flstandardbreds Chapter 349
Chapter 349
Nalan Jingwen's stay in prison was not good. She was not given food, only water, and some medicine to keep her alive. Every hour, someone would come in and use the same tortures on death row inmates on her. She was already numb to the pain, and most of the tortures only made her wince.
The only hardship was the inability to fall asleep. She was too tired, her body was exhausted to the extreme. In this dark and sunless prison, she could not see a ray of sunlight or a glimmer of hope. Her mind and body were tormented. Whenever she showed any signs of falling asleep, she was quickly awakened by the pain, over and over again.
She was left here, unable to keep track of time, and had no idea how long she had been there. She could only stare into the endless darkness, letting her consciousness be consumed by it.
What stirred something within her was Liu Qishan, Jinse, Jingchi, and Chenghe. She wondered if Rong Hengyu would make a move against them. Just thinking of those familiar names brought a wave of bittersweet pain to her heart. She took a breath, bit her lip, and closed her eyes.
She can't die! What will happen to Liu Qishan and the others if she dies? What will happen to everyone in the Prince's Mansion? She can't die, at least not now.
Nalan Jingwen didn't know how long he had endured. The blood on his body congealed, the scars scabbed over, and then they were torn off again, leaving a trail of blood. Finally, the sturdy iron door was opened, and a little light entered the pitch-black space. Nalan Jingwen struggled to lift his eyes and met Yuan's sinister eyes.
"How are you? How's it going here?"
Yuan walked in slowly, accompanied by Rong Hengyu. His golden robes outlined his figure, and under the candlelight, he looked mysterious and noble.
"Thanks to you, it's all good."
"You're so stubborn, but I wonder if you can keep being so stubborn."
She clapped her hands, and the guards outside carried in a chair. She sat down casually, looking languidly and leisurely at Nalan Jingwen.
"Do it."
The whip made a piercing sound as it sliced through the air before finally striking her. It was an iron whip, burned red-hot, and would leave a deep mark on her skin, but it wouldn't bleed immediately because her flesh was already charred, and the air was filled with the smell of burning flesh.
Nalan Jingwen remained silent throughout, but his body convulsed uncontrollably, his blood seemed to flow backward, and his eyes turned bloodshot.
Yuan looked at her, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "Jing, I've never understood why you always have to go against me?"
Is what you're protecting necessarily right?
"You call me cruel, but look at the people you protect. They chase fame and fortune, and they'll stop at nothing to achieve it. Their hearts are far darker than mine. Why are you targeting me alone?"
"In the century since your death, the world has been divided into four kingdoms. How did these four kingdoms come to be? Weren't they all built upon mountains of corpses and seas of blood? Weren't they also brutal?"
Nalan Jingwen exhaled a breath of stale air and stiffly raised his head.
"The divine realm never interferes with anything in the world. It allows things to develop naturally, and wars only end when they cease. Only then can the world be at peace. You, as a god, possess immense power, yet you only think of using that power to create a purgatory for yourself. Why shouldn't you die?"
Only war can stop war. Everyone says war is terrible and cruel, but most wars are fought by emperors for their people. If they did not fight, more people would die. The world is now divided into four parts. Isn't this the best example of war ending with war? At least until today, the four countries still maintain a delicate balance, and no one dares to break it.
But Yuan is different. Once she takes over the position of the main god, there will truly be no peace in the human world. At that time, the people will die tragically and have no one to rely on. The demon race will become slaves and be slaughtered at will.
"Heaven has never stipulated that gods cannot be selfish. If I act for my own benefit, what crime have I committed?"
"Who decides right and wrong? You? Well, if I say I'm right, what can you do about it?"
Yes, there is no law in the world that says God should be selfless; only humans can be selfish. But...
Nalan Jingwen looked at her, his voice strained, "Does your 'right' mean indiscriminately killing innocent people?"
Yuan scoffed, "Survival of the fittest, the strong survive, what's wrong with that?"
"They are weak, so they should be prepared to die, shouldn't they?"
She stood up, leaned close to Nalan Jingwen, and patted her cheek. Her tone was eerie and arrogant. "Jing, I suddenly don't want you to die. I will make you watch as this world becomes my paradise of revelry, and everything you protect will become my stepping stone!"
"After all, if you die, no one will understand my success anymore. You must live."
Nalan Jingwen turned her head away, avoiding her touch. A ruthless glint flashed in Yuan's eyes as he forcefully turned her chin, making her look at him. The hatred in his eyes was undisguised.
The force of the chin was like an iron clamp, preventing her from struggling. Yuan looked at her disheveled appearance, and the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.
"Don't even think about suicide. Your husbands are all in my hands. If you want them to live, you'd better behave yourself."
After saying that, she shook off Nalan Jingwen's chin, turned and left. Before leaving, she didn't forget to instruct Rong Hengyu, "How to torture her is up to you. Don't disappoint me."
Rong Hengyu didn't speak, standing silently in place.
After Yuan left, Nalan Jingwen slumped her head, a shadow suddenly falling over her. She didn't open her eyes or make any movement.
"Is there anything you want to ask me?"
A cold and indifferent voice reached her ears, quite different from before. Nalan Jingwen didn't want to waste her energy; she had nothing to say to him.
Rong Hengyu lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Liu Qishan and the others are alright for now."
Nalan Jingwen finally stirred, lifting his eyelids to look at him, his disgust undisguised.
"If they die, you won't survive either."
Rong Hengyu stared at her intently, his expression unchanged.
"Besides them, is there nothing else you care about?"
In truth, Nalan Jingwen didn't understand the meaning behind his question, but she did have something she wanted to ask. She met his gaze, her eyes unreadable.
"Back then, when the Prince's mansion sent a message saying you were seriously ill, was that something you orchestrated?"
"Yes."
The answer was exactly what he expected. Nalan Jingwen could only laugh at his own stupidity.
"You injured yourself, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Nalan Jingwen felt as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat, and his eyes burned.
"……Why?"
Rong Hengyu's gaze fell on the corner of her eye, his thin lips slightly pursed.
“If it weren’t for this, you wouldn’t believe it.”
No wonder she couldn't find the killer no matter what, no wonder...
She asked, "You lured me back to kill me on the way, but you didn't expect me to come back alive. So everything that followed was just an act, right?"
Rong Hengyu did not answer immediately this time, but stared at her intently, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions.
"Yes."
Nalan Jingwen lowered his head, laughed silently, and finally shed tears.
Silent and still, yet feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.