25. Gu Yunting Appears

"Stuff a gag in her mouth," Gu Xin commanded with a furrowed brow.

A servant stepped forward and shoved a piece of white cloth forcefully into Jiang Shuwang’s mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to speak, but she could not utter a single coherent word. Watching the servant approach with a white silk noose, Jiang Shuwang cast a panicked glance at those who watched with cold indifference, finally fixing her gaze on the Old Madam of the Gu household.

The Old Madam frowned, her eyes reflecting a flicker of reluctance. Seeing Jiang Shuwang’s desperate plea for help, she struggled with her own conscience. Seeming to sense the Old Madam’s hesitation, Gu Xin spoke first to persuade her, "Grandmother, Jiang Shuwang is clearly a harbinger of disaster. Yet she hid it from us, scheming to marry into our Marquis’s estate to bring us ruin. Do you truly intend to let a person like that go?"

The Old Madam knew this well, but looking at Jiang Shuwang’s deathly pale face, drenched in tears, she could not bring herself to be heartless.

Gu Xin snapped, "What are you waiting for? If you delay my father’s funeral, you will be held responsible!"

Hearing this, the servants dared not hesitate further. They hurriedly stepped forward, looped the white silk around her neck, and pulled it tight. As the pain intensified and her breath faded, Jiang Shuwang looked at the Old Madam—the only one present who could have saved her. Seeing the woman’s brow tighten in resolve, she realized the Old Madam had succumbed to the lies, and the light in her eyes extinguished completely.

She never imagined that after being granted a second chance at life, she would still end up dying at the hands of Gu Xin.

As her breathing grew shallow, Jiang Shuwang cast a cold, hateful glare at the Jiang family members, whose faces showed only indifference and gloating. Since she could not struggle, she stopped, waiting for death to claim her. Her scarlet eyes, fixed unblinkingly on the Jiang family, made them feel a chill run down their spines.

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed from the doorway.

"She is my betrothed. Let me see who dares to lay a hand on her."

The guests looked at one another in shock.

"That doesn't sound like the Marquis."

"Indeed. Could it be that the Marquis is not dead?"

"But the Emperor declared that he had passed."

The faces of the Jiang family and Gu Xin turned ghastly pale. The Old Madam froze, her expression shifting into one of overwhelming joy.

A man dressed in dark black cross-collared silk, draped in a matching black coat, walked inside with his hands behind his back. The frigid, imposing aura he exuded was enough to make one’s legs go weak at the sight. With a mere wave of his hand, a powerful gust of wind sent the servants who were strangling Jiang Shuwang flying like kites with severed strings.

Jiang Shuwang slumped to the floor, but just as she hit the ground, she was caught in a firm embrace.

The faint scent of sandalwood filled her nose. She stared blankly at the man who had saved her—the same man she had encountered at Cien Temple and on the street—and remained frozen in a daze.

"Are you alright?" The low voice rumbled in her ear.

Jiang Shuwang shook her head as a reflex.

The others had called him the Marquis. So, he was not dead; he was the husband she was meant to marry. Yet, in her previous life, he had died and never returned to the capital. What was happening?

Gu Yunting, assuming she was unable to stand from fright, helped her to a nearby chair.

The Old Madam stepped forward uncertainly, calling out, "Ting'er?"

Once she confirmed it was truly Gu Yunting, tears poured down her face like rain. She stepped forward tremulously, "Ting'er, you... you really aren't dead?"

Gu Yunting stepped forward to gently hold the Old Madam’s hands. "Mother, I am alive. The person who could take my life has yet to be born."

The Old Madam looked him up and down. Seeing he had no visible wounds and feeling the warmth of his hands, she realized this was no dream. She wept for joy, muttering to herself, "Good, good... as long as you have returned."

Gu Xin stood there in utter disbelief. *Impossible. It’s impossible.*

In his previous life, the Emperor had clearly granted him the title, insisting his father was dead. How could he have returned from the grave in this life? What had gone wrong?

Before he could finish his thought, Gu Yunting’s deep, piercing gaze landed on him like a blade, turning Gu Xin’s face ash-white and causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.

"Fa-father," Gu Xin stammered.

*SMACK!*

Gu Yunting delivered a heavy slap across his face. Gu Xin’s cheek reddened instantly, a burning, stinging pain radiating across his skin, yet he dared not make a sound.

"On the day of the marriage negotiations, you were dallying with another woman. Is this how I taught you to behave?"

Finishing his words, he cast a gaze as sharp as a gale toward Lin Rou. Terrified by his look, she hung her head, not daring to utter a single word. Gu Xin also bowed his head, his earlier arrogance completely vanished.

Gu Yunting turned and walked toward Jiang Xunian, his voice cold and biting. "As a father, you would force your own daughter to be buried with the dead? How vicious is your heart? You are well aware that this dynasty abolished the practice of human sacrifice long ago. As a government official, you have knowingly broken the law. What crime do you think you have committed?"

Jiang Xunian had heard of Gu Yunting’s ruthless reputation—that on the battlefield, he could decapitate enemy soldiers without blinking, and that because of his constant victories, he was highly favored by the Emperor.

This was not a man he could afford to offend. Combined with the man’s terrifying aura, Jiang Xunian hung his head, trembling as he offered a pathetic excuse, "Ma-Marquis, I... I was merely trying to frighten her."

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his back was soaked through.

"If there is a next time, there will be no mercy," Gu Yunting warned.

"Yes, yes," Jiang Xunian replied meekly, not daring to offer any protest.

Gu Yunting paced toward the coffin, hands behind his back, scanning the room with a solemn expression that made everyone present feel a chill down their spines.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this funeral today is a farce. Please, return to your homes. I have a household to manage."

He finished, his gaze finally resting on Gu Xin. Gu Xin shuddered and collapsed to the floor.

Having seen enough of the spectacle, the guests left one by one, feeling satisfied.

Before Jiang Shuwang left, she took one long look at Gu Yunting. Their eyes met, deep and enigmatic. After a moment, she looked away and followed the guests out.

Once everyone had departed, Gu Xin crawled to Gu Yunting’s feet and clutched his hem. "Father, I was wrong! Please, forgive me this once. Give me another chance!"

Gu Yunting’s eyes turned cold. He yanked his robe away with force. Gu Xin’s hands grasped at thin air, and his heart sank into an abyss.

Everything was over. Everything.

His mind involuntarily drifted back to his previous life. Every time he made a mistake, Gu Yunting would punish him severely. That was why, after he was reborn, he had rejoiced for a long time knowing he had returned to a point after Gu Yunting’s death.

From then on, he would never have to fear Gu Yunting again; he would be the master of the Pingning Marquis estate.

But why? Why had Gu Yunting, who had clearly died, returned from the grave? In his previous life, he had died and never reappeared. Where had things gone wrong in this life?

Gu Yunting looked down at him from his height, his entire being radiating a chilling, icy aura.