Chapter 397: Chapter 397: She Will Atone for Her Sin

Little Lan’s sharp, hollow fangs sank into Song Lianhe’s neck. It was like a dying person receiving a shot of a powerful stimulant, dragging her wandering soul back into her body!

Soon, Song Lianhe regained consciousness. Her first instinct was to pull Ah Jun close, turning her own back to the attacks to shield the thin boy in her arms.

“Sister…”

Ah Jun’s eyes were red-rimmed as he struggled to get free. “I have to protect you, Sister! I’m just a little beggar. It doesn’t matter if I die, but you’re the Princess Consort! Nothing can happen to you!”

Taking several blows squarely on her back, Song Lianhe gritted her teeth against the pain and forcefully shoved him through the door. “Find a place to hide!”

She then slammed the door shut and found a wooden beam to barricade it.

“Sister!”

“If you dare come out, don’t even think of calling me your sister again!”

Song Lianhe let out a low snarl, then turned to rescue Chun Hua.

’I know there’s a secret passage in there. I could let Ah Jun escape, but I can’t.’

’They’re here for me, the Princess Qing. If I hide inside, I’ll only endanger the people in there.’

’That man is clearly manipulating them. Inciting this mob violence is just the first step.’

’Killing a Princess Consort would be a death sentence for Sishui City. These people would then have no choice but to follow him without question.’

’The ironic thing is, only now do I understand what he meant when he said the real enemy wasn’t who they thought it was…’

’Perhaps the one who truly wants these civilians to die isn’t the Nanchen Kingdom.’

’From that perspective, he actually saved everyone in this city!’

Suddenly, a rock struck her in the lower back. She buckled in pain but didn’t dare stop, scrambling on all fours to reach Chun Hua, who was desperately spreading its wings to shield her, and pull it into her arms.

Just then, a roar echoed out. “Who dares harm my Granny?!”

The ground began to tremble with a RUMBLE, like the rolling of heavy carriage wheels.

Swinging his thousand-pound hammer, E Jintang smashed two people down with a CRASH. His huge, imposing body then barreled into a crowd, sending them toppling over one another as cries of pain filled the air.

E Jintang had no pity to spare. His sense of right and wrong was based solely on personal loyalty, with no regard for morality! He lifted his huge foot and stomped down, not caring how many lives he might end with that single step!

“Granny! I’m here to protect you!”

E Jintang planted himself in front of her, forming an impenetrable wall that completely shielded her.

But Song Lianhe didn’t want him to come here only to die. “Jintang, go! Don’t worry about me! I’m the Princess Consort; they won’t dare do anything to me!”

“Do you even believe that yourself?”

Another slender figure leaped down from the wall, her high ponytail and its red satin ribbon fluttering in the wind.

“Sister Mei…”

Xuan Mei didn’t look back, saying decisively, “Take Chun Hua and go first. Leave this to me and Jintang!”

E Jintang’s eyes blazed. “Right!”

Opposite them, an adjutant watched with concern. “General, are we still not going to intervene?”

The masked man said coldly, “Why should we? If Zhou Cangyan’s people actually slaughter the entire city, that would be a pleasant surprise.”

“But we promised…”

The adjutant trailed off, hesitant to say more.

Yan Jiayu lowered his gaze and said slowly, “Then it all depends on their fate.”

With E Jintang there, the commoners indeed didn’t dare to make a rash move. He was simply too terrifying. When had they ever seen someone so ferocious? He was no different from a wild beast!

The woman standing beside him held a short sword and radiated such killing intent that she was clearly not to be trifled with either.

And so, the crowd looked at each other, at a loss, clutching stones and blunt instruments in their hands.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, “If they don’t die, you will! Along with your parents and your children!”

The words had their intended effect. More important than their own lives were their parents, wives, and children!

Roaring “Kill them!”, the crowd surged forward without fear, brandishing their makeshift weapons as they closed in step by step.

Song Lianhe looked down at Chun Hua in her arms, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

One of Chun Hua’s wings was broken and could no longer support its body. It had coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, and more trickled from its nostrils, a clear sign of internal injuries.

Seeing Chun Hua battered by the stones like this, Song Lianhe took a deep breath and gently laid it down beside Yin Huan’s body. Chun Hua only looked up at her, and in that moment, it seemed to understand something. It struggled, beating its one good wing, but it couldn’t get up no matter how hard it tried.

Song Lianhe then placed Little Lan next to Chun Hua. “Protect it.”

Little Lan tilted its head to look at her, then obediently stood guard in front of Chun Hua.

Song Lianhe rose to her feet. “Stop making things difficult for them. The one you’re looking for is just me, the Princess Qing.”

From across the crowd, Yan Jiayu watched her with a flicker of astonishment in his eyes.

’Would she really sacrifice herself for these few people… no, for the people of this entire city?’

Xuan Mei’s expression changed, and she blurted out, “No!”

E Jintang spat in anger. “These shameless bastards! They killed Little Nine, and now they want to hurt Granny! They’ll have to step over my dead body!”

Both of them were ready to die. They had no intention of leaving this place alive before Prince Qing could fight his way here.

Song Lianhe walked forward to face the righteously indignant crowd. “Everyone is just trying to survive,” she said. “If saving these people was my only mistake, then I should be the one to atone for it.”

“Princess Consort!”

There was no way Xuan Mei would agree to let her go to her death!

“Sister Mei, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” She gave Xuan Mei a small smile. “General Yan still needs me, the ’Princess Qing’, as a bargaining chip. He won’t kill me so easily.”

She didn’t look at Yan Jiayu, yet she spoke with such certainty. The latter’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“I’m… starting to admire her.”

“Princess Consort, give up on that idea! I won’t let you take that gamble!” Xuan Mei crossed her twin swords in front of her chest. “If the Princess Consort wants to pass, it will be after Xuan Mei is dead.”

“Sister Mei…” Song Lianhe lowered her eyes, her chest instantly filling with warmth.

’From the very beginning, I’ve been telling myself over and over that this is just a novel! It’s all fictional, and it’s bound to collapse one day! Just like the first time, maybe I’ll suddenly return to my own world.’

’But looking at these vibrant, endearing people around me, I’m starting to hesitate.’

’What, in the end, is the illusion? And what is real?’

“And us!!”

The door behind them was suddenly thrown open.

Song Lianhe turned her head and froze when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

It was Ah Jun and Manager Meng, along with the staff from the infirmary.

Manager Meng, wielding a Ring-headed Knife, led the staff as they charged out!

“You Nanchen dogs! If you want to touch a Princess Consort of Da Cheng, you’ll have to get through me first!”

The staff behind him echoed, “Don’t even think about touching the Princess Consort of Da Cheng!”

The crowd, which moments ago had been clamoring to beat Song Lianhe to death, now wore strange expressions. When they heard that the army behind them was from the Nanchen Kingdom, they didn’t react at all.

Song Lianhe understood.

’So, they had realized the truth long ago.’

Just then, Uncle Tian and dozens of other people also emerged, supporting one another as they walked.

“And us!”

The moment she turned and saw them, Song Lianhe suddenly felt the urge to cry.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep