Chapter 354: Daddy Won’t Let You Die
Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Daddy Won’t Let You Die
"Ningning, listen to me," Xie Suzhi said, desperate to explain.
But the little girl turned and ran.
"Ningning!" Xie Suzhi immediately gave chase.
The Hidden Guard was faster. Using Qinggong, he glided forward, just about to grab Shen Ningning by the collar.
A magnificent eagle descended from the sky and went straight for the Hidden Guard’s head, scratching and pecking furiously.
Mengyi had come looking for a snack.
When it saw someone chasing Shen Ningning, it decided they must be a bad person.
The Hidden Guard flailed his arms to fend it off, his pursuit stalled.
Xie Suzhi chased her all the way out of the Xie Mansion, panting as he looked left and right.
The alley outside was brightly lit with lanterns on both sides, but there was no sign of Shen Ningning.
’Where on earth did she run off to?’
Seeing Xie Suzhi’s panicked expression, Uncle Pang hurried over. "Master, what’s wrong?"
"Get the carriage! No, bring me a horse!"
A moment later, Uncle Pang led a horse over. Xie Suzhi snatched the reins and mounted it.
He galloped straight for Wolf Mountain.
’Maybe Shen Ningning ran home.’
The little girl ran with all her might, wiping away tears with her small hands.
Just a moment ago, she had wanted to ask Xie Suzhi directly if what Second Madam Xie said was true.
But she didn’t dare, which was why she had hesitated outside the door.
She longed to find her parents, but she also cherished the fatherly love she received from Xie Suzhi.
She was afraid that Second Madam Xie might be wrong, and that blurting it out would only make Xie Suzhi unhappy with her.
She didn’t dare compare herself to the Xie family’s real daughter.
She felt unworthy, afraid that if she actually said something, she wouldn’t even be allowed to be his adopted daughter anymore.
But now, the little girl finally understood.
She really had been abandoned.
Even now that she had been found, her own biological father refused to acknowledge her!
Shen Ningning ran from the secluded alley all the way out of the city.
Her little feet pattered rapidly as she passed a group of men in bamboo hats, and she paid no mind to their appearance.
But that group of men stopped in their tracks.
The man in the lead lifted the brim of his hat, revealing a scar by his left eye, shaped like the hilt of a knife.
He pulled a portrait from his robes and compared it to Shen Ningning’s appearance.
"That’s her," the man said with certainty.
The little girl who had just run past was the person Great General Mucun had ordered them to assassinate—Princess Funing!
"After her." The man gestured, and the assassins moved like phantoms, swiftly following in Shen Ningning’s direction.
On their way to the Capital City, they had faced countless dangers due to the winter disaster.
They had started as a group of thirty-odd men, but now only thirteen remained.
But no matter. It was more than enough to kill a single child!
Xie Suzhi galloped along the main road, searching as he went.
His anxious gaze scanned every corner.
The streets were brilliantly lit, and children were jumping and playing.
But his daughter was not among them.
Xie Suzhi’s pursuit took him outside the city walls.
Night had fallen. The mountain path, devoid of moonlight and far from the lights of the city, grew ever darker until it was pitch-black.
He occasionally passed a smattering of homes with lit lanterns, deep in the mountains.
Just then, Xie Suzhi heard the cry of an eagle overhead.
He pulled the reins tight and looked up.
Against the gloomy sky, a colossal shadow soared on outstretched wings, flying swiftly in a particular direction.
Xie Suzhi recognized it. It was the same eagle that had stopped his Hidden Guard back at the mansion.
’It must be the bird of prey Shen Ningning raised.’
’It must be going to find Shen Ningning!’
Xie Suzhi immediately wheeled his horse around and followed the eagle.
Gradually, he realized they weren’t heading toward Xiangyun Village.
Instead, they crossed two mountains and ascended the rear mountain of Xitai Village.
A short way up the slope, a faint, intermittent cry was carried on the howling, frigid wind.
Shen Ningning was hugging Wu Zuchang’s tombstone, crying her heart out.
"Brother Zuchang, I wish you were here. You were the only one who liked me and loved me without asking for anything in return."
Her childish voice was filled with immense sorrow.
"Why aren’t you here anymore? SOB SOB SOB..."
"I don’t want a family anymore. I only want you as my brother. Please, come back."
The little girl clambered up onto the burial mound.
Then, she curled her small body into a ball.
She was actually planning to sleep right there.
As if this was her real home.
Through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, Shen Ningning saw a figure stumbling toward her.
’Could it be Brother Zuchang’s spirit?’
Shen Ningning sat up and wiped away her tears.
"Ningning!" Xie Suzhi’s voice called out.
The expression on Shen Ningning’s little face changed instantly. "Don’t come any closer!" she shrieked.
Xie Suzhi hastily stopped in his tracks.
Seeing his daughter’s tiny figure sitting on a burial mound, his heart ached with an indescribable pain.
"Ningning, let me explain. It’s more complicated than you think. I didn’t acknowledge you because I wanted to protect you!"
Shen Ningning sobbed, looking at Xie Suzhi with disappointment.
"Was it fun, Uncle Xie?"
"What?" Xie Suzhi froze.
"You knew the truth all along! You knew finding my parents was my obsession, yet you lied in front of everyone, telling me they were dead! You didn’t even give me a sliver of hope!" she screamed through her tears.
Finally, the little girl was so worked up that she broke into a fit of coughing.
His heart wrung with anxiety, Xie Suzhi quickly said, "Someone wants to use your identity as a blessed girl to offer you as a sacrifice to the heavens."
"Everyone knows that on the day you were born, Cangyun Country, which was suffering a drought, was blessed with a downpour. The State Preceptor said it was an auspicious sign."
"My child, this is a death plot! It’s a trap aimed at you!"
"I did everything I could to hide you because I didn’t want you to lose your life over this. Can’t you understand your father’s difficult position?"
Shen Ningning choked back her sobs. "You could have told me the truth. You had so many chances to be honest with me, but you never took them."
"There were so many other ways to solve this, but you chose the one that would hurt me the most! I don’t want to forgive you! I never want to!"
Just as Xie Suzhi was about to speak, he sharply detected the sound of an arrow cutting through the air.
Xie Suzhi’s expression changed.
He lunged toward Shen Ningning. "Watch out!"
His mind went completely blank. Without knowing where the hidden arrow came from, Xie Suzhi’s first instinct was to protect Shen Ningning.
Xie Suzhi threw his arms around Shen Ningning.
The father and daughter tumbled down from the burial mound together.
「Meanwhile.」
In Zichen Palace, Mo Lingwei was pacing restlessly.
A eunuch noticed his mood and asked, "Your Highness, would you like to listen to some music to relieve your boredom?"
"Music? What’s there to listen to?" Mo Lingwei’s tone was cold and sharp. "For some reason, I feel very uneasy."
The eunuch said knowingly, "Your Highness must be worried about Princess Funing."
"With you protecting her, the Commandery Princess will surely be fine."
Mo Lingwei stood by the window, gazing at the somber sky. His own icy expression darkened in response.
Suddenly, he turned around. "Prepare the carriage. I have to go to Wolf Mountain and see her for myself before I can be at ease."
"Yes, Your Highness." The eunuch withdrew.
The dark wind howled mournfully through the Mountain Range as Xie Suzhi held Shen Ningning tightly, fleeing for their lives through the forest.
Shen Ningning had hit her left hand when she fell.
It was probably sprained.
Her little face was pale, and she was crying continuously from the pain.
’Who’s trying to kill me?’
For a fleeting moment, Shen Ningning thought it would be better if she just died.
’If I died, maybe I could see Mother. Mother would never abandon me like Father did.’
’And maybe, I could even see Wu Zuchang again.’
At this thought, Shen Ningning stopped crying.
It was Xie Suzhi who, afraid she was in terrible pain, tried to comfort her. "Don’t be scared, Ningning. Don’t be afraid."
"Daddy will protect you. I won’t let you die here, I won’t..." he murmured, his pace never slackening for a second.
Shen Ningning’s small hand rested absently on his shoulder when she suddenly felt something sticky and warm.
She froze.
’This smell...’
It was blood.