Chapter 172

Chapter 172

He knew only one thing: if he took her away by force, she would have no way to resist.

Even without the Imperial Guards or the Shadow Guard, there were still her parents in the courtyard, along with Dai Rong and Jin He, and Zhou Lingsheng beside the carriage.

Any one of their lives could be used to threaten her.

But after seeing the consequences of forcing her once before, how could he ever dare resort to such methods again?

Sheng Zhaoning would truly die.

If she left this place and returned to Capital City, her life and soul would wither once more.

He had already experienced what it was like to watch all signs of life fade from her as she died in his arms. The agony had made him almost wish for a blade through his heart, and every breath brought pain so sharp and distinct that it was almost unbearable.

Between parting in death and separation in life, Wei Yi no longer knew which was harder to endure.

To see her standing before him with his own eyes, yet know he could never have her again. To live at opposite ends of the world from that day forward and never meet again.

That was what it meant to let her leave.

Wei Yi closed his eyes in anguish. Every choice tore into his heart and pierced him to the bone.

He could not choose. He could not face either outcome.

No matter how this ended, he could not keep her.

A crushing sense of helplessness bore down on him like a mountain. Wei Yi seemed trapped in a realm of deathly silence, where endless darkness waited to swallow him no matter which direction he took.

Then, from the distance, a clear, childish voice rang out.

“Mother!”

The pounding of hooves rapidly drew closer.

Everyone turned in astonishment. A young man was galloping toward them on a tall horse, a tiny figure held securely in his arms.

Sheng Zhaoning’s heart clenched. She whirled around, trembling, and met Sheng Yao’s bright, clear eyes.

At the sound of the voice, Wei Yi instinctively opened his eyes and looked over. The moment he saw that small face, which looked seventy percent like his own, his entire body went rigid.

Once the Imperial Guards saw the little girl’s face clearly, their eyes widened. They hurriedly lowered their weapons, not daring to make another move.

With Sheng Yao in his arms, Zhou Wei broke through the Imperial Guards’ encirclement with ease and stopped directly in front of Sheng Zhaoning.

Sheng Yao struggled down from the horse and threw herself toward Sheng Zhaoning. She planted herself resolutely in front of her mother and glared fiercely at the man before them, her eyes full of wariness.

Zhou Wei had spotted the Imperial Guards from afar and immediately understood what was happening.

Shocked and alarmed, his first instinct had been to take Sheng Yao and leave.

But Sheng Zhaoning was still there.

If Wei Yi truly intended to take her away, would that not separate mother and daughter?

Sheng Yao was Wei Yi’s child, after all. There was no chance he would harm her.

But Zhou Wei did not even dare imagine the despair Sheng Zhaoning would face if she lost Sheng Yao.

And so, after only a moment’s hesitation, he had turned the horse around and brought Sheng Yao back.

Sheng Zhaoning crouched down and wrapped Sheng Yao protectively in her arms. Her shoulders trembled faintly, and the blood in her veins turned cold once more.

Before she left Capital City, Wei Yi had known nothing of the child’s existence.

But she looked so much like him, from her eyes and brows to her nose and lips. Now she stood before him at five years old, small and delicate. How could he possibly fail to recognize her?

Wei Yi stared at her, his ears ringing and his mind utterly blank.

His arms trembled with the force of his restraint, the veins slowly rising beneath his skin. His heart nearly stopped beating.

He watched Sheng Zhaoning hold the girl in her arms. He watched the little girl, who seemed carved from the same mold as him, glare at him with a ferocious expression. Slowly, an unbelievable possibility began to take shape in his mind.

Wei Yi staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.

He raised his bloodshot eyes to Sheng Zhaoning. Then, his voice trembling, he asked one halting word at a time, “Is she… our child?”

Wei Yi’s gaze settled on Sheng Yao, and he could not tear it away.

She was so small, a soft, fair little bundle. Her features resembled his, while the stubborn set of her face was just like Sheng Zhaoning.

There was almost no need to ask. Anyone who saw her would have reached the same undeniable conclusion.

For a moment, Wei Yi found it almost impossible to breathe.

Sheng Zhaoning had actually kept his child?

Something inside him seemed to collapse all at once. The dark obsession he had never been able to overcome began melting away, bit by bit, the moment he saw the girl.

Wei Yi could not imagine how much Sheng Zhaoning must have struggled, how much pain she must have endured, before choosing to keep her.

And she had raised her so well. The girl was fair and spotless, bright and adorable.

For the first time, Wei Yi understood what love truly was.

Perhaps it was acceptance. Perhaps it was letting someone have what was best for them.

She had hated him so deeply, yet she had still given birth to their child.

She had neither mistreated nor abandoned her. Instead, she had raised her like a precious flower.

Only then did he begin to take a careful look around the tiny courtyard. Compared to that cold, magnificent cage, this was her true home.

Here, she could live well, free from worry and restraint.

She had family and friends. She was no longer all alone.

She truly was living a good life.

She no longer wanted only to die, nor would she ever be driven into madness again.

Everything that had happened in Changhua Hall was like a nightmare. Now, she had awakened from it and was living the life she had always wanted.

Happy and secure. Safe and sound.

So this was what it truly meant to love her.

Wei Yi sank to his knees, and without warning, a tear slipped down his cheek.

He clutched his chest, trying to drive away the piercing agony. His body spasmed, helpless beneath its weight.

The choice that had once seemed so impossible now had an answer in the space of a heartbeat, yet the pain still crashed over him with enough force to swallow him whole.

His tears fell in torrents. Wei Yi’s lips trembled, and his throat was so dry it hurt.

His voice choked with sobs. It took him a long time to force out a complete sentence.

“May I… hold her…?”

Just once. Let him hold her, hold their child.

Sheng Zhaoning’s heart clenched faintly.

She looked away, unable to keep watching Wei Yi. Silent grief spread between them, leaving them both without the strength to speak.

Sheng Yao was released, and no one forced her into his arms.

But as she watched his tears continue to fall and saw the plea filling his bloodshot eyes, the hostility in her own gaze slowly faded, replaced by uncertainty.

After a moment, compassion won out. Summoning her courage, she slowly lifted her feet and walked toward him, one step at a time.

Her plump little arms gently wrapped around his neck.

Sheng Yao patted his back, comforting him the way Sheng Zhaoning always comforted her. “Be good, Uncle. Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Wei Yi clutched the tiny figure in his arms and trembled as he broke down completely.

“What is your name?” he asked through his sobs.

The little hand continued patting his back as her soft voice sounded beside his ear.

“My name is Sheng Yao.”

Wei Yi left when only the final trace of twilight remained on the horizon.

He did not look back. He did not dare watch the two figures behind him fade farther and farther into the distance.

The heavy night descended slowly. He walked into the boundless darkness, enveloped by the cold and lonely moonlight.

Over the course of many years, Sheng Zhaoning had taught him two things.

The first was how to love.

The last was how to let go.

At long last, he learned them both on the very same day.

It was only a pity that, in the end, everything had come too late.

(The End)