Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 49.2

She took Ying Qujie’s hand, her voice choked with emotion. “Good child, I failed your mother.”

Ying Qujie felt a pang of sorrow as he gazed at the image of Ling Yu from Lady Su’s memories. The once ethereal beauty, cold and luminous as the moon, had been worn down to a gaunt shadow by the end.

She looked nothing like the Ling Yu he had seen in the illusion, Ying Qujie could hardly recognize her.

The scene shifted with time.

Lady Su’s voice dripped with resentment. “Why should my son be mediocre while that vile woman’s child achieves greatness?”

She viciously tore up a letter from Tianyu Mountain.

Ying Qujie recognized it at once, it was the letter he had written to his grandmother.

The old madam had previously investigated the matter, but General Ying had always defended Lady Su, insisting that the letter’s delivery had been tampered with by political enemies. He had obstructed the old madam’s inquiries at every turn.

Now, with the truth laid bare before them, the old madam pointed at General Ying, trembling with fury.

In the memory, Lady Su continued, “Find them for me! I refuse to believe there isn’t a child who meets the Daoist’s requirements!”

Daoist. Child.

He Qingsheng and Ying Qujie exchanged a glance, seeing the same realization in each other’s eyes.

As if sensing something, Ying Hongfeng suddenly looked up.

Lady Su was smiling as she spoke to Taotao. “Since you and Hongfeng are fond of each other, I’ll take it upon myself to arrange your marriage.”

Taotao blushed shyly, while Ying Hongfeng grinned foolishly. No one noticed the fleeting madness in Lady Su’s eyes.

“Hongfeng, now that you’re married, you must treat your wife well.”

Red candles, wedding curtains, and intertwined branches.

The following year, Taotao gave birth prematurely to Ying Wen.

Lady Su made a special visit to see Taotao, showering the tiny infant with excessive affection and gifting many baby supplies.

At that time, Ying Hongfeng had just begun working under Lady Su, believing her to be benevolent and kind. He vowed to serve her with unwavering loyalty, determined to repay her great kindness.

The young couple had no idea that everything they possessed was the result of cold calculation.

Five years earlier, Ying Wen was five years old. Ying Yuanqi had misjudged a critical moment on the battlefield, not merely “nearly crippled,” but completely shattered, his martial arts destroyed, his fate unknown.

On a stormy, rain-lashed night, while Lady Su trembled in fear, the Daoist priest she had spoken of quietly returned to the Ying residence with Ying Yuanqi, who was hanging by a thread between life and death.

Before Lady Su could even react in panic, the priest asked, “Madam, the matter I discussed with you before, now is the opportune moment.”

The priest’s face was indistinct, their voice impossible to discern as male or female.

“Have you prepared the child for the life exchange?”

A bolt of purple lightning, thick as a barrel, split the sky, illuminating Lady Su’s eyes, alight with manic excitement.

“Revered Priest, it is prepared.”

And so, Ying Wen vanished, Taotao lost her mind, and Ying Hongfeng struggled to hold on, the family of three torn apart.

By the time Ying Yuanqi emerged victorious, his reputation soaring, the blood and flesh on the walls of the Ying residence had yet to dry.

Ying Hongfeng watched in horror as Ying Wen was slaughtered by the demonic priest, only to realize he had spent years serving the very enemy responsible. Rage surged through him, and he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

His gaze locked onto Lady Su, hatred burning so fiercely he wished he could tear her apart on the spot.

But Lady Su lay unconscious, unaware of the chaos unfolding around her.

Immortal He still had use for her.

Ying Hongfeng’s nails dug deep into his palms, blood dripping freely as he fought to maintain his composure. Yet he seemed numb to the pain, his eyes shifting from Lady Su to Ying Yuanqi.

“How could this be? Impossible… My victories were earned through hard training, how could they be the result of some dark sorcery?” Ying Yuanqi muttered in disbelief.

All his achievements and pride crumbled in an instant.

But had he truly been ignorant of Lady Su’s deeds? Unlikely.

After narrowly escaping death on the battlefield, his sudden enlightenment could be dismissed as a stroke of fortune. But how could he explain the strange talismans and offerings he later found in Lady Su’s chambers, which he chose to ignore?

The truth was simple: he knew what she had done, all for his sake, and by feigning ignorance, he could remain “untainted.”

The searing pain from the gash on his cheek felt as though it had ripped away his mask of hypocrisy.

Terrified by the fury in Ying Hongfeng’s eyes, he struggled to flee, but the bindings held him fast. In his panic, his gaze landed on Ying Qujie, standing tall and composed among the crowd.

His elder brother, noble, unblemished, the youngest and most accomplished divine physician of Tianyu Mountain. All the petty disdain and superiority Ying Yuanqi had secretly harbored toward him now seemed utterly laughable.

The Dowager was aghast. “How could anyone commit such atrocities against a child?”

General Ying lay sprawled on the ground, stunned. Though he had witnessed countless horrors in battle, the sheer brutality of the dark ritual left him shaken.

“During the coming-of-age ceremony, Ying Wen’s restless spirit encountered his birth mother, unleashing overwhelming resentment and fury,” He Qingsheng murmured, his heart heavy as he watched Lady Su’s memories. “But that ceremony was not the first time she used Ying Wen to harm others.”

The visions shifted again.

The demonic priest had left offerings for Lady Su, when Ying Wen felt hunger, she could control him.

The first time hunger drove Ying Wen to attack Ying Qujie, it was only He Qingsheng’s swift intervention that severed his connection to Lady Su.

At first, He Qingsheng thought the Daoist priest was controlling things from behind the scenes, so he deliberately had Ying Wen keep watch near the spine.

From Lady Su’s memories, he now knew the Daoist priest had only appeared recently during the life-exchange ritual.

The troublemakers at the welcoming banquet had failed to tarnish Ying Qujie’s reputation. Instead, Prince Liang’s invitation had elevated his standing even further.

In just a few short days, Ying Qujie’s brilliance had effortlessly overshadowed Ying Yuanqi.

Lady Su gnashed her teeth in frustration.

“That elixir should have been Qi’er’s from the start. Blame yourself for coming back,” she said matter-of-factly, fiddling with the last offering fruit left behind by the Daoist priest.

In the palace, the emperor and empress had consulted Ying Qujie about the Foundation Establishment Pill fed to Prince Liang, a gift from Lady Ling Yu to the imperial couple.

Lady Su had once secretly caught sight of the immortal master who came to mourn Lady Ling Yu. From that moment, she had begun coveting this Foundation Establishment Pill.

If Ying Qujie hadn’t intervened, she only needed to whisper more persuasions into General Ying’s ear. Perhaps the general could have reclaimed this pill from the imperial couple for Ying Yuanqi’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Outside, a maid urged, “Madam, the ceremony is about to begin.”

“Has the eldest young master returned yet?”

“Madam, no.”

It was best if he didn’t return, but even if he did, it wouldn’t matter.

Suppressing a triumphant smirk, Lady Su stood beside General Ying as usual, greeting guests with practiced grace.

Contrary to her expectations, Ying Qujie’s coming-of-age ceremony proceeded smoothly, without a hitch.

The carriage to the palace departed steadily.

Lady Su was determined to kill Ying Qujie. She summoned Ying Wen, but to her surprise, Ying Hongfeng had brought Taotao to the ceremony.

Ying Wen lost control. Taotao tried to kill her.

What followed was the scene He Qingsheng and Ying Qujie witnessed upon their return.

The soul-searching spell ended.

Lady Su regained consciousness. As she slowly awoke, she saw the disgust in everyone’s eyes, Ying Hongfeng’s hatred burned the fiercest.

A clever woman, she immediately understood her predicament.

Her well-maintained facade shattered. No longer pretending to be fragile, she wasted no time on tears.

He Qingsheng expected her to defend herself, but instead, she silently locked onto General Ying, yanked a golden hairpin from her hair, and drove it straight toward his heart.

Before anyone could react, a streak of blood sprayed out. Clutching his chest, General Ying was shoved to the ground by Lady Su’s forceful push.

She glanced at Ying Yuanqi, then raised the bloodied hairpin and, without hesitation, stabbed it toward her own throat.

Having served Lady Su for years, Ying Hongfeng was the first to grasp her intent.

With lightning reflexes, he snatched up a treasured sword from the ground and severed the arm holding her hairpin.

“You vile woman! Did you think killing General Ying would let Yuanqi inherit the estate without consequence?” Ying Hongfeng let out a deranged laugh, flipping the blade.

“Dream on!”

Thunk!

The sharp edge sank into flesh.

“No! Qi’er!” Lady Su lunged forward, desperately pressing her hands against Ying Yuanqi’s wounds.

Drunk on bloodlust, Ying Hongfeng advanced with his sword. “Did you ever imagine this day when you killed Wenwen?”

“Why should your child achieve glory while mine is left with nothing but scattered bones?”

“Why?!”

One slash, then another.

The ancestral sword of the Ying family was lethally sharp. Against flesh and blood, resistance was futile, Lady Su couldn’t fend off the frenzied blade.

Yet even these wounds paled in comparison to the agony of Ying Wen’s crushed bones.

Everything happened too fast, faster than a single breath.

Yan Xingyi acted swiftly, knocking out the enraged Ying Hongfeng with a precise strike.

The stench of blood filled the air. The ancestral hall of the Ying estate was left in ruins.

The old lady had yet to recover from the lingering fury of witnessing Lady Su’s memories. Trembling, she checked General Ying’s breath. Her vision darkened, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.

…

Night fell, and the general’s residence was unusually solemn that day.

“How is your grandmother?”

“Severely frightened and in need of quiet recuperation.”

The deaths of General Ying, Ying Yuanqi, and Lady Su were not made public.

The servants in the mansion who knew the truth were all sworn to secrecy.

After He Qingsheng finished discussing matters with Yan Xingyi, she searched around and finally found Ying Qujie on the rooftop.

The night wind was cold and biting.

He tilted his head back and took a fierce gulp of strong liquor, his Adam’s apple bobbing as the alcohol slid down his throat.

Ying Qujie drank hastily, and after just a few sips, a flush spread across his cheeks. His usually gentle eyes were clouded with complex emotions, neither sorrow nor joy.

He Qingsheng couldn’t quite place it, but she didn’t like seeing him with such an expression.

“Are you sad?”

“No.” Ying Qujie lowered his gaze. The moonlight bathed his face, giving his skin a translucent, glass-like quality. He pulled the small wooden puppet close to his chest and said softly, “I never had any affection for my father or Ying Yuanqi to begin with. As for Lady Su, she was my mother’s murderer and repeatedly plotted against me. How could I possibly be sad?”

His words were clear, but his tone carried a hazy undertone. He Qingsheng could almost smell the faint, lingering scent of alcohol on him.

“I just find the karmic complexities of this world profound, with human emotions adding further variables. It’s merely a moment of reflection.”

“Lady Su killed Ying Wen, Ying Hongfeng killed Ying Yuanqi. Ying Song deceived your mother, subjecting her to endless emotional torment, only to die at the hands of Lady Su, the woman he had doted on for years.” He Qingsheng paused. “The threads of karma in this world are countless, complex in some ways, simple in others. But since it’s already happened, there’s no use dwelling on it.”

As long as what happens benefits you, that’s all that matters. He Qingsheng added this thought silently to herself.

Ying Qujie looked at her and suddenly smiled. “Countless threads of karma, you say…”

“He Qingsheng, which thread of karma do you belong to in my life?”