“Fengze, thank you for all your care over the years.”

Upon hearing these words, Qin Yaoyue and Qiu Huan immediately knew something was wrong. Qin Yaoyue, being closest, quickly tried to pull his hand away from the sword—but just as he did, Shang Rong suddenly exerted an unexpected burst of raw strength, disregarding the sharp blade and gripping the hilt tightly with both hands, pressing his neck right up against it. Blood instantly gushed forth!

There was a loud clang as the precious sword clattered to the ground, and Shang Rong’s body began to go limp, nearly collapsing. Qin Yaoyue hurried to support him, but his arms felt utterly powerless. Following Qiu Huan’s gaze, he saw the needle lodged in his shoulder—she had taken this opportunity to inject a sedative into his body. Only then did he feel a numbing sensation spreading from his shoulder; before he could even utter the words “Brother Shang,” he fell silent and collapsed.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Duan Yunhe only saw a flash of blood before Shang Rong’s body was drenched in crimson. Soon after, both he and Qin Yaoyue collapsed one after another, unconscious. It wasn’t until Qiu Huan hurried forward to check Shang Rong’s pulse that she finally came to her senses, freezing like she’d stepped into an ice cellar, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Qiu Huan examined Shang Rong’s wound, but her expertise lay in how to swiftly end a life rather than save it. Though she believed his condition wasn’t immediately life-threatening, she dared not relax. As she once again activated the蛊虫 to urge Cheng Jingtian on, she caught sight of Duan Yunhe, looking utterly distraught.

“Yunhe.”

“…It’s all my fault…” Duan Yunhe muttered to himself, completely oblivious to Qiu Huan’s voice.

“Duan Yunhe! Snap out of it! Cheng Jingtian will be here soon—Shang Rong will be fine. Help me tie up Qin Yaoyue; once he wakes up, I still have questions for him.” Knowing full well that now was the time to keep Duan Yunhe busy so he wouldn’t dwell on his thoughts, Qiu Huan handed Qin Yaoyue over to him.

Sure enough, as soon as Duan Yunhe heard Qiu Huan had a task for him, his focus sharpened considerably. Although his hands were still shaking, he was already far better off than before.

Yet with Cheng Jingtian迟迟 arriving, and Shang Rong’s vital signs growing weaker by the minute, even Qiu Huan was beginning to grow anxious. How could Duan Yunhe possibly keep his emotions in check?

If she hadn’t told Qiu Huan that Bai Xiao’s feather would be stolen, Qiu Huan wouldn’t have gone out of her way to move it. Then perhaps Qin Yaoyue would have taken much longer to steal the feather—and wouldn’t have happened to run straight into Shang Rong as he left the study. In that case, Shang Rong wouldn’t have grown suspicious of Qin Yaoyue, nor would he have secretly followed him all the way to Shuanglin Yuan, where Qin Yaoyue ultimately stabbed him.

The thought drove Duan Yunhe to tears, his heart wrenching with grief, choked with sobs he couldn’t even bring himself to utter.

Qiu Huan carefully lifted Shang Rong onto the bed. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still horrifying—a deep slash across his throat, exposing half of his trachea!

“Qiu Fengze…” Shang Rong’s lips trembled, his words barely audible.

Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, though she couldn’t make out whether he was calling her, Qiu Huan moved closer and asked, “Shang Rong? What did you say?”

“N-no, don’t kill Yaoyue… Brother… please… Just think of it as… trading this life for his. Your kindness… I’ll repay it… in the next life…”

He spoke urgently, straining to lift his head and look at Qiu Huan, but the movement was too forceful, and the wound began to bleed again.

Before Qiu Huan could say anything, Duan Yunhe sprang to her feet, her eyes red with either tears or anger. “Brother Shang! How can you still be thinking about him now? What good could that guy possibly have? Not only did he steal Bai Xiao’s feather, but he even held a sword to your throat, threatening Fengze into submission! I’m sure his real motive in approaching us is anything but good—and yet you still… ugh—” She was so agitated that, although Qiu Huan agreed with what she said, she worried the outburst might upset Shang Rong, so she simply covered Duan Yunhe’s mouth to stop her.

Whether or not Shang Rong actually heard Duan Yunhe’s words, a heavy pall of despair settled over his brow, and he kept repeating, “This is what I owe him,” his mind already clouded and confused.

End of Chapter 30: The Sound of Wind and Cranes