Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Ji Xuanyu looked out the window at the sky gradually turning white.

Is there some kind of cause and effect, a cycle of reincarnation, in the unseen world?

He hurt her time and time again, pushing the one he loved towards the other.

He thought everything he did was bringing him closer to her, but in reality, she was drifting further and further away from him.

Ji Xuanyu took a deep breath and gazed at Gu Hua with deep affection: "Hua'er, I never intended to hurt you. Come here, and I will tell you how to detoxify."

Gu Hua shook her head firmly: "I won't go. If you really want to save me, just tell me directly."

Ji Xuanyu suppressed his temper and said in a calm tone, "This poison will cause you unbearable pain. Aren't you most afraid of pain? You always cry for a long, long time every time you are abused by Aunt Pei."

Gu Hua closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again, allowing herself to calm down: "That was before."

That was in my past life.

People have been dead for a while, so they're not afraid of anything anymore.

Ji Xuanyu stared blankly at her, the familiar face he had longed for day and night now looking completely unfamiliar.

What did Hua'er experience during the years he was gone?

He did not regret choosing to follow the Yifeng Hall, nor did he regret killing so many people from Daliang, nor did he regret playing the role of a lowly concubine to achieve his goals and being humiliated by others.

He is willing to sacrifice everything to achieve his goal.

But now, seeing her slender figure covered in blood, leaning against another man's arms, a surge of regret overwhelmed him, choking him and almost suffocating him.

She stabbed him twice with her own hands.

Even after learning that he was Ji Xuanyu, she still stabbed him without hesitation, and the wound in her chest still aches faintly to this day.

This is more painful than him dying himself.

He squinted his eyes in heartache, and when he opened them again, his tone was pleading.

"Hua'er, I'm sorry. You can do whatever you want, you can be with him if you want. Come here first, take your medicine to detoxify, otherwise you will die."

Mu Junyan sneered, "You're already a prisoner yourself, what right do you have to demand that Hua'er go over? If you have medicine, just search yourself. You insist on having her go, are you trying to use her as a hostage?"

"You're talking nonsense! Unlike you, I don't disregard her safety and use her as bait!" Ji Xuanyu roared.

Mu Junyan was too lazy to beat around the bush and cut to the chase: "Since you want to save her, why don't you just take out the antidote?"

Ji Xuanyu stared intently at the motionless Gu Hua, his heart feeling as if it were being torn apart by a venomous insect, slowly being devoured.

He wanted to use her as a hostage, but he wanted to take her with him even more.

Gu Hua's long, curled eyelashes slowly drooped, her heart aching terribly.

Brother Ji has changed after all.

He is no longer the same Brother Ji he used to be.

Ji Xuanyu suddenly smiled: "Hua'er, I've left you one last thing. Gu Wanru deserves to die, you'll find out when you get back."

Gu Hua opened her eyes wide and stared at him blankly.

He suddenly raised his bound hand: "Cut my blood, drink it, and you will be saved. All of you who have been poisoned can drink my blood. None of you who have taken medicine can be cured by my blood. Come, drink me dry to save your people."

Gu Hua suddenly looked up: "You!"

Mu Junyan's eyes darkened: "Why?"

Ji Xuanyu smiled bitterly: "What kind of place is Yifeng Hall? There's no such thing as adoptive father or adopted son. This Gu poison is used to control us. Each of us has this Gu poison in our bodies. So, we all take the antidote on time. It's just that the dosage given to us each time is not enough to completely remove it. But I stole three of his pills. I left one for you in case of emergency, and I ate two. Unfortunately, the one I left for you is missing sometime ago."

Gu Hua was heartbroken upon hearing this: "Then why are you still so devoted to him?"

Ji Xuanyu looked up at her and said sadly, "I have no way out. I almost died when I fell off the cliff. He saved me and gave me my life. He also gave me the opportunity for revenge. I tried to get rid of this identity, but how can I, a mere commoner, fight against the Pei family? How can I fight against the Marquis of Wenchang's mansion?"

Gu Hua felt a sharp pain in her heart and couldn't help but cry, "Brother Ji...you...you're just avenging me, aren't you?"

Mu Junyan's face was icy cold as he gently stroked her arm to soothe her emotions.

His tone was indifferent: "But you know in your heart how many officials and common people of Liang you have killed. Do you think your so-called miserable state can make up for their blood debts?"

Gu Hua's tears gradually stopped, and she stared steadily at Ji Xuanyu.

Ji Xuanyu huddled in the corner, like a defeated stray dog.

"So, I'm telling you to drain my blood."

Gu Hua looked up at Mu Junyan.

He could tell she wanted to give it a try.

"Akaha."

Akabane entered in response.

“Drain a bowl of blood and let the sick brother drink it to see if he can get it.”

"Yes."

Chi Yan drew the dagger from his waist, approached Ji Xuanyu, cut a gash on his wrist, released a bowl of blood, bandaged it up, and took the bowl of blood out.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't even frown, his eyes fixed on Gu Hua without blinking.

Gu Hua, who was being held in Mu Junyan's long arms, dared not look. She lowered her head, her eyelashes fluttering with tears.

She gripped the man's clothes tightly with both hands, her slender knuckles turning white.

So, she still cares about herself.

Ji Xuanyu lowered his eyes, a cold refusal flashing across them.

A moment later, Akabane walked in excitedly: "My lord, it can cure poison, and it works very quickly. The brothers who were suffering from poisoning felt much better after drinking the blood."

Mu Junyan and Gu Hua both looked up at Ji Xuanyu at the same time.

Mu Junyan slowly said, "Treason and murder are capital offenses. I will escort you to the capital and deal with you according to the law. Considering that you voluntarily shed blood, even if you surrender voluntarily, I will inform the Emperor and grant you a complete corpse."

Gu Hua's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip tightly, unable to speak.

Ji Xuanyu laughed loudly: "What use is a whole corpse? Even someone as noble as you will just become a handful of dust after death. Even a whole corpse will be eaten by insects and ants."

Gu Hua was horrified by his laughter.

She quietly tugged at Mu Junyan's sleeve, and the two exchanged a glance, both noticing something amiss.

"I have only one request: stand on the city wall of Shicheng County and look out over Daliang. There, I will bleed myself dry."

The Yifeng Hall is indeed very ruthless. Many soldiers in Shicheng County have been poisoned with Gu poison. When they fight against the Mu family army, their blood will splatter on the mouths and noses of the enemy and infect them. At this moment, there are also dozens of Mu family soldiers who have been poisoned.

The pills were gone, only blood remained.

Gu Hua's eyes lit up: "Ziyuan, according to this, the blood of the people from Yifeng Hall should be able to detoxify."

Mu Junyan touched her face and whispered, "You want to spare his life?"

Gu Hua's eyes reddened: "I have no objection to being punished according to the law. However, I think his blood alone might not be enough."

"Hmm." Mu Junyan nodded and instructed Chi Yu to first try the blood of the captured and dead members of the Yifeng Hall to find a blood source that could cure the poison.

Ji Xuanyu struggled to his feet: "Let me stand on the city wall and take one last look at the Great Liang Kingdom. I want to kowtow to the Great Liang Kingdom and confess my sins."

Gu Hua was somewhat suspicious.

Mu Junyan nodded: "Okay."

Ji Xuanyu's eyes lit up, revealing a strange excitement.

Akabane pulled him away and led him outside.

Mu Junyan asked in a low voice, "Are you going with them or going back?"

"Let her go! I don't want to see her again." Ji Xuanyu suddenly turned around and said fiercely.

Gu Hua frowned, her small hand gripping Mu Junyan's large hand in return: "You shouldn't go either."

Ji Xuanyu coldly watched them stare at each other: "Duke of Yong, I have a secret to tell you, which concerns your final victory, so please come with me to the city wall."

Gu Hua felt inexplicably nervous: "Don't go."

Mu Junyan gently patted her face reassuringly: "It's alright. Take a few prisoners from Yifeng Hall back to Juzhou City first. Juzhou City still needs you."