"..Shh..I-I think I'm r-running out of t-time." Li Amm appeased Ren Shou. She was a person who had died once. The familiar feeling of death was hovering around her.
"No." Ren Shou shook his head strongly.
His wangfei was not running out of time. They had plenty of time. They still have time to sit together on the golden throne, watched the Ren Empire's sunset together, played with her in her chambers, and bore him sons and daughters. They would grow old together overcoming any scheme and they would watch the Ren Empire prosper over the years.
A group of men came in. These were Ren Shou's men.
"Quickly, call all physicians! The Empress is hurt! Quick!" If possible, Ren Shou would have treated Li Amm right here and then.
"R-ren Shou..listen. I h-have a g-gift for y-you. " Li Amm reached out for Ren Shou. He took her hand.
"I-its with E-emerald and R-ruby, Xiao Min knows t-them. W-wear it f-for m-me. It w-will m-make you p-pretty." Li Amm chuckled after struggling to say those words.
She was not given a chance to give 'it' to Ren Shou after the incident in the banquet. Ren Shou was also busy that he leaves the capital for most of the time.
She always remembered that gift to him and felt her heart ached to let the beautiful 'thing' remain unattended.
"W-wear it f-for me. " Li Amm pleaded.
"Shh..don't speak. I will turn you over and check your wound. You are going to give your gift to me personally. Promise me."
"..." Darn, she could not promise that. Ringing bells of death was echoing all round her. D*mn, does it mean that beautiful design would be wasted?
No, she could still fulfill her list!
Li Amm clenched on his clothes. "P-promise me y-you''ll w-wear it. I won't let y-you see m-me if y-you don't w-wear t-that." Li Amm strongly and rudely gave Ren Shou a dying will that would make her regret for her many lifetimes.
Ren Shou doesn't know what was the gift. But he nodded. However, he would not let his wangfei die today.
He turned her over. Li Amm screamed in pain.
"Agh!"
On her back, was a glass shard deeply embedded on her right lung.
Ren Shou sucked in deep breath. He knew how to kill a man, so he knew which part of the body was vulnerable once attacked. And his wangfei had deep wound in a vulnerable spot. This made him nervous.
"Wangfei, you have to hold on. The physicians is on their way." Ren Shou wanted to move Li Amm. But travelling would put her into danger. The wound was deep, with just a light move, the glass shard would pierce deeper.
Li Amm's breath was getting quicker. She was grasping for breath. She doesn't have any strenth to make crude jokes or leave more instructions as she felt her self drowning in her own blood. She coughed up more blood.
Ren Shou's face was aghast. He don't know where to put his hands on as he was afraid that just a slight touched would make her wound worst.
"H-hold on. I beg you, hold on." He kept murmuring to Li Amm as he decided to caressed her head. He kissed her hair, wishing he could take the pain away.
"Wangfei, stay with me, stay with me." Ren Shou's sight blurred. Witnessing her coughing blood was making his heart constricted.
Li Amm suddenly rasped loudly as more blood spilled out of her mouth.
"Quickly! Physicians! Physicians!" Ren Shou frantically shouted while holding her hand.
Li Amm watched Ren Shou who was panicking and crying at the same time.
'It's useless. ' She wanted to say that to him. Her lung was slowly collapsing and blood was starting to clogged on her throat. Unless they were back in the modern world, and she was given a surgery in time, she could still have a chance to survive and heal.
However, in this acient era where medical knowledge was underdeveloped, even a light wound would be fatal and might cause death due to infection.
Li Amm was not giving up on her life. She just knew it was time.
Did she fullfill her regrets?
She doesn't know. But what she knew was she lived her life to the fullest here and she doesn't have any regrets.
Mini seconds passed by as her body was losing strength.
Her sight was becoming blurry. Ren Shou's shouts and crying face was slowly dissipating into the darkness.
They said that when someone was about to die, they would see their whole lives. But what flashed in Li Amm's eyes was her list.
There was still some in her list who were left unchecked. But so far, her list was almost complete.
With this assurance, her remaining strength went to raise the corner of her lips. She was proud that she, as Li Amm De, Lady Ren, left such a very colorful history in this world.
Li Amm slowly closed her eyes. However, a thought quickly came to her. She was dying with her back facing the heavens, and she, facing the bed sheets, it was a shame to die upside down.
Her lips that was uplifted slowly went down, leaving such an awkward smile before her soul went away.
****
Liam felt herself floated. She opened her eyes and saw blinding lights. Looking closely, the lights took shape of a gate. She had seen that light before, she was actually thrown into that light. Was it the gate of regrets?
"No! Wangfei! Don't leave me! Not yet!" Ren Shou's aggrieved voice made her looked back.
She was still in the golden room.
Liam saw her bloody back. She cringed. It's no wonder that it was so painful.
"No! No! Wake up!" She looked down at Ren Shou who still helding her cold hand tightly.
A group of physicians ran in a rush but it was all too late. Seeing the mighty general kneeling beside the bed, crying his eyes out and begging the heavens to let his wangfei came back made the physicians trembled. The Empress who wasn't even officially crowned yet, died.
The men in the room kneeled down and bowed. They could do nothing but let their new Emperor grieved.
"You all! Save her, quick! Save her, please." Ren Shou pleaded to them. His tears and the blood of his enemies mixed on his clothes.
"Don't let her die, please…" He pleaded yet no one answered him. The men just kowtowed. No one dare to bring the bad news and announced in front of the new Emperor that the Empress had already left.
Ping Bi arrived in such a scene. He just took one look and knew that the Lady had already left.
He kneeled and slowly delivered the news that everyone was afraid to say,
"Your majesty, the Empress is no longer breathing. "
As he said that, Liam who was struggling to get into the light finally felt the gate opened and swallowed her. She was then spit out in front of Old Men, Jack and Jill, and the other souls who had been waiting in the line before the three gates.
"..." Liam who was taken aback to see such familiar faces after seventeen years.
"..." Old Meng, Jack ,and Jill who had an expression of being conflicted.