Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

If Pei Zhihui were in his prime, he might have been able to dodge, but he was already weak and had just exhausted his strength. His lungs felt like they were on fire, and every breath he took was filled with the smell of blood.

He could only roll awkwardly on the ground to barely avoid the blade.

"Cough cough cough..."

The violent coughing made him pause.

"Now that you're out of my control, then die!"

Wen Xiujie grinned maliciously, changed the direction of his long sword, and this time, he slashed at Shen Qiongju, who was hiding behind Pei Zhihui.

He wanted Pei Zhihui to watch this woman die!

"don't want--!"

Shen Qiongju watched the falling blade and closed her eyes in despair.

However, the expected pain did not come.

"puff!"

That was the dull thud of a sharp blade piercing flesh, followed by a splash of warm, sweet-smelling liquid onto her face.

Shen Qiongju opened her eyes with trembling hands, only to see Pei Zhihui standing in front of her at some point.

The long sword slashed deeply into his back.

Blood, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly stained his moon-white robe red, dripping down the hem onto the snow, blooming into bewitching red plum blossoms.

"Pei... Pei Zhihui..."

Shen Qiongju's voice was trembling.

Pei Zhihui groaned and swayed, but he stubbornly refused to fall.

He gripped the blade that had struck his back with his other hand, his palm cut and bleeding profusely.

Those eyes, somewhat unfocused due to blood loss, were fixed on Wen Xiujie, and a chilling smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"The Pei family will remember this strike."

Wen Xiujie was so frightened by that look that he took a step back and tried to draw his knife, but found that the knife was stuck in Pei Zhihui's bone.

Just then.

"Whoosh—"

An arrow, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, pierced through the air and pierced directly through Wen Xiujie's wrist, which was holding the knife!

"ah--!"

Wen Xiujie screamed in agony as the long sword slipped from his hand.

"Who dares to harm the second son of the Pei family!"

In the distance, the thunder of horses' hooves could be heard.

Shen Mo, accompanied by dozens of constables and the old bodyguard surnamed Chen, arrived like a divine warrior, breaking through the wind and snow.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Wen Xiujie clutched his severed hand, saw that they outnumbered him, and decided not to fight any longer. He led the remaining few soldiers and fled in a sorry state.

With the crisis averted, Pei Zhihui's taut string finally snapped.

His body went limp, and he fell straight backward.

"Pei Zhihui!"

Shen Qiongju screamed and caught him. The two of them fell to the ground in the snow. The person in her arms was as heavy as a stone, but his body was as cold as ice.

Her hands trembled as she touched his back, finding it sticky, wet, and covered in blood.

"Are you crazy? Why did you take that blow? Do you want to die?"

Shen Qiongju's tears fell heavily onto his face, mingling with blood as they streamed down. With trembling hands, she immediately tore off the sleeve of her inner garment and used it to tie his shoulders to stop the bleeding.

Pei Zhihui opened his eyes with difficulty. Excessive blood loss made his vision blur, but he felt clearer than ever before.

He looked at Shen Qiongju's tear-streaked face, and saw the undisguised fear and heartache in her eyes.

He won his bet.

Pei Zhihui laboriously raised his hand, his bloodied fingertips gently wiping the corner of her eye, leaving a shocking bloodstain.

"Sister-in-law...look..."

His voice was weak, yet it carried an almost morbid satisfaction and obsession.

"Zhao Qiyan can't protect you..."

"just me."

Pei Zhihui's fingers gripped her wrist tightly, as if he wanted to etch this moment into her very bones.

"Only I... am willing to risk my life for you."

Shen Qiongju felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by a large hand, the pain making it hard for her to breathe.

The evil spirit who pushed her into the abyss in her past life and the boy who shielded her from harm in front of her now completely overlapped and then completely tore apart at this moment.

She couldn't tell if it was gratitude, guilt, or something else; all she knew was that she owed Pei Zhihui a debt in this lifetime.

"Stop talking...please stop talking..." Shen Qiongju hugged him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. "Doctor...Shen Mo, quickly call a doctor to save him!"

The wind and snow grew stronger, gradually covering the bloodstains on the ground.

In his last moments before losing consciousness, Pei Zhihui buried his head in the crook of her neck, a faint smile curving his lips.

This life was worth it.

The carriage sped back to the city, its wheels rolling over gravel, the jolting so violently it felt like your internal organs would be shaken out.

The carriage was filled with a nauseating stench of blood.

Shen Qiongju knelt on the wool felt blanket, her hands pressed tightly against Pei Zhihui's back.

Warm, sticky liquid kept gushing out from between his fingers, and he couldn't stop it.

The moon-white brocade robe had been stained a glaring dark red, like a splashed ink painting of red plum blossoms, blooming both alluringly and desperately.

"Pei Zhihui... don't sleep..."

Shen Qiongju's voice trembled uncontrollably, but the person in her arms did not react at all.

His eyes were tightly closed, and his face, which usually carried a hint of mockery and coldness, was now so pale it was almost transparent.

Only the slight rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive.

As Shen Qiongju looked at him like this, images from her past life uncontrollably flashed through her mind.

That was Prime Minister Pei, who held immense power in the court. He sat high on his armchair, toying with a cup of hot tea in his hand, and without even raising his eyelids, ordered, "Let it sink. It's annoying to look at."

That ruthless and cruel devil who treats human life as worthless.

Her image gradually overlapped with that of the boy before her who had risked his own life to shield her from a knife.

It's absurd that the person destined to kill her has entrusted his life to her.

Why...?

Shen Qiongju murmured to herself, tears falling in large drops onto his face, mingling with blood as they streamed down.

"Don't you hate me? Don't you want me dead the most?"

Pei Zhihui's fingers twitched, as if trying to grasp something, but ultimately fell limply to the ground.

.

When the gates of the Pei residence were smashed open, the entire mansion descended into chaos.

"Quick! Call a doctor!"

Shen Mo roared until his voice cracked, then carried Pei Zhihui and rushed into the inner courtyard.

Pei Junlan came out to greet the commotion, and upon seeing the blood-covered figure, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Liu was so frightened that she dropped her Buddhist prayer beads on the ground and cried her heart out while holding Zhichun.

The entire Pei family was devastated.

Inside the bedroom, basins of bloody water were brought out, a horrifying sight.

The three best doctors in Wuxian County gathered around the bed, taking turns administering acupuncture, but their brows furrowed more and more tightly.

"The wound is too deep; it exposes the bone."

The head doctor shook his head, his hands covered in blood. "The worst part is that the knife was poisoned, and the Second Master already had internal injuries and was physically weak..."

"If the high fever doesn't break tonight, I'm afraid..."

The doctor didn't dare to continue, but everyone understood what he meant.

The room was deathly silent.

Liu covered her mouth, not daring to cry out loud, only able to let out suppressed sobs.

Shen Qiongju stood in the corner, still wearing the blood-stained green jacket and skirt.

She looked at Pei Zhihui lying on the bed.

He had been bandaged up; his bare upper body was wrapped in white gauze, revealing a faint trace of blood.