Throughout this journey, Yun Jinnian had been nothing but kind to Tianci, and Han Zhong believed that as long as Han Tianci was there, Jinnian would surely get better.
By the time Han Zhong arrived, it seemed that Magistrate Liao had already been captured.
There was blood on the ground, and both the Su Family’s grandmother and granddaughter were nowhere to be found, and even Magistrate Liao’s whereabouts were unknown.
Han Tianci looked at Han Zhong, "Uncle Zhong, how come you’re here?"
"Young master, come back with me quickly, Miss seems to be not doing well. You should go back and stay with her!"
Upon hearing this, Han Tianci was startled and grabbed Han Zhong’s sleeve, "What happened to my sister?"
The nonchalant Chu Yu also stood up abruptly, "What happened to Jinnian?"
"She was fine at first, but after seeing those two from the Su Family, she started acting strangely. After returning, she went to her room to sleep," Han Zhong said, glancing at Chu Yu.
Chu Yu was also extremely annoyed, "Aya, you keep watch here, I’m going back to check on her!"
He took Han Tianci back to the inn.
In the carriage, Chu Yu suddenly said to Han Tianci, "If your sister really isn’t doing well, just cry. Cry and hold onto her relentlessly; she loves you and definitely wouldn’t want to see you sad. For your sake, she will pull through no matter what the dangers!"
Han Tianci listened in silence.
Chu Yu didn’t press him further; he knew that Han Tianci had taken his words to heart.
Just as he had surmised, Yun Jinnian indeed loved Han Tianci the most.
When the two returned to the inn, Jinnian was feverishly hot as if she was on fire.
A perfectly healthy person suddenly fell ill and kept calling out, "Tianci, get out of here. Hurry, Tianci!"
Han Tianci’s eyes reddened as he knelt beside the bed and took Yun Jinnian’s hand, "Sister!"
Tears swirled in his eyes, yet he desperately held them back from falling.
He knew that his sister had lived a life of great hardship, and all this was her nightmare.
In her dream, Yun Jinnian found herself back in the desolate palace, her limbs intact, then Tianci kept coming to her until he died under a barrage of arrows, and that was when Chu Liange ordered her hands and feet to be cut off and her tongue to be ripped out.
Chu Liange didn’t believe Tianci was her brother but thought he was a man with whom she had an affair, a man with whom she cheated.
"Tianci, Tianci..." Yun Jinnian called out in fear.
Han Tianci held onto her hand tightly.
Chu Yu stood aside, summoning a physician who, after examining Su Ye, prescribed medicine to reduce the fever.
With much effort, they managed to get her to swallow it down.
But even though the fever subsided, Yun Jinnian still hadn’t woken up.
It had been two days, and Chu Yu went from being calm to furious, then to raging mad, even ordering the execution of Magistrate Liao and some of the most heinous members of the Azure Dragon Sect at the vegetable market. No matter what was tried, Yun Jinnian still hadn’t woken up.
Han Tianci kept Yun Jinnian company the entire time, staying by her side except for necessary bathroom breaks, holding her hand without crying or making a fuss, just silently watching her.
Chu Yu stood by, looking at the haggard Han Tianci, "Why don’t you cry? Cry already; your sister would wake up if you did!"
"Sister will wake up, she definitely will!" Han Tianci asserted with conviction.
Chu Yu, frustrated to the point of stomping his feet, had never seen anyone so foolish, "Aren’t you good at acupuncture? Give her a few needles then!"
"I can’t do acupuncture," Han Tianci said softly, taking a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Yun Jinnian’s forehead.
Looking at the red string around Yun Jinnian’s neck, Han Tianci suddenly remembered the bead Jinnian had, which she would often take out to play with and wipe clean with a handkerchief.
He tugged the red string several times, pulling out a small pouch. Opening the pouch, he took out a single bead and gently wiped it in the palm of his hand...