Chapter 72

That tile was the same as the other tiles in the courtyard, nothing special about it.

If one insisted on pointing out a difference, it was that the color of that tile was slightly newer than the others.

A terrifying thought crossed Shen Yu’s mind, and she lowered her gaze, staring intently at Shen Yan, asking, “Why was the tile at your door changed?”

Shen Yan’s expression stiffened instantly. “Do you have to manage even the tiles?”

Her expression confirmed Shen Yu’s suspicion.

She squatted down, lightning-fast, and grabbed Shen Yan’s neck, “I’ll ask you again, where is Lu Yao?”

Shen Yan was choked, unable to breathe, and struggled to break free from her grip. “I… I don’t know.”

Several maids rushed over, but Shen Yu kicked them down in a couple of moves.

“Don’t… don’t call anyone,” Shen Yan said, struggling to speak as the maids prepared to call for help.

Shen Yu pushed her down to the ground. “Have you been to my courtyard? The tile at the entrance is covered with drawings. Lu Yao likes to sit at the entrance and draw when she has nothing to do. Don’t tell me your maids also have such a hobby.”

Lu Yao must have come to Shen Yan and handed her the letter, but Shen Yan still insisted on arranging her funeral.

Where is Lu Yao now? Could it be…

Shen Yu dared not continue her train of thought.

Lu Yao was skilled; Shen Yan’s maids would surely not be her match. Perhaps she had drugged Shen Yan while her guard was down.

“You want money, you want status, I don’t care about any of that. I can give it to you. But you shouldn’t plot against me, and you shouldn’t touch my people.”

“I’ll give you a deadline. Within three days, I want to see Lu Yao. This is your last chance. Because you are still the bloodline left by my father in this world. If I don’t see her in three days, you’ll know what kind of person I am by then.”

Her footsteps gradually faded away.

Shen Yan suddenly got up from the ground and staggered after her, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you?!”

“Alright.” Shen Yu stopped and turned around, looking back, “Don’t forget you arranged my funeral without my consent. Deceiving the king also involves you, and the punishment is extermination of nine generations. Aren’t you, Shen Yan, included among those nine generations? You might as well go down together and confess to Father.”

Shen Yan’s face turned pale in an instant.

Now they held each other’s weaknesses. Shen Yan shouldn’t be afraid of Shen Yu, but Shen Yan knew she couldn’t beat her.

When Shen Yu left the Shen Mansion, the moon was no longer visible in the sky, and a thin drizzle was falling.

She glanced back, the desolate night wind swirling the lanterns on the door, making the figures indistinct.

This place could no longer be called home.

She sighed and turned around, slowly walking back.

In a moment, a dark shadow flashed across the eaves and disappeared into the darkness.

Lu Mingxuan was close to the east gate of the Wang Mansion. It only took a moment to reach it after entering.

Suddenly, there was a bark at the end of the small road.

“Woof—”

Shen Yu looked up, and a dog ran excitedly towards her from the entrance of Lu Mingxuan.

“Da Huang!” Shen Yu happily took a few steps and crouched down, letting Da Huang jump over.

Da Huang rubbed against her leg, wagging its tail vigorously.

“Why are you here?” Shen Yu rubbed Da Huang’s head and listened to him bark twice.

There was still a person standing at the door.

She looked up at Xie Tingzhou, and the two understood each other’s meanings from each other’s eyes.

Shen Yu lowered her head, hugged Da Huang tightly, and confirmed in disbelief, “Grandpa… he…”

“Come in,” Xie Tingzhou said.

The sky was already late, and Er Ya was dozing off in the corridor. Seeing the two enter, she rubbed her eyes and got up to pour tea and water.

Shen Yu hung her head, feeling as if she had been bidding farewell to different people since her rebirth.

First, her father, then her brother, and now her grandfather…

She didn’t know if this was punishment, why even the little warmth had to leave her?

Feeling her low spirits, Da Huang lay on the ground, pressing close against her leg.

Xie Tingzhou stood at the door. She was stronger than he had imagined; he thought she would shed tears.

“The old man left a few thatched cottages for you, so you have a place to stay when you have nowhere to go.”

Shen Yu raised her head and asked, “Was he in pain when he passed away?”

In the hopeful look in her eyes, he told a lie, “No pain.”

Shen Yu nodded. Even if it was just consolation, she needed it right now.

Xie Tingzhou pursed his lips, his gaze falling on her hand resting on her leg, frowning slightly, “What happened to your hand?”

Shen Yu only then noticed the blood marks on the backs of both hands, likely scratches from Shen Yan when she was choking her.

“Scratched by a dog,” she said.

Da Huang raised his head and barked.

“Not by you,” she rubbed Da Huang’s head, “by a mad dog. I thought she was as gentle as you.”

Xie Tingzhou understood her implication and asked, “The medicine?”

“What medicine?” Shen Yu asked.

Xie Tingzhou looked at her quietly, “The wound medicine.”

“Oh,” Shen Yu said, “It’s used up, I don’t know if the doctor has any left.”

Xie Tingzhou had no words. “Such a large bottle of medicine, and you’ve used it all?”

Shen Yu nodded, “Yes, there were quite a few wounds on my back. You haven’t seen them, of course, you wouldn’t know.”

Xie Tingzhou turned his face away.

How could he not have seen it? He could see it all too clearly. Even now, whenever he closed his eyes, he could recall the scene vividly.

Xie Tingzhou called out to someone outside the door. A shadow guard leaped down from the roof, landing soundlessly.

The shadow guard came and went without a trace. After a moment, he presented a bottle of wound medicine and then disappeared again.

Xie Tingzhou raised his hand and threw the medicine to her.

Shen Yu took it and glanced at it. “It’s not the same as last time.”

That medicine was worth a fortune, not because he cared about the money, but mainly because it came from Doctor Songshi, a renowned physician. The ingredients were hard to come by, and there were only a few bottles in the world.

“You’re not that precious,” Xie Tingzhou said.

Shen Yu clicked her tongue and called Er Ya to bring water to clean her hands before applying the medicine to her back.

The medicine was applied in a messy manner. Xie Tingzhou couldn’t bear to watch and stepped forward to take the medicine from her.

“Your hand.”

They had been treating each other’s wounds for quite some time on the road and had grown accustomed to it.

It was a coincidence that both of them had injuries on their arms along the way. If the injuries had been elsewhere, they could have treated them on their own.

Xie Tingzhou’s fingers were slender like green bamboo, with slightly protruding knuckles. Such hands were pleasing to the eye no matter what they did.

Shen Yu stared at his hand for a moment, then her gaze shifted to Xie Tingzhou’s face.

His face was ethereal, as if from the heavens, with eyebrows like mountains and eyes like stars. When he smiled, he was charming; when he was cold, he was heartrending.

Shen Yu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat abnormally, and her fingers curled involuntarily. Looking at his face, she felt strangely entranced for a moment.