Chapter 266: Lin Chen's Witness

The light in the tent was dim, Lu Ran crouching beside the ice coffin, his back arched,

like a stone statue that had lost its vitality. His gaze rested on the ice coffin, motionless, even his breathing so light it was almost inaudible.

A Nian lay on the cold-proof mat nearby, still unconscious, her chest rising and falling slightly, the only sign of life in the tent.

The tent flap was lifted, cold wind mixed with snow particles pouring in. Lu Ran did not look up,

not even blinking. Lin Chen and Xia Nuan walked in, Xia Nuan carrying a thermal bucket in her hand,

inside which was steaming hot black-bone chicken soup. Their footsteps were very light, yet they still stirred up echoes in the silent tent.

Lin Chen stood at the door, his gaze falling on Lu Ran. This man, who was once high-spirited and always carried a sense of resilience, now seemed to have had all his strength drained away.

His hair was messy, covered with snow debris and ice dregs, his face full of wind and frost,

his lips dry and peeling, those eyes that always burned with fire now deathly silent, as if something had died forever.

Xia Nuan walked to Lu Ran's side, crouched down, placed the thermal bucket on the ground, and spoke gently: "Lu Ran, drink some chicken soup, warm your body; you won't be able to hold on like this."

Lu Ran finally reacted; he slowly looked up, looking at Xia Nuan with hollow eyes,

without any emotion. Xia Nuan's heart ached, and she unscrewed the lid of the thermal bucket,

the rich aroma instantly filling the air. She served a bowl of soup and handed it to Lu Ran: "Drink a mouthful, eat something at least."

Lu Ran's gaze fell into the soup bowl, where a few pieces of chicken floated in the turbid liquid.

He slowly reached out, took the soup bowl, his fingertips touching the warm bowl wall,

yet feeling nothing. He lowered his head and took a sip, the soup sliding down his throat, carrying a faint salty taste.

The next second, he raised his hand abruptly and smashed the bowl of chicken soup heavily onto the ground.

The bowl shattered, soup splashing everywhere, the warm liquid landing on the cold ground and quickly freezing into thin ice.

"Tastes bad."

Lu Ran's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, like two stones grinding against each other; every word was permeated with a sense of extreme irritability and numbness.

Xia Nuan was stunned, looking at the broken bowl and the messy soup on the ground, her eye sockets instantly turning red.

She knew Lu Ran was hurting inside, knew he had lost Sister Chu Yao Yao, but she hadn't expected him to waste things like this, to waste her good intentions.

Lin Chen's face sank. He took two steps forward, staring at Lu Ran: "Lu Ran, have you had enough?"

Lu Ran did not look at him, still lowering his head, looking at the ice dregs on the ground, saying nothing.

"Sister Chu Yao Yao is gone, we are all hurting." Lin Chen's voice carried suppressed anger.

"But look at yourself now, what do you look like? A Nian, whom Sister Chu Yao Yao traded her life to bring back, is still lying there,

and Sister Chu Yao Yao's ice coffin is still beside you. Is this how you waste yourself, waste other people's intentions?"

Lu Ran still didn't speak, just his shoulders trembling slightly.

Xia Nuan looked at the broken bowl on the ground, and tears finally couldn't help but fall. She crouched down,

reaching out to pick up the broken porcelain pieces, but her fingertips were cut, and blood instantly seeped out.

She didn't pay attention, just picking them up to herself, muttering: "I just wanted you to drink something hot, just wanted you to be okay..."

Lu Ran's movements paused; he looked at the blood on Xia Nuan's fingertips, a trace of fluctuation flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by deathly silence again.

Lin Chen looked at him like this, his anger no longer suppressible. He rushed forward abruptly,

grabbed Lu Ran by the collar, and lifted him from the ground. Lu Ran did not resist, letting him grab him like a rag doll without bones.

"You bastard!

" Lin Chen smashed a punch into Lu Ran's face. Lu Ran's body swayed, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, yet still without any reaction.

Xia Nuan saw this and didn't care about crying anymore. She stood up and slammed a punch into Lu Ran's arm: "Lu Ran, wake up! Wake up!"

One punch after another, one blow after another, Lin Chen and Xia Nuan's attacks landed on Lu Ran,

yet Lu Ran never fought back, not even dodging. Scars soon appeared on his face and body,

blood mixed with sweat and blood, smearing his whole face.

Not until Xia Nuan's fist landed on his chest did Lu Ran let out a muffled groan, a trace of painful feeling finally appearing in his eyes.

Lin Chen looked at him, his eyes cold. He let go of the collar, stepped back,

and then raised his right hand. A wave of extreme coldness surged from his palm; it was his absolute zero ability, instantly enveloping Lu Ran's legs.

The biting coldness drilled into his bones along his skin. Lu Ran's body shuddered violently;

he looked down at his legs, seeing frost spreading rapidly, from his ankles to his knees,

and in just a few seconds, his legs were completely frozen, losing all sensation.

Intense pain struck, and Lu Ran finally let out a suppressed groan.

He gritted his teeth tightly, not letting himself cry out, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.

Xia Nuan stopped her movements and looked at Lu Ran's frostbitten legs; the anger in her heart dissipated for the most part, leaving only a trace of worry.

Lin Chen stood in place, his chest rising and falling violently. He stared at Lu Ran, saying word by word: "Freezing your legs is to make you remember:

living is not for wasting yourself, but for living on for Sister Chu Yao Yao, and guarding the people she wanted to guard."

Lu Ran's body swayed; he looked up at Lin Chen,

The dead silence in his eyes finally cracked, revealing a sliver of desperate pain. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he still did not make a sound.

The blizzard outside the tent continued, the whistling wind sounding like a funeral march,

echoing between heaven and earth. Lin Chen looked at Lu Ran, looked at the things that had died in this man's eyes, and his heart sank along with it. ===== CHAPTER 267 =====