"Yu'er!" A heart-wrenching scream escaped from her throat as tears broke free from her eyes.
The boy, perhaps upon hearing familiarity behind the hysteric cry, finally stirred weakly. Those eyes that were once so clear, could now only tiredly gazed upon Xia Ruoyun. "Sis…ter…" He tried to muster his strength, yet his voice was devoid of any.
She coughed, splattering her garment with blood. "Release him!"
"Release him? Return the Ancient Divine Pagoda to us. Then, we talk," Luchen snickered, trying his best to conceal any lingering feelings he still had for Xia Ruoyun.
What are the worth of women, when compared to power? After all, once a man had obtained power, women themselves would come flocking to him.
Xia Ruoyun's face was very quickly draining out of life. She turned to the middle-aged man behind her, whose face was not the slightest bit fazed. "He is your son! The blood of the Xia family runs in him!"
Xia Ming laughed scornfully at her remark, his voice chilly as he replied, "The blood of mine? It only runs in Chu Xue alone! A weak, incompetent, sickly child like Xia Lingyu is no son of mine! At least, for the sake of the Ancient Divine Pagoda, his death could be worth something!"
Xia Ruoyun shuddered. She closed her eyes for a long while, then opened them again. This time, her gaze was soft as she looked at the bloodied body of the poor boy.
"Is this frightening you, my brother?"
The frail boy shook his head with an indignant might. "No! Don't let them have it, Big Sister! Mother and Grandfather would be dying in vain if they do! I…I believe in you. I believe that my sister will avenge me one day…"
THUD! Lu Chen pounded his foot on Xia Lingyu's chest, and blood poured out of the boy's mouth. His face paled and his body sagged onto the floor.
"This is an order." Lu Chen looked up, his face revealing no emotion. "Rip Xia Lingyu's internal organs out, and have his limbs severed alive!"
That cold voice rang like a hammer pounding into her heart. She howled in fury, "Lu Chen, you bastard! I should have never trusted you with Yu'er! It's because of me that my precious brother is suffering!"
Bleak tears, filled with sorrow, ran down untamed—not before long, her eyes started widening hysterically as she threw herself towards her brother. But she could not make it to him. Lu Chen struck her body as she sprinted forward, and knocked her off the ground. Her body smacked onto the ground from the force.
Two men pinned Xia Lingyu onto the ground. Then, his limbs were sliced off by the icy blades of their swords. Fresh blood burst from the cuts, soaking her vision with its crimson color.
"No!!!"
Her eyes were bloodshot as she cried out hoarsely, "Let him go! Let him go! If you let him go… I--!"
"Sister." It was a very weak whisper, but it echoed among the hills, and it echoed clearly in her ears.
"Don't…ever…give them…The Ancient…Di-divine Pagoda….Only it c-can avenge M-Mother…For this, I'm willing…to die."
The sound of flesh being torn apart seemed to be amplified. A long blade had run itself into his chest, pinning whatever left of his words into his throat forever…
Xia Lingyu's body lay on his own pool of blood. His widening eyes seemed to be saying the words his throat could no longer say. He felt his life escaping him, while his eyes showed how reluctant he was to leave.
He was going to see Mother soon, but…what about his sister? He was already the last of her family. With himself gone, she would be so….lonely…
"Yu'er!!!"
The stress wringing on her heart forced another outpour of blood from her chest as Xia Ruoyun stumbled to her brother in a limping gait.
"It's my fault! It's my wrongdoing…I put my faith in someone else, and now you're suffering from my judgement!"
"Grandfather is dead, Mother is dead… Only you are left on my side, Brother!"
"Yu'er...If…If there is a next life…I swear I will protect you from any single harm, I will let you live in everlasting peace…"