Saving the Obsessive Villain Boss [Quick Transmigration] (GL) - Chapter 22
Xu Zhaosu had always considered herself a decisive person. In her life, she never regretted anything she had done, except when it came to Shi Qingyi—she used up all the remorse she would ever have in this lifetime on her.
Shi Qingyi’s body had reached a certain point of weakness. When she lay in Xu Zhaosu’s arms late at night, her breathing was faint. Xu Zhaosu dared not close her eyes the entire night, afraid that if she fell asleep and woke up, the person would have already left her.
She hooked her fingers around Shi Qingyi’s, leaned in close, and kissed her temples: “Qingyi, do you regret meeting me? If back then, I hadn’t brought you down the mountain, perhaps everything wouldn’t be like this…”
The past rushed in, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, a lifetime had already passed.
Shi Qingyi had no strength left, only slightly closing her eyes and very faintly uttering two words. Xu Zhaosu couldn’t hear them, so she held her hand, slowly writing on her palm.
Her hand was slender and beautiful, but frighteningly frail. The blue-green veins were visible through her skin. Her hand was shaking, and the characters were crooked.
She wrote: “Never…”
Xu Zhaosu rested her jaw on Shi Qingyi’s forehead, tears flowing slowly: “I know, I know…”
This night was surprisingly long, seeming endlessly distant. Xu Zhaosu held the girl of her heart, waiting for the dawn, pleading with her to wait a little longer, just a little longer.
In the pitch-black night, countless massacres and pursuits were still ongoing. The sound of rain mixed with the clash of swords. The Eldest Princess personally presided, solely to save that person’s life.
As the sky turned white, bl00d stained the Imperial City’s blue bricks. A scarred and exhausted Imperial Guard presented a carefully locked, lacquered box to the Eldest Princess’s desk.
Inside was a small Gu worm, emitting a piercing rustling sound.
The official waiting beside her hesitated for a moment, blocking the way: “Your Highness, do you truly want to give it to His Majesty?”
These true confidantes knew a little about the affairs of the palace. Shi Qingyi could truly be called a scourge. His Majesty had been manipulated twice, and now that she was finally at the end of her rope, should they really let her live?
The Eldest Princess’s long fingers brushed over the heavy lacquered box. She lowered her eyes. Her sharp expression was tinged with weariness: “Do you think that if she doesn’t survive, you will have any chance of survival?”
She was His Majesty’s bl00d-related aunt and understood the current Empress better than anyone else. She had gone mad once. If Shi Qingyi truly couldn’t be saved this time, bl00d flowing like a river would be an instant reality—at least the person currently blocking her path would certainly not survive.
Xu Zhaosu was no longer the gentle and benevolent monarch she once was. Madness had stained her very bones, and Shi Qingyi was the only medicine that could suppress her.
The official’s heart trembled, and something instantly became clear to him. Countless cold sweats broke out on his back. The Eldest Princess bypassed him, hurrying toward the palace against the wind and rain.
The Mother Gu had been found, but the person who refined the Gu had committed suicide in fear of punishment during the chaos. Whether Shi Qingyi could be saved was still completely unknown.
The Imperial Prison was no better than the outside. Everyone captured was subjected to brutal interrogation. Countless cruel tortures were used to extract information overnight, practically cleansing the Imperial City of all the former dynasty’s forces in a single night.
This later became a crucial chapter in Xu Zhaosu’s life. Historians’ meticulous writing began to describe her as tyrannical and bloodthirsty from this point on. Legend has it that the bl00d in the Imperial Prison even overflowed in the morning, accompanied by the heavy rain.
The entire palace, and even the vast Imperial City, was accompanying the Lady Monarch through this difficult night.
Later, they brought Jing’e out of the Imperial Prison.
The Gu worm was under her control, and the Gu refiner was dead. She was the only person in the entire world who could control the Gu worm.
The once defiant woman had her eyes tightly closed. Despite enduring brutal torture, she refused to yield. She was frighteningly proud; even at this moment, her spine was ramrod straight.
Shi Qingyi had been raised and taught by this person, carrying the same lineage of coldness and arrogance.
Xu Zhaosu leaned against the desk. Having not closed her eyes for too long, her eyes were veined with startling bloodshot threads. Her hand pressed down on the bl00d-stained lacquered box. Outside the window, thunder rumbled, and the heavy rain poured. Her voice was solitary and cold, like a trapped beast at the end of its rope.
“You know what I want—”
From beginning to end, all she wanted was that one person.
Jing’e raised her head. There were still whip marks on her face, and bl00d flowed freely, yet she still possessed an inherent stubbornness: “Then you should also know that I will not let you have your way. Even if she dies, it should be as a martyr for her country!”
To die as a martyr, fulfilling her unfulfilled loyalty, was her true destination.
“She is the child you raised personally, who has respected you as her teacher, mother, and only elder for a lifetime, obeying your every command—” Xu Zhaosu sounded scornful, and also as if she felt her girl was not worth the effort, her gaze burning, filled with unspoken anger.
“Do you truly intend to just watch her die?”
Jing’e’s straight spine trembled for an instant, then quickly straightened again, as if no worldly storm could ever break her even slightly.
Her tone was cold and hard, carrying a certain difficult sorrow. Word by word, her voice started low and then grew louder and louder. She didn’t know whether she was trying to convince herself or others.
“That is also what she deserves!”
The child she personally raised had ultimately fallen in love with her mortal enemy. No one is made of wood or stone; how can they be without feelings? But some matters are destined to be a choice between two evils.
Xu Zhaosu silently smoothed her clothes, concealing her trembling hands.
“But if she dies, I will make everyone accompany her in death.” Xu Zhaosu smoothed her clothes, her voice devoid of any inflection, but one could feel that she was truly serious, not joking in the slightest.
“Not just you, but everyone in the capital involved, not a single person will escape!”
Outside the window, thunder roared. Besides the sound of thunder, there seemed to be other noises. The Imperial Guard pushed open the hall door. The desolate wind and cold rain instantly poured in. They were dragging two people, a man and a woman. The woman resembled Shi Qingyi, and the man was handsome and tall, appearing to be of unusual status.
“Did you think you planned everything perfectly? Without my permission, no one, absolutely no one, can leave my Imperial City—”
“How could this be—” Even someone as deeply calculating as Jing’e couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
General Zhong was the Princess’s lover and one of the most important officials in the court today. He had sworn an oath to the heavens to keep the Princess safe at all times and had agreed that if this operation failed, he would fight to the death to save the Princess. Therefore, hope still lingered in her heart, but she had never expected—
No, that’s not right, there’s still—
Jing’e turned her head in shock. Outside the hall was like a purgatory. Sharp cries of anguish pierced through the heavy rain, echoing between heaven and earth.
In the darkness, amidst the downpour, countless Imperial Guards escorted hundreds of prisoners wading through the rain. Heavy cangues were placed around their necks. From elders in their eighties to children a few years old, all were firmly chained and kneeling in the pouring rain.
Among them were her former comrades, disciples she had taken in, accompanying righteous individuals, and children she had taught. Now, they were all kneeling outside the hall, and the executioner’s blade, ready to fall at any moment, was just an inch above their heads.
Xu Zhaosu’s five fingers dug deeply into the lacquered box. Her voice was like a demon awakened from purgatory.
“Now, the lives of all of them are in your hands.”
“You need to think carefully—”
If the girl she held so dear died, naturally no one else would have a peaceful life!
Jing’e certainly possessed great pride and feared no death, but while she herself was unafraid to die, it didn’t mean she had the heart to let everyone die with her. Xu Zhaosu did not give her much time to hesitate. She feared her Qingyi wouldn’t be able to wait.
If a decision wasn’t made in a quarter of an hour, one person would be killed, and a piece of flesh would be carved from the person in the hall, until all the accomplices outside the hall were executed, and the two people inside were slowly sliced to death, leaving only skeletons, unable to live or die.
Jing’e’s defeat came exceptionally quickly. She was like bamboo finally bent under pressure, her spine curving. In just a moment, she rapidly became hunched and aged. The lacquered box was placed before her. She finally reached out and took it with trembling hands.
“I’ll save her. You must let the Princess go…”
Even at this point, she was still considering the Princess she cared so much about.
Xu Zhaosu lowered her head, a hint of coldness rising at the corner of her lips. She quietly leaned closer to the woman trapped in the prison, Shi Qingyi’s teacher. She had been waiting for her request to achieve her final objective, waiting until now.
“I can let her go, but from now on, you and Shi Qingyi will have no further connection.”
The kindness of raising a child is as weighty as a mountain, and Shi Qingyi could not abandon it herself, but she could force Jing’e to abandon it. From then on, the mountains and rivers would be vast, and there would be no meeting again.
Jing’e seemed to finally understand something. Her hands suddenly clenched the ground tightly. Her lips parted and closed, but in the end, she closed her eyes in despair. The Lady Monarch, having gotten what she wanted, carefully carried the lacquered box and walked inward with a faltering step. Jing’e stared intently at her back, silent tears of bl00d falling from her eyes: “Xu Zhaosu, by doing this, aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
As if hearing a great joke, Xu Zhaosu’s steps paused slightly, but she did not turn back.
“I have already received my retribution.”
She had already suffered enough retribution in this life.
Pushing aside the four-sided screens, the dragon saliva incense had burned out. The girl in white was lying on the soft fox fur, her eyes closed. Warm liquid slowly rolled down from the corners of her eyes.
Xu Zhaosu’s heart twisted in pain. She rushed over and embraced her, repeatedly kissing away the warm tears from the corners of her eyes, pulling the person into her arms, stroking her trembling back again and again: “Qingyi, I’m here, I’m here…”
Shi Qingyi had been behind the screen all along. Jing’e didn’t know, but even if she did, she would probably still choose the current outcome.
She wanted Shi Qingyi to watch Jing’e abandon her, even if it tore her heart out, she had to watch. The pain would only last for this moment, eliminating any possibility of future entanglement. She wanted Shi Qingyi’s eyes and heart to hold only her.
“I will always be by your side…”
Everyone else abandons you, forsakes you, uses you, but I won’t. I am the only one willing to give you my heart and soul, regardless of the cost!
She knew Jing’e had the kindness of raising Qingyi, but starting today, Qingyi no longer owed Jing’e anything. It was Jing’e who personally cut off their connection, using her as a bargaining chip to secure the Princess’s safety.
“Qingyi, take the medicine…” Inside the lacquered box was the medicine mixed with the Mother Gu’s bl00d and Jing’e’s bl00d. As long as she took it, the Child Gu in her body would be neutralized. However, Shi Qingyi refused to open her mouth.
Shi Qingyi turned her face away. Before Xu Zhaosu could lose her temper, forcibly grasp her neck, and feed it to her, she whispered: “I… treated Your Majesty that way. Does Your Majesty truly no longer hate me?”
Her eyes were clear, obviously enduring great pain, yet her expression was incredibly gentle. She leaned closer to Xu Zhaosu, like a person freezing to death desperately approaching a source of heat: “Initially, I, cough, cough, intended to come and apologize to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty still hates me, I won’t take the medicine, alright?”
If you still hate me, I will repay you with my death.
She seemed to be not fully conscious, yet she was frighteningly stubborn: “I’m sorry for what I did to you, Zhaosu…”
That was the first time she had called Xu Zhaosu by her name instead of “Your Majesty.” She murmured, repeating the same question: “Do you still hate me…”
The harm done couldn’t be undone. Having reached this point, the hurdle she couldn’t overcome was in her own heart.
Xu Zhaosu’s eyes burned for a moment. She swallowed the bottle of bl00d herself, then leaned over and passed it into Shi Qingyi’s mouth, forcing her to drink it. Their lips and tongues intertwined, their breath filled with the smell of bl00d. Xu Zhaosu desperately held her.
“Of course I hate you—”
Shi Qingyi was stunned. The faint light in her eyes instantly dimmed.
Xu Zhaosu bit her lip, almost tearing at her, as if she wanted to gnaw off a piece of her flesh: “So you must live well to atone for your sins! You must stay by my side for a lifetime, unable to escape, unable to leave, don’t even think about leaving again—”
After a long time, Xu Zhaosu felt the hand that had fallen limply return to her waist. The force was very light, like a withered leaf falling in front of her.
She said hoarsely: “As you command.”
Xu Zhaosu’s heart finally settled securely. She knew that Shi Qingyi had survived.
She had the life-saving medicine, and she had the will to live.
—
Shi Qingyi was a trustworthy person. After taking the antidote, her body began to recover slowly, but it still took half a year for her to finally stabilize. The Lady Monarch carefully kept her by her side, making it rare for ordinary people to see her.
One afternoon in late autumn, Shi Qingyi fell into a deep sleep after just finishing her atonement. Her body was still not well, and Xu Zhaosu spoiled her, even allowing her to take the lead in bedroom matters.
Only after confirming that the person was soundly asleep did the Lady Monarch pull a piece of clothing to cover the mottled marks on her body, adjust the gauze curtains, and summon the Imperial Physician.
This time, the Imperial Physician was specially invited from Miaojiang, highly knowledgeable about the habits of Gu worms. Although Shi Qingyi had survived, the Child Gu in her body had not died, only temporarily suppressed.
The Gu had been implanted in her body for too long, making it too difficult to remove in a short time. They could only proceed gradually, but after half a year, the right opportunity had finally been found.
“I have tried many times. As long as the Mother Gu’s bl00d is mixed with medicine and guided out with a silver needle, the Gu will be dispelled. From now on, no one will be able to use this Gu to threaten her.”
The Imperial Physician from Miaojiang was actually a young woman. Holding the highly toxic Gu worm in her hand, she did not seem afraid of the monarch, whose fearsome reputation was known throughout the land. She only looked up and asked: “But why doesn’t Your Majesty want to keep the Gu?”
Xu Zhaosu looked down at her, her eyes unreadable.
The physician continued: “This Gu is not used to harm people in our tribe. Our girls, in the past, who fell in love with outsiders and were deceived, some would use this when marrying them.”
“This Gu has another name, the ‘Concentric Gu.’ If the beloved’s heart strays, it will cause them to die of agonizing pain, so outsiders call it the ‘Heartbreak Gu.'”
“In fact, without the Mother Gu, the Child Gu staying in her body is not a serious matter. Does Your Majesty still want to remove it?”
The light and shadows flickered in the hall, reflecting in the person’s eyes, but failing to illuminate the unfathomable human heart.