voice was filled with savagery. “Get out! Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me. If she wants to die, let her!”

The young maid was startled and knelt on the floor, not daring to make a sound. Ever since the princess consort had been brought back that day, after losing the child and being told by the physician that she might never be able to bear children again, she had been raving and delirious. She had also been confined to the Pavilion of Fine Words.

“You may leave,” Feng Xilou ordered gently.

Hearing this, the maid looked as though she had found a savior and hurriedly withdrew.

Half-lowering his eyes, Feng Xilou watched as Duan Nanyu slowly rose and then sat upright.

“What were you about to say?” His instincts told him that whatever Feng Xilou wanted to say was related to Yun Xueyan.