Chapter 281: Death, Nan Xun’s Wrath
Gong Seventeen said in a low voice, “Don’t talk. I’ll take you away right now. Gong Da and the others want to deal with you privately. If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.”
“But—”
“Gong Nineteen! At a time like this, you’re still thinking about my lord? Do you know you’ll die if you don’t leave now?” Gong Seventeen snapped.
Nan Xun fell silent. Since Gong Da was plotting against her, and Gong Mo Ran wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon, escape was the only option.
She didn’t know whether Gong Seventeen had prepared in advance, but he somehow produced two eunuch outfits as if by magic.
They changed into the eunuch clothes, and with exit tokens on them, the journey out was completely unimpeded.
Once outside the palace gates, Gong Seventeen retrieved two sets of civilian clothes hidden nearby, then expertly hired a carriage.
Nan Xun watched in stunned surprise. “Seventeen, you…”
Gong Seventeen suddenly grinned at her, flashing a mouthful of white teeth. His gaze was brighter than ever. “Little glutton, your sworn brother is running away with you.”
The carriage took a shortcut. In less than an hour, they were out of the imperial city.
The moment they passed the gates, Gong Seventeen cracked the whip and urged the carriage onto a narrow dirt road. Dust flew up everywhere they passed.
Nan Xun sat in the jolting carriage, tears welling in her heart.
After last night’s ferocious, sky-shattering encounter, she was now fleeing for her life with a body that felt completely wrecked.
The pain was… indescribable.
More importantly, she was deeply worried they wouldn’t make it out.
Sure enough, after less than two hours of rough travel, Nan Xun heard dense hoofbeats behind them.
Little Eight reported at once, “Gong Da brought ten Mo Ran Hall disciples in pursuit. According to my observation, you’re not getting away this time.”
Nan Xun cursed, “Little Eight, you crow.”
Little Eight whimpered, “I’m just telling the truth.”
Gong Seventeen suddenly stopped the carriage, lifted the curtain, and asked her, “Nineteen, can your body handle riding a horse?”
Nan Xun nodded through the pain.
Abandoning the carriage, Gong Seventeen scooped Nan Xun up and put her on a tall horse.
“Nineteen, hold onto the horse’s neck!” he warned. With his right hand on the reins and his left whipping the horse’s flank, he shouted, “Hyah—!”
Nan Xun clung to the horse’s neck, her expression twisted.
“Little Eight, put a pill on credit. I really don’t have any strength left.”
Little Eight said, “Huh? My dear, where are you hurt?”
Nan Xun’s face darkened. “What do you think?”
Little Eight realized belatedly. “Oh—wait a second.”
The next instant, a pill was in Nan Xun’s mouth. It melted as soon as it touched her tongue. As soon as she swallowed it, she felt refreshed all over, her strength recovering by more than half.
The increasingly close hoofbeats behind them made Nan Xun’s expression tighten. After a moment’s thought, she suddenly said, “Seventeen, I think we won’t get away. You should leave first. They’re only after me.”
Gong Seventeen’s face darkened immediately. “Little glutton, I promised to protect you. I’m your sworn brother—what kind of brother watches his sister die?”
Nan Xun said, “Seventeen, you don’t have to— I can actually—”
“Shut up!”
Nan Xun lowered her eyes, frowning.
Sworn brother… At this point, how could she not sense Gong Seventeen’s feelings? But she had come to this world for only one person—the big boss. Everyone else was like drifting clouds to her.
Yet now, someone she had treated as drifting clouds was willing to risk his life to save her. She truly couldn’t bear such feelings.
Seeing Gong Da and the others about to catch up, Gong Seventeen quickly dismounted with Nan Xun and ran deep into the forest.
Unfortunately, they still couldn’t escape.
Until the very last moment, when Gong Da and his men surrounded them, Gong Seventeen was still gripping Nan Xun’s hand tightly.
Gong Da looked at Gong Seventeen and roared, “Seventeen, you’ve gone mad! For a lowly brothel wench, you dare betray Mo Ran Hall?”
Gong Two also wore a look of bitter disappointment. “Seventeen, you’ve truly let us down. You were the one who brought this woman into Mo Ran Hall in the first place. If not for that, my lord wouldn’t be like this today. A woman who harbors ill intent toward my lord—how dare you protect her?”
Hearing this, Gong Seventeen sneered. “Don’t pin all the blame on a woman. It takes two to clap. My lord did it of his own will. Nineteen is only pursuing what she wants—what fault is that?”
“Nonsense!” Gong Da roared. With a burst of force, he struck from afar, sending Gong Seventeen flying aside, then rushed toward Nan Xun like a gust of wind.
“You shameless slut, I’ll kill you!” Gong Da shouted. Without another word, he raised his hand and sent a powerful palm strike straight at Nan Xun.
Nan Xun flipped her palm, silently reciting an incantation as she gathered witchcraft power in her hand.
Just as Nan Xun was about to raise her hand to receive Gong Da’s strike, a figure suddenly darted in front of her.
Thus, Gong Da’s palm landed squarely on… Gong Seventeen’s heart.
In an instant, the air around them seemed to freeze.
Gong Seventeen’s body swayed twice, then slowly collapsed, blood pouring from his mouth.
“Seventeen!!” Nan Xun’s expression changed drastically as she cried out.
She reached out to support him, one hand desperately trying to stop the blood spilling from his mouth, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
But even as she covered his mouth, blood gushed from his nose like a breached dam, impossible to stop.
Gong Da’s strike had been fatal. There was no saving him.
Gong Seventeen’s eyes began to lose focus. He raised his hand and grasped Nan Xun’s, forcing his vision to gather as he looked at her. His voice was broken and weak, like a whisper. He managed a small grin. “Little glutton… big brother won’t be able to protect you anymore… S-sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you into Mo Ran Hall back then. If I hadn’t… none of this… would’ve happened…”
“Seventeen! Seventeen!” Nan Xun cried out, watching helplessly as his eyes slowly closed, his hand slipping from hers. His breathing weakened… and finally disappeared.
Nan Xun stared blankly at the corpse in her arms.
In the blink of an eye, Gong Seventeen—who had been talking about escaping with her not long ago—was dead.
A living person, gone just like that.
Gong Seventeen was really… dead, right before her eyes.
She had watched him breathe his last.
At that moment, all of Nan Xun’s carelessness and indifference vanished. All she could see were her hands smeared with blood, the sight stabbing her eyes until they burned red.
Gong Da paused briefly, glanced at Gong Seventeen’s body, and said coolly, “He deserved it.”
Nan Xun snapped her head up, hatred surging in her eyes.
She slowly stood, her gaze cold as ice. “Gong Da, no matter how you insulted me, despised me, or even wanted to kill me before this, I never truly hated you. Because, as you said, everything you did was for my lord’s sake—ridiculous as it was. But now, I want you… dead!”
She poured every last bit of strength into the final word.
The next second, the woman spread her arms, her hands moving rapidly as she traced a complex formation in the air. Her long hair lifted without wind, and a terrifying wave of witchcraft power erupted from her body.
Every Mo Ran Hall disciple who tried to rush forward was blocked by an invisible wall, unable to advance.
Then she shot toward Gong Da. Her right hand clenched in the void, as if gripping a blade of wind—and in one ruthless thrust, she drove it straight into Gong Da’s chest.
