His Rui

"Father used to …say that…you are the only person who can save Li Clan as …as well as destroy it and in the end, he was… true. You…really destroyed …Li Clan despite… my so many efforts to protect it."

Li Rui whispered softly in Xi Ying's arms who was walking towards the entrance of deserted Xi Manor.

With every sentence Li Rui finished, a new tear would slide out of Xi Ying's eyes but it looked too scary on his emotionless face with blood-red eyes. 

"Master…"

At the entrance, An Shing whispered breathlessly when he saw the woman in his master's arms. 

"I need a physician immediately here."

Xi Ying said to An Shing coldly who immediately nodded his head and whispered

"Yes, Master"

However, An Shing didn't look too much hopeful when he saw the trail of blood left by his master.

He knew that this blood was flowing out from Li Rui's body.

Xi Ying, in the end, had strengthened his heart and had taken out the arrow. He also covered it tightly with his robe as he had tried to stop the blood flow. However, he couldn't stop it in the end.   

Xi Ying walked towards his courtyard with a blank face but he was suddenly stopped by Li Rui who whispered that she wanted to go to Plum Courtyard. 

Xi Ying didn't agree because Plum Courtyard was father than his courtyard. He would have to move more if he went to Plum Courtyard and it could result in more blood loss from Li Rui's body.

However, Li Rui whispered again.

"At the time of my …marriage, My mother …had said that …my death place …would only be my courtyard in Xi Manor."

Xi Ying exhaled sharply at these words. When he looked down, the bitter smile on Li Rui's lips didn't escape from his sight.

He silently walked towards the Plum Courtyard. At this moment, he didn't even know what he was doing.

In his mind, there was just this wish to complete every wish of the woman in his arms, to give her his whole world, to give her his life if by doing that he could save her. 

Inside the Plum Courtyard, Li Rui held Xi Ying's lapel suddenly when he was making her lie on the bed.

"Tell me, do you regret it even a bit?"

Her eyes held ordinary curiosity when she asked Xi Ying this question.

Xi Ying didn't say anything but Li Rui didn't feel discouraged at all.

She looked towards the only window of her room and whispered in a daze

"I regret it. I regret …meeting you. If I had not… then Xiao Ling also…would not have been born. M….my child would not ….have died then."

Li Rui sobbed for the first time expressing her true grief over her son's death.     

Xi Ying's chin trembled when he saw her like this. His eyes went towards the door of the room.

Why is An Shing still not here?

"It is …good that Father …is not here. He …must have felt broken if…he had come…to know that ….you destroyed Li Clan."

Li Rui whispered attracting Xi Ying's attention.

She suddenly left Xi Ying's lapels and lied down on the bed by herself.

Her blank eyes stared at the ceiling of the room as she whispered again

"It's good…"

After a long pause, she closed her eyes and whispered her last words.

"My …Xiao Ling …also must be …at peace. It's good …"

  Xi Ying's eyes looking towards the doors of the room were suddenly filled with panic. The hand that he had been holding until now …. he could feel its hold loosening around his hand. 

He still didn't look back.

He was scared …very scared to face the truth. So he foolishly waited for Li Rui to say something in a few moments.

She will say something. He knew that.

She can't leave him like this …not without his permission.

With this thought, Xi Ying tightened the hold on those soft hands.

The coldness of that skin penetrated his heart very sharply but he still didn't turn around.

He sat there looking at the doors of the room in the same position until An Shing came back with the physician.

The old physician had a serious face when he saw that the woman's face was deathly white. He looked at Xi Ying who was staring at him fixedly and took Li Rui's pulse with a sigh.

The result was as he had expected.

There was no movement under his fingers.

"She is dead."

The old physician announced with a grim face.

An Shing's eyes went wide and the shadow guard who till now was standing with his head lowered finally raised his head to look at the woman lying on the bed.

Seeing the unmoving woman, An Shing knew that the physician was right. 

He then glanced at his cold master who didn't accept the physician's conclusion and said immediately.

"No…she isn't. You check her again. She can't leave me like this. I still have to grow old with her. I still…"

Xi Ying stopped speaking when he saw that the physician didn't move even a bit. 

The old physician just looked at Xi Ying with pity and sympathy in his eyes. He somehow knew that the man in front of him was not stupid that he couldn't see that. He was just in denial.     

A moment later, the old physician and An Shing finally saw Xi Ying turning his head to look at Li Rui.

"Leave."

Xi Ying said only one word as he continued to stare at Li Rui's face.

Losing a son and then a wife whom his master had wronged since their marriage, it was not easy. The shadow guard felt immense despair for his master.

An Shing thought that he should give his master enough time to cope up with this loss. So he took the physician out of the room and left Plum Courtyard.       

"Rui"

As soon as An Shing left the room, Xi Ying bent down to caress Li Rui's closed eyes. His eyes held an obsessive look as he traced every feature on her face with his fingers.

"My Rui…I did all this to you, right?"

"I should be punished for what I have done to you."