The accident happened so fast that by the time Jiang Sui came to her senses, Lu Yunze’s body was already falling toward the ground.
The scythe that had pierced his chest hovered in the air, then finally returned to its owner’s hand.
“Haha, didn’t expect that, did you!”
Li Ren was still stuck on the rebar, each crazed laugh accompanied by a mouthful of blood.
“That’s what you get for underestimating me! I’m famous for my tough life!”
As he spoke, he grabbed the rebar with both hands, trying to pull himself free.
His laughter and taunts reached Jiang Sui’s ears as muddled echoes, her mind filled with the look on Lu Yunze’s face when he pushed her away.
No hostility, only the relief and happiness of having successfully pushed her out of danger. But as his blood drained away, his smile quickly lost its color, turning deathly pale.
No, this isn’t right, is it?
Jiang Sui had even considered acting out another scene of sacrificing herself to save Lu Yunze. So why, now, was she the one saved by him?
Why did you save me?
Jiang Sui hurried to Lu Yunze’s side, staring fixedly at his ashen face, her lips trembling.
“Didn’t you suspect me? Shouldn’t you see me as your enemy?”
This doesn’t make sense.
Tonight’s plan was to make him understand that even if Jiang Sui had contact with Secret Arts Practitioners, she wouldn’t harm him. Jiang Sui had prepared to be suspected as an enemy, and even planned how to act to dispel his doubts completely.
But when it came to this step, everything fell apart.
So what if there was an attack?
Jiang Sui had already brushed past the gates of death once. She didn’t care about doing it again. She’d long since grown used to living alone, relying only on herself to survive one crisis after another, with no help from anyone.
But…
“Hurry…” Lu Yunze’s voice was weak. “Run.”
“……”
“Stay alive.”
Lu Yunze’s tone wasn’t agitated—on the contrary, it was rather relaxed.
Ever since his family was destroyed, he had thought more than once about joining his parents sooner. So when facing death, he felt no fear, only lingering worry for his little Maid’s safety.
After saying this, Lu Yunze stopped moving. If not for the faint breath and heartbeat, Jiang Sui would have thought she had messed up for good.
Wait, didn’t I just mess up for good?
Feeling something in her hand, Jiang Sui opened her palm—a necklace symbolizing luck had somehow been pressed into her hand.
The rain was getting heavier, soaking her clothes and hair, streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto Lu Yunze’s face.
“Haha, hahahaha!”
A shrill laugh rang out. Li Ren had broken free from the rebar and was dragging his scythe as he slowly walked toward them.
One hand pressed against his chest, and the flowing mud slowly sealed his wound, stopping the bleeding.
He had no idea where that Maid had come from, but Li Ren didn’t stop. As he got closer, he swung his fist hard, knocking her down.
Li Ren’s eyes widened as he looked at Lu Yunze, his face twisted like a beast starved to the brink of madness.
“Think you can just die and be done with it? I won’t let you off that easy.”
He planned to take his time with Lu Yunze, slicing his flesh bit by bit, waking him with pain, then mocking him, savoring the look on Lu Yunze’s face right before death.
The rain grew even heavier, drumming on the scythe. Li Ren struggled to lift it, and just as he was about to bring it down—
Pa-da.
Footsteps behind him made him pause.
Li Ren frowned and turned to look.
“Don’t get in my way.”
Jiang Sui was still standing, unmoving, her soaked gray-brown hair plastered to her cheek, making her look even more fragile.
“That punch I gave you earlier wasn’t enough? You couldn’t even dodge that—shouldn’t you treasure your life?” Li Ren sneered.
“I didn’t dodge because I deserved it.”
Jiang Sui’s tone was flat, cold.
She touched the side of her face where she’d been hit. It still stung.
That punch was the lesson she deserved. Clearly, Lu Yunze was the chess piece she’d intended to use, yet somehow, the piece that jumped out of the plan had saved her life.
Utterly humiliating—she hadn’t accounted for such an accident.
And one more thing.
“So, someone really would come to save me.”
It wasn’t an illusion, but it still felt unreal.
Jiang Sui clearly heard the violent beating of her heart inside her chest. The rhythm—stronger than ever before!
Jiang Sui lifted her head, her gaze falling on Li Ren, making him shiver for a moment.
“You want to kill him—did you ask me first?”
“You two close or something? Worth risking your life for?” Li Ren’s lips twitched.
Close?
Jiang Sui almost blurted out “not really,” but the bright smile that flashed through her mind made her swallow the words.
In the end, she brushed aside her bothersome hair and flashed a playful smile, giving Li Ren a reply that made his expression even darker:
“I’m his Maid.”
“Huh?”
“Ensuring the Young Master’s safety—well, that’s a Maid’s job.”
“Did I hit your head silly, or did the rain get in your brain?”
Maybe it really was rainwater. Otherwise, Jiang Sui couldn’t find a second reason for the only thought in her mind at this moment: Kill him!
End it quickly, then get Lu Yunze to the hospital. If she was fast enough, he could still be saved.
Jiang Sui still needed Lu Yunze to turn the tables and change her doomed ending. If he died, who would defeat the Luo Family at the end of the story?
The original novel wasn’t just about romance; there was also a main plotline, just as messy. In the parts Jiang Sui had read, the main plot hadn’t developed much yet, but based on her guess and the comments online, the final villain was the Luo Family.
If Lu Yunze died, who would wrap up the story?
Jiang Sui had no intention of doing that kind of hard labor in his place. So while she was working on cultivating Lu Yunze’s feelings for her, she also had to ensure his growth in strength, making sure that when the final story arc came, he could wipe out the entire Luo Family.
When the time came, saving him was unavoidable.
Amid the roar of the rain, Jiang Sui thought she heard a faint laugh and almost turned her head instinctively.
The Black Cat?
Was she mocking me?
Makes sense. She’d acted so cold before, and yet in the end…
Pa-da!
The moment she heard the sound of shoes stepping into a puddle, Jiang Sui looked up—Li Ren had somehow launched himself at her.
Even with serious injuries, Li Ren’s speed hadn’t dropped much. Even if his opponent was just a Maid, he would still go all out.
He swung his scythe several times in a row, but Jiang Sui only kept retreating, not even looking like she intended to fight back.
“Even duller than Lu Yunze. Don’t tell me you’re not even a Secret Arts Practitioner?”
Li Ren spat, swinging even faster.
The sharp blade sliced through the rain. When it touched Jiang Sui’s clothes, it left a gash.
“Tch, this was my favorite outfit.”
Glancing at the tear in her clothes, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but complain. If this outfit was ruined, what would she wear to seduce Lu Yunze in the future?
That scythe looked really handy. Jiang Sui narrowed her eyes.
Although he noticed her expression was odd, Li Ren’s mind was growing sluggish—he didn’t care, and kept hacking away.
After closing the distance again, he raised the scythe high, planning to cleave the unmoving girl in two and end the fight.
Bang!
The scene Li Ren expected didn’t happen. The scythe hadn’t landed on her head, but had been blocked by a strange book.
What the hell? It won’t cut through?
Li Ren rarely encountered something like this. He widened his eyes.
No matter how hard he tried, he could only see the scythe trembling on the Ancient Book’s surface, unable to leave so much as a mark on the cover.
“Thanks for your cooperation, then…”
Jiang Sui’s lips curled up. She swept the scythe aside with the Ancient Book, then reached forward and slapped his chest wound.
Li Ren, wracked with pain, fell to his knees, supporting himself with the scythe as he gasped for breath.
And Jiang Sui, while the blood on her hand had yet to be washed away by the rain, smeared it across the Ancient Book’s surface.
A red glow flared. The Ancient Book opened on its own, a new page appearing, covered in twisted script.
Noticing Li Ren’s confused look, Jiang Sui closed the Ancient Book, then raised one hand.
With a flash of red light, a long-handled scythe appeared in her palm.
Bang!
Jiang Sui planted the scythe in the ground, then turned to look at the stunned enemy, her tone full of challenge:
“Now, we’re even.”
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