Chapter 585: His Granddaughter Is Gone
Gu Shuo had only taken two steps while carrying her when he suddenly froze. He watched, eyes wide, as her small hand slipped from his arm. His entire body trembled.
Qian Fanji’s gaze fell upon her dangling hand. His legs gave way, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Little girl, wake up. Wake up!" Zhan Chi stepped forward, but he didn’t dare... he didn’t dare raise a hand to check if she was still breathing.
"What happened? How is the little girl?" Zhan Yi ran over, covered in mud.
Zhan Chi burst into tears. "Dad... Dad, quick, take a look! Check on her, quickly!"
Zhan Yi rushed to Zhan Chi’s side in a few large strides. A single glance was all it took; he nearly gasped his last and fainted. "This... This..."
"Dad, please, check on her! Hurry!"
Zhan Yi’s old eyes immediately reddened. His trembling fingers found her wrist to check for a pulse. His whole body shuddered again, and his legs gave way as he slowly shook his head.
Zhan Chi stared blankly for several seconds, his eyes fixed woodenly on the person in Gu Shuo’s arms. He shook his head, muttering, "Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Gu Shuo clutched her gradually cooling body, overcome by a pain so intense it was suffocating.
Sang Zhi approached step by step, his heart feeling as if it would shatter. "Ye Qianning... you... wake up..."
"Get out of here." Zhan Chi shoved him away.
Sang Zhi stumbled and fell to the ground, but he immediately scrambled back up. "Ye Qianning! Ye Qianning..."
"Get lost! This is all your fault! All your fault..." Zhan Chi grabbed Sang Zhi by the collar and hauled him to his feet, his eyes crimson with rage.
"It’s all my fault... all my fault..." Sang Zhi’s gaze remained fixed on Ye Qianning’s pale little face. Her eyes were closed, without a single trace of life...
Qian Fanji trembled uncontrollably, his knuckles white as he gripped his sword. He drew his blade and lunged toward Yuan Yintang. "Die!"
Yuan Yintang was still frozen in his archery stance. ’The arrow I loosed was dodged,’ he thought. ’So who fired that other one?’
’Was the goal for the Eighth Prince to die here?’
But before he could figure it out, a chilling killing intent washed over him.
He pivoted on his heel, swiftly drew a sharp arrow from his quiver, nocked it, and let it fly.
Qian Fanji twisted his body to the side, his Sword Qi flaring intensely.
Yuan Yintang’s expression darkened. He leaped backward in a panic, shouting, "Stop him!"
The soldiers raised their bows in unison, aiming their arrows at Qian Fanji.
"All of you, stand down!" Sang Yan shouted as he rushed to the scene.
The soldiers heard the command and lowered their bows. But Qian Fanji, as if possessed, leaped among them. His eyes were blood-red, and his longsword flashed out, radiating an aura of absolute death.
One moment, the soldiers were lowering their bows; the next, a longsword had already sliced through a throat.
Seeing this, the soldiers no longer dared to hold back. Once again, they aimed their bows at Qian Fanji in unison.
Sang Yan had never seen a Qian Fanji so crazed and murderous. He was horrified. "Qian Fanji, stop this at once!"
But Qian Fanji, blind with rage, couldn’t hear a word. He knew only one thing: his daughter had died at the hands of these people, at the hands of the Beili army.
He wanted all of them to die. Every single one.
"Qian Fanji, do you hear me? Stop! Killing soldiers from the central military camp is a capital offense!" Sang Yan’s face was a mask of anxiety.
Qian Fu, arriving just after, was also stunned by the scene. "Fan Ji, you..."
"AHHH—!"
Before Qian Fu could finish, a heart-rending, furious scream exploded beside him.
He looked up and saw Zhan Chi sitting on the ground, screaming in agony, and beside him, a despairing Gu Shuo... Then Qian Fu’s gaze fell upon what Gu Shuo held in his arms, and his very soul seemed to tremble.
A bone-deep chill washed over him. The little girl’s arm dangled limply, her entire body awash in crimson...
His granddaughter... His granddaughter—was gone.