Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 701 - 347: On the Verge of Death_2

Chapter 701: Chapter 347: On the Verge of Death_2

Zuo Su smiled.

Old Madam Ran said weakly: "You shouldn’t have encouraged Jin Yi to do that—it would ruin Qingchen."

"Oh."

The woman responded indifferently with a single "Oh."

She casually tossed her handkerchief onto the ground, used her foot to hook a small stool, and placed it by the bedside.

Then the woman sat on the stool, rested her chin in her hands, and stared straight at the old lady’s gaunt profile: "Mother-in-law, why do you think Qingchen was ruined by us? Why not by you? And besides Qingchen, who else have you ruined?"

The old lady closed her eyes, her expression desolate.

Zuo Su laughed: "You know, it was actually fun playing mind games with you, you old fox. I used to be genuinely afraid of you. But now that the Ran Family is in this state, I’m too lazy to keep up the act. What’s sad is that you... are truly finished."

Old Madam Ran murmured: "The Emperor won’t spare the Ran Family. If you want to leave, go as soon as possible and live the life you want."

"Leave?"

Malice flickered across Zuo Su’s expression as she sneered: "How could I bear to leave without watching you breathe your last, or seeing your most beloved granddaughter ruined? Don’t worry—I wouldn’t be so foolish as to follow the Ran Family into hell."

Old Madam Ran turned her head with difficulty, looking at her emotional daughter-in-law. In a feeble voice, she said: "Su’er, if I could do it all over again, I would still choose you to be the Ran Family’s daughter-in-law."

"Well, I must have the worst luck in eight lifetimes."

The woman sneered coldly.

"But I won’t constrain you anymore. Whatever you wish to do is your freedom, even if you don’t want to stay in the Ran Family... as long as you leave that household, it’s enough,"

the old lady said slowly. "A lifetime is about living for oneself. Your life has always been lived for others. It’s too exhausting, it’s truly too exhausting."

Zuo Su’s body trembled, her delicate fingers gripping her dress tightly, veins bulging on the back of her hand.

"Shut up!"

Zuo Su stood up abruptly and grasped the old woman’s neck.

But then she recoiled as if electrocuted, staggering back two steps. Looking at the coughing old lady, her gaze reflected a complicated mix of hatred, pity, and satisfaction.

"Pretentious—disgusting!"

Zuo Su turned to leave.

"If you see Qingchen, tell her... not to hate that child, Jiang Mo,"

the old lady said. "If you meet Jiang Mo, tell him not to hate Qingchen, even if Qingchen made mistakes. Sometimes, when you miss your chance, you’ll never meet again."

Zuo Su hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the room.

The woman closed the door behind her and looked up at the moonlight obscured by thick clouds. With a bitter laugh, she muttered: "When someone is about to die, their words are kind. I wonder if I’ll say anything kind on the day I die?"

Suddenly, she cursed softly: "That heartless bastard Jiang Mo—what qualifications does he have to deserve Qingchen!"

——

Time passed silently.

There was only one day left before Feng Yichen returned.

On the breezy summit of Qiushi Mountain, a handsome man and a young woman nestled against each other, admiring the scenery of the mountain range.

Since Yelü Miaomiao had left, Qu Hongling had practically clung to the man every moment—crawling into the same bed at night, dragging him around sightseeing during the day—living a life of pure joy.

The happier she was, the more regretful the girl felt about her past foolish decisions.

Happiness was so easily within reach, yet she had chosen to share it with someone else.

That was why, during these past two days, the girl cherished the time all the more.

After all, once they left Zhenxuan Mountain, who could say which woman would come next?

"Ah-choo!"

The man rubbed his nose and grumbled: "I keep feeling like someone’s been cursing me these days."

"It must be Miaomiao."

Qu Hongling rested her little head on the man’s chest, squinting playfully as she said with a smile: "And my ears feel warm too—probably that girl is envying me and cursing me for monopolizing Jiang. Hehe, let her curse away."

Jiang Shouzhong stroked the girl’s soft and smooth face, smiling: "Maybe you’re right."

Qu Hongling curled her long legs and huffed: "You can’t blame me—it was her choice to leave."

Seeing that the man was silent, lost in thought while gazing at the clouds on the horizon, Qu Hongling wrapped her lotus arms around his neck, tilted her alluring and sweet head, and said in a mock-pouting tone:

"Someone is holding one person in his arms but thinking about someone else—such a romantic rogue."

Jiang Shouzhong snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes settling on the girl’s delicate and palm-sized face. His gaze lingered on her slightly pouting lips, and instinctively, he leaned down to kiss her.

Yet the girl angrily turned her head, and the man’s kiss landed on her cheek instead.

"Qingchen is a big jealous jar; you’re a small jealous jar."

Jiang Shouzhong teasingly pinched the girl’s nose and chuckled: "Why didn’t I realize before how jealous my Hong’er could be?"

Qu Hongling snorted coldly: "You didn’t have any other women around before!"

"Oh, so it’s my fault?"

Jiang Shouzhong smirked.

"If not your fault, then whose..."

The girl turned her head away, but her voice trailed off with frustration. She buried her head in the man’s warm chest, remaining silent.

Jiang Shouzhong stopped teasing her. His hand skillfully slid into the folds of her clothing, and he softly said: "I’ve told you before—in my heart, Hong’er has always been the most special one, irreplaceable. No matter what, you’ve always been my first wife."

Qu Hongling’s body trembled slightly.

She lifted her flushed face and grabbed the man’s misbehaving hand.

The girl extended her tender pinky finger, lightly brushing his cheek as her sultry gaze shimmered:

"Miaomiao was right—Jiang’s biggest talent is sweet-talking, always sounding sincere, but never truly sincere. Still... I love hearing it."

"Whether this sweet talk is real, you’ll have to test it more often."

This time, Jiang Shouzhong didn’t let her evade him. He leaned down and captured her lips.

Amid the falling autumn leaves in Qiushi Mountain, golden and crimson interwove like the most delicate strokes of nature, adding a touch of autumn’s warmth and romance to the scene.

...

Given that he was on someone else’s territory, Jiang Shouzhong refrained from indulgence in the wild. After a brief moment of intimacy, the two held hands and continued to explore.

At the intersection of Qiushi Mountain and Xiayan Mountain, Jiang Shouzhong spotted Fang Ziheng standing with his little attendant near a stele, staring intently.

"What are you looking at?"

Jiang Shouzhong approached with curiosity.

Fang Ziheng jolted in surprise, but upon seeing Jiang Shouzhong and Qu Hongling, his tense expression relaxed slightly, though he grew visibly uneasy again. He hurriedly bowed in greeting: "Jiang, Miss Qu."

After learning that Jiang Shouzhong had passed the Nine-layered Trial, this Young Master of Famous Sword Villa had been utterly shocked.

It had taken him two days to fully accept the outcome.

Recalling their first encounter, Jiang Shouzhong had been a mere novice of the Liushan Division with no cultivation ability.

Now, he stood atop the mountain.

And as for himself...

Bitterness stirred in Fang Ziheng’s heart.

Comparison sure led to despair.

"When the world is virtuous, saints arise. When the world is chaotic, saints endure..."

Jiang Shouzhong approached the stele and read its inscription aloud, then asked in confusion: "What does it mean?"

Fang Ziheng smiled and explained: "In times of peace, saints can accomplish great deeds. In times of turmoil, saints can preserve themselves."

"Self-serving."

Jiang Shouzhong commented bluntly.

Fang Ziheng frowned, feeling the remark inappropriate, but he dared not argue and murmured: "My elder sister-in-law once said that saints are born in response to circumstances, to save and heal the world."

"Your elder sister-in-law?"

Jiang Shouzhong recalled his visit to Famous Sword Villa to borrow a sword, where he had met the charming wife of the manor owner.

His impression of the woman wasn’t good.

Later, he’d heard the woman had died.

Perhaps sensing Jiang Shouzhong’s thoughts, Fang Ziheng explained: "The person you saw back then was my brother’s new wife. My brother originally had an elder wife, but she passed away many years ago."

"Oh, I see."

Jiang Shouzhong nodded, then casually asked: "How did your elder sister-in-law die?"

Fang Ziheng’s expression revealed traces of sorrow as he said sadly: "She died during childbirth. The child survived, but my sister-in-law couldn’t make it. Tragically, the child was lost too."

Lost?

Jiang Shouzhong suddenly thought of Yan Changqing.

Back then, his master’s daughter had gone missing as well—a search that had lasted twenty years.