When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive – Chapter 104

Volume Five: Those Years When I Was the Prime Minister

Don’t Be Afraid

The Tianyang Kingdom’s army’s momentum was like splitting bamboo¹. At a time when the Minqiu Kingdom’s vitality was greatly wounded², they rode the victory to pursue them, annihilating the Minqiu Kingdom in one fell swoop.

This campaign was fought for a full seven days. No matter how many letters of surrender the Empress Regnant of Minqiu Kingdom sent to sue for peace, Sheng Tingwan had only a single word in reply.

“Kill!”

For seven days, the 200,000 soldiers of the Tianyang Kingdom’s army, plus the 50,000 troops Sheng Tingwan had brought with her this time, thoroughly slaughtered the Minqiu Kingdom. They even captured two small border cities from the Pingzhou Kingdom in the process. Wherever they went, the soldiers of Tianyang Kingdom showed absolutely no mercy.

Aside from the old, the weak, women, children, and those who surrendered automatically, all others were to be executed on the spot. As for the people of the Minqiu Kingdom’s imperial court, including the Empress Regnant of Minqiu, not a single one was to be spared.

The flames of war raged and corpses littered the fields. The territory of the Minqiu Kingdom was like a hell on earth.

Everyone was shocked to realize that Her Majesty the Empress Regnant and Lord Prime Minister Ling were actually so similar—both were ruthless, vicious, and cruel in their methods, a formidable figure of their generation.

And during these seven days, no matter how earth-shattering the events outside were, Sheng Tingwan alone stood guard by the still-unconscious Ling Wen Nuan, not daring to close her eyes for too long, terrified of missing Wen Nuan’s slightest movement.

Seven days ago, Fang Minghe had given Wen Nuan a Nine Serenity Pill. The moment Wen Nuan swallowed it, she had suddenly gone into a frenzy, completely unconscious, her eyes rolling back into her head as she continuously vomited black blood. She vomited all over the bed, soaking her own clothes and Sheng Tingwan who was holding her.

She had vomited blood for seven days. From soiling the entire bed on the first day to now only filling a single basin, Wen Nuan’s condition had clearly stabilized a great deal.

Fang Minghe took Wen Nuan’s pulse and let out a breath of relief. “The Lord Prime Minister’s condition can be considered stable, but this subordinate official needs one more medicinal ingredient to allow the Lord Prime Minister to fully recover.”

Sheng Tingwan hurriedly said, “What medicine?”

“The Lihuo Lingzhi³. If the Lord Prime Minister can take the Lihuo Lingzhi, the poison in her body can be completely purged. The Nine Serenity Pill can only temporarily suppress the poison in the Lord Prime Minister’s body; it cannot eradicate it.”

The Lihuo Lingzhi was a divine medicine not seen even once in a hundred years. It could bring the dead to life and flesh out white bones. Even a person who had just died could be revived on the spot by consuming one.

This was also what his grandmother had told him. He had never seen a Lihuo Lingzhi, but his grandmother had said that she once used a Lihuo Lingzhi to save a person, and that person was the late Emperor.

Sheng Tingwan’s eyes lit up as she said in pleasant surprise, “The Lihuo Lingzhi—the imperial palace has one! It was left behind by the late Emperor back then.”

Fang Minghe said cheerfully, “That is truly wonderful. The Lord Prime Minister can be saved.”

He then furrowed his brow. “If we have someone bring the Lihuo Lingzhi from the palace to Xizhou, this subordinate official worries that people with ill intentions might try to intercept it on the road. Moreover, if the Lihuo Lingzhi is separated from its soil for too long, it will automatically wither and dissipate.”

The soil of the Lihuo Lingzhi was very special; it was cultivated from volcanic ash formed from the sediment of erupted lava. If the Lihuo Lingzhi left its special soil for more than three days, it would wither and dissipate.

Sheng Tingwan’s brow tightened as she said in a deep voice, “Do you have a way to guarantee… Wen Nuan’s condition on the road back to the capital?”

Fang Minghe thought for a moment. “This subordinate official… can try.”

After all, there were no other solutions at present.

“Good. Zhen will trust you this once.” Sheng Tingwan looked at Lu Yan. “Give the order. We depart for the capital immediately.”

Lu Yan knew well that there was no time to delay and responded, “Acknowledged.”

The fighting in Xizhou had gradually subsided. The Empress Regnant of Minqiu Kingdom was captured alive by Li Panxuan and brought to the Tianyang Kingdom’s military camp, where Sheng Tingwan beheaded her in front of all the Tianyang soldiers.

Sheng Tingwan had Li Panxuan set a great fire in the Minqiu Kingdom’s imperial palace. The fire blazed to the heavens, burning for three days and three nights without cease.

All who resisted were slain on the spot by Li Panxuan and her people, their bodies hung from the city walls as a warning to deter others, striking fear across the world.

From this day forth, the political landscape of the world was completely changed. The Pingzhou Kingdom, for having cooperated with the Minqiu Kingdom, had angered the ferocious beast that was the Tianyang Kingdom. After losing three cities in a row and having its vitality greatly wounded, it immediately presented a letter of surrender, not daring to provoke the Tianyang Kingdom again.

As for the Xinzhao Kingdom of Dongling, upon hearing of the war in Xizhou and learning that Ling Wen Nuan had actually returned to the Tianyang Kingdom, they were so frightened that they immediately withdrew their troops, not daring to harass the Tianyang Kingdom’s borders.

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On Changfeng Road.

A horse-drawn carriage was speeding along, with soldiers running alongside it. They didn’t dare to slow down, only doing their best to pick up the pace, not daring to slack off for a single moment.

“Your Majesty, there is a clearing by a river up ahead. Why don’t we rest for a moment before setting off again?” Lu Yan rode her horse up beside the carriage and asked.

Sheng Tingwan didn’t want to stop. Right now, Wen Nuan’s life was the most important thing. She was just about to refuse Lu Yan’s suggestion when she heard a voice from her arms.

“Alright.”

Lu Yan thought it was Sheng Tingwan’s voice and shouted, “Halt at the clearing ahead! Everyone rest for a moment, regroup, and then we set off.”

The crowd gradually slowed their pace, shouting, “Yes—”

The ones accompanying Sheng Tingwan back to the capital this time were Wang Zhao and Fang Minghe. The rest were still at the Xizhou military camp to manage border affairs.

The carriage’s speed also slowed considerably, and it was no longer as bumpy as before.

Wen Nuan let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the shocked and dazed Sheng Tingwan before her, she panted heavily and said, “Why are you running so fast? It’s not like I’m going to die any time soon.”

Sheng Tingwan said in disbelief, “Wen Nuan?”

“Mhm, I’m here.” Wen Nuan raised a hand to brush aside the messy hair on her forehead. Seeing the exhaustion under her eyes, her heart ached. “How did you let yourself get like this?”

Sheng Tingwan’s eyes grew moist. She wanted to hug Wen Nuan tightly but stopped herself, unwilling to touch Wen Nuan too much. “I thought you were going to die…”

Wen Nuan looked at the red rims of her eyes and gently patted Sheng Tingwan’s back. “Tingwan, don’t be afraid, I’m really alright…”

【Seeing that you’re awake, I’ll tell you about the current blackening value. It’s already reached 4.5!】 the system said with a sigh of relief, unable to stop itself from complaining, 【You know, when you blocked that arrow for the female lead, I had already prepared myself for this mission to fail.】

“Well, it’s not over yet, is it? Don’t worry,” Wen Nuan chuckled lightly.

Seeing this look on her face, as if she already had a bamboo in her chest⁴, the system guessed, 【Were you doing that on purpose?】

“I didn’t expect the assassin’s final move either. To ensure the female lead’s safety, I definitely had to go up and block it myself.”

【If you had died because of that, our mission would still have failed.】 the system said, puzzled.

“Did you forget Fang Minghe?”

The system had a sudden realization. 【So the moment you blocked the arrow, you had already planned for Fang Minghe to save you?】

【Wait, that’s not right. What if Fang Minghe couldn’t save you?】 the system said, astonished.

Wen Nuan’s method was far too risky. If a single move in the chess game had been wrong, the result would have been a total loss.

“Have you forgotten Fang Minghe’s character setting?” Wen Nuan said faintly.

The system paused, then looked through the character and plot settings for this mission world. When it saw Fang Minghe’s character profile, it instantly understood. 【Fang Minghe’s medical skills are superb, no one he has saved has ever died, and no departed soul escapes his miraculous hands!】

The corner of Wen Nuan’s mouth curved up. “There you have it. This is a character setting established by the Heavenly Dao; it won’t be changed easily. So, the reason I dared to block the arrow for the female lead is that I trust in the Heavenly Dao.”

【If the character settings established by the Heavenly Dao don’t change easily, why does the female lead keep falling for you?】

“The male and female leads are unique to the Heavenly Dao. They are destined to possess a special ability to contend with the Heavenly Dao, something that characters from other worlds cannot compare to.”

So, the male and female leads can jump out of the natural laws set by the Heavenly Dao, forcibly changing their personalities, the world’s plotline, and even their sexual orientation, and so on. This phenomenon should be called a kind of awakening.

As for other characters, unless they are blessed by heaven or pitied by the Heavenly Dao, they have no way to break free from their shackles.

Just like her. In her original world, she was just cannon fodder or a passerby A⁵. Against the jokes of the Heavenly Dao, she was powerless to resist. The only thing she could do was to grasp tightly onto the sliver of a chance at life the Heavenly Dao gave her.

The system said, as if it half-understood, 【I think I roughly understand now.】

When Sheng Tingwan heard Wen Nuan still call her Tingwan, her eyes grew even more sore. Tears welled up, threatening to fall but stubbornly held back.

Seeing that the carriage had stopped, she got up to leave. “I’ll go get Fang Minghe to come take a look at your injuries.”

Wen Nuan grabbed her wrist, coaxing her in a gentle voice, “Tingwan, don’t cry.”

Sheng Tingwan bit her lip, desperately holding back the tears in her eyes. Her tone was proud and stubborn as she replied, “I’m not going to cry. Let go, I’m going to find Fang Minghe.”

“Alright.” Wen Nuan let go.

Sheng Tingwan quickly exited the carriage and had Lu Yan call for Fang Minghe. She herself walked to the riverbank, not allowing anyone to follow. She sat by the river, her back hunched, and covered her face with her hands. She finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and began to weep bitterly, yet she dared not let out a single sob or whimper.

For these seven days, she had felt as if she wanted to die, like a walking corpse. Watching the unconscious Wen Nuan, she had been so, so afraid that she would sleep and never wake up, disappearing from her side completely.

She was truly so scared…

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“The poison is temporarily suppressed. As long as we can get to the capital and you take the Lihuo Lingzhi, you will be completely cured.” Fang Minghe could finally let out a full sigh of relief.

Wen Nuan lowered her sleeve. “Many thanks to Military Doctor Fang for these past few days.”

“It is this subordinate official’s duty; it is what I should do. The Lord Prime Minister is too kind,” Fang Minghe said humbly.

“Has Her Majesty taken the Yang-Solidifying Pill and used the Crimson Warmth Patch these past few days?” Wen Nuan asked.

Fang Minghe shook his head. “These past few days, Her Majesty has not even unfastened her robes, not leaving Lord Prime Minister’s side by a single step. She hasn’t even eaten properly, let alone taken the Yang-Solidifying Pill or used the Crimson Warmth Patch.”

“What about the medicine?” Wen Nuan sighed. “Bring it over. I will have Her Majesty use it.”

Fang Minghe turned and got out of the carriage, retrieved the medicine, and brought it back, placing it in Wen Nuan’s carriage.

Seeing that Wen Nuan’s face was still pale, he said with concern, “Lord Prime Minister, although you are now conscious, two potent poisons still remain in your body. One is the Azure Cloud Nether Soul, and the other is the Nine Serenity Pill. These two poisons are currently in a state of mutual suppression within you and could act up at any time. They will cause you to experience the pain of having your tendons separated and bones misplaced, as well as continuous vomiting of blood. What this subordinate official can do is apply silver needles to help you suppress it when these symptoms appear. Although it cannot be completely suppressed, it should be able to alleviate some of the pain for you.”

【Don’t be afraid, I’ll turn on the pain shield for you when the time comes.】 the system comforted her.

Wen Nuan smiled. “Alright, many thanks for Military Doctor Fang’s concern.”

Fang Minghe nodded and turned to leave.

Wen Nuan pulled open the carriage curtain and looked at Sheng Tingwan, who was squatting by the river, curled up into a pitiful ball. Lu Yan stood to the side, not daring to approach.

Just as she was about to get up, the wound on her chest was pulled, causing a flash of pain.

Wen Nuan frowned, got up with difficulty, and slowly disembarked from the carriage. A nearby soldier was about to support her, but Wen Nuan waved her hand to refuse.

When Lu Yan saw Wen Nuan get out of the carriage on her own, she was about to call out to Sheng Tingwan, but Wen Nuan made a “silence” gesture to her.

Seeing this, Lu Yan could only silently close her mouth. She glanced at Sheng Tingwan, then turned back to the side of the carriage, giving Wen Nuan and Sheng Tingwan a quiet space.

Sheng Tingwan heard footsteps approaching from behind and, thinking it was Lu Yan, said, “Zhen wishes to be alone for a while.”

The footsteps behind her did not stop, slowly coming to her side.

Sheng Tingwan turned her head to look and her eyes widened at the person before her.

She shot to her feet, staring at Wen Nuan. “Why… why did you come out?”

Wen Nuan didn’t answer her. Looking at her red eyes and nose, she moved closer and pulled her into an embrace.

She coaxed softly, “Why are you crying again?”

Sheng Tingwan’s heart skipped a beat. Finally unable to hold them back, tears streamed down her face as she said in a trembling voice, “I was scared.”

“Scared of what?” Wen Nuan gently ruffled her hair.

Sheng Tingwan’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by someone, throbbing with pain. Her voice was strained as she said, “Afraid you would die…”

Wen Nuan smiled faintly, deeply moved inside. “Don’t be afraid, Tingwan. I’ll always be here.”

So, be good and don’t cry. It makes my heart ache.

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