Chapter 208: Grandmother harmed? Her life hangs in the balance!

Pei Yuan drew his sword to block the Daoist's path: "Qingyangzi—! Jia'er has been delayed all these years because of your selfishness and cold-heartedness! If not for you, your extremely vicious fiancée would not have poisoned my Jia'er, leaving her unable to live or die!"

"If Jia'er hadn't become like this, she wouldn't have been slaughtered by thieves at home, unable even to cry out for help!"

"My Jia'er is harmed by you——!"

"What difference is there between you and the murderers who killed him?"

"Pei Yuan cannot kill you before the Dali Temple today, but you are forbidden from entering the Dali Temple in this lifetime to see my Jia'er's remains!"

Pei Yuan's sword cut Qingyangzi's arm; seeing blood, he angrily threw down his sword and strode away.

Qingyangzi paid no heed to his wound, merely laughing loudly after hearing Pei Yuan's words.

That laughter held bitterness, pain, and a suppressed wail.

Even the onlookers felt infected, truly sensing the affection he had never let go of.

"If I had known it would come to this, why bother in the first place?"

"Exactly—clearly you've become a Daoist, knowing you and the Pei maiden have no future, why not let go?"

"Turning around, you even discuss marriage with a jianghu woman. I say, these outsiders really know how to play."

Yet Qingyangzi indeed never stepped half a foot into the Dali Temple again.

Instead, he turned and ran wildly into the crowd.

Li Qingluo heard this and gave a cold laugh: "What use is feigning deep emotion and regret now?"

As she spoke, she lifted the carriage curtain to look toward Si Yuan not far away.

She had once lived there for several days.

There she and Nan Jia had shared a very happy time.

There she had also spoken a few words with Pei San Lang.

Today she personally followed Pei San Lang to Si Yuan because of Nan Jia's death; Li Qingluo decided to start with this Pei San Lang.

"Miss, shall we go knock on the door to visit?"

"Not yet. Wait until he leaves, then go."

Deng Mama wondered: "Left? Then who are we going to see? Aren't you going to see Pei San Gongzi?"

Li Qingluo: "In Si Yuan lives a jianghu friend of Pei San Lang. I heard this person lit the earth dragon in September and cannot leave the room all day."

"Why does Pei San Lang value this person so much?"

"I feel perhaps there is something unexpected about this person……"

"Why not just go visit this person directly?"

After a while, Pei San Lang finally left Si Yuan.

Li Qingluo was about to dismount the carriage and personally knock when Wu Quan rushed over in a hurry.

"Miss! Something terrible! The Old Lady has met with misfortune! Please hurry back to the manor!"

Li Qingluo's face instantly changed: "What!? Hurry! Back to the manor!"

Li Qingluo had been busy with Pei Nan Jia's affairs lately, so she had no energy to attend to the Jiangjun Fu.

Naturally, the tidying up of the manor's people was also temporarily set aside.

Even the Pei Lao Furen's place had not been visited for several days.

She did not know what had happened, but her heart kept racing uncontrollably, her hands trembling nonstop.

Deng Mama drove the carriage, Que'er comforting her: "Miss, the Old Lady is healthy, never even had a minor illness—she will surely be fine."

But if it weren't serious, Wu Quan would not have come rushing so recklessly to interrupt Li Qingluo's affairs.

Hurrying back to the Jiangjun Fu, Li Qingluo rushed straight to Jingci Tang.

"Grandmother——! Grandmother——?"

Li Qingluo saw Jingci Tang filled with people.

Fortunately, they were all the Old Lady's own people.

But just before entering Jingci Tang, she seemed to see several sneaky figures outside.

Zhang Mama saw Li Qingluo return, her anxious face finally showing a glimmer of light.

She slapped her leg and immediately rushed over: "Miss! My heavens, Miss, you have finally returned! Quick, the Old Lady is waiting for you!"

Li Qingluo was pulled by Zhang Mama and flew into the room.

Inside, Li Qingluo smelled a strong scent of blood.

Her heart tightened and gave a heavy jump.

Stumbling to the Pei Lao Furen's bed, Li Qingluo saw a pile of bloody cloths scattered on the floor.

Beside it was a basin of hot water, the water also stained and changed color.

As for the grandmother, she lay half-dead in the bedding, eyes tightly shut, her vitality seemingly gone……

Li Qingluo's legs went soft; if not for Deng Mama and Zhang Mama each grabbing her, she would have knelt on the ground.

"Miss, hold on…… the Old Lady can still hear."

Li Qingluo's emotions burst out uncontrollably: "What on earth is happening!? How could the Old Lady suddenly become like this!?"

Zhang Mama spoke and began to weep.

"This morning, the Old Lady said you have been running about, working hard lately, so she wanted to personally stew you a chicken soup, waiting for you to return tonight to share a meal in Jingci Tang and also to nourish you."

"Just this bowl of chicken soup! The Old Lady tasted it, took a sip, and vomited blood on the spot."

Li Qingluo: "Is the chicken soup problematic? Was it poisoned!?"

Zhang Mama: "I can't say clearly! But the servant has already brought the chicken soup over."

"And the grandmother? Has a doctor been summoned?"

Li Qingluo hurriedly sat beside the bed, her trembling hand reaching out to grasp the still-warm hand of Pei Lao Furen, and only then did she breathe a little easier.

Zhang Mama: "Luo Shen Yi hasn't returned to the capital yet. We only have the doctor we hired in the city… the doctor said, Old Lady won't last much longer!"

Li Qingluo: "Impossible!"

She softly called Pei Lao Furen: "Grandmother, grandmother? Grandmother… you must not come to harm, you must hold on; Luo'er will think of a way to save you!"

Li Qingluo finished speaking, then thought of someone!

"Prince Su!"

"His manor has a renowned doctor; the doctors there who can cure Nan Jia's poison can surely save grandmother!"

Li Qingluo immediately had Deng Mama go to Prince Su's manor for a trip.

But before the person could leave, outside Jingci Tang a commotion broke out.

Ying'er hurried in and said: "It's the master come! He heard Old Lady is critically ill, so he brought the lady and the young master, intending to barge in!"

Li Chao Jing!?

Li Qingluo: "We can't let him in!"

The poison in grandmother's body is truly suspicious.

It definitely has something to do with the people in this manor!

Moreover, the movements in Jingci Tang, outside someone is furtively watching—what are they watching?

Just as I rushed back, they also came!

Are they coming to see if grandmother has been poisoned by them?

If he comes in, he definitely has no good intentions!

As Li Qingluo's words fell, Pei Lao Furen on the bed slowly opened her eyes.

"Luo'er..."

Li Qingluo hearing her grandmother's voice, her sore, swollen eyes could no longer hold back, tears fell pattering.

"Grandmother! You, you must not come to harm, do not abandon Luo'er..."

Li Qingluo leaned forward and tightly embraced Pei Lao Furen.

Pei Lao Furen sighed: "Good child, it's grandmother's fault for being careless..."

"This poison, indeed cannot be separated from these people in the manor..."

"Grandmother always left them a sliver of leeway, yet they want grandmother's life... heh, heh..."

"I have my whole life lost to those surnamed Li... truly a utter failure, and it serves me right!"

Li Qingluo: "Who said that!? Grandmother you will be fine! Luo'er will surely save you, surely!"

"Luo'er still needs to be filial to you for a hundred years; Luo'er hasn't yet gone with you to see mountains and rivers, hasn't seen the world's lakes and seas... you haven't seen Luo'er marry and bear children, how could you abandon Luo'er!"

"Grandmother, in this world, Luo'er only has you!"

"You are the one who loves Luo'er most, cares for Luo'er most, cherishes Luo'er most in this world; do not abandon me—"

Li Qingluo, head buried, cried out heedlessly, only wishing grandmother would look upon her pitiful self and hold on.

Outside, Deng Mama and others were still blocking the courtyard gate.

Li Qingluo faintly heard Li Chao Jing's angry roar: "Li Qingluo! You rebellious girl! What do you intend to do, are you trying to kill your grandmother!?"

"As your father, I already know your grandmother has been poisoned with a deadly toxin, so I brought Doctor Jiang here; why won't you hurry and let us in to treat your grandmother!?"

"If your grandmother dies because of your delay, this general will certainly hold you accountable and demand your life!"

Li Qingluo looked toward her grandmother.

Pei Lao Furen's expression suddenly turned fierce: "He still wants you to pay with your life!? Who exactly wants to harm me, can he get away clean!?"

"I today actually want to see what he intends to do!"

"Bring him, bring him in for me——!!"

Pei Lao Furen gave the order; Zhang Mama and others had no choice but to obey.

Soon, Li Chao Jing brought Doctor Jiang, Qu Shi, and Li Kechuan and others, marching in with murderous aura.

Upon seeing the house full of elderly maids and servant girls, Li Chao Jing's momentum did not diminish in the slightest.

Only Qu Shi shrank her neck a bit, while Li Kechuan glanced at Li Qingluo at once.

Upon seeing her tear-streaked face, he actually felt a hint of indescribable complex emotion in his heart.

He felt she was somewhat pitiable, yet also somewhat satisfying.

She used to be closest to grandmother; if grandmother truly... should she also take a look at them?

He and his parents are the ones she ought to be close to and curry favor with!

If she later has no one to rely on, being able to let go of past grievances and get along well with them, perhaps they could treat her with concern as they once did with Zhu'er...

"Mother——!"

Li Chao Jing seeing Pei Lao Furen on the bed at her last breath, his heart sank heavily, and he immediately rushed over with a face full of grief and urgency.

Li Qingluo was also pushed to the side.

Li Chao Jing had Doctor Jiang hurry over to take Pei Lao Furen's pulse; Pei Lao Furen said nothing, only her gaze dark and chilly fixed on her own son.

Li Chao Jing dared not meet her gaze.

Until Doctor Jiang sighed: "General... Old Lady's poison came on swiftly and fiercely; I too am powerless; the manor had best... best start preparing for the aftermath!"

Li Chao Jing let out a painful wail: "Mother——!"

Qu Shi also immediately knelt down, weeping sorrowfully: "Mother, you haven't yet enjoyed enough blessings, how could you just leave like this..."

Li Chao Jing: "The son has not yet been able to be filial to you, and you would abandon the son?"

Li Kechuan also seemed to have red eyes.

Li Qingluo silently watched them, the family of three, putting on a show.

All the grannies in the house stared at them.

All three felt a chill down their spines, but just then Li Qingluo suddenly gave a cold laugh.

"Father, are you still human? Grandmother is clearly still alive and well, yet you can't wait to start wailing—what exactly are you up to?!"