087 Hatred Engraved in My Bones

Basin after basin of bright red blood was carried past Duan Nanyu, the thick stench filling the air, a sight both shocking and gruesome. Everyone's hands were stained with blood, the scene before him reminiscent of hell itself, stabbing painfully at his eyes. After a long moment, he managed to squeeze out a few words, harsh and unyielding as iron, "Find a doctor!"

He strode forward, eyes fixed on Yun Xueyan. Her gaze was unfocused, her body convulsing uncontrollably as though she were experiencing agony beyond endurance, her breath barely hanging on to life…

A harrowing scream echoed through the room once more!

Duan Nanyu grasped Yun Xueyan's hand, but she flung it away with what little strength remained to her. She turned her face abruptly, features twisted in fury. The man before her was the very person she hated to the core of her being. Suddenly, a crushing pain seized her chest. Overcome with rage, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, her anguished cry splitting the air, "Duan Nanyu, I never want to see you again! Leave! Go!"

He had… finally made her wish she were dead.

Duan Nanyu reached for her hand again, clutching it tightly, his voice hoarse as he shouted, "Yun Xueyan, I forbid you to die!"

He was afraid now, truly afraid she would leave him. The wails of pain and hatred around him seemed to sear into his soul, each one shaking him to his core. His vision blurred from the pain in his chest, and he struggled to breathe.

"Get out!" she snarled, her eyes filled with loathing for him. Yun Xueyan writhed in agony, unable to speak another word as a knife-like pain tore through her abdomen, surging over her in relentless waves, threatening to devour her whole.

The pain spread relentlessly through her body, fierce and consuming. With a final, bone-shattering scream, she fell silent. Her head drooped, and all consciousness left her.

Panicked, Duan Nanyu wrapped his arms around Yun Xueyan. "I won't allow you to die! I won't!"

The blood continued to flow, soaking the entire bed. With the last of her strength, Yun Xueyan opened her eyes. "Duan Nanyu, for the rest of your life, you'd better stay alive, so I can go on hating you!"

With those words, she fainted once more.

"Yan'er…" he called anxiously.

Feng Xilou strode in, the metallic smell of blood hitting him with dizzying force. He quickly moved to the bedside and ordered everyone away. Placing the medicine Xiao Siyi had given him into Yun Xueyan's mouth, his body trembled violently. He carefully lifted her in his arms, then turned, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixing it on the man before him. The usual gentleness in his eyes was replaced by a chilling cold as fury surged within him. He roared, "Duan Nanyu, you have disappointed me beyond words! What have you done to her?"

Duan Nanyu met Feng Xilou's burning gaze, but found no words to defend himself. There was nothing he could say.

"Step aside." Pushing past the rigid, unmoving Duan Nanyu, Feng Xilou carried Yun Xueyan swiftly toward the Prime Minister's residence.

Upon their return, he marched straight to the inner chambers, the steward and Ying Ye hurrying behind. "Steward, Ying Ye, no matter who comes—even if it's Duan Nanyu himself—not a soul is to be allowed inside!"

With that, he entered the room. Xiao Siyi was leisurely drinking tea inside. Seeing Feng Xilou carrying a woman drenched in blood, he started in shock, then his expression darkened as he hurried to the bedside.

"So cruel!" Checking Yun Xueyan's pulse, Xiao Siyi's brow furrowed. He quickly pressed several acupuncture points, then took out his silver needles and began to work.

Outside, Duan Nanyu was already at the door, shouting in a rage, "Feng Xilou, give her back to me!"

A note to the readers:

My dear friends, even I have been unspeakably cruel and inhumane this time, indulging in such twisted torment. Please forgive me—amen!