Tu Lingduo could not appear at Zhi Li’s coronation ceremony because her reputation was too terrible, which made her extremely furious.
So at this time, she vented this anger upon Zhi Ning and her son.
With one hand pinching the baby’s small mouth, she looked at his little milk teeth with crazed eyes and smiled, “The baby’s little milk teeth are truly cute. Pulling them all out and stringing them into a necklace would certainly look very beautiful. Shall we give it to your father to wear around his neck?”
The baby was already too frightened to cry, while Zhi Ning used her hand to tightly cover the baby’s eyes, not letting him see this scene.
“Pulling teeth doesn’t count as harm anyway. They’ll grow back after seven or eight years.” Tu Lingduo giggled coquettishly.
And just at this moment, Zhi Ning was truly about to despair.
She knew that the Tu Lingduo before her was already a madwoman, without any rationality. She could no longer be stimulated with any words, otherwise she would certainly do something even more extreme.
Previously, the matter of Zhi Li’s coronation had still weighed upon her heart, keeping Tu Lingduo somewhat rational.
Now Zhi Li should have already been crowned, and Tu Lingduo could not enjoy the glory of it. This would make her even more angry and deranged.
And just at this moment, Princess Zhi Ning suddenly saw a flash in the secret chamber, and three figures appeared!
Zhi Yan, Suolun, Ji Xiuning!
Princess Zhi Ning completely could not believe her eyes. Was she dreaming? Because of the despair in her heart, was she dreaming of Suolun’s appearance?
Seeing Zhi Ning’s somewhat stunned expression, and the look directed behind her.
Tu Lingduo started, suddenly looking behind her, and saw Suolun!
Instantly…
Her reaction was far more intense than Zhi Ning’s. Like being struck by lightning, her entire body went completely rigid. Her two eyes instantly widened to the extreme. Every hair on her body suddenly stood on end.
Her head felt waves of cold.
Her feet felt waves of heat.
Her entire body, caught between icy cold and fiery heat, began to tremble violently!
The Suolun before her at this time was the deepest nightmare in her heart, the deepest terror.
“Don’t come over, or I’ll kill your son!” Tu Lingduo suddenly said fiercely.
However, she discovered her body completely could not move.
Before Zhi Yan and Ji Xiuning, two of the world’s topmost experts, how could she have the slightest chance?
Suolun beckoned toward Zhi Ning.
“Wah…” Zhi Ning burst into loud sobs, hugging the baby and rushing over fiercely, throwing herself into Suolun’s embrace.
Then she began to cry with all her might, as if wanting to release all the fear of this period.
And when the baby saw his mother crying loudly, he also began to cry loudly!
Suolun held Zhi Ning’s delicate body in his arms. In just a few days’ time, she had grown thin, no longer as plump as before.
Suolun carefully pressed his forehead against the baby’s. If an infant was too greatly frightened, they would develop a fever and become ill.
But fortunately, the baby did not have a fever at this time.
Then, Suolun gently examined the baby’s pupils, touched the top of his head, and carefully looked at every part of his body.
After confirming the baby was safe and sound, Suolun held the baby tightly in his arms, closing his eyes and greedily inhaling his scent.
“It’s all my fault, all my fault…” Suolun muttered to himself. “I did not anticipate Zhi Li’s assassination of the King, causing the baby to suffer this fright. If he truly suffered any harm, even if I killed a hundred thousand people, it could not be undone.”
“Hahahaha…” Tu Lingduo shrieked with laughter. “Suolun, you can only blame yourself for pushing things too far, making your son suffer along with you!”
“What have I done to you?” Suolun said calmly.
Tu Lingduo was stunned. Yes, what had Suolun done to her?
The most excessive thing he had done to her was tattooing her body. But in the end, he found a way to completely wash it away.
And then… he had not done anything to her at all.
On Rock Island, she had exposed Suolun’s identity, causing the Rock Demon to kick Suolun down into a bottomless abyss.
At that time, the one who threw Tu Lingduo off the cliff, causing her serious injuries, was the Rock Demon, not Suolun!
It was true that Suolun had ruined her reputation. But that was because she and Zhi Li had conspired to murder Tu Liyang, and pinned the blame on Suolun’s head, directly leading to the world besieging Suolun, nearly costing him his life.
And Suolun had merely rescued Tu Liyang and spoken the truth.
Suolun had indeed hurt Gui Qinshao many times. But toward Tu Lingduo, he had truly almost never done anything harmful.
Suolun no longer paid her any mind, still holding the baby tightly.
Just now, when Tu Lingduo had pinched the baby’s small mouth to look at the little teeth inside, the baby had been very frightened, almost unable to cry.
And now, Suolun gently pried open his small mouth to see if there was any injury inside. He also carefully examined every part of his body. But the baby did not cry again, nor showed any fear. He only stared at Suolun with wide eyes.
Although he was only one year old, he could sense danger, and could also sense love.
Princess Zhi Ning watched as Suolun kept kissing the baby, looking him over again and again, as if his entire heart and mind were upon him.
She had originally been completely nestled in Suolun’s embrace, holding him tightly. Now she gradually loosened her grip, then retreated half a step, giving the space completely to Suolun and his son.
For some reason, she suddenly felt very bitter and sad in her heart.
Because at this time, all of Suolun’s heart was upon the child, not upon her.
After holding him for several more minutes, Suolun kissed the baby’s forehead and the tip of his nose, saying, “Good baby, go to Mama!”
The baby stretched out his chubby little hand and patted Suolun’s face.
Reluctantly returning the baby to Zhi Ning, Suolun said softly, “I’m sorry I came late.”
Princess Zhi Ning shook her head with a bitter heart.
“Have you suffered any injuries?” Suolun asked. Then his gaze moved to her face, where there was a bloody cut. Fortunately it was shallow and would not leave a scar. There was also a bloody cut on her neck, actually right at the carotid artery.
Suolun reached out his hand and gently stroked the edge of her wound.
The slight stinging pain, along with Suolun’s gentle touch, made Princess Zhi Ning’s heart tremble slightly.
Although she knew she should not think this way, the fact that Suolun had only just now noticed her wound made Zhi Ning feel very upset in her heart.
If it were Yan Nai’er who was injured, if it were Suo Ningbing who was injured, or even if it were Gui Qinshao who was injured? Would he only have discovered it now?
“You go up first with the child. Wait for me outside for a moment!” Suolun said.
Zhi Ning nodded, holding the child and walking out.
Ji Xiuning thought for a moment, then also walked out. When she reached the doorway, she turned back toward Suolun and said, “You may take revenge, but please be mindful of your own state of mind.”
Then she walked out.
Suolun said to Zhi Yan, “Aren’t you going out?”
“No.” Zhi Yan said, “Your martial arts are too terrible. It’s better for me to stay by your side. Besides, whatever you do to Tu Lingduo, I support it. Even if you rape her a hundred times, I would only help you hold down her hands and feet. Of course, the one hundred and first time, you must come rape me.”
Suolun was speechless. When Fairy Zhi Yan said these ruffian words with a dead-serious expression, the sense of incongruity was truly too heavy. And yet she was not joking. She was speaking very seriously.
Moreover, from these words, one could see that the concept of jealousy did not exist in her heart at all.
…
Suolun came before Tu Lingduo, grabbed her long hair, and smashed her head fiercely against the wall.
“Bang!” A loud crash.
Tu Lingduo’s face was covered in blood.
Then, Suolun stepped forward and grabbed her right arm, twisting it fiercely.
“Crack…” Instantly, the bones of her entire right arm were completely shattered.
Next, Suolun stomped fiercely upon her thigh.
“Crack…” Tu Lingduo’s leg bones broke in several places.
However, throughout the entire process, Tu Lingduo did not let out a single scream of pain, as if she could not feel any pain at all.
As if the one Suolun was torturing was someone else!
“His Majesty the King is not dead. The one who died was a body double. Zhi Li is finished.” Suolun said.
“Oh.” Tu Lingduo showed almost no ripple, merely responding calmly.
Having not slept for days and nights, previously her body had been entirely sustained by a flame within.
A flame of madness, a belief in revenge against Suolun.
But now with all hope extinguished, she had completely lost hope.
Even the immense physical pain could bring her no sensation.
Tu Lingduo’s soul seemed to have been drained. She collapsed completely on the ground, her gaze scattered and unfocused.
Suolun came before her and sat directly on the ground, saying quietly, “Why do this to me? What deep hatred do I have with you?”
At this time, Tu Lingduo had already quieted down. Her gaze was no longer crazed. She looked at Suolun for a long time, with no intention of speaking.
Suolun moved two steps closer, saying, “Why do this to me? What deep hatred do I have with you?”
Tu Lingduo’s gaze trembled slightly. She said, “You truly wish to know.”
“Yes, I wish to know.” Suolun said.
Tu Lingduo used her left hand to struggle up from the ground. With her dagger, she drew a straight line on the ground, saying, “This straight line, my life before the age of twenty, smooth sailing, proud, triumphant, happy! At that time, I was the most outstanding student at the Royal Academy, the direct-line daughter of the kingdom’s foremost noble house. At sixteen I was working at the Black Ice Bureau, looking down upon any peer in the world.”
“Three years ago, this straight line reached its end. I encountered you and suffered some setbacks. Princess Zhi Ning was defeated, Tianshui City was retaken by you, and I was also captured by you.” Tu Lingduo said quietly, “Of course, this was merely a setback, nothing that could be called failure. I even had mixed feelings of love and hate toward you, with a touch of romance.”
Then, Tu Lingduo drew two branching paths on the ground.
“The true fork in the road was the night my father made me marry Tu Liyang.” Tu Lingduo said quietly. “Don’t say that the present Tu Liyang is the best man. But at that time, Tu Liyang was a short, ugly pervert who went stealing girls’ underwear every day. Marrying such a man would be a nightmare for any woman, let alone for a proud, beautiful, noble, and outstanding woman like me. That night, my world collapsed.”
“This collapse was not merely because of having to marry Tu Liyang himself. It was also because my father treated me like a worn-out shoe. When Tu Lingchen cast aside family affairs to wander outside, I had always believed I was the pillar of the Tu Ling family, indispensable in my father’s heart.” Tu Lingduo said quietly, “However, I had not imagined that to my father, I was merely a tool for transactions. In his heart, I held almost no weight at all.”
“Suolun, you and I are different. You have been rebellious since childhood, with no father or mother in your eyes.” Tu Lingduo said, “I am somewhat like Gui Qinshao. We have regarded our fathers as heaven since childhood, as the greatest pillar in this world. When I was abandoned by my father, my world collapsed. When Gui Qinshao was abandoned by her father, her world also collapsed.”
Suolun nodded, acknowledging this point.
Tu Lingduo said, “Both Gui Qinshao’s and my worlds had collapsed. Our only pillars had been destroyed. Then before us lay two paths. Follow along and be destroyed together, or continue living!”
At this time, anyone after suffering would choose to continue living, unwilling to be destroyed.
Tu Lingduo said, “Both Gui Qinshao and I chose to live. It’s just that Gui Qinshao found herself another pillar, and that was love, which is you. When you rescued her from the Young Lord’s residence, you became the only master in her life, became her heaven. Under your protection, she could still live proudly, happily, beautifully, and flamboyantly.”
Suolun could clearly sense this point. After experiencing tribulation, Gui Qinshao should have become mature. But after following Suolun, she became even more delicate and even more willful, as if she had not matured but instead grown even more childish.
Because only in this way could she feel Suolun’s love and protection for her.
Tu Lingduo said, “Gui Qinshao is very naive and innocent, so she placed her hopes upon love, upon you. And I am somewhat smarter, and also have more dignity. Unwilling to pin my hopes of salvation upon anyone, I chose to rely on myself. After being abandoned by my father, I only believed in myself. I wanted to rely on my own strength for self-redemption, to escape the abyss.”
Regarding Tu Lingduo’s words, Suolun made no comment.
Tu Lingduo looked at Suolun, saying, “Once I also had a similarly naive thought like Gui Qinshao. I went to join you, to become your woman, to let you protect me. However, this thought would only arise in the dead of night, in half-dream half-wakefulness. Then it would be incomparably sweet! After waking from the dream, there was only bone-piercing cold and self-mockery. At the first fork in the road of life, I chose to rely on myself, not to go join you and depend on you!”
Suolun saw the first branching path Tu Lingduo had drawn. He had not imagined that one of the paths was actually to join him and become his woman.
It’s just that this branching path was very short. Tu Lingduo had not even taken the first step before it ended.
“I chose a path of relying on myself.” Tu Lingduo said, “I wanted to rely on my own strength to leave this terrifying abyss. However, I discovered my strength was actually so minuscule. Wanting to escape this dark swamp abyss was completely a dream. My entire person was already trapped inside, unable to extricate myself. At this time, I discovered several stepping stones. Stepping on these stepping stones, I could walk out of this abyss. And these stepping stones all shared a common name, Suolun!”
Indeed, at that time if Tu Lingduo wanted to turn things around in the Tu Ling family, there was truly only one path. Defeat Suolun, and re-prove her own value.
“We people of the Tu Ling family are all very selfish. So after slight hesitation, I of course chose to step on your head to turn things around. Stepping on you as a stepping stone, leaving the dark swamp of my life.” Tu Lingduo said, “Actually, every person’s heart has a bottom line. A dignity bottom line, a moral bottom line. And once this bottom line is crossed, it can never be recovered. There is no longer any bottom line, only constant sinking.”
This theory was exactly the same as what Suolun had told Gui Qinshao at that time.
That stinking, rotten steamed bun was Gui Qinshao’s dignity bottom line.
“At that time, you should have been the only man I liked, the man I was infatuated with. But I sold you out to the Rock Demon, placing you in a fatal situation. At that time, this matter had already crossed my moral bottom line. Then it could never be recovered, only growing more despicable and vicious each time, more shameless and absurd each time.” Tu Lingduo said, “Tu Liyang’s devoted kindness almost saved my soul. However, almost is almost.”
“I have always been mocking Gui Qinshao. Her ignorance, her shallowness, her vanity. Compared to my self-respect, self-love, and self-strengthening, she is truly worthless.” Tu Lingduo laughed mournfully, “However, only now do I know that the foolish one is me. She has always been very smart, always knowing what she wants, then bravely pursuing it. And the foolish one, when not possessing sufficient strength, excessive dignity is actually a kind of despicable cowardice. It not only hurts others, but hurts oneself even more.”
“People are truly strange. She knows everything, but still does everything, commits every mistake. Character determines destiny!” Finally, Tu Lingtuo murmured to herself.
Suolun said calmly, “You stepped on me to turn things around. One could say you had no other choice. Then why did you harm my son?”
Tu Lingduo said, “After my reputation was ruined, my entire person seemed to have completely died. Only by doing things that completely trampled upon the bottom line could I remind myself that I was still alive. Revenge against you became my only belief.”
Having said this, Tu Lingduo’s dagger suddenly slashed, lightning-fast across her own neck’s carotid artery!