Chapter 204: The Stone Statue’s Warning
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Midnight.
Snow fell heavily, blanketing the streets in white as Rong Che patrolled with his men, his shoulders already weighed down by accumulated snow.
Suddenly—
A wave of terror surged through his heart. His chest constricted violently, as though a thousand needles pierced through it at once, forcing him to bend over in pain.
The small stone statue in his arms slipped from his grasp and hit the ground with a crisp crack.
“Ah!” A cold sweat broke out across his body instantly.
Beads of icy sweat trickled down his temples as he picked up the fallen stone statue. To his shock, it was burning hot to the touch, searing his palm. A deep sense of unease gnawed at him, his heart gripped by inexplicable panic.
“Strange, why hasn’t he shown up today?” his deputy, following closely behind, asked in a doubtful tone.
Rong Che pressed a trembling hand to his chest and tucked the stone statue back into his robe. “I need to return.”
The deputy was stunned. “General, your home is in the other direction!”
His words fell on deaf ears as Rong Che dashed away without a second glance.
“How odd… General Rong abandoning his post?” The deputy had followed Rong Che for over a decade, yet this was the first time he had ever seen him so shaken.
Rong Che spurred his horse into a mad gallop, the thundering hooves kicking up flurries of snow.
He had left ample guards to protect the Lu Manor, but unless he saw it with his own eyes, he would not be at ease.
He could not bear any misfortune befalling Shi Yun.
“Shi Yun!” Rong Che cried, his voice tearing through the icy night. He had crossed half the capital, and before his steed had even fully halted, he leaped off and sprinted forward.
Before he even stepped inside, an unprecedented sense of dread seized him.
The ever-composed Stabilizing General, who could remain calm even in the face of a collapsing mountain, felt his blood freeze, an icy chill shooting up his spine.
He pounded on the door like a madman.
But at the slightest push, the door creaked open.
The gatekeeper lay limp on the ground, lifeless.
Rong Che’s breath came in ragged pants, his ears pounding with the sound of his own racing heartbeat. Panic overtook him as he dashed toward the inner courtyard.
At that moment, he recalled his nightmare.
In his dream, Madam Xu had died on a snowy night.
No one had even been there to collect her body.
His eyes burned red, his vision blurred with suppressed tears. Where was the proud general of before? Now, he couldn’t even distinguish between reality and nightmare.
As he ran through the courtyard, his gaze swept over the fallen maids along the long corridor, the guards lying in pools of crimson, their throats slit in a single stroke. A leaden weight settled in his chest.
He stumbled to a halt outside the main courtyard.
Fear. Unease. Despair. They nearly drowned him.
His face was ashen, paler than fresh snow.
Stepping into the courtyard, his sharp eyes locked onto the scene at its center.
A thinly dressed woman sat motionless in the snow, her arms wrapped tightly around a child, shielding her entirely within her embrace.
She was curled in on herself, her entire figure—her clothes, hair, even her eyelashes—covered in a thick layer of frost.
Rong Che’s heartbeat nearly stopped.
Silently, he approached, afraid to startle them.
Shi Yun’s lips quivered as she hummed a lullaby in a broken melody, her voice hoarse. Her lips, tinged with purple, were numb from the cold. Her entire body was frozen stiff, devoid of feeling.
Rong Che’s vision blurred with unshed tears. No one could understand the terror gripping his heart.
No one could comprehend his overwhelming relief at finding them alive.
Gently, he brushed the snow from Shi Yun’s shoulder. Her entire frame was rigid with cold, and her teeth chattered as she turned her stiffened face towards him.
The moment she saw him—
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Scalding droplets fell onto her frozen skin, bringing a faint sting of warmth to her otherwise numb body.
Rong Che’s heart ached terribly. He carefully gathered her into his arms. “I’m sorry… I was too late.”
“I’m sorry… I failed to protect you.”
Lifting both Shi Yun and Lu Chao Chao with ease, he carried them away, each step firm and resolute.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here now. Leave everything to me.”
Rong Che saw that Madam Xu was trembling with fear. The rough and towering man softened his voice, speaking to her as if coaxing a child.
He even adopted a gentle, lilting tone, as if soothing a frightened infant.
Without alarming anyone, Rong Che carried Madam Xu back to his own chambers. Yet, Shi Yun refused to release Lu Chao Chao from her embrace.
Rong Che personally fetched hot water and a set of clean clothes.
“Don’t be afraid. You and Chao Chao have been sitting in the snow for too long. The cold could leave lasting harm on your bodies. I won’t leave. I won’t step out. I’ll just sit outside the screen.”
“Take a warm bath with Chao Chao. That way, you won’t fall ill.”
Within his own manor, Rong Che had long prepared clothing suitable for Madam Xu and her family. Even the cook was skilled in making their favorite dishes.
He was never one to fight unprepared battles.
Madam Xu only needed to turn back. Everything else—he would handle it all.
Her body had gone numb from the cold, making her unaware of it. But the moment she left the warmth of his embrace, the icy chill bit through her bones.
Rong Che was a gentleman.
He covered his ears, closed his eyes, and turned his back to her, standing rigidly behind the screen.
Gradually, Madam Xu relaxed. As she bathed Chao Chao, she hummed a lullaby, gently washing away the blood from her small body.
Throughout it all, Lu Chao Chao never opened her eyes, as though she was utterly exhausted.
Once dressed, Madam Xu found the clothes fit her perfectly.
With her hair still damp and loose, she stepped out of the bath and placed Chao Chao on the innermost side of the bed.
Chao Chao murmured softly, her tiny hands reaching into the air, searching.
Madam Xu hurriedly grasped her little hand. “Mother is here. I’m here with you, Chao Chao.”
Only then did Lu Chao Chao settle into peaceful slumber.
Rong Che, at some point, had appeared with a towel.
He said nothing, only silently drying her hair.
The candle flames crackled, and outside, the snowfall had ceased. A faint light crept over the horizon, signaling the approach of dawn.
Madam Xu’s brows remained tightly furrowed. Only when her hair was completely dry did Rong Che finally speak.
“Sleep. I won’t leave. I will watch over you both.”
She glanced at him but said nothing, merely sitting at the bedside with her head lowered.
Rong Che clenched his fists. He was a man of honor. He would never take advantage of a vulnerable moment.
But when he saw her tears begin to fall, how could he endure it?
His heart ached. Without a second thought, he gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Nothing more—just this.
His love for her was deep, burdened with dreams too heavy to bear.
So cherished, so precious.
“Why… Why did you only come back now? Why did you only come back now?!” Madam Xu’s voice trembled, her sobs barely stifled as she gripped his robes tightly.
Proud as she was, she had nearly knelt in despair, willing to cast away her dignity to protect Chao Chao.
Never before had she felt such terror.
She was afraid of losing Chao Chao.
Afraid that the happiness she had fought so hard to obtain would be so fleeting.
“I’m sorry. It was me. It was my fault. I let you be frightened. I let you suffer. It won’t happen again!” Rong Che’s lips trembled. How could he bear to lose Shi Yun a second time?
His admission broke the last of Madam Xu’s restraint. She wept openly, unburdened.
Seeing her cry, Rong Che finally felt relief.
If sorrow remained bottled up, it would only fester, harming the body and soul.
Madam Xu did not know how long she cried. But when her emotions finally eased, she found herself surrounded by his reassuring presence.
She leaned against him, unknowingly falling asleep, tears still clinging to her lashes.
Gently, Rong Che laid her beside Chao Chao, tucking the blankets around them with careful hands before stepping outside the room.
He stood guard at the door, ever vigilant.
At the same time, he commanded his men to handle the Lu family’s affairs next door and report to the palace.
The dark guards had been cut down by more than half.
The household guards executed the infiltrators with swift, clean strikes.
These were not men of Northern Zhao. Only the warriors of the Southern Kingdom, the land that worshipped gods, possessed such skill.
Perhaps, they had considered the little maid beneath their notice, merely knocking her unconscious and leaving her behind. Three of them had perished in the cold.
Rong Che’s heart clenched with lingering fear.
Just a little more—
Just a little more, and history would have repeated itself.