“If it is true that she died at the hands of her beloved in a previous lifetime, then, in this lifetime, I want her to die at the hands of her most trusted Brother Jin.” Since she had killed Shen Qingdai once, she could do it a second time. Besides, the Guiyuan Continent was small and posed little threat.
However, she needed a plan so that she could marry Brother Jin quickly. She did not want any trouble with undue delay.
Brother Jin arranged for all matters to be settled and was about to go out when Shen Yunya’s maid barged in and suddenly bowed down. She kowtowed to him and groveled, “Crown Prince, help! Please save Miss. I beg you.”
Seeing that her forehead was already bleeding, Xi Jing quickly asked, “How is Ya’er? What has happened?”
“To determine whether this Tu Xiupei is really the First Miss, Miss has gone to find the high priest to sacrifice her blood to the crystal ball that foretells the future.”
“She doesn’t want to live anymore?” Xi Jin’s facial expression changed immediately. He quickly called for Little Qing and hopped on, telling the maid, “You come along, too, and tell me all the details.”
Little Qing initially hissed in resistance, flapping its wings and threatening to fly away, but Xi Jin stopped him. “Listen to me, Little Qing, or I will not bring you along to look for Dai’er.”
Seeing that Little Qing had compromised, the maid quickly hopped on. She said worriedly, “Miss knows that you are eager to find out whether First Miss is alive. She could not be persuaded otherwise and insisted on sacrificing her blood. She also forbade us from telling anyone. I, your servant, have taken a risk to come to seek your help. Right now, only you can save Miss.”
Xi Jin’s face paled as he heard this. He blamed himself. “This is all my fault. I should not have been so anxious about seeking Dai’er. I know that Ya’er is more anxious than me, and I have put her in harm’s way.”
If he had not rushed over first thing yesterday after his return to speak with Ya’er and had instead gone to seek the Quick Healing Pill, then none of this would have happened.
“Crown Prince, I…”
Seeing how she was hesitant to speak, Xi Jin scolded the maid in anger, “Speak your mind!”
“For the sake of Miss, your servant is willing to die.” The maid clenched her teeth and looked like she was ready to give up everything. “Crown Prince, Miss is lying. She has fooled you.”
“What?!” Xi Jin frowned in rage. He detested dishonesty. Even if the perpetrator was Dai’er’s sister, he did not forgive deceit so easily.
“First Miss did not experience soul rebirth. Miss was afraid that you would be excessively heartbroken if you found out, so she put on an act with the high priest. She wanted you to have enough hope to continue living.”
The maid pretended not to see Xi Jin’s expression change from anger to shock then utter disbelief. She continued, “Having heard what you said earlier, however, now Miss firmly believes that First Miss is still alive. She wants to use all her blood for the sacrifice to ensure First Miss’ safety. Even if this new test results in a negative outcome, Miss has decided to lie to you and say that this Tu Xiupei is, in fact, the First Miss.”
“Why is Ya’er doing this?” Xi Jin felt a shiver run down his spine. Hopelessness came crashing down on him like ocean waves, slowly drowning and overwhelming him.
He’d firmly believed that Dai’er was still alive, even if she had changed her physical body. All he had wanted was for her to be alive. Now, he had been told that everything was fake. It was all a lie.
“First Miss’ dying wish was for you to take care of Miss, marry Miss, and treat her how you would have treated First Miss.”
“Miss knows that you love First Miss, so she never told you her last words. Miss did not want you to feel obliged. But now that there is hope, Miss really wants you to find First Miss.”
Hearing what the maid had said, Xi Jin’s staggered. His gentle voice was filled with desolation, and he asked, “Dai’er really said this?”