Knowing that he was about to die soon, the vicious look in Shi Mo’s eyes had faded. His gaze grew dark as he mumbled, “I’ve stayed hidden in the palace for years to observe Pei Qianhao from the shadows, planning every step of my revenge… I never thought that I would be the one to fall victim to my own traps in the end.”
He then laughed and looked up at Su Xi-er. “There are still some explosives that haven’t been detonated. You’ll die if you don’t leave.” He then pushed her away.
Su Xi-er looked around, finding nobody else in the area. “Where’s A-Jing?”
“A-Jing, yes, Dad used to call him that. Not my father, my adoptive father.” Shi Mo gave a quiet laugh; he had already been sapped of all his strength.
Su Xi-er shook him vigorously. “Tell me where A-Jing is. It’s not too late to tell me before you die.”
Shi Mo scoffed at this. “You’re really cruel. It’s too bad but A-Jing is already dead.”
Su Xi-er refused to believe this. Impossible. A-Jing wouldn’t die! She ignored Shi Mo and continued searching for Pei Qianhao.
Shi Mo smirked as he watched her leave. What a foolish woman to believe me. Pei Qianhao is not inside, but at least I’ll be able to drag someone related to him down to hell with me.
Meanwhile, Pei Qianhao was already out of the forest and returning on his horse. He had finally settled matters with Shi Mo, as well as confirmed that the latter was merely the child of a family friend who was unrelated to him.
On his way back to the capital of Dongling, he found several of Shi Mo’s subordinates surrounding the collapsed form of one of their comrades.
“Did that woman fool us? She said she poisoned Leader, but he’s fine.”
“I don’t know! Let’s wait.”
Pei Qianhao frowned when he heard ‘that woman’, quickly turning back. Who else but Xi-er would come here?
Shi Mo’s subordinates recognised him immediately. “He isn’t dead, kill him!”
The man whom Su Xi-er attacked had a sudden idea as he stopped the rest of them. “Princess Consort Hao went that way, let Prince Hao save her!” He did not know where Shi Mo was, but Pei Qianhao had obviously escaped, and he had told that woman that Shi Mo had too left. What he did know was that there were two batches of explosives, and that one had yet to detonate.
Pei Qianhao’s eyes narrowed. Why is she here when I didn’t even tell her anything! She’s even arrived before Du Ling and Chu Xian!
Anxious, he urged his horse forward.
Before long, a huge explosion rocked the area, and a plume of white smoke slowly became visible as it rose into the air.
Pei Qianhao rushed towards the site, forcing his horse to gallop into the roiling smoke. Shi Mo, who had planned his revenge his entire life, had only found that it wasn’t the Jiangnan Pei Family who was his enemy right before he died.
At the site of the explosion, Pei Qianhao called out anxiously, “Xi-er.” He looked down to see a jade pendant on the ground. This is… the piece of warm jade that Du Ling personally put on her. She would never lose this!
Given her intelligence, she’ll know that I have escaped.
Pei Qianhao bit his lips. I should have killed Shi Mo when I had the chance. Xi-er would have seen him when she walked in here!
It’s my fault, it’s all my fault! She mustn’t die!. Pei Qianhao gripped the jade pendant tightly as a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind, yet, despite his desperate search, he came up empty.
