Little Pink Starfish

Why Was Gu Xinglang the Only One Unscathed?

Gu Xingnuo couldn’t find the words to respond to Yu Xiaoxiao. If Gu Xinglang truly couldn’t be saved, then the Gu family had harmed the princess. How was he supposed to face her? He was ashamed beyond words.

Seeing that Gu Xingnuo still wasn’t answering, Yu Xiaoxiao took matters into her own hands and began checking her Little Gu’s injuries.

Xiao Wei hesitated for a moment, then ran over to State Preceptor Chengguan. Flipping the preceptor’s body, he let out a sharp gasp—Chengguan’s abdomen was torn open, a section of intestine already protruding from his body. In a time before antibiotics, this was certainly a fatal wound.

Yu Xiaoxiao, still focused on examining Gu Xinglang, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Wei’s lips trembled before he finally replied, “Princess, the State Preceptor is severely wounded.”

Yu Xiaoxiao continued her inspection of Gu Xinglang’s blood-stained body. “Where is he injured?”

“His belly,” Xiao Wei said. “There’s a hole in it.”

“Is he still bleeding?”

Xiao Wei lifted a hand soaked in blood. “Yes.”

“Press a clean handkerchief over the wound,” Yu Xiaoxiao instructed. “Don’t move it. Keep pressure on it.”

Xiao Wei didn’t believe someone with guts spilling out could live, but he still followed her instructions, taking out a handkerchief he hadn’t used that day and pressing it firmly against Chengguan’s abdomen.

After checking Gu Xinglang over, Yu Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Gu Xingnuo and said, “Big Brother, Little Gu isn’t injured.”

Gu Xingnuo nodded blankly.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked around and asked, “Then how did all these people die? Was it Mo Wen?”

At that moment, Gu Xingnuo’s mind was blank. It had been his younger brother who killed them all—but could they admit that?

Yu Xiaoxiao looked sharply at Gu Xingnuo’s silence. She nudged his shoulder and asked, “Are you hurt, Big Brother?”

Startled, Gu Xingnuo stiffened.

His reaction only confused Yu Xiaoxiao more. She quickly withdrew her hand and repeated, “Big Brother, are you hurt?”

Gu Xingnuo shook his head and muttered, “Yes.”

“What is it?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

Glancing at his still-unconscious younger brother, Gu Xingnuo looked up and said to her, “Mo Wen killed them.”

Damn it!

Yu Xiaoxiao punched the ground, leaving a small crater in the earth. I knew it!

Xiao Wei, still pressing on Chengguan’s wound, asked, “Young Master, where is Mo Wen?”

“Yeah,” Yu Xiaoxiao echoed. “Where is he?” Just one glance at the dozen or so corpses told her that Mo Wen wasn’t among them.

Gu Xingnuo’s eyes flickered, but his voice was steady. “He escaped.”

Yu Xiaoxiao was speechless. A whole courtyard of people dead, and Mo Wen still got away?

“What about the Prince Consort?” Xiao Wei asked again.

“He passed out from exhaustion, but he’s not hurt,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “Strange.” So many dead, even the State Preceptor was gravely wounded, yet her Little Gu only fainted? Has my luck finally improved so much that it’s affecting his luck too? That doesn’t make sense!

Gu Xingnuo managed a weak smile. “Princess, were you hoping Xinglang would be hurt?”

“Huh?” Yu Xiaoxiao blinked, then quickly shook her head. “Of course not! I don’t want Little Gu hurt.”

“Then isn’t it good that he’s unharmed?” Gu Xingnuo asked again.

Yu Xiaoxiao felt a little dazed. That’s true… it’s a good thing he’s fine. Why am I overthinking it? If Little Gu ended up a corpse too, that would have truly broken her.

Yu Xiaoxiao was mentally tied in knots, but Xiao Wei wasn’t. He looked around at the corpses—every one of them died gruesomely. These were elite warriors, personally dispatched by the Emperor to kill Mo Wen. Their martial arts couldn’t be weak. So who killed them? Mo Wen? If so, why was their Prince Consort the only one spared? What reason did Mo Wen have to let him live?

Xianzong and his group had been unable to get the temple gates open, and in the end, a shadow guard had to climb the wall to open the barred door from inside. As they entered the temple, they saw only bodies—no survivors.

The deeper they went, the more terrified the shadow guards became. The once-grand Huguo Temple was now deathly silent. With only six men protecting the Emperor, could they even ensure his safety?

“Your Majesty, the situation is unclear. We should withdraw from the temple for now,” one guard advised.

Xianzong waved a hand. He wasn’t surprised by the silence. If Chengguan had planned an ambush, he surely would’ve cleared the temple of innocents beforehand. “No need,” Xianzong said. “Just find the princess quickly.”

When they reached the Buddha Hall courtyard, Xianzong saw the pile of corpses—and his heart sank. Everyone’s dead. Mo Wen must’ve escaped!

Xiao Wei, still kneeling with Chengguan in his arms, spotted Xianzong at the gate and immediately called out, “Your Majesty!”

Yu Xiaoxiao turned and glanced at her good-for-nothing emperor dad. “Little Gu’s fine,” she informed him.

But Xianzong didn’t care about his son-in-law at the moment. He ran straight into the courtyard and asked, “Where’s Mo Wen?!”

Yu Xiaoxiao curled her lip.

Gu Xingnuo shook his head at the Emperor. “Escaped.”

Xianzong’s vision darkened. It’s over. Mo Wen had escaped. Who knew when he’d recover and come back for revenge?

Yu Xiaoxiao said, “If you wanted to kill Mo Wen, why didn’t you tell me? Why today of all days to invite me for dinner?”

Dinner? Xianzong nearly collapsed. You think I invited you for dinner?!

Yu Xiaoxiao kept stabbing the knife in: “Now look what you’ve done. All these people are dead, and Mo Wen’s on the run. What are you going to do—start a war?”

Xianzong nearly burst into tears. Please stop talking!

Then Yu Xiaoxiao remembered someone. “Where’s Wen Fenglin?”

Gu Xingnuo shook his head.

“Find him,” Xianzong ordered the shadow guards. “See if Fenglin is dead or alive.”

The guards scattered to search.

“Th-This is the State Preceptor?” Xianzong pointed to the man Xiao Wei held, barely believing it.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Xiao Wei replied.

Xianzong stomped his foot and rushed over. “How is he?”

“His belly was torn open,” Xiao Wei said. “His… intestines are coming out.”

Xianzong’s vision went completely black this time. Guts spilling out—how can Chengguan possibly survive?

“Move, I’ll handle this,” Yu Xiaoxiao pushed Xianzong aside and knelt to examine Chengguan’s injury.

Xianzong stumbled back, forgetting to be offended at her disrespect. “Can he live?” he asked anxiously.