Miss Truth
Chapter 369 - 233: High-Stakes Bet

Chapter 369: Chapter 233: High-Stakes Bet

Ran Yan had already roughly guessed that she didn’t know Pei Jing, and it was very unlikely that Ran Meiyu would know him either.

That day, Pei Jing saw Ran Yun and Ran Meiyu outside the warm pavilion; from behind, both figures were graceful. He thus devised a plan to trick them into turning around, intending to catch a glimpse of their beauty. Ran Yun was not deceived, but Ran Meiyu was inadvertently seen.

The Cheng family was a powerful and prestigious household. The fact that Cheng Qing’er’s matchmaking banquet invitations were distributed even to lesser families was solely because Pei Jing personally managed the event. He planned to present another beauty to the Crown Prince, using this opportunity to select a wife of modest status yet with some refinement.

His planted maid informed him that the seventeenth miss of the Ran family was the most beautiful. When Su Fu accidentally entered the plum garden, and everyone came out to see what the fuss was about, he saw Ran Yan’s features. Although beautiful, her expressionless face left little desire in the beholder.

However, on the journey back to the city, from afar, he saw many women engaged in a snowball fight. Where there were women, they’d go, and as a result, he saw Ran Yan’s smile, which made all else seem dim in comparison.

At that moment, even he couldn’t help but be moved, hence he couldn’t restrain himself and intended to send someone to abduct her from her home. Just then, he received a message from Li Ke, saying that Xiao Song’s Secret Guards were near the Ran residence and to find a way to lure them away.

Pei Jing was unaware that Li Ke also intended to target Ran Yan, so he felt it was killing two birds with one stone and set a time, eagerly planning the abduction.

As a result, Li Ke took the girl away, leaving him to regret the missed opportunity for quite some time.

Without Ran Yan, and having accidentally discovered Ran Meiyu who, although her beauty was commonplace, did indeed stir one’s heart, he found her suitable as a replacement. Having learned in secret that Ran Meiyu was of lower status, he seized the opportunity to abduct her while she was using the facilities.

Ran Meiyu panicked, unwilling to become someone’s plaything. In her desperate struggle, her leg hit something. Although it hurt, it gave her a moment of clarity. In a rush, she informed Pei Jing that she had an even more beautiful elder sister who was several times more attractive than she, whom her own family did not favor. She could help him as an inside agent.

Upon hearing this, Pei Jing became interested and ordered an investigation.

The proverb "Without seeking, good luck comes your way" held true. Unexpectedly, the person in question was Ran Yan. Since fate was handing him this opportunity, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.

Ran Yan placed the Corner Lamp on the couch, shedding more light around it.

Ran Meiyu had already lost all her strength to cry.

Now Ran Yan could dissect her without any hindrance. The sedatives she used had numbed the nerve endings. Ran Meiyu’s sensation of pain was dull, the knife was coated with Powder for Anesthesia, and the white folded cloth used to wipe blood also contained it. Ran Meiyu could feel the pain, but its intensity was reduced by eighty to ninety percent. The remaining bit was certainly not enough to overwhelm her.

The scalpel in Ran Yan’s hand was like an extension of her arm, meticulously separating skin and muscle tissue.

Ran Yan’s brows were slightly furrowed. Cutting into a living person was much more challenging than dissecting a cadaver. After death, blood decomposes and seeps into the muscles and skin. After a certain period, dissection would only result in a minimal amount of blood. In contrast, a living person’s body is filled with capillaries, and a single incision would lead to profuse bleeding. Therefore, she could only slowly dissect while dabbing the blood away with the white folded cloth due to the low visibility. Her speed was much slower than under normal circumstances.

"Please spare me, anything you want... my father and mother will give you anything," Ran Meiyu’s voice was weak, barely audible.

Ran Yan was focused on the knife in her hand, carefully avoiding the larger arteries. Despite her efforts, the bleeding was still significant. She continuously pressed the white folded cloth against the wound to soak up the blood, managing to keep the view relatively clear.

Ran Meiyu watched her own flesh being slowly cut open, the blood wiped away to reveal the flesh within, the panic she felt was more horrifying than watching her own decay. Even Zhuang Yin, a man who had killed people and seen blood, was on the verge of despair, let alone Ran Meiyu, a wife who had never even witnessed a chicken being slaughtered!

As time ticked by, the effects of the drugs in Ran Meiyu’s body started to wear off, and she could feel the disgusting sensation of the cold knife slicing through her skin.

Ran Yan noticed her struggle and said sternly, "There’s something here called the brachial artery. If you move around and I accidentally cut it, it will be the end of the road for you."

Ran Meiyu froze, not daring to move a muscle. She was so numb from the shock that her mind started to clear up. She realized that Ran Yan didn’t seem to want her dead and couldn’t help but ask, filled with hope, "You’re not going to kill me, are you?"

"If I wanted to kill you, there are at least a thousand ways to do it without anyone noticing. But because of our slight blood relation, I am willing to give you a chance," Ran Yan spoke while concentrating on her task. "Do you think I’m kind?"

Kind? Ran Meiyu saw her as a ghastly devil, and hearing these words now sounded like the world’s biggest joke.

"Don’t get too happy too soon, it’s not over yet." Ran Yan didn’t joke. When she said she was kind, she truly believed she was kind.

In her heart, Pei Jing was the instigator and his death was certain, while Ran Meiyu was an accomplice, so Ran Yan decided to take a gamble. This was the first time she skinned someone alive, and with such dim light. If she succeeded by chance, then it would mean Ran Meiyu was fortunate. It would also serve as a lesson to prevent her from rash actions. If she accidentally cut the brachial artery, since she only had one knife and no means to perform emergency treatment, the situation was grim.

On the inside of the biceps brachii tendon lies a major artery called the brachial artery, which has a very high oxygen content. If severed, it would lead to a quicker and more ferocious death than wrist cutting. Her goal this time was to expose this artery to the extent that it was visible to the naked eye.

The light was dim, and the view was obscured by blood and flesh. Ran Yan genuinely had no confidence that she could avoid cutting that artery under these adverse conditions. Deep down, she leaned towards the idea of killing Ran Meiyu.

Ran Meiyu was not resigned to her fate, but she dared not struggle. What if Ran Yan was right and something got cut? The intense fear and the nausea from the sensation of her flesh being sliced pushed her to the brink of collapse. Given another chance, she would rather be a pampered slave than go through this ordeal again!

"You’re lucky," Ran Yan had finally seen the brachial artery.

Nearly an hour had passed since their arrival.

Just then, light appeared outside. The shadow of a woman carrying a lantern was cast on the latticed window, walking towards the main entrance.

Ran Meiyu was overjoyed inside but dared not make a sound for fear of angering Ran Yan. What should she do if it came to a do-or-die situation?

Ran Yan’s nerves were taut, she cleaned the knife and slipped it into her flute sleeve. She then quickly took out a red porcelain bottle from her sleeve pocket and, drawing a silver needle from her belt, dipped it into the bottle.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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