How Deep the Crimson Leaves Run: Chapter Twenty-Two - A Visitor at the Door

Mistress Wang hurriedly retreated and crouched down. By now, Gu Yu could no longer feel the pain; the veins on his temples were bulging and throbbing violently with excitement. Gathering all his remaining strength, he spun around several times on the spot. The chest of drawers behind him was sent flying by the force of his momentum. Gu Yu let out a thunderous shout: "Halt!" He released his grip with both hands, and the chest of drawers flew toward the window like a cannonball fired from a string.

Crash! The window lattice shattered instantly. The thick smoke found a new vent and surged out through the opening in a dense cloud! Gu Yu grabbed Mistress Wang and pulled her up: "Go!"

Wang Chengjian was waiting in despair when suddenly a massive chest of drawers was hurled out of the window, startling the servants who were extinguishing the fire nearby. Before anyone could react, two figures leapt out of the window, crossed the wall of fire, and tumbled onto the ground. Wang Chengjian spotted his wife and cried out: "Quick, save them!" He dragged his body with great difficulty and, supported by the butler, made his way toward her.

Mistress Wang was a delicate woman of advanced years and had never endured such an ordeal; the fall had left her completely disoriented. Wang Chengjian gathered her into his arms, gently patting her cheeks: "Wake up, wake up!" Before she could regain consciousness, a shrill, piercing scream erupted from a distance. Wang Chengjian followed the sound: the East Courtyard! He turned cold with terror. Suddenly, a figure flashed past him, stumbling toward the moon gate. Wang Chengjian shouted: "Quick, follow Constable Gu to save them!" His voice was already choked with tears.

Meanwhile, Wang Shihan had been waiting for a long time without Gu Yu’s return. Her heart was filled with unease as she paced back and forth in her room. Little Hong was so terrified she dared not draw a full breath; she had been feeling dizzy for a while, but seeing Wang Shihan’s unstable state, she forced herself to endure it. As time passed, Wang Shihan’s mind gradually cleared. She realized the fire in the main house was merely a distraction to draw the estate’s attention away so that someone could strike while she was isolated. Consequently, shortly after Gu Yu left, she had ordered two bodyguards to push a cabinet against the window and secure the door with two heavy bolts.

After an unknown amount of time, rapid footsteps approached the door, followed by urgent knocking: "Miss, something terrible has happened! The Master is dying!" The voice was hoarse, as if scorched by smoke and fire.

Wang Shihan’s head buzzed, and her body swayed. Little Hong was quick to catch her. In that brief moment, tears streamed down Wang Shihan’s face. The person outside hammered on the door louder and faster: "Miss, open the door quickly! The Master wants to see you one last time before he passes."

The bodyguard reached out to draw the bolt, but Wang Shihan pressed her hand over his. The bodyguard looked at her in confusion. She signaled him to remain silent, then asked toward the door: "Are you coming from the fire?"

"Yes. What are you waiting for?" The person outside replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Wang Shihan shook her head: "No. You are deliberately feigning a hoarse voice, not to disguise that you came from the fire, but because you are afraid I would recognize your true voice. Isn't that right, Tang Haiqiu?"

The bodyguard looked at Wang Shihan in astonishment. She peered through the crack in the door, but the courtyard was pitch black and she could see nothing. She waited for his answer.

"Haha! As expected of the woman I, Tang Haiqiu, have set my sights on." The voice from outside returned to its original tone; it was indeed the 'Flower Butterfly' Tang Haiqiu.

The bodyguard looked at Wang Shihan in shock. Her beautiful face remained expressionless: "Why are you doing this? My Wang family has never offended you. Why did you insult me first, yet act as if you were in the right, and now seek to harm my family?!"

Tang Haiqiu replied: "Do you know how many women in this world long to be with me? It is your good fortune that I have taken a liking to you. Not only are you ungrateful, but you dared to plot against me. Today, I shall crush this delicate flower!"

Wang Shihan gritted her teeth: "You will not succeed."

Tang Haiqiu did not answer, only sneering incessantly. Wang Shihan felt a chill in her heart. In the midst of the standoff, Little Hong suddenly let out a soft moan and collapsed backward.

The two bodyguards rushed forward to support her: "Sister Little Hong, what is wrong with you..." Before they could finish, their legs gave way, and they fell to the ground.

Wang Shihan watched the turn of events in horror. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and her limbs felt as if the bones had been removed, leaving her weak and powerless. She grabbed the door frame to steady herself. Outside, Tang Haiqiu called out: "Miss Wang, how is your body feeling?"

Wang Shihan responded with great effort: "You... did you poison us?" The word was so foreign to her. As a lady raised in the inner chambers, pampered by her parents and respected by servants, she had never known hardship, let alone injury. Poisons were the stuff of low-class fiction; she had never seen one, let alone heard of them.

Despite her intelligence, Wang Shihan lacked worldly experience. Her consciousness blurred, and her heart churned with a sickening, unbearable agony that made life feel worse than death.

Tang Haiqiu let out a sinister laugh: "Everyone in the Wang estate is poisoned. This toxin was concocted by my sect; it is extremely potent. You only feel dizzy and weak now, right? Soon, your bowels will rot, and you will bleed from your seven orifices! Your parents have already fallen into a coma; even if they don't burn to death, they will die from the poison."

Wang Shihan felt her limbs go cold. Since her current symptoms matched his description, would the next stage really be such a miserable death? Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She wiped them away with the back of her hand: "Why are you so cruel? I beg you, please spare my parents and the servants, won't you?"

"I can," Tang Haiqiu agreed readily. "My methods are many, but all I desire is you, Miss Wang. As long as you open the door and come with me, I will leave behind the antidote and spare their miserable lives."

Wang Shihan stood frozen. "Don't..." a voice came from behind. She turned to see Little Hong, supported by a bodyguard, sitting on the floor with tears streaming down her face: "If you go out there, how could there be any way for you to survive?"

Wang Shihan’s expression was one of agonizing conflict. She forced herself to remain calm: "You speak so convincingly, but how do I know it is true? Perhaps if I just stay in this room, I will recover?"

Tang Haiqiu’s voice remained unhurried: "I have said all I will say; believe it or not as you please. Besides, Miss, trying to stall for time is a futile effort. I can afford to wait. Your parents are old; a moment's delay means the difference between life and death. You cannot blame that sin on me!"

This final sentence shattered Wang Shihan. Her expression steadied, and she took a deep breath before reaching for the bolt.

Little Hong and the two bodyguards cried out: "Miss!"

Wang Shihan turned back, finding the strength to offer Little Hong a smile: "Live well." It was clear she had made the worst possible choice.

With a creak, the door opened. Under the moonlight, a tall man dressed in black stood in the courtyard—it was indeed Tang Haiqiu. Seeing Wang Shihan open the door, he gave a smug smile. To Wang Shihan, seeing Tang Haiqiu again was like facing the most ferocious demon in the world, and fear caused her body to tremble violently.