Chapter 17: Come Take My Life

As he was still stunned and hadn't had time to react, the scissors moved with Li Qingluo's raising hand; the instant Li Kechuan let go and leaned back, his other hand swiftly rose to block.

The scissors tore through Li Kechuan's sleeve, then pierced his arm.

Blood spurted out instantly, staining his white robe, dripping all over the floor.

"Do you want to kill me—?"

Li Kechuan, in shocked fury, actually forgot to move or react, for he never imagined that Li Qingluo, this lowly person, would dare to stab himself with a knife!

Li Qingluo stared at the blood on the blade's tip, stepping back step by step.

If she hadn't kept an extra precaution, hiding the scissors in her sleeve while dressing, she might now be dead in his hand!

Having escaped death, Li Qingluo endured the intense discomfort, gasping for breath.

She covered her reddened neck, sneered, and retorted: "How come you're allowed to think of killing me, but I'm not allowed to fight back?"

"Li Kechuan, since you can't bear Li Qingzhu's death, why not die for love and be buried with her? You might as well go to the underworld to find her—perhaps she's still waiting for you."

Li Qingluo stared fixedly at Li Kechuan and uttered these words.

Her pupils were dark and clear; the hatred in her eyes at this moment was something even Li Kechuan could not ignore.

Does she hate herself?

How dare she even have the face, the right, to hate him?

On what grounds?

Who does she think she is?

"Then you must die first—" Li Kechuan stretched out his bloody hand, trying to grab Li Qingluo again.

But Li Qingluo was prepared this time; she nimbly bent, swiftly ran to the window, then deftly flipped out.

Having grown up freely in the countryside and labored in the fields, her reflexes and strength differ from those of the delicate young ladies raised according to standard.

Seeing her move, Li Kechuan still froze for a moment.

Immediately he thought with contempt: Indeed crude and uncouth, lacking any trace of a proper young lady from a respectable family.

Rather than let her live and bring shame to the Li family later, it would really be better to let her pay with her life for Zhu'er now!

Li Kechuan harbored vicious thoughts, his whole body filled with killing intent as he strode out.

Hearing the commotion, several grannies from the main hall of Jingci Tang had already come over.

Li Qingluo immediately ran to the grannies; seeing Li Qingluo holding scissors with blood on them, the grannies were startled.

"Good heavens! Miss, what happened? Where did this blood come from?"

Immediately after, Li Kechuan leapt out from Li Qingluo's room.

A large red patch already covered his arm; seeing this, what more could the grannies not understand?

"Miss, you—you're clueless! That's the Li family's heir!"

Li Qingluo could only hurriedly explain: "Grannies, I was also defending myself. Li Kechuan has gone mad; please help me stop him!"

Sure enough, Li Kechuan reached out to grab Li Qingluo.

Obviously, he completely ignored these grannies.

He still thought they were merely ordinary serving women.

So, as long as he waved his hand, the maidservants and lackeys he brought could handle these grannies.

And Li Qingluo was merely something he could pocket!

Thus, when the grannies not only protected Li Qingluo but also beat down the people Li Kechuan had brought, he finally changed expression completely.

Indeed, as the grandmother from the Pei family, the grannies beside her could possess such skill!

Only then did Li Kechuan have to swallow his anger.

He gripped his still-bleeding arm, gave Li Qingluo a cold, smirk: "I won't lay hands on grandmother's grannies, but you—you're finished."

Li Qingluo also looked at him expressionlessly: "If you have the ability, come take my life."

Anyway, she originally had nothing.

Except this life.

In this life, even if she must fight to the death, she will make them—make Li Kechuan—regret today's actions to the point of utter despair.

Li Kechuan let out a heavy cold snort, leading his people away in large strides.

Li Qingluo was already drenched in sweat.

Several grannies helped her sit back in her room, saying, "Miss, are you hurt? Before the Old Lady left, she instructed us few to guard the estate and watch over you, but we never imagined the eldest son would clash with you..."

They feared that if Granny Pei returned and found out, she would scold them.

Moreover, the grandmother certainly could never have imagined that Li Kechuan would go mad over Li Qingzhu.

Li Qingluo knew this had nothing to do with them, and moreover, at the critical moment, they indeed saved her.

"Regardless of the grannies' affairs, I will explain to the grandmother myself. By the way, where did the grandmother go?"

Granny: "The Old Lady received a letter, so she left for the Jiangjun Fu right at the mao hour."

Li Qingluo: "Okay, I know. Thank you, grannies."

She couldn't always rely on the grandmother, so she must become strong herself to do what she wants.

Revenge, exposing the truth of Li Qingzhu's fake death, and severing ties completely with the Li family.

But achieving these—how easy could that be?

Before Granny Pei even returned, someone had already come from the main courtyard.

"Second Miss, the master and mistress request your presence at the front courtyard. Come with us—!"

The steward extended his hand with a numb expression, yet his eyes could not hide his contempt and disdain for her.

Li Qingluo had already anticipated this.

Li Kechuan is the Li family's heir, and since I wounded him, this matter cannot be separated from me no matter what.

She also did not conceal the scar on her neck.

"Please lead the way."

Cui Er and Granny were not permitted to follow, so Li Qingluo went alone, following the steward as he wound east and west, walking for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, before being brought to the front hall.

Li Qingzhu's coffin was placed in the side hall.

However, Li Qingluo could see from the front courtyard that everything was white.

White soul-summoning banners, white canopies, and the ground covered with scattered white spirit money.

Countless maids and servants in hemp clothing knelt before the spirit table, sobbing as they continuously burned paper and lit incense.

Here, Li Chao Jing and Qu Shi sat in the hall; Qu Shi's eyes were swollen like walnuts, and Li Chao Jing seemed to have aged several years overnight.

Li Qingluo was brought in, and Li Chao Jing ordered her to kneel.

The majesty in his eyes was intimidating, beyond doubt.

Li Qingluo knew that if she did not kneel, Li Chao Jing, the head of the family, had plenty of ways to make her kneel.

Seeing no need to suffer needlessly, she obediently knelt.

Li Chao Jing had thought she would be rebellious, but he did not expect her to be obedient at this moment.

However, upon thinking that everything in the general's mansion today had arisen because of her, a flash of cruelty crossed Li Chao Jing's eyes.

"You wretch! Do you truly have no heart? Your older brother merely asked you to come over and offer an incense stick to Zhu'er; if you were unwilling, you could have refused, so why did you wound him?"

Qu Shi wept softly: "I do not know what you think in your heart. But Zhu'er has grown up by my side since childhood; she is my heart and soul, my treasure. She has brought you joy at your knees and fulfilled filial duty before your parents; even if your heart were stone, you should at least offer her incense and burn paper money for her."

"My poor Zhu'er, I truly wish you were the piece of flesh that fell from my body…"

"Wuu wuu wuu wuu…"

Li Qingluo gave a bitter smile, twitching the corner of her mouth.

She had thought she had long since ceased to care at all.

But at this moment, her heart still felt a dense, needle-like ache.

Let it be the last time…

The last time, she would be so pathetic again.

Li Qingluo lifted her braid, raised her head, and fully revealed the bruised red swelling on her neck.

"Father, Mother. Lu'er is not a violent brother-killer, but if Lu'er does not rise up in resistance, today the general's mansion may well have to add another coffin."

She spoke lightly, her tone clearly devoid of any hint of grievance or resentment, yet Li Chao Jing and Qu Shi felt their chests tighten.

In both of their eyes lay disbelief.

"How could Chuan'er… be like this…"

Ferocious.

Qu Shi's words of excuse rose to her lips, but she could not bring herself to utter them.

Because the wound on Li Qingluo's neck was truly shocking to behold!