Chapter 220: Chapter 220: She Was Wrong

His eyes were dark and deep, like a bottomless abyss.

The moment he saw Shen Ningning, disappointment seemed to flash across his eyes.

"Shen Ningning, do you have any idea who this is? He’s the son of the enemy responsible for my mother’s death."

Before the little one could speak, the mad scholar raised his head, blood flecking the corners of his mouth.

His face was pale, but his expression was fearless. "She doesn’t know!"

"I concealed my identity and feigned madness. No one knows who I am. It’s not just Shen Ningning; the entirety of Xiangyun Village is innocent."

"If Your Highness the Crown Prince wishes to kill me, then so be it. I no longer have any attachment to this world. I live each day like a walking corpse. Death means little to me, but I beg you not to vent your anger on others."

Mo Lingwei drew his longsword and pressed it against his neck. "Do you think I wouldn’t dare?"

"Don’t, Brother, don’t!" Shen Ningning threw herself forward, her small body nearly collapsing to the ground as she blocked the sharp blade.

Afraid of hurting her, Mo Lingwei instinctively tilted the blade, but it came to rest against her delicate shoulder.

He frowned deeply. "Move aside. This doesn’t concern you."

Tears welled in Shen Ningning’s large, dark eyes. "How can you say it doesn’t concern me? The mad scholar taught me for a full four months. I’ve called him teacher so many times."

"I’ve learned so much from him, and I am indebted to him for his teachings. At this point, I know I’m inextricably linked to this matter, and I don’t want to shirk the responsibility."

"Brother, I’m begging you, please don’t kill him. Spare his life."

Dai Yuheng’s hand grabbed the little one’s sleeve. "Ningning, go... Don’t plead for me. Just go!"

But Shen Ningning seemed not to hear, her tear-filled eyes looking imploringly at Mo Lingwei.

As for Mo Lingwei, a layer of frost seemed to gather in the depths of his eyes.

He had been rushing about for days, trying to get back to spend the New Year with Shen Ningning, and had barely slept.

Now, the rims of his eyes were red, making the bloodshot veins more prominent. His entire demeanor was grim and ruthless.

He spoke slowly, his cool voice carrying a final test. "You know how Dai Qu caused my mother’s death, and yet you still plead for a member of the Dai family?"

"Shen Ningning, think carefully before you speak. Don’t be in a hurry to answer me."

The little one choked back a sob, tears streaming down her face, and glanced back at Dai Yuheng.

He was lying on the ground, covered in dirt. He had clearly been beaten.

His eyes, which had been painstakingly treated for two months, once again looked dim and hazy.

But he was still pushing at Shen Ningning, urging her to leave quickly.

The little one looked away and, sobbing, nodded. "Please, Brother, spare his life."

It was as if something in the depths of Mo Lingwei’s eyes shattered and collapsed, and the last glimmer of light sank with it.

Just like the sky, where the brilliant, glowing clouds were being devoured by the night, leaving only a somber, inky gloom.

He roared, his voice cold, "You beg me to spare him, but who was willing to spare my mother back then? Every single person in the Dai family forced her into a hopeless situation!"

"Mrs. Dai Sr. advised her to be generous and virtuous. Her own brother, Dai Qu, knowing full well that Mother was emotionally distressed at the time, still sent beauties into the palace to consolidate the family’s power right when she needed Father’s care the most."

"Including this person behind you, Dai Yuheng! He was once my only friend, the person I admired most. But so what? He helped his family hide this from me. It wasn’t until Consort Li won favor that I found out she had been sent into the palace by our own relatives!"

"My mother was burned alive in the palace. The people of the Dai family, every last one of them, are all guilty."

"But Shen Ningning, I told you about my tragic past. Why can’t you even stand on my side now? Why are you pleading for someone like him?!"

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist. The tip of the sword grazed the hem of Shen Ningning’s robes and plunged into the ground.

The blade quivered with a sharp THWANG.

Shen Ningning, her vision blurred by tears, said, "Brother, I’m sorry, I..."

But Mo Lingwei couldn’t bear to look at her anymore. He turned and walked to the door, then glanced back slightly, his eyes bloodshot and frigid.

"Dai Yuheng, for Shen Ningning’s sake, I will spare your life this one last time."

"But I will never forgive the enmity between us."

With that, he strode away.

Shen Ningning chased after him. "Brother!"

She lost her footing and fell with a THUD. But when she looked up again, the Crown Prince’s carriage was already far in the distance.

Heartbroken tears streamed down the little one’s face as the Crown Prince’s personal guard mounted their horses and galloped away, leaving a cloud of dust.

Only then did Chen Ye and the villagers dare to run over and help Shen Ningning and Dai Yuheng up.

The old village chief quickly examined him and found that a kick had broken one of the mad scholar’s ribs.

He sighed repeatedly. "Quick, Liu Sanwa, go fetch a doctor."

The mad scholar coughed up bloody froth, his eyes fixed on Shen Ningning as he murmured, "I’ve failed you, Ningning. I’ve brought this upon you."

The little one was covered in dust from her fall, and a faint scrape marked her round cheek.

Her large eyes were dim with sadness, but she still said to the mad scholar, "Mad Scholar, focus on getting well. Don’t overthink things. I’m going home now."

Shen Ningning got to her feet and, looking utterly lost, slowly trudged up the mountain with her head hanging low.

Jiang Zhi was worried, so she followed close behind her.

Seeing the little one almost walk into a tree twice, she quickly grabbed Shen Ningning.

"I’ll carry you home!" With that, Jiang Zhi lifted her onto her back.

She didn’t forget to comfort her. "Ningning, don’t take it to heart. These nobles from the Capital City are just that ruthless. They could never understand your situation."

Shen Ningning’s choked voice came from over her shoulder.

"That’s not it... Brother has always been very understanding of me. It’s me who disappointed him this time."

Mo Lingwei had wanted her to be on his side, but she had pleaded for the son of the people who had harmed his mother.

’This time, I was the one who was wrong.’

Jiang Zhi took her home, and Shen Ningning threw herself into Grandma Qin’s arms and began to cry.

The anxious Black Wolf King and a pack of wolves paced around them.

After hearing what had happened from Jiang Zhi, even Grandma Qin frowned.

"Well... Ningning is just a child, and so loyal and sentimental. She was caught in a difficult position. You can’t blame her."

The Black Wolf King nudged Shen Ningning’s small body with its head.

It whined, AWOO, AWOO.

’So what if that brat Mo Lingwei is ignoring her? We’ll just ignore him from now on!’

’Perfect. I’ve long been annoyed by other brats getting close to my precious little Ningning.’

A few little monkeys heard the crying and ran to a nearby tree to observe.

Seeing how hard Shen Ningning was crying, the news spread through the forest like wildfire—

"CHEE CHEE! Our little Monkey King is crying!"

Soon, the entire forest—including the tigers, brown bears, elk, and other animals—all knew.

The kind person who usually cared for them was heartbroken.

And so, for the entire day, whenever Grandma Qin opened the gate, she would see sympathy gifts brought by the little animals.

Sometimes it was round pinecones gathered by squirrels. Other times, a small rabbit would leave tufts of its own fur, meant for lining a nest. A brown bear left a few fish, a small bird brought a flowering twig, and a patterned snake delivered stolen bird eggs.

A tiger even dragged over a fainted elk, along with countless other tokens of affection from the small animals.

Shen Ningning’s spirits finally lifted a little.

However, that night, Liu Sanwa’s shout echoed from the village: "Help! The mad scholar threw himself into the well!"

He was holding up a piece of cloth, on which Dai Yuheng had written a letter in his own blood.

He wrote that his death was of no consequence, but he begged Mo Lingwei to forgive Shen Ningning.

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