Chapter 270: Grandmother Died So Miserably
Old Madam Chen’s injuries were not fatal, but nearly a full day and night of torment, combined with the pain of her wounds, had completely drained this old woman of all her energy.
Hanging on the city wall, she looked like a lifeless corpse, swaying gently with the wind.
Yu Xiaoxuan had no way of knowing the truth—he only assumed that Old Madam Chen was already dead. Even for a young man like him, being pierced by so many arrows would be unbearable, let alone an elderly woman left suspended in midair. That kind of suffering was beyond what most people could endure.
“Yu Luo, come out!”
Seeing patrol guards walking back and forth on the wall, Yu Xiaoxuan didn’t dare act recklessly. Though he was furious about Old Madam Chen’s fate, he had suffered enough losses at Yu Luo’s hands to learn caution. He refrained from charging straight up the city walls.
His sudden shout was abrupt. Had he waited until the guards weren’t paying attention, he might have quietly climbed up and cut the rope to take Old Madam Chen away.
But at that moment, Yu Xiaoxuan believed she was already dead. Whether he rescued her or not was no longer important—what mattered was confronting Yu Luo and demanding an explanation for her ruthlessness!
Sure enough, his shout drew the attention of the patrolling guards. One of them leaned over the edge of the wall and looked down.
“Hah! Do you think you can just call out our lady’s name like that? Are you looking for death?”
Since Chen Yu had been reassigned, Wang Xiao had taken over his position. Today, it was his turn to lead the patrols.
Seeing a lone figure standing below, yelling arrogantly, Wang Xiao wasn’t about to tolerate it. He sneered coldly.
“I’m Yu Xiaoxuan! Tell Yu Luo to get out here!”
Yu Xiaoxuan did care about Old Madam Chen—his devotion to his grandmother was excessive, even blind. Once an arrogant youth, he had often bullied Yu Luo’s family in the past, siding with his biological sister, Yu Yingying, who loathed them.
He had learned that each time he helped torment Yu Luo’s family, his grandmother would be especially affectionate toward him. This fueled his arrogance even more, fostering a deep, irrational bond between them.
Even knowing that Yu Luo was merely avenging herself, he still couldn’t accept it. In his eyes, Yu Luo’s family, being illegitimate, was inherently lowly and deserved to be oppressed. How could they dare seek revenge?
“Heh, looks like he’s a mad dog just like that old hag. Brothers, don’t hold back—fire the arrows!”
Wang Xiao sneered at the foolish boy below, then signaled his men. A row of archers immediately aimed their bows at Yu Xiaoxuan, ready to shoot.
Seeing their aggressive stance, Yu Xiaoxuan’s rage quickly turned to panic. In an instant, he spun around and fled from the city walls at full speed!
Watching his pathetic retreat, Wang Xiao and the guards burst into laughter, their voices ringing through the air.
The loud noise startled Old Madam Chen from her unconscious state.
In truth, when Yu Xiaoxuan had first shouted at the city wall, she had been on the verge of waking up. But her exhaustion made it difficult to open her eyes.
Yet the realization of her dire situation spurred her on. Struggling, she forced her heavy eyelids open, desperate to see if her grandson had come to save her.
But when she looked down, there was no one there. The ground beneath the city wall was empty. She was still hanging in the air.
Turning her head, Old Madam Chen was stunned to find that Lady Lan was gone!
A horrible possibility crossed her mind, making her panic. She quickly turned to check the other side.
Nothing.
Yu Meiyao was also missing.
Now, Old Madam Chen was completely terrified.
“H-help… help…”
Her voice, hoarse from dehydration, was barely a whisper. The guards above were still chatting and laughing, paying her no attention.
And even if they noticed her, they wouldn’t release her. She was meant to suffer—this was Yu Luo’s punishment.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoxuan had returned to Stone Mountain, immediately reporting what he had seen to Chang Huilan.
Upon hearing that Old Madam Chen was dead, Chang Huilan was momentarily stunned. But then, deep inside, a surge of joy nearly overwhelmed her.
Of course, she was too smart to let it show in front of the children.
Knowing she would have to explain this to her husband later, Chang Huilan forced herself to suppress her elation, reddening her eyes with practiced ease.
“What are we going to do? Your grandmother was always such a proud woman… Who would have thought she’d meet such an end? Ah…”
Seeing his mother’s reddened eyes, Yu Xiaoxuan couldn’t hold back his own tears.
“It’s all my fault. If I had realized sooner and gone to Yu Luo yesterday, maybe… maybe Grandmother wouldn’t have…”
“Silly child, this isn’t your fault. The hatred between your grandmother and Yu Luo is too deep. Because of her, Yu Luo’s entire family suffered, and now all of us are paying the price for it. Even if you had risked your life, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”
Hearing his mother’s words, Yu Xiaoxuan knew he was right.
Yu Luo’s family treated even outsiders better than they did their own kin. Even if his father had been there yesterday, it was unlikely he could have saved his grandmother.
“Second… Second Brother, what about my mother and sister? Are they… Are they gone too?”
Hiding near the cave entrance, Yu Xiaoyun had been eavesdropping for a while. The thought of this possibility made his young voice tremble.
As he hesitantly voiced the question, his tiny frame shook, and he finally burst into loud, heart-wrenching sobs.
Yu Yingying, still sulking in bed, had long since felt hunger gnawing at her. But stubborn as she was, she refused to get up.
She didn’t want to believe that her grandmother was truly gone…
Hearing Yu Xiaoyun’s crying, both Chang Huilan and Yu Xiaoxuan turned sharply, realizing for the first time that the boy had been listening.
His small body trembled violently, his sobs on the verge of suffocating him.
Yu Xiaoxuan was moved by the sight.
He hurried over, pulling his younger brother into an embrace.
“Cry it out, but then we have to be strong. I never thought Grandmother would die in such a terrible way. But when I got there, only her body was hanging on the city wall—I didn’t see Aunt Lan or Third Sister.”
Yu Xiaoyun’s sobbing suddenly stopped.
“R-really?”
“Yes. Only Grandmother’s body was there, full of arrows. No one else.”
“Your grandmother hanging on the wall like that isn’t right. Even if she’s just a corpse now, we need to bring her back and give her a proper burial. As for revenge, we’ll wait for your father and eldest brother to return before making any decisions. Xiaoyun, come with me—we’re going to retrieve her body.”
