Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 264 Wish
The cellar reeked of a putrid stench that made it hard to open one's eyes. When Sang Dian first entered, it took him a while to recover. He initially shone a torch inside but didn't see anyone. However, he didn't dare to be careless and searched inch by inch. After searching twice, he finally spotted something that looked like a human head.

His messy hair was stuck there, obscuring his face and body. Under the lamplight, he looked particularly eerie. Only someone like Sang Dian wouldn't be afraid.

Sang Dian strode over to examine it and immediately frowned. He had heard of human pigs before, and this was similar, except that it wasn't placed in a pottery jar, but rather tied to a wooden frame. Its body was covered in tattered straw and rags, and maggots could be seen wriggling on its exposed wounds.

Sang Dian lifted some of the straw and immediately saw a leg that had rotted away, covered with crisscrossing wounds.

He carefully parted the man's hair again, and this time even the guards who followed him in frowned and subconsciously turned their heads away, not daring to look.

His face was covered with a mix of old and new scars, as if they had cut his face apart and then pieced it back together. His nose was sunken, his lips were cracked, and his brow bone was sunken in; his entire face was distorted, and his original features were no longer recognizable.

When the doctor came in, he only glanced at the person and instinctively thought that the person was already dead. However, after a careful examination, he discovered that the person still had a faint breath.

Sang Diandi told Wang Yan and Xie Yuyan what he had just seen.

"It's not too late to go in after the doctor has treated the wound." Sang Dian was really afraid of frightening Madam Xie. If she weren't too weak to be moved easily, he would have taken her out of the cellar. It would be better to leave that place.

Actually, there were many things Sang Dian didn't say.

There's an old servant in this courtyard who brings him water and food on a regular basis; otherwise, this person would have died long ago.

But that's all. The person was already immobilized, and there was something frozen and filthy underneath him.

In his view, it was not a simple interrogation, but rather that he was being tortured and played with by the general.

No wonder that general kept stammering and dared not speak.

This person must have had this fetish for a long time; to torture someone and delay their death as much as possible requires some skill. If the investigation continues, it's likely that more than one person has been tortured to death by him.

We'll find out soon enough by questioning that old servant.

In short, it's best for Madam Xie to avoid watching that kind of scene.

Xie Yuyan showed no intention of waiting. She looked at Wang Yan, who nodded, took the oil lamp from Sang Dian, and led Xie Yuyan into the cellar.

Seeing this, Xie Zishao hurriedly followed behind.

Just as Sang Dian had said, the cellar smelled terrible, even worse than the prison. Xie Zishao subconsciously covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, but Wang Yan and Xie Yuyan in front of him seemed not to smell it and quickly walked up to the man.

Sang Dian found some clothes to cover the person, and the doctor, wanting to examine her injuries, partially uncovered them. Xie Yuyan then clearly saw the exposed, grayish-white bones.

His hands and legs were broken, and his skin was blackened, covered with dried dirt and blood.

No wonder Sang Dian and the doctor thought she was dead.

No one could survive being injured like that.

"What a beast!" the doctor couldn't help but curse. "Her teeth were broken, her tongue was cut off, and she had many injuries. The person who did it was afraid she would die, so he even stitched up her wounds."

"It's really tragic. I've never encountered anything like this when I treated wounded soldiers in the army."

Perhaps he heard the doctor's voice, or perhaps the doctor's acupuncture had worked, for the man's eyelids twitched and he slowly opened his eyes a crack.

The doctor immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Are you awake?"

Can you hear me?

Wang Yan held the lantern and brought it close to the man's face.

The eyes hidden beneath the eyelids had a vacant gaze.

“He may not be able to see us anymore,” the doctor shook his head. “He only has a breath left… If you had come any later, he might not be here anymore.”

"In this situation, no amount of medicine will be effective."

"He's almost bled to death, and his body is covered in festering wounds. A person in this state can't survive."

The doctor removed the silver needles; that was all he could do. "Thank you for your trouble."

Xie Yuyan looked at the doctor. Before Wang Yan could say anything to her, she had already guessed that the woman in front of her was probably related to her.

It's very simple. Jiao Da's identity was suspicious to begin with. The reason we couldn't find out before was because Prefect Liu and his people were interfering. Now that these people are in prison, it's a good time to bring up the old matter again.

Wang Yan came to see her at night dressed in his official robes, so there must have been something important to discuss.

In that case, it is only right that she thank the doctor.

Just as the doctor was about to get up and leave, he noticed that the woman's eyes suddenly widened, and she made a gurgling sound in her throat. Her gaze slowly focused and then fixed on Xie Yuyan's face. Then, as if she had used all her strength, she actually opened her mouth.

She looked at Xie Yuyan, trying her best to say something, but because she had lost her tongue, she could not make a sound and could only cough up blood and foam from her mouth.

A strange sound came from his thin chest.

Then tears streamed down her face.

Before Xie Yuyan could speak, Wang Yan stepped forward and helped the man up.

“She wants to talk,” Sang Dian said.

But her hand was broken and she couldn't write, and her tongue was cut off and she couldn't make a sound.

Sang Dian said, "Otherwise, I'll go to the bookstore and have someone bring over some pre-carved typefaces." He thought this was feasible; he could simply point out each character to her one by one.

Sang Dian was about to get up and order someone to fetch it when he heard Wang Yan say, "No need, she won't last that long." She also didn't have the strength to read.

Xie Yuyan stepped forward, wanting to hold her hand, but could only grasp the severed arm.

“I was injured while I was running away and I don’t remember anything from before.”

After Xie Yuyan finished speaking, his eyes visibly trembled.

Xie Yuyan continued, "But I'm fine now."

The man began to breathe heavily, his gaze remaining fixed on Xie Yuyan's face, never shifting an inch.

Xie Yuyan continued, "Don't worry about me."

Those eyes trembled even more violently, and a look of guilt and worry appeared in their gaze.

“It’s alright,” Xie Yuyan reached out and gently hugged her. “I escaped. I’m still alive.”

Perhaps those few words came in handy.

Perhaps she had finally found the person she cared about.

The rapid breathing gradually subsided, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, and then everything returned to calm.

At the last moment, Xie Yuyan could feel the slight movement of the arm of the person in her arms, as if trying to press her hand on her abdomen.

Xie Yuyan remained silent for a long time before hearing Wang Yan's voice: "The person is gone."

Tortured beyond recognition, suffering unbearable pain, she survived, all for the sake of seeing Xie Yuyan once more.

In the end, he fulfilled his wish on the verge of death.

Wang Yan lowered the woman's body down.

Looking at that unfamiliar and ferocious face, Xie Yuyan felt a pang of sadness for some reason. After calming down for a moment, she lowered her head and began searching the woman's body.

Between her abdomen was a festering wound. Xie Yuyan slowly touched the wound and felt something hard. She looked up at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan reached out to help, slowly pushing the thing out along the wound.