Chapter 316 - Chapter 316: I just want to be the groom now.

Chapter 316: I just want to be the groom now.

Translator: 549690339

Su Liang was certain that it was Gu Ling she took away from Mid-hill Villa. Nobody could impersonate him and deceive her.

Nevertheless, Su Liang didn’t fully relax until she heard Gu Ling speak, “I was just wondering if you had been drugged to erase your memory and didn’t recognize me.”

“Almost.” Gu Ling admitted that Nangong Lin indeed planned to do that, but luckily Su Liang arrived in time.

Su Liang snorted, “Nangong Lin is just a thorough psychopath! But don’t worry, even if you really lost your memory, I would definitely find you and make you remember me. The most important thing is to stay alive.”

Gu Ling nodded slightly, “If I did lose my memory, I would fall in love with you at first sight the moment I saw you again.”

Su Liang couldn’t help laughing, “Don’t be so cheesy.”

“I’m just…” Gu Ling sighed softly, “I miss you.”

Su Liang rubbed Gu Ling’s head, feeling that he was a bit vulnerable at this moment, “I miss you too.”

Gu Ling revealed some of the truth about the past that he learned after the incident this time.

Su Liang was surprised, ‘Your father’s rebellion was instigated by Nangong Lin, who then set him up and killed him? It’s too sick! He didn’t force himself on your mother or use poison because he was too arrogant, thinking his plan was perfect, and she would definitely fall in love with him and voluntarily embrace him.”

She had seen such people in her previous life. They had good conditions and power, a performative personality, and all their controlling desires were hidden behind a hypocritical facade. They could not tolerate obstacles or rejection and would resort to any means to achieve their goals and carry grudges.

Nangong Lin spent years patiently destroying Gu Yuan’s life, seemingly just to win Situ Ning’s heart, but also seeking revenge for Situ Ning’s rejection and Gu Yuan’s “stealing” of Situ Ning’s affections, and satisfying his sick control desires. He must have been delighted at Gu Family’s decline.

Now with Nangong Qian, Nangong Lin is playing the role of a loving father, although his means are somewhat crude compared to back then, his arrogance and psychopathic nature remain unchanged.

The drug Gu Ling was given was too strong to recover from quickly, his mind still slightly murky. He leaned on Su Liang, looking at the sparkling river, and thought about the whole thing, and found another doubt, “Is Nangong Qian truly the daughter of Situ Han and Situ Xiang?”

Upon hearing this, Su Liang pondered, “Now that you mention it, it is suspicious. Someone like Nangong Lin, who is extremely selfish and puts himself at the center of everything, why would he care so much about a sickly adopted daughter with no blood ties? If the old man who kidnapped you is really Situ Xiang’s father, Nangong Lin might be trying to use Nangong Qian to control the old man for his own use, although it’s a bit far-fetched. However, Nangong Qian doesn’t look like she is only a year older than you, and it seems that Nangong Lin has no need to control that old man without any other ulterior motives.”

They didn’t suspect this before because Nangong Qian was inherently weak, very thin, and had been bedridden. Anyone who met her for the first time and was informed that she was between fifteen and twenty years old would find it difficult to be suspicious.

Though Su Liang had evidence suggesting that Situ Xiang might have some entanglement with Situ Han, it was “confirmed” from Nangong Lin’s mouth that Situ Xiang had been pregnant with Situ Han’s child back then.

Knowing Nangong Lin’s true nature, Su Liang believed that everything he said could be a lie, and they shouldn’t be easily trusted.

If they think about it carefully, even if Situ Han really did rape Situ Xiang, it doesn’t mean she would definitely get pregnant. Even if she did get pregnant, it might not necessarily be Situ Han’s child. Even if it was Situ Han’s child, it might not be the Nangong Qian they see now.

The only thing that could be confirmed was that Situ Xiang disappeared while she was pregnant, and she might even still be alive.

At this thought, Su Liang had an idea, “Looking at how anxious Nangong Lin is, maybe Nangong Qian is really his biological daughter. Situ Xiang didn’t die back then, and she seemed to like Nangong Lin. It’s not impossible that she had a child with him after disappearing.”

Thinking further, Nangong Lin said that Situ Xiang was the daughter his master had been searching for many years, and he didn’t dare to openly defy the old man with such a powerful and bizarre ability.

As such, the fact that Nangong Lin didn’t forcibly take Situ Ning back then and control her could have been driven by his fear of that old man.

While discussing Nangong Lin’s psychopathic actions and speculating on unknown matters based on what they know, the two waited for Yan Shiba to break free and join them. Su Liang left special marks along the way.

They waited and waited, but Gu Ling’s spirit recovered quite a bit and still Yan Shiba didn’t arrive.

“I hope nothing happened.” Su Liang looked in the direction of the Mid-hill Villa, feeling uneasy. She didn’t confront the old man that day. She managed to take Gu Ling away primarily because Yan Shiba’s group stalled Nangong Lin and his master, which bought her time.

Gu Ling let go of Su Liang and slowly stood up, stretching his limbs, “Wait another quarter of an hour, and I’ll go back to have a look.”

Su Liang frowned, “How do you feel?”

“Almost there,” said Gu Ling.

“Very well, a quarter of an hour.” Su Liang knew that going back was dangerous, but she couldn’t abandon Yan Shiba.

The quarter of an hour passed quickly, and Gu Ling’s face was much better than when he left the Mid-hill Villa, but there was still no sign of Yan Shiba.

“You wait here.” Gu Ling hugged Su Liang close and patted her back gently, “I’m going to check.”

It was Su Liang and Yan Shiba’s plan to evacuate Gu Ling first. She knew that the enemies were tricky, so they needed to save Gu Ling and have him recover his strength to stand a better chance.

“Be careful,” Su Liang handed a longsword to Gu Ling and watched him disappear from her sight. He was not as fast as before; he had not fully recovered. However, he was not reckless, and by the time he reached the Mid-hill Villa, he should be almost there.

Su Liang put her hands together, praying not to kill their opponents this time but for their own people to escape safely.

Mid-hill Villa.

Gu Ling took a detour and arrived at the back first. Near the cave where he had been hidden earlier, he found some scattered bloodstains on the ground.

Following the bloodstains, he sneaked back to the villa, not encountering anyone along the way. He then approached Nangong Qian’s courtyard, where they had had the previous standoff.

The courtyard was quiet, and there was no sound to be heard. Gu Ling waited a little longer and went in to find that it was empty.

He went on to look for Nangong Lin’s courtyard, but there was no one there either.

After searching the entire villa, Gu Ling finally realized that everyone had left, including all the servants.

He had noticed earlier that all the servants, from housekeepers to maids, were trained in martial arts. It seemed that Nangong Lin had abandoned this place, taking everyone away with him.

In light of this, Gu Ling felt that the possibility of Yan Shiba’s capture was not high.

He went back the way he came, checked the cave for any signs of people, and found new bloodstains in the direction of the mountain. Following the bloodstains, he came across the seriously injured and unconscious Yan Shiba beneath a protruding rock close to the mountaintop.

Gu Ling checked for vital signs and finally let out a small sigh of relief when he determined that Yan Shiba was still alive.

Only she was there, and there were no signs of the other seven assassins, nor were their bodies in the villa.

The wind picked up, and Su Liang sat in a tall tree, gazing at the direction of the Mid-hill Villa through the gaps between the leaves, unable to see anything despite the distance.

Her heart hung in the balance. She knew that Gu Ling was not likely to run into trouble when he was fully alert, but she was worried that Yan Shiba might be caught or killed.

Although Yan Shiba was not a good person, she was genuinely kind to Su

Liang, and this time, it was all about her helping her friends. In the past, Gu Ling and Su Liang had saved Yan Shiba more than once, and even if Yan Shiba owed them, Su Liang didn’t want her to die for it.

After an unknown amount of time, she finally sensed someone approaching.

Su Liang looked alert, and when she confirmed it was Gu Ling, she breathed a huge sigh of relief and climbed down from the tree.

“Yan Shiba?” Seeing the bloody person put down by Gu Ling, Su Liang’s heart tightened, “She…”

“She’s not dead.” Gu Ling said.

Su Liang breathed a sigh of relief, checking Yan Shiba’s injuries. The most severe was a sword wound on her back, which looked like a Luoying Swordsmanship attack, but it was unclear who had inflicted it with Gu Ling’s master and master’s master present. The attack was extremely fierce, and if it was slightly off, Yan Shiba would have lost her life.

Su Liang didn’t bring a medical kit when she went to the villa, because she needed to make Nangong Lin believe she was panicked, but she hid many potentially useful medicines on her person.

Without time to find another place, Su Liang focused on healing Yan Shiba’s injuries.

After finally treating Yan Shiba’s wounds, Su Liang breathed a sigh of relief, collapsed to the ground, and was caught by Gu Ling, who held her in his embrace.

“She won’t die. If you didn’t see the corpse, the others must have escaped.” Su Liang took a deep breath.

It had been agreed in advance that they would not engage in desperate fights or risk their lives. The goal was not to kill, but to tie up Nangong Lin and the old man for a moment, so that Su Lianq could escape with Gu Linq from the

villa.

Su Liang knew how powerful Nangong Lin and the old man were, and that the Yanyun Building assassins would not be able to kill them. If a group of assassins worked together just to stall them, they could still succeed.

However, only Yan Shiba knew the contact method, and the other seven assassins would not come looking for Su Liang if they weren’t with her.

After Su Liang and Gu Ling disguised themselves, they brought the severely injured Yan Shiba to an inconspicuous inn and reserved a courtyard to stay in.

Meanwhile, Gu Ling secretly infiltrated the Nangong Family mansion in the city, but did not find any trace of Nangong Lin, so he left.

Yan Shiba was still in danger and Su Liang stayed with her, waiting for her to wake up before they could be sure of what had happened.

At midnight, Gu Ling went alone to check on the situation at the Mid -hill Villa.

There was still no one there. He found a hidden compartment in Nangong Lin’s study and took a painting of Situ Ning from it. The prescription and medicine that Su Liang had given to Nangong Qian were also missing, undoubtedly taken away by someone.

In the end, Gu Ling returned to the cave where Nangong Lin had hidden him, verified that it was indeed the residence of his master, and found some of the master’s clothes in the closet.

He still did not find anything useful, so Gu Ling left the villa and went back to the inn.

It was dawn.

Su Liang sat on a chair by the bed, not knowing when she had fallen asleep, and when she felt someone push her, she immediately straightened up and quickly checked Yan Shiba’s condition.

“She’s waking up.” Gu Ling noticed Yan Shiba’s fingers move, and he woke Su Liang up.

Su Liang checked Yan Shiba’s pulse, which was more stable than last night. Since her most severe injury was on her back, she was lying on her back with her face turned to the side.

A moment later, Yan Shiba’s eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking at Su Liang with a pale face and a hint of a smile in her eyes, “I knew my sister would find me…”

Su Liang lifted the covers and checked Yan Shiba’s wounds, “It wasn’t me. It was your brother-in-law.”

Yan Shiba’s gaze shifted towards Gu Ling, and she snorted softly, “If you get into trouble again…l’ll steal Liang away from you…”

Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent, “Thanks this time, but she’s mine.”

Before Yan Shiba had time to argue, he heard Su Liang ask, “What exactly happened? Where are the others?”

Yan Shiba blinked and recalled for a moment before saying, “They ran away first.”

Su Liang frowned, “They are your subordinates, they wouldn’t leave you behind and run away. What did you do again?”

“You’re yelling at me…” Yan Shiba pouted.

“Stop pretending to be innocent.” Su Liang could tell at a glance that Yan Shiba must have done something unplanned, otherwise, he wouldn’t have almost lost his life.

“It’s all for you…” Yan Shiba hummed softly, “As soon as you left, Nangong Lin handed his despicable daughter over to an old man. It wasn’t easy to entangle Nangong Lin, so I had all seven of them take action. I was watching the old man myself, but he just guarded Nangong Qian and didn’t intend to fight. When the time was almost up, they withdrew. I thought that since I had already come, and the despicable woman was right in front of me, it wouldn’t make sense not to fight her…”

Su Liang held her forehead. That old man was obviously extremely concerned about Nangong Qian, so he guarded her every inch of the way to prevent her from gettinz hurt again. He probablv noticed someone was nearbv watching them and didn’t leave Nangong Qian to deal with it. As long as Yan Shiba didn’t take action, it would be easy to leave. But she couldn’t help herself…

“I’ve already told you that the old man is very powerful, but you still insisted on looking for a fight.” Su Liang sighed.

Yan Shiba weakly said, “I didn’t want to fight him, I wanted to fight the despicable woman who stole my brother-in-law. As long as the old man was momentarily distracted, I had a chance to pinch her to death.”

“It’s your good luck that you survived. The old man was only focused on protecting Nangong Qian and didn’t pursue you.” Su Liang said, then felt something was off, “Why didn’t Nangong Lin pursue you either?” At that time, the seven assassins had already withdrawn.

Yan Shiba grinned, “I almost got chopped to death, and I only managed to escape because that despicable woman suddenly started vomiting blood profusely. She might be dead already, haha!”

Su Liang had given Nangong Qian a non-fatal poison, along with the antidote. Because of Nangong Qian’s frail health, Su Liang had to be very cautious and ensure that she would be alive before Gu Ling was rescued. Besides, Nangong Qian posed no threat to them. Killing her would only make Nangong Lin and the old man more determined to take revenge, which wasn’t a good thing.

Seeing Nangong Qian vomit blood, Su Liang thought it might be due to panic. Her health had always been poor and she was far from recovering.

According to Gu Ling who investigated the situation in the Mid-hill Villa later, Nangong Lin left quickly but not in a panic. Nangong Qian must have been alive, but in bad condition, so they abandoned the villa and took her elsewhere for safety.

“Stop laughing, your wound is going to split open.” Su Liang told Yan Shiba to calm down a bit.

“You guys…” Yan Shiba looked at Su Liang and then at Gu Ling, “Did you sleep last night?”

Su Liang was speechless, “You were almost dead, how could we be in the mood?” She regretted telling Yan Shiba about her and Gu Ling not having consummated their marriage during their journey to Hefeng City.

“Don’t worry about me, both of you are unharmed, so just find a place to sleep now. When you have a baby, acknowledge me as the godmother, and I’ll pass on Yanyun Building to them, haha!” Yan Shiba laughed as she spoke.

Su Liang: … One, two, three, four, they’re all thinking about her and Gu Ling’s child, it’s simply ridiculous. There are those who want to arrange a marriage for the child, those who want to be godfathers, and now there’s an assassin leader who wants to be their godmother, dream on! It would never happen!

After changing Yan Shiba’s medicine, giving her some water, and feeding her half a bowl of porridge, Su Liang came out of her room to see Gu Ling standing outside.

Su Liang walked over, wrapped her arm around Gu Ling’s, leaned her head on his shoulder, and gazed at the blue sky and the white clouds together.

“Great God, do you want to be a father?” Su Liang chuckled softly. No matter what, they were all okay. They could figure out how to deal with hidden dangers later; she was enjoying the tranquility at that moment.

Gu Ling tilted his head and placed a gentle kiss on Su Liang’s smooth forehead, “Right now, I just want to be the groom..”