Chapter 28: She is really useless

“Lin Moran, you have spirit! Aren’t you afraid I’ll chop off your hands?”

Wang Yuanwu’s eyes were deep and cold, as if hiding an endless storm, his aura heavy as a mountain, attempting to crush Lin Moran’s spirit.

Lin Moran’s expression was firm, fearless. “If you dare, then chop!”

Wang Yuanwu’s aged eyes fixed on Lin Moran, his fiery emotions suppressed beneath his deep pupils, struggling to contain himself.

Lin Moran met his gaze, her eyes even colder and more fearless than before.

Refusing to cooperate with the Wang family was her bottom line.

Wang Yuanwu’s confident abduction and insistence on her restoring the ancient painting indicated he’d already investigated her background.

Knowing her background, he should understand better than anyone that if he harmed her, the consequences would be unbearable.

The century-old conflict between the three major families and the Wang family wasn’t as peaceful as their ancestors described.  Lin Moran learned the truth while tending to her grandfather’s drunken state. 

She discovered the Wang family’s betrayal, leading the three families to unite and launch a first wave of attacks against the Wangs.

Old and young, men and women, those seen, none were spared.

And the deaths were extremely gruesome.

Later, for unknown reasons, negotiations ensued, resulting in a pact of non-interference. The Wangs were forbidden from targeting the three major families or harming their members. If they did, the three families would annihilate them.

This agreement brought peace for decades.

Later, the Wang family committed treason. After finding the traitor, the three families subjected him to excruciating torture, eliminating that entire branch of the Wang family.

Wang Yuanwu’s ancestors were distant relatives from this branch, descendants from generations of illegitimate offspring.  Because they weren’t involved, the three families spared them.

This branch descended from the least significant concubine in the Wang family’s ancestral home. Their family environment was harsh, and they were timid and cautious, living in fear within the Wang family and maintaining a low profile outside. Their avoidance of trouble ensured their survival.

Being Wang descendants, they undoubtedly knew the ancestral rules and dared not act rashly.

They wouldn’t dare harm her, nor Gu Quanzhe.

“Comrade Lin, look at what you’re saying. Your hands are worth a fortune, priceless. How could this old man bear to chop them off?”

“We have plenty of time. Think it over again.”

Wang Yuanwu suddenly laughed, a kindly smile, yet his eyes were icy, full of malice.

He truly didn’t dare touch Lin Moran.

The ancestral rules were there, a family decree: they must avoid the Song and Long families.

For nothing else, but the continuation of their Wang bloodline.

For over a hundred years, their ancestors had many children, vast wealth, and imperial favor.

Then the Wang family was decimated, leaving only this branch.

However, their actions were fortunate. Without them, this illegitimate branch, constantly suppressed by the main branch, would never have risen.

And thanks to their elimination of the Wang traitor, they had the opportunity to salvage valuable treasures while burying the Wang relatives, allowing them to survive the turbulent times.

The Wang family’s former glory was gone, but a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.  Relying on the skills and legacy left by their ancestors, they still lived comfortably.

Those Wang family members who provoked the Long family met gruesome ends.

No matter how angry Wang Yuanwu was, he had to suppress it.

He absolutely couldn’t touch her.

He had abducted her unharmed, and he had to release her unharmed. Otherwise, if the three major families retaliated, he wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

What terrified him even more was his ignorance of the three major families’ current strength. The Long family was similar to his, almost extinct, but they had taken many disciples. These closed-door disciples had never appeared, only rumors circulating among the underworld about their prowess.

If Lin Moran was injured, they would emerge one after another, and his peaceful life would be destroyed.

Moreover, he only had two sons and one grandson, a weak lineage, which he had to protect.

After Wang Yuanwu left, Lin Moran was again bathed in the spotlight.  Under the intense light, her barely-held-together spirit collapsed again.

She struggled repeatedly, telling herself she had to hold on.

Her child’s illness wasn’t cured, and she hadn’t yet found the person her grandfather wanted…

She couldn’t fall, she had to persevere; she couldn’t let Gu Quanzhe become a motherless child.

Gu Jingyao had been back for so long, yet hadn’t spoken a word to his child, hadn’t even looked at him.

If she died, Gu Quanzhe would be without a father.

Gu Jingyao wouldn’t care for him, let alone treat his illness.  Her son would only have death awaiting him.

Thinking of this, she truly hated Gu Jingyao!

He was loyal, righteous, and patriotic, yet why was he so heartless towards her and her son?

She hated herself even more. Her grandfather always warned her to be sharp-eyed when assessing antiques and people.

Yet she had misjudged the most important person.

Tears welled up in Lin Moran’s eyes. She felt as if she couldn’t see anything clearly, yet she felt she could see Gu Jingyao.

Gu Jingyao appeared before her, his narrow eyes filled with astonishment, then a gentle smile appeared on his handsome face, a smile as refreshing as a spring in a parched mountain, soothing her heart.

Why, in the darkness, did the Gu Jingyao she saw look exactly the same as he did five years ago, when she searched for him fruitlessly in the mountains for over half a month, and then saw him at her home?

Lin Moran’s lips curved slightly, her brows furrowed. Why was she so pathetic?

At this moment, her mind was filled with his beautiful image.

Gu Jingyao kicked open Lin Moran’s door.  Upon entry, he saw the blinding lights, Lin Moran bound to a chair, her already thin face even more gaunt, her eye sockets sunken, her eyes red.

Her lips drooped slightly, her slender eyebrows tightly furrowed, and her red eyes revealed an indescribable emotion deep resentment mingled with a hint of reproach, as if silently questioning why he had only appeared now.

She looked like a child abandoned by the world, looking at him with grievance, her vulnerability and dependence causing Gu Jingyao’s heart to ache.

Her lips moved, but she made no sound.

Then, she fainted.

Gu Jingyao’s heart was filled with regret.

Since going on a business trip, he’d been anxious and uneasy.

On the first night in Hebei, he could have called Lin Moran, but he’d been too stubborn.

Engaging in a ridiculous standoff with Lin Moran.

If he had called on the first day, Lin Moran wouldn’t have suffered so much.

“Is Moran there? Moran, are you alright?”

Shen Haoyang called from outside. While gently untying Lin Moran, Gu Jingyao said, “She’s here.”

“Let me hold her.”

Once the ropes were loosened, Shen Haoyang reached out to carry the unconscious Lin Moran, but Gu Jingyao was faster.  With a swift movement, Lin Moran was in his arms.

“No need.”

Gu Jingyao carried Lin Moran out of the room.  As he stepped into Wang Yuanwu’s courtyard, his footfall was like a storm, shattering the antique treasures bearing the weight of time a simple Yuan Dynasty jar, a delicate Qing Dynasty porcelain vase, a splendid Ming Dynasty flowerpot all reduced to fragments.

The people in the courtyard trembled, hiding behind pillars, not daring to move.

Only Shen Haoyang shouted from behind, his voice full of displeasure, “Gu Jingyao, I was the one who discovered Moran’s disappearance, and I was the first to look for her!”

“Don’t be shameless!”