Chapter 279 - 277: Lu Ying, You’re Giving Me the Runaround!

Words : 1545 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

The Nine-story Buddha Tower soared into the clouds. Luo Wanxiang was caught off guard and screamed as she fell from the tower! The girl’s delicate body crashed heavily onto the hardened bluestone bricks below. Her skull shattered, bones splintered, and filthy blood seeped through the gaps in the bricks. Her mangled remains lay there like a grotesque lump of flesh. Half her face had been smashed, resembling a rotten half of an apple. The remaining intact eye stared blankly into the void, tears mixed with blood trickling slowly from its socket. The spring breeze rippled across the lake’s surface, the surroundings eerily silent. After an indeterminate amount of time, Luo Wanzhao clutched her head in disbelief and let out a piercing scream, "Xiang’er!" She rushed to Luo Wanxiang’s side, trembling as she reached out to feel her sister’s breath, but Luo Wanxiang no longer showed any signs of life. Her lively, adorable, spirited little sister had left her just like that. "Xiang’er... Xiang’er..." Luo Wanzhao’s voice trembled uncontrollably. Big, glistening tears rolled down her cheeks. Consumed with rage and fear, she raised her gaze and glared at the Buddha Tower. The girl standing by the window had snow-white hair and pale skin, her beauty was breathtaking, but cold cruelty and wicked disdain were etched in the corners of her eyes. Looking down at the sisters from above, her gaze was filled with scorn and indifference, devoid of the slightest trace of guilt! "Shen Yinning..." Luo Wanzhao’s lips quivered as she murmured the name that had tormented her for years. All these years of resentment and jealousy surged within her heart. She involuntarily recalled the night of her wedding with Lu Shiyan. It was meant to be a joyous occasion, yet the Prince was anything but happy, drowning himself in alcohol. And in his drunken, reckless passion, he sobbed as he called out Shen Yinning’s childhood name. Nights filled with dreams of separation in intimacy, year after year, the Prince would shout Shen Yinning’s name in the deep silence of midnight. Each winter, he would send Shen Yinning extravagant and rare jewelry accompanied by large sums of gold ingots. She remembered one particular coral-red bracelet, bought by the Prince at great cost from a merchant from the East Sea. She had taken a liking to it at first sight, and when the Prince asked if she found it beautiful, she had smiled and said it was—thinking it was a gift for her. But she later realized it was yet another present meant for Shen Yinning. "A coral cherished in one’s palm, a fondness transferred to an Upper Yang Flower." The man she could never possess had devoted his heart to his childhood sweetheart. Hidden deep within his soul, even after being separated by countless miles and years, he cherished and cared for her as though she were kin, fearing she might suffer in the bitter cold. And yet, despite being his wife, she had never received love; only a pitiful sliver of sympathy. But what use did she have for sympathy? Luo Wanzhao felt as though her heart were being torn apart. A deep hatred and sorrow flashed through her eyes as she turned to the crowd, crying out, "The Fox Demon killed my sister and bewitched my husband! I beg all of you to stand up for me and burn the Fox Demon to eradicate the menace!" The townsfolk had seen Shen Yinning push Luo Wanxiang from the Buddha Tower with their own eyes and believed Luo Wanzhao’s accusations. Men feared the Fox Demon would devour their hearts, while women worried she would seduce their husbands or sons. Driven by fury, they shouted, "Burn the Fox Demon! Exterminate the menace!" and surged toward Ciyin Temple like a raging tide, ready to tear Shen Yinning apart. Xue Ling raised her brows and scoffed, "Oh no, it’s over!" The black-and-white spirit binders asked Lu Ying for permission, "Your Highness, we request to go to the tower and rescue her!" Lu Ying, as usual, remained silent. He casually donned a hooded black cloak, masking his face beneath the cowl. Stepping onto the stone lamp beside the Buddha Tower, he used his Qinggong skill to ascend to the roof tiles, making his way to the top floor in a few bounds. Entering through the window, he found Shen Yinning struggling to drag the table’s corner in an attempt to break the chains. Upon hearing the wind behind her, she hurled the chain in his direction, her expression grim. "Crown Prince, you finally remembered to save me? If you hadn’t locked me up here, how could I have ended up like this?!" The faint sound of the crowd climbing the stairs echoed in the background. Without a word, Lu Ying undid the chains and pulled her into his arms. "Hold on tight." Shen Yinning hugged his waist tightly in grievance. Lu Ying leapt out of the high window, holding the girl in his arms. Like a black sparrow, he dashed across the roof tiles, his Qinggong skill carrying them to the distant garden behind the Buddha Tower. The townsfolk focused all their attention on the tower’s front, unaware that Shen Yinning had already slipped away quietly. Luo Wanzhao harbored desperate hope, waiting for the enraged mob to drag Shen Yinning down and burn her, seeking justice for herself. But instead of Shen Yinning, they were met with a stampede accident. Too many people crowded into the Buddha Tower, pushing and trampling over one another. Shen Yinning hadn’t harmed anyone; they had managed to kill off more than a dozen of their own instead. Finally reaching the top floor, they found the chains discarded on the ground—no trace of the Fox Demon remained! In no time, the maid reported the situation back to Luo Wanzhao. "Gone? How could she be gone?" Luo Wanzhao murmured pale-faced. The maid’s back stiffened in fear, her voice trembling. "Yes, how could she just disappear? That tower was so high, with no other exits. Princess, could it be she’s really a Fox Demon?! Do you think she’ll come back to take revenge on us?!" Luo Wanzhao lowered her voice and scolded, "A righteous person fears no shadow! Even if she’s a demon, we have nothing to fear!" Despite her words, a chill crept over her body as goosebumps subtly formed. She rubbed her arms and gritted her teeth, "What are you waiting for? Hurry and take the Second Miss’s body back for burial!" Meanwhile— Shen Yinning had been brought into Lu Ying’s private wing. The girl immediately sat in front of the vanity table and looked at her reflection, examining her face and snow-white hair. "Where’s Doctor Xiao Chen?" Lu Ying settled into a chair and lifted a cup of tea. Using the lid, he skimmed the tea foam aside. "I’ve sent someone to summon him." Shen Yinning combed through her snowy hair, visibly displeased at her ghostly appearance, before irritably throwing the wooden comb onto the table. She paced barefoot across the wing, her tone sharp and mocking, "I underestimated the Luo sisters! Aside from them, it seems your darling sister, Lu Qianqian, had a hand in this too! I’ve spared them before, but they’re intent on destroying me! Lu Ying, I won’t let them go!" Lu Ying remained silent. He had experienced firsthand just how small-minded Shen Zhaozhao could be. She was naturally vexed, and catching Lu Ying’s detached demeanor—calm and distant as if everything was under his control—she grew more infuriated. On top of that, his recent trip to Jiangnan had yielded not only wealth from the Luo family and military power from Lu Shiyan, but also the loyalty of the southern populace. Her mood soured further. Swiftly, she dropped onto Lu Ying’s lap, cupped his face, and demanded, "Why won’t you speak?! Do you think all of this is my fault?!" Lu Ying replied calmly, "No." Shen Zhaozhao had been forced into Jiangnan. Everything she did was understandable; the primary fault lay with him and Lu Shiyan. He had brought her back to the Capital from Gan State, bearing responsibility for her, yet had chosen to abandon her for power and peace of mind. Lu Shiyan, too cowardly to defy the Emperor and Noble Consort Zhang, couldn’t openly marry Zhaozhao. Instead, he forced her into the role of concubine to appease his desires. The blame was theirs, not hers. "You’re just thinking exactly that!" Shen Yinning snapped, clutching his collar stubbornly, "Lu Ying, you won’t even look at me—do you find me ugly?!" Lu Ying lifted his gaze toward her. The girl, with her snow-white hair, pale skin, and blood-red lips, was hauntingly beautiful—strange yet alluring. Any way he saw it, she remained stunning. So he replied, "No." "You hesitated for a moment!" Shen Yinning fumed, "You’re lying!" Lu Ying replied earnestly, "I am not." "Back at Qianyou Lake, facing those townsfolk, you were so eloquent. Why is it that now all you can say is ’no’?!" Shen Yinning’s eyes reddened, her emotions spiraling out of control. "Lu Ying, you’re brushing me off!" Lu Ying wanted to respond with another "no," but recalling her childish outrage, he swallowed the words instead. Shen Yinning grew even angrier, "You’re silent? You’re admitting it?!"

Chapter 279 - 277: Lu Ying, You’re Giving Me the Runaround!

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