The atmosphere in the room was oppressively heavy; Lingdang hung her head low, scared into silence, not daring to breathe.
Su Li looked at Lingdang with a bitter smile. Even her once most proud and beloved apprentice now seemed so unfamiliar.
"Lingdang, you can leave now. I'm tired and want to sleep," Su Li said weakly.
Lingdang didn’t leave immediately. She glanced at Xiao Zetian, and only after getting his approval did she dare to leave.
Su Li watched Lingdang leave, bitterness filling the corner of her mouth: "My apprentice... taking orders behind my back from you. How ironic."
After speaking, Su Li wrapped herself in the quilt, covered her head, and lay down in a daze, tears blurring her vision.
Xiao Zetian stood by the bed, staring at her cold and heartless back, feeling as if his heart was being cut with a knife.
After a moment, he sighed, opened the door, and walked out.
Su Li heard the door open behind her and sat up, staring blankly at the empty room.
Did he really just leave like that, to go find Princess Mingyu, his kindred spirit...?
Su Li felt as if a knife had dug out a piece of her heart; the pain was suffocating. She hugged herself, sobbing mournfully on her knees.
In the kitchen, Xiao Zetian stood expressionless by a small stove. Lingdang brought the medicine pot to simmer the herbs, not daring to make a sound.
"No one is allowed to know about tonight’s matter," Xiao Zetian said, looking at the bowl of black medicine.
Lingdang lowered her head, shivering: "Understood."
Xiao Zetian personally carried the bowl of medicine and walked towards the room.
Lingdang didn’t follow. She quickly disposed of the medicine dregs and then collapsed weakly against the stove.
Though Xiao Zetian hadn’t said what the medicine was, Lingdang recognized the herbs—it was clearly an abortifacient to prevent pregnancy!
Could it be that the general’s wife has already been... violated by Prince Ling...?
In the room, Su Li didn’t know how long she had been crying. Her tears seemed to have dried up, leaving her weak as she sat leaning against the headboard.
Yuanbao is gone, and he won’t ever come back, right... she thought painfully.
Suddenly, the door opened, and familiar footsteps sounded. A flicker of joy sparked in Su Li’s heart, but that joy was quickly torn apart by the cold reality.
She looked at him coldly: "General Xiao, why are you back?"
Xiao Zetian sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her helplessly: "A Li, I never intended to leave you."
Su Li’s gaze fell on the bowl of medicine in his hand, and her eyes immediately tightened.
"Drink it..." Xiao Zetian took a deep breath, forcing down the bitterness in his heart.
He hadn’t protected the woman he loved, allowing her to be violated by Prince Ling, and now he had to personally prepare an abortifacient for her to drink. The once invincible war god general felt an unprecedented sense of defeat and pain.
But he forced a comforting smile, looked at Su Li, and held the bowl of medicine to her lips.
He still remembered when Bailu had her accident; Su Li handled it this way because she didn’t want Bailu to suffer a lifetime ruined by a child conceived from being defiled by a beast.
So now that it was Su Li herself, Xiao Zetian was following her method to handle it.
Su Li took a deep breath as the familiar smell wafted to her nose. She recognized it; she had given Bailu this medicine before.
Su Li gave a bitter smile, looking at the bowl of medicine with sarcasm.
"Xiao Zetian, did you never even bother to ask if I was violated by Prince Ling? You were simply afraid I’d get pregnant with his child and later help him make money, causing you to lose your cash cow. So you just decided to play it safe and force me to drink this abortifacient to settle everything once and for all!?"