"Loved him?
Did she not only want to leave, but never loved him?!
A flicker of confusion crossed Tantai Ye's deep-set eyes, followed by a surge of ecstatic joy that spread through his entire body.
She loved him!
She did love him!
This realization made his soul tremble.
"Rou'er, come here. We'll get married as soon as we return. I want only you, and I promise you a grand wedding."
Lan Muer looked at him with a calm, unruffled expression.
Tears still clung to her eyes, as clear and pure as moonlight.
"Tantai Ye, listen clearly. I said 'loved'."
"I did consider marrying you, but for so many years, you never married me. Now, I no longer need your charity."
The sky was overcast and gloomy, with a cold wind whipping across the river.
Tantai Ye felt dizzy from her continuous words.
He suppressed his anger and said softly, "You love me, and we have a child. As long as you come back with me, we'll get married immediately. From now on, whatever you wish, I'll comply."
As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted to her stomach.
He hoped it would be a daughter, just like her.
He would dote on them, mother and daughter, and give them all the best in the world.
Lan Muer ignored him and glanced at Yelü Qi, who had collapsed on the ground.
He died because of her. It was her fault.
Tantai Ye, seeing her looking at Yelü Qi again, felt an uncontrollable surge of anger.
He subtly signaled to Li Qiongyu behind him, who immediately understood.
"Bring an arrow."
Li Qiongyu took the arrow from a guard and aimed directly at the direction of Lan Muer's knife, drawing his bow.
But Lan Muer gave him no such opportunity.
She acted with sudden speed.
She plunged the knife into her chest.
Bright red blood instantly spilled out, staining her white clothes.
The scene was so sudden it shocked everyone.
Tantai Ye didn't even have time to react. His narrow eyes widened in shock as he saw the blood spreading from her chest, a look of madness and terror flashing in them.
His entire face looked somewhat ghastly.
"Lan Muer! Stop, you hear me, stop!"
A heart-wrenching roar echoed across the silent river.
The sky grew darker, lightning flashed across the ominous clouds, and the river churned with waves.
Lan Muer smiled as the man, seemingly gone mad, lunged towards her. She spoke softly.
"Tantai Ye, one life for two, losing your beloved forever. This is the ending I give you."
She wanted him to witness her death before his eyes, to spend the rest of his life in regret.
"Stop, halt—"
He roared, his dark eyes filled with despair and madness.
He was wrong.
He shouldn't have been stubborn, shouldn't have argued with her.
He had never imagined that such a frail person could be so resolute in seeking death.
Pain, a soul-piercing pain!
Icy tears fell numbly, mixed with blood.
Li Qiongyu, standing on another warship, watched the scene, his expression stunned.
It was too sudden.
Her action was too swift.
They had never expected her to actually intend to kill herself.
Seeing Tantai Ye rushing forward to embrace her, he immediately shouted.
"Someone, hurry! See if there's a doctor on that ship. You, quickly disembark and find a doctor in the city, hurry, hurry—"
"Yes."
He no longer hesitated, leaping onto the large ship to find a doctor in the cabin.
The cold and desolate sky crackled with lightning, a thunderous boom.
Heavy rain suddenly poured down from the sky, the darkness enveloping everything as if the world was tearing apart.
Tantai Ye, clad in dark brocade robes, knelt on the ground.
His hands were covered in blood as he tightly held the person in his arms.
Red tears of blood slid into Lan Muer's collar.
Her eyes were closed, her chest, and the area below, bleeding profusely.
Her white dress seemed to be submerged in a sea of blood.
Her pale face showed no sign of life.
His face deathly pale, he fumbled for medicine to treat her, but the bleeding wouldn't stop.
"Lan Muer, wake up—"
An unprecedented panic surged from the depths of his heart, threatening to consume him.
He called out persistently, screaming.
"I command you, command you to wake up—"
Disheveled, he knelt in the rain like a madman, his cries startling those around him.
They had never seen their general so deranged.
"General, I made some small dishes, come and try."
"General, the river lanterns in the capital this year are so beautiful."
"Husband."
"Don't bite, are you a dog?"
"Tantai Ye, I loved you."
Why?
Why did she leave him so resolutely?
He loved her so much, he was hopelessly in love with her.
She would rather die than leave him.
"I promise you, as long as you wake up, you can do whatever you want. I'll give you your freedom. Even if you don't want me anymore, it's fine, I'll let you go. Wake up—"
His heart-wrenching shouts, accompanied by the heavy rain, echoed mournfully on the river.
He looked at the person who would never respond to him again, his pain turning to despair.
"Ah—"
He tightly embraced the slender, emaciated corpse in his arms, like a madman, fresh blood flowing from his mouth, down his chin.
The heavy rain poured down, soaking their robes.
Blood spread across the deck of the ship.
The figure kneeling in the rain seemed to have lost all his pride. His dark hair inexplicably turned white in an instant, astonishing the soldiers kneeling on the ship.
The formidable general, who was brave on the battlefield, had turned white-haired in a moment.
Just then, suddenly, with a *poof*, the gleam of a cold blade flashed, attacking from behind, startling Qing Feng.
"General, dodge!"
But the figure kneeling in the rain had no intention of dodging. He simply held the person in his arms, his expression tragically terrifying.
The cold blade plunged into his chest with a *boom*.
Qing Feng watched this scene in great alarm and roared.
"Take him down!"
All the soldiers surged forward, but suddenly, from all directions, numerous assassins and hidden guards emerged, immediately engaging them.
The entire ship descended into chaos and fighting.
Li Qiongyu, having found a doctor and brought him out, saw the warship covered in blood and engulfed in battle.
He was shocked and immediately looked around, his gaze instantly fixing on Tantai Ye, who was kneeling amidst the chaos.
He was holding the woman in his arms, kneeling on a battlefield splattered with blood.
The torrential rain poured down like a cascading galaxy, lightning illuminating the two of them.
A long knife was embedded in his chest, blood trickling from his lips.
Yet, he seemed isolated from the world, his dark eyes cast downwards, his grim, ferocious face devoid of any expression.
Li Qiongyu stared in shock at his hair. Had it truly turned white overnight?!
"Tantai Ye!"
He shouted, then hurried forward, dragging the doctor along.