BLHO Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Afraid You’ll Dislike Me

Chapter 103: Afraid You’ll Dislike Me

The severely injured and overdrawn body finally gave way, and Li Yuliang stood there quietly as the scorching air distorted everything before his eyes, making it seem like a dream, extremely unreal.

Blood was dripping from his lowered fingertips. He didn’t know where it was coming from; there were too many wounds to count.

He wasn’t even surprised that Gu Huan would choose such an ending for himself.

“Don’t move.” Shen Tan’s voice.

Before the words finished, several long blades were pressed against his neck, wielded by the He family soldiers who had pursued him.

“Kneel!”

Someone kicked hard behind his knees, and he, unable to resist, knelt heavily on the ground.

“Where’s the princess?” Shen Tan asked him coldly.

Princess…

Li Yuliang looked at the blazing palace before him, slowly raised his hand, and pointed straight ahead.

While chaos erupted in the imperial city, Princess Meng Ning had been imprisoned in a dark, sunless secret cell.

The secret cell was located beneath the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The heavy stone walls blocked out the sounds of fighting outside, and Princess Meng Ning was unaware that the He family army had returned to the capital.

Gu Huan hadn’t come to see her again, nor had he taken her life. He hadn’t even bound her hands and feet, as if intending to let her live or die in this unknown place.

It wasn’t until the fire engulfed the palace that she finally realized something was wrong.

The gap in the prison door had become a thin, bright line. The sound of collapsing wooden frames faintly carried through, and she quickly realized a fire had started outside.

Without caring to guess what had happened, the instinct for survival drove her forward, desperately pushing at the door of the secret cell.

The door was very heavy, but when she used her strength, she discovered that it wasn’t locked from the outside.

The door opened a crack, and a wave of heat hit her face. She instinctively shielded herself, stepped back, and billowing smoke rushed in.

She almost suffocated instantly, quickly using her sleeve to cover her mouth and nose. To prevent more smoke from entering, she had no choice but to close the prison door again.

Did Gu Huan start the fire? Did he want to burn her to death?

But he had no reason to burn his own bedchamber along with it.

Princess Meng Ning took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and then went to open the door again, attempting to escape from the sea of fire.

But it was no use; the fire was too intense, and all escape routes were blocked.

She thought quickly and finally chose to retreat back into the secret cell. With stone walls on all sides and a lower position, it should be able to withstand the fire until someone came to save her.

Of course, that was if someone would save her.

The He family army was blocked outside the hall. Gu Huan had cut off his own escape, and his death was certain, but no one had expected that the princess would also be trapped inside.

As things stood, her chances of still being alive were slim.

Shen Tan disregarded everything and wanted to rush in, but Vice General Qin stopped her. “Calm down, Shen Tan.”

He then said to Lin Shuangxu, “Young Master, we must put out the fire first to save people.”

He certainly remembered Lin Shuangxu’s order—no matter what, they had to bring the princess back alive.

But now, an accident had occurred, and they could only prepare for the worst.

Daring not to waste any time, Shen Tan ordered sternly, “Everyone, move quickly! Extinguish the fire!”

“Yes!”

The soldiers behind her responded in unison, quickly dispersing to find water sources.

Everyone knew in their hearts that the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation had been burned through, and this fire couldn’t be put out in a short time.

No one dared to speak, only speeding up their pace.

Just then, before the crowd could disperse, a ray of light suddenly flashed across the dusk sky.

Because the fire before their eyes was too dazzling, people couldn’t be sure if they had imagined the flash.

The next moment, a rumble of thunder followed, and black clouds rolled in, so close it felt like they were right overhead.

Cold raindrops fell without warning, hitting Lin Shuangxu’s cheek.

In just the instant of looking up, the raindrops multiplied into millions, pouring down.

Li Yuliang knelt in the rain, after exhaustion was a deathly silence.

Was this heaven’s special favor for Princess Meng Ning, or was it weeping for Gu Huan?

As the rain grew heavier and the fire lessened, Shen Tan led people inside at once. She didn’t know where the entrance to the secret cell was and searched back and forth anxiously.

Gu Huan’s charred corpse was curled up on the ground, ignored by everyone. Only Lin Shuangxu paused slightly as he passed by.

He looked down at the enemy who had almost killed He Yuncheng. If He Yuncheng hadn’t returned alive today, he wouldn’t have let him die so easily.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and he saw that Gu Huan was holding something in his arms…

After a moment of thought, he squatted down and took the object from the corpse’s unrecognizable hands.

It was a gilded wooden box.

Inside the wooden box was a silk scroll.

The scroll unfurled, and word by word, it was Gu Huan’s last testament, sealed with his imperial seal at the end.

Lin Shuangxu was somewhat surprised.

He didn’t think that Gu Huan, with his character, would leave such a will.

–

The secret cell had already been filled with thick smoke, and Princess Meng Ning had nowhere to hide, coughing violently.

Suffocating, her consciousness gradually blurred, and she slumped heavily on the ground, trying to crawl with her arms, but she had no strength left.

Her already dim vision plunged into an even deeper darkness. She clearly sensed that her life was coming to an end.

The moment the prison door opened, she thought it was a hallucination before her death.

She saw many people coming in to save her, and the one leading them was dressed in white. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she knew who it was.

She tried hard to open her mouth, but couldn’t make a sound.

“Brother… Elder…”

She knew that Lin Shuangxu didn’t hear her, but she really couldn’t open her eyes.

–

After midnight, Lin Shuangxu finally returned to the General’s Manor.

He left Princess Meng Ning in the palace. In the past, she belonged there; in the future, that place would belong to her.

Shen Tan led fifty thousand soldiers to guard the palace, protecting it with all her might while Princess Meng Ning recovered.

The rest of the He family army, led by Vice General Qin, returned to their camp to rest and recuperate.

Only a few personal guards accompanied Lin Shuangxu, escorting him back to the manor.

The horses galloped all the way, and they traveled quickly.

The rain hadn’t stopped. Lin Shuangxu wore a bamboo hat, and his clothes were almost soaked through. Before they reached the manor gates, they saw him in the distance, holding an umbrella, sitting in a wheelchair, waiting for him, who knew how long.

He dismounted and walked to He Yuncheng, and in the exchange of glances, the two of them understood each other without needing to speak.

“Everything resolved?” He Yuncheng asked simply.

“Yes.” Lin Shuangxu nodded, also giving a simple answer.

The old butler, who was standing beside them, stepped forward to hold an umbrella for Lin Shuangxu. He didn’t dare to ask about the rebellion, only worrying about the health of the two men, and urged them, “The night is cold and windy. General, Young Master, let’s go inside and talk.”

–

The candles in the room were bright, and the steam from the tub filled the surrounding area with warmth, moisture, and a sense of ambiguity.

He Yuncheng entered the room first, turning his wheelchair around to look at Lin Shuangxu behind him.

The other closed the door and didn’t follow him over. He leaned weakly against the door panel, finally able to release the fatigue after being tense for an entire day.

He only looked so languid because he was tired. In front of He Yuncheng, he didn’t need to act strong.

But He Yuncheng, looking at his watery eyes, felt that while he was releasing his fatigue, he was also sending him a different message.

It was a very charming and alluring style, one that he couldn’t describe. Perhaps Lin Shuangxu was only unconsciously revealing it, but to him, it was no different from deliberate seduction.

“Were you waiting for me outside the whole time?” Lin Shuangxu asked.

“Yes.”

Lin Shuangxu smiled. “Were you worried that I would mess things up?”

“No.” He Yuncheng said, “You’re very capable.”

Lin Shuangxu smiled again. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Capable in what way?”

“In every way.”

Lin Shuangxu raised his eyebrows, walked up to him, leaned down, placed his hands on his shoulders, and looked at him.

“You’ve become so good at talking now?”

There was a time when he wouldn’t be happy unless he made Lin Shuangxu half-dead with anger every time he opened his mouth.

“Yes.” He Yuncheng said honestly, “I’m afraid you’ll dislike me, this useless person.”

The two of them were very close, their gazes intertwined.

“I won’t.”

Lin Shuangxu’s voice was very soft, but extremely sincere. “He Yuncheng, no matter what you become, I won’t dislike you.”

He Yuncheng twitched the corners of his mouth, nodding to show that he understood.

But his overly indifferent expression made Lin Shuangxu feel that he didn’t completely believe what he was saying.

At a moment like this, perhaps he should take the initiative to do something to prove that he was truly sincere towards him.

“I’m wet. I’ll go change my clothes. Wait for me a moment.”

Lin Shuangxu planned to take a bath and change his clothes first, and then properly explain to He Yuncheng how he didn’t dislike him.

But He Yuncheng didn’t let him go. As soon as he turned around, he pulled him back to his side.

Losing his balance, he fell into He Yuncheng’s arms.

Sitting on his lap, Lin Shuangxu broke out in a cold sweat, anxiously wanting to stand up, but He Yuncheng held him firmly, not allowing him to move.

His leisurely expression didn’t seem like he had been injured at all.

His palm stroked Lin Shuangxu’s waist, He Yuncheng deliberately slowing down his movements, while breathing on him and saying, “I’ll help you change.”