Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 994: Chapter 994: Courting Death

Chapter 994 -994: Courting Death

“It’s not that I’m entirely sure of his identity, but my heart has guessed it’s close to the truth, hasn’t it? Who is it?”

Liu Sisi softly pressed on, looking up at the tent’s canopy.

Di Yelei fell silent again for a moment, “It’s Nan Tianzong, your big brother.”

Liu Sisi swiftly turned her head, sitting up from the bed, biting her lips tightly to suppress the questions that wanted to burst forth.

Initially, when she learned of Nan Tianzong’s defeat and his decision to throw himself into the river, her heart clung to a slim hope. It wasn’t until she heard this familiar name from Di Yelei’s mouth that she realized the excitement buried deep in her heart.

“My big brother, he…”

Her voice was shaking so much that it was almost unrecognizable, yet it caused Di Yelei to take her hand.

Her little hands were ice cold and trembling strongly, so Di Yelei pulled her into his embrace, resting her head on his arm.

“You! It’s a mess of concern. He is your big brother, how could I truly go against him? Besides, I am practically half an apprentice to your big brother; with your big brother’s abilities, how could I so easily defeat him? That was nothing more than a play put on for His Majesty.”

When the war first started, he and Nan Tianzong knew that they would eventually face each other on the battlefield. When that day finally came, for the sake of preventing the civilians from suffering any more from the war, and for Sisi to live a happy and blissful life, Nan Tianzong willingly shed the heavy burden of the identity called Zhao Heng and chose to live on under a new identity.

Thus was the grand performance staged for His Majesty.

However, it was this very performance that intensified the seeds of doubt in Zhao Yuanlang’s heart.

Regarding this, Di Yelei had come to understand in the days that followed.

“Ye Lei… Thank you.”

Liu Sisi’s voice was choked with emotion.

If all this was a staged act agreed upon between Di Yelei and Nan Tianzong, the dangers involved were not insignificant, yet Di Yelei had never spoken of it to her.

How could his devotion not move Liu Sisi?

“Fool, we are husband and wife, no need for thanks. Be good! It’s getting late, time to sleep.”

The words ‘husband and wife’ weighed heavily, signifying not just that a man and a woman would live together from then on, raising children, but also a commitment, a responsibility.

A wholehearted devotion, without expecting anything in return, without caring whether the other person knows or understands.

Liu Sisi was intoxicated!

She was swept away by the simple words of this earnest man.

The upturned corners of her mouth reflected her mood at the moment; the heart that had been adrift these past days finally found its haven, like a seabird, quietly settling back into its nest and falling into a deep sleep.

–

Meanwhile, in a low house not far from that burning cargo ship,

a young girl lay in the room, coughing softly, her gaze occasionally drifting to the tall figure standing by the window.

From here, one could directly see the remains of the burned freighter still floating by the riverside.

She had been staying here these past few days, witnessing everything before her eyes as if it were all just a bad dream. Now that she had woken up, nothing could return to how it was at the beginning.

After a while, the young girl struggled to her feet, picked up a long cloak, and draped it over the shoulders of the figure.

“Cough, cough, cough… Your Highness…”

The figure was instantly startled and turned its head abruptly. The look in his eyes towards the girl was as calm as if he were looking at a stranger.

“Why haven’t you left yet? Didn’t I tell you during the daytime?”

Nan Tianzong slightly furrowed his eyebrows, having lost the last ounce of patience for the girl before him.

Xing Pan’er’s body couldn’t help but tremble as she clenched her teeth tight and forced herself to lift her head and look at him.

“Your Highness, initially His Majesty assigned me to be your Secondary Concubine. I belong to you! I have no other requests, I only plead that Your Highness allows me to stay and take care of your meals and daily life, please don’t drive me away again…”

“Get out! Don’t make me say even more unpleasant things. Take your belongings and disappear immediately before I change my mind. Otherwise, just for daring to harm Sisi, slicing you a thousand times would not be considered excessive!”

Nan Tianzong’s face was fierce, his spoken words utterly merciless.

Xing Pan’er was trembling all over, she slowly lifted her head, her eyes rapidly flashing with a shade of heartache.

“Your Highness, are you truly so heartless? I wanted to kill that Liu Sisi, it was all for you! Besides, isn’t Liu Sisi still alive and well?”

“Shut up! What is your status? And what is hers? How dare a lowly maid like you compare yourself to her!”

Nan Tianzong snorted disdainfully several times, raised his hand, and a slap flew out, causing Xing Pan’er to scream in agony. Her cheek immediately swelled up, with a trickle of fresh blood running down from the corner of her mouth.

He didn’t stop there but stepped forward, half-squatting in front of Xing Pan’er: “Don’t think I don’t know, in the past you were nothing more than a spy he placed by my side. To think that, even after his death, you remain so devoutly committed to his last orders. Very well! Considering our past relations, I initially intended to spare your life. I gave you a chance and you couldn’t grasp it, so don’t blame me for being heartless!”

A lowly maid indeed, did she really think she was a noble Secondary Concubine?

Besides, he was no longer the Crown Prince of the past, but a commoner among traders and foot soldiers. How could he dare to keep such a maidservant who dreamed of returning to her past glory by his side?

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand, targeting the top of the opponent’s head…

“Your Highness, please spare my life, I had no such intentions, Your Highness…”

It was not until this moment that Xing Pan’er realized that he had been serious all along, but it was already too late.

“Unappreciative of favors!”

The hand that Nan Tianzong had raised fell, and before Xing Pan’er could finish speaking, a large mouthful of fresh blood spilled forth. A flash of red light passed before her eyes, and her body slowly slumped to the ground, lifeless.

“Hmph! Not a pity to die, just dirtying my hands.”

Having said that, Nan Tianzong stood up, picked up her corpse, and tossed it into the great river.

Splash…

The body hit the water, causing a small splash and creating ripples that quickly disappeared without a trace.

“What comes from the river eventually returns to it. The people of this world are ceaselessly scheming and fighting; I’ve long since grown tired of living such days… It’s time for me to go back, that’s where I truly belong.”

Having finished speaking, he didn’t linger but took advantage of the moonlight to leap out of the door. Following the riverside, he made several leaps and quickly melded into the darkness.