The Pity Flower Blooming in a Pool of Blood (2)

Seeing all this unfold, Xiska Mon couldn't help but suck in a breath. He never imagined the mechanisms of the Central Plains could be so terrifying—nothing on the surface, but every hidden detail was a deadly strike.

"Looks like that's it," Ivy Shen glanced around as the traps stopped, guessing it was finally over.

"I'll go first," Ivy Shen was about to step forward when Xiska Mon grabbed her arm. "Let me!"

"No need," Ivy strode ahead without hesitation—no way was she backing down now. She had to get to her sister as fast as possible.

"Ivy Shen!" Xiska Mon called out, clearly annoyed. "Don't forget—you're pregnant!"

Before Ivy could reply, Xiska Mon leapt forward. The distance was long, so he had to land halfway—right on Gavin Wang's bisected body, which made the perfect stepping stone. A jump, then another, and soon he'd crossed.

He didn't trigger a single trap along the way. Seeing this, Ivy finally let out a breath of relief—then, in the next second, she quickly leapt across as well.

"Miss, Miss..." Xiska Mon was first to reach the platform, and what he saw made his heart seize up—a woman drenched in blood, her tail flayed and torn. How could anyone inflict such torture?

"Miss, Miss..." Xiska Mon dropped to one knee, gently cradling her in his arms. She was so thin she could've been blown away by the wind. He called to her softly.

"Sis, sis..." Ivy Shen rushed over, dropping to her knees and grabbing her sister's dried-up fingers, tears streaming down as she called out.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry... I came too late. I let you suffer. I'm sorry." Staring at her sister's paper-white face, sunken eyes, and lifeless body, Ivy's heart twisted so hard she could barely breathe.

Suddenly, the woman in Xiska Mon's arms let out a faint cough.

"Sister!" Ivy Shen grabbed her hand, leaning in and calling softly again.

At the sound, the woman in Xiska Mon's arms finally, slowly, opened her tired eyes—and Ivy's face appeared right in front of her.

"Xin... Xin'er..."

Ivy was so close, her whole face right up against hers—so Lacey Shen could see her clearly with just one glance.

"It's me, it's me!" Ivy sobbed, answering through her tears as they dripped all over Lacey's face.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Ivy quickly reached out to wipe her sister's face, only to realize there was barely any flesh—her bones stuck out everywhere, making it awkward and painful.

"It's nothing... Sister's fine..." Lacey Shen hurried to comfort the crying Ivy.

"I'm going to kill her!" Seeing her sister like this, Ivy knew just how much torture she'd suffered since last time. She didn't dare imagine it, couldn't bring herself to even try.

"Don't be impulsive!" Xiska Mon quickly stopped her. "Remember what matters most right now."

Those words instantly froze Ivy Shen in her tracks.

Lacey Shen, hearing a new voice, turned her head and looked up at the man speaking.

The moment Lacey Shen met Xiska Mon's gaze, his heart thudded like he'd been struck by lightning—his breathing grew ragged.

Right then, Xiska Mon finally understood what Ivy Shen had said before—not that he was unwilling to give, but that he'd never met someone worth giving everything to.

When you meet the right person, you just know—with a single glance.

And now, he truly understood what that meant.

She looked so haggard, but her eyes—just one look and he knew he was already falling...

"You..." Lacey Shen wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say. She hesitated, then managed a faint smile. "Thank you."

Hearing that, Xiska Mon, for some reason, took off his hat. Instantly, his golden eyes were revealed, stunning and shaking Lacey Shen—golden eyes, in this world?

For a moment, she felt his eyes were like a legendary sun, suddenly shining into her heart.

"Xiska Mon, hurry up!" Ivy Shen was only focused on her sister's injuries, totally missing the looks on their faces.

At her words, Xiska Mon carefully handed Lacey Shen over to Ivy, then unwrapped the cloth to reveal the crimson Ten-Thousand-Year Iron Sword.

A second later, Ivy held Lacey close while Xiska Mon swung the sword sideways—clang, clang, clang! The Ten-Thousand-Year Chain that had tormented her for twenty-two years finally snapped, and the crimson sword broke, too.

When the two collided, both shattered.

"Sis!" Staring at the broken chain links, Ivy Shen burst into tears of joy.

"Xin'er..." Unable to hold back, Lacey Shen's tears streamed down, too. She'd always thought this day would never come—never dreamed she'd really be free of those chains.

"Okay, let's get out of here!" Xiska Mon urged, quickly bending down to pick up Lacey Shen.

She hadn't used her legs in so long she'd forgotten how—and now her tail was so injured it couldn't transform, so Xiska Mon had to carry her.

Ivy Shen took the cloth that had wrapped the Ten-Thousand-Year Iron Sword and tied it around Lacey Shen's tail, fastening the other end to Xiska Mon's chest—so her tail wouldn't drag or get caught when he jumped.

"Xin'er..." Lacey Shen's brows furrowed slightly, feeling like a burden.

"Don't overthink it, Sis. It's fine. From now on, you're starting a brand new life," Ivy Shen promised firmly.

Lacey nodded, said no more, and looked up at the man carrying her. Her cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry... to trouble you..."

"Don't talk. Just close your eyes and sleep. When you wake up, everything will be better," Xiska Mon soothed gently. Lacey, utterly exhausted, closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

Ivy Shen and Xiska Mon exchanged a look, immediately understanding, and rushed out together.

That night—

Draken City was thrown into utter chaos. The moment Ivy Shen and Ethan Chu burst out, it was destined to spark mayhem. But for a mere hundred men, Ivy cleaned up in less than three minutes.

Ethan Chu watched Ivy Shen's lightning-fast moves and couldn't help giving a thumbs-up—she was getting stronger and stronger.

Before the breakout, they'd already split up duties—he'd protect Lacey Shen, while Ivy handled the aftermath.

With everything delegated, their efficiency soared. Five minutes later, when the patrol returned and noticed something wrong, Ivy Shen and Ethan Chu had already sped out of the palace.

Outside, the thousand-li horses were finally put to use. Meanwhile, in Ruiland City, all seven husbands had woken up, eager to rush to Draken City—only to find four strangers: Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning.

Of course, they all knew Wind. The other three they hadn't met, but their bearing and skill were unmistakable.

Wind explained: as soon as they woke, they were to head straight for the Xianglai Inn on the road to Chu Kingdom.

Turns out Ivy Shen had planned everything—she wanted them to meet at the Xianglai Inn in Chu Kingdom, and once there, buy a carriage with comfortable bedding.

Seeing the thousand-li horses already prepared, they wanted to rush to Draken City, but Wind stopped them with a single speech.

"Miss's orders must be followed. Why aren't we going? Because we trust her. She's your wife, after all—you should trust her most. If you go charging in and get caught, you'll only make things worse for her."

His words shocked them—and woke them up. So the seven husbands and the others stopped hesitating and raced toward the Xianglai Inn.

They had to get everything Ivy Shen needed.

The successful prison break let Ivy Shen breathe a huge sigh of relief. She'd been ready for a fight, but by sheer luck ran into Wang Gui, used him, and got out without a hitch.

Wang Gui, you finally died for a good cause!

Ivy Shen knew Draken City was in chaos. Once Cao Wan'er realized someone important was missing, she'd order a citywide search—escaping would be much harder then.

Now, the only safe place left was Chu Kingdom.

Once she reached Chu Kingdom, Ivy Shen would begin her plan to restore her homeland.

Chu Kingdom, Soaring Phoenix Kingdom—this ugly war, she had to find a way to minimize the harm, and do everything she could to protect the innocent!

*************Preview****************

PS: With this chapter finished, Xin'er’s egg-laying, laugh-out-loud journey is about to begin. Uh, whose egg will it be? Hard to say! By the way, some of you say Yiyi is biased toward Husband Number Seven—really? (No way, I’m totally fair!) Also, this story will wrap up this month, so let’s look forward to it together. Mwah!