Chapter 9
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Upon hearing the words, Rong Tan suddenly stiffened. Instinctively, he looked up to see Wu Ciyun, but she raised her hand to shield his eyes. Darkness abruptly engulfed his vision; he could not see her expression but knew his own face must have been far from pleasant.
“Ah Yun, why do you suddenly ask about this again...” Rong Tan feigned calmness. “Haven’t you already known everything about my identity and background?”
He boldly pulled down Wu Ciyun’s hand, delicately tracing every inch of her skin with his fingertips. Her fingers were slender and well-defined, like those of the literati outside, calloused from years of holding a brush.
Tentatively, Rong Tan intertwined his fingers with hers. Wu Ciyun did not resist; instead, she looked at him with a half-smile. Reclining against a soft pillow, her black hair lay smoothly over her shoulders. The candlelight softened the icy facade she wore during the day, making her resemble a white peony under the moonlight.
Rong Tan leaned in to kiss her, but Wu Ciyun gently turned her face aside. She grasped his chin, her fingertips teasing his skin with ambiguous intent, and asked with a light smile, “Rong Tan, how much did you pay Liu Zhi to buy him off?”
“...What?” Rong Tan stared blankly at her for a long moment. Forcing a smile, he feigned ignorance, “Ah Yun, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“If you don’t understand, then I’ll explain more clearly. How exactly did Xiao Boming die?”
“Xiao Boming died of poisoning and is now buried on the back hill of Lingxiu Mountain.”
Rong Tan still refused to change his story, insisting, “Ah Yun, if you don’t believe me, you can open the coffin and verify the corpse.”
“Open the coffin and verify?” Wu Ciyun laughed as if hearing a joke. “News just came in that Xiao Boming’s grave was dug up by the villagers he once abused. I’m afraid there’s not even a whole corpse left.”
Rong Tan fell silent. Wu Ciyun leisurely continued, “Liu Zhi used to try to squeeze every bit of profit from corpses, but lately, he’s lost interest in the petty things in jail. He must have made a fortune.”
The two were very close—close enough to feel each other’s breath—but Rong Tan’s heart held no tender thoughts. Wu Ciyun’s fingers were cold; her breath and tone equally so. Her chilling fingertips brushed across Rong Tan’s cheek. She sighed softly and said slowly, “Of course, I can’t convict you on this alone, but there is one thing I’m truly curious about. Since you say Xiao Boming died of poisoning...”
“Rong Tan, can pure water also poison someone to death?”
Rong Tan instinctively lifted his head to meet her calm eyes. His mind was struck by thunderous buzzing; Wu Ciyun’s words were like a sharp arrow, tearing away all his doubts.
“Pure water...” His face drained of color as he murmured, “You actually put pure water into the bottle...”
No wonder Wu Ciyun kept confirming the cause of Xiao Boming’s death, no wonder she suddenly investigated Liu Zhi.
At that moment, Rong Tan felt more ridiculous than ever. He tried to pull a self-mocking smile, but tears fell before the smile could form.
His voice was dry and hoarse, each word squeezed from his throat, almost accusing as he sought a clear answer.
“Were you deliberately testing me, or did you never want Xiao Boming to die at all?”
The system was stunned by the scene before it. Even if Wu Ciyun refused to answer, it already knew the truth.
Xiao Boming’s life meant nothing to Wu Ciyun; what she truly wanted to test was not Rong Tan, but the system itself.
By lying to Wu Ciyun to protect Rong Tan, the system had already fallen into her trap.
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“Rong Tan, are you questioning me?” Wu Ciyun’s expression turned cold. She raised her hand and gripped Rong Tan’s neck, the pressure gradually increasing. Her tone was icy. “You were unfaithful to me first, yet you still have the nerve to shout here.”
Rong Tan’s breath caught. He stared at Wu Ciyun for a long time before finally closing his eyes as if resigned.
Wu Ciyun was fragile; if he wanted to struggle free, it would be easy. But he did not want to. Rather than sever their ties forever, he would rather die in her hands today.
They say that if one kills an innocent, the spirit will haunt them day and night. If he became a ghost, he would cling to Wu Ciyun, haunting her for life...
Rong Tan felt his breath grow faint, yet an inexplicable thrill rose within him. The thought of being with Wu Ciyun day and night made his body tremble with excitement.
But just as life and death hung in the balance, Wu Ciyun suddenly released him and coldly said, “Get out!”
Rong Tan leaned against the bed, disappointed, breathing heavily to steady himself. His neck burned with a fiery pain, probably injuring his throat, making him temporarily unable to speak.
Hearing Wu Ciyun’s words, he obediently got off the bed. He looked back at her silhouette for a long moment before finally moving his feet.
Outside, fine snow began to fall without warning. The biting cold wind howled through the air. The tears on Rong Tan’s face had not yet dried; the cold wind stung like a thousand knives.
He did not heed Wu Ciyun’s order to leave. Instead, he braved the swirling snow and knelt down in the snow.
The servants on watch outside were startled and hurried forward to help. “Master Rong, what are you doing?”
Rong Tan’s expression was tense. He stared fixedly at Wu Ciyun’s door and said calmly, “Don’t mind me.”
The system pleaded desperately with Wu Ciyun over land concessions and reparations. After finally gaining her mercy for Rong Tan, it looked back only to see him risking the snow, kneeling outside like an ice sculpture.
The system’s vision darkened; its database nearly crashed. Its breakdown was as severe as when it was a pea shooter shooting zombies and, just as it was about to clear the level, the sunflower behind it suddenly bit off Dave’s head.
Damn it! Freeze to death!
[Host, we can always negotiate calmly. Don’t keep doing this; it’s so frightening...]
[Say one more useless word, and I’ll have Rong Tan beheaded.]
Wu Ciyun was tired of arguing with the system and bluntly asked, [What exactly is your relationship with Rong Tan?]
The system explained that the world she now inhabited was a fictional script, and she was the most heinous villain in the plot.
She had read many such chaotic scripts; in reality, villains often prosper, but in stories, evil men inevitably receive retribution, usually dying at the hands of the protagonist.
Judging by the system’s current protection of Rong Tan, Wu Ciyun reasonably suspected that Rong Tan was the so-called “protagonist.”
[We truly have no relationship. He is only an important character in the plot. If he dies, I will also be punished.]
Fearing Wu Ciyun’s disbelief, the system added, [Rong Tan is not the protagonist, but the protagonist will become the emperor of the Liang dynasty with Rong Tan’s help.]
“Liang dynasty?”
Wu Ciyun caught the key phrase and pressed, [What exactly is Rong Tan’s background?]
The system fell silent again.
Wu Ciyun sneered but remained calm. She dressed and summoned the night watch servant, asking, “Where is Rong Tan?”
The servant dared not look up and replied respectfully, “Return my lord, Master Rong is still kneeling outside.”
“He is obedient enough.”
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Wu Ciyun tossed the token in her hand to the servant and said coldly, “Use my order to drag Rong Tan out and have the soldiers outside behead him!”
The servant knelt, terrified. He did not understand why Wu Ciyun suddenly flew into such a rage but still tried to plead, “My... my lady, Master Rong...”
Wu Ciyun sat back on the soft couch, indifferent, “If you say another word, you’ll be beheaded too.”
The servant immediately shut up, trembling as he held the token tightly, forcing himself to stand and issue the order.
Wu Ciyun reclined on the couch with her eyes closed, as if unconcerned about the consequences.
In the final moment, just before the servant stepped out, the system emitted a sharp cry, [Wait! I’m speaking!]
Given Wu Ciyun’s ruthlessness, the system did not doubt she could really kill Rong Tan.
“Hold on, come back,” Wu Ciyun called slowly, stopping the servant. She did not take back the token but told him to wait a moment.
If the system played tricks again, she would immediately order Rong Tan’s execution.
The system could only endure her near-threat and said, [I can only tell you that Rong Tan is bloodline of the Liang royal family. I cannot reveal more.]
[I’m forbidding you to kill him not only to prevent the plot from collapsing but because if Rong Tan dies, you will have many unnecessary troubles when you go to Liang.]
If that was the case, it explained why Rong Tan was so unwilling to tell her the truth.
Wu Ciyun pondered the system’s words but did not fully believe them. She planned to investigate Rong Tan’s background further based on this clue.
The servant waited a long time without hearing from Wu Ciyun. He cautiously glanced at her. Seeing her expression soften, he dared to speak again, “...My lady, do you wish to withdraw your order?”
Wu Ciyun looked at him in surprise. “You’re not afraid of death, thinking to speak for him at a time like this?”
“My lady, forgive me,” the servant knelt earnestly. “Master Rong is kind and considerate, always generous to us and caring to the young masters. I do not know what fault he has committed, but I beg you to show mercy for his past kindness...”
Rong Tan was gentle and generous, never abusing his power. He helped others in difficulty without hesitation. The household servants had all benefited from his kindness to some degree.
That the servant risked his head to plead today was because of the favors he had received.
Wu Ciyun’s face remained calm. She passed by the kneeling servant and opened the door.
Rong Tan knelt in the snow wearing thin clothes, with a thin layer of snow covering him. Yet his back remained straight, like a white crane with broken wings in the snow.
Wu Ciyun took an umbrella from a nearby attendant and slowly approached Rong Tan, lowering her gaze to scrutinize him.
Rong Tan’s eyes were slightly red. He did not expect Wu Ciyun to appear and mustered courage to gently tug at her sleeve.
“Your hands are so cold.”
Wu Ciyun held his hand, looking down at him as if appraising a blade she was about to grasp, judging whether his worth was enough to make her relent.
After a long moment, a smile appeared on her face. She spoke softly, “Alright, come back with me.”