CHAPTER 151: CHAPTER

Yan Mei and Ru Lan walked on each side of Lin Xu, holding her arms gently as they led her back toward her quarters. Her steps were slow and empty, like she was moving without feeling the ground under her feet. Her eyes were swollen, her face pale, and Mo Ying’s dried blood covered the front of her dress like a cruel reminder of everything that had happened.

When they reached her doorway, Yan Mei exchanged a worried look with Ru Lan before stepping closer.

"Lin Xu," Yan Mei said softly, "let me help you change out of these clothes. They’re cold and wet. You’ll fall sick."

Lin Xu shook her head weakly. "No... leave it. Leave me alone."

Yan Mei tried again, her voice shaking with worry. "At least let me help you clean—"

"I said leave me," Lin Xu whispered, her voice cracking. "Please... just leave."

The way she said it made Yan Mei’s heart tighten. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Ru Lan touched her arm and shook her head gently before they both stepped back.

"We’ll be nearby if you need anything," Yan Mei murmured.

But Lin Xu didn’t answer.

The two women finally stepped out and closed the door quietly behind them.

The moment the latch clicked, Lin Xu’s legs gave out completely.

She fell to the floor, her hands pressing against the cold tiles as her breath shook out of her chest. Tears she thought had dried suddenly poured down again, and she bit her lip hard, trying to hold back the sobs threatening to burst out.

"Susu," she choked out, her voice trembling. "Susu, come out... please."

A faint glow filled the room, and in a moment, Susu appeared in her human form. This time, her face held real worry.

"Lin Xu... you called me?"

Lin Xu wiped her face, her hands shaking as she spoke. "Is there a way? Any way at all? Any pill, any remedy, anything that can save Mo Ying? He’s dying, Susu. He’s really dying."

Susu didn’t answer immediately. Her expression grew serious, too serious.

"Lin Xu," she said quietly, "your fates have been twisted from the start. The two of you were never meant to exist together. The General should have died silently in the forest years ago, and you were supposed to die at the hands of your in-laws. But you both lived, and because of that, the flow of fate keeps fighting back."

Lin Xu’s eyes widened, filled with fear. "I don’t understand. Why is this happening?"

"The system gives," Susu said softly, "but it also takes. If you want to save Mo Ying now, then you must be ready to give something back."

Lin Xu’s heart hammered painfully in her chest.

"What am I supposed to give?" she whispered.

Susu looked straight into her eyes.

"Yourself," she said slowly. "You must give yourself to the Crown Prince."

Lin Xu froze in place, her breath caught deep in her throat as her world shattered all over again.

She stared at Susu, her mind blank.

"Give... myself?" she whispered, her voice barely forming the words. "To the Crown Prince? What do you mean? How am I supposed to do that?"

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, her breath trembling as confusion and fear tangled inside her. "Susu, what are you saying? I don’t understand. Why would the system ask something like this? Why him?"

Susu lowered her eyes, guilt and helplessness flickering across her face.

"I don’t know either," she said quietly. "I truly don’t. The system won’t tell me the reason. It only gave one order, if you want Mo Ying to live, you must offer yourself to the Crown Prince."

Lin Xu’s breath hitched, her fingers trembling so hard they scraped against the floor.

"The Crown Prince..." she repeated in disbelief. "But I don’t know him. How do you expect me to sleep with another man? How does being with him have anything to do with Mo Ying’s life?"

Susu stepped closer, kneeling beside her.

"Lin Xu, I know it sounds cruel," she said softly, "but the system’s orders are absolute. If you don’t go... Mo Ying won’t survive the night."

Lin Xu shut her eyes tightly, pain surging through her chest so sharply she felt she might faint. More tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Where... where is the Crown Prince now?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"At an inn," Susu answered. "Not far from the main market. He just arrived in the city. He hasn’t heard about General Mo’s injuries yet."

Lin Xu slowly lifted her head, her eyes red and filled with disbelief.

"And I’m supposed to just go to him?" she whispered. "Walk in and seduce him? Just like that?"

Susu placed a hand on her shoulder, her expression solemn.

"Yes. Only then will Mo Ying live."

The room felt like it was closing in, the air sharp and suffocating.

Lin Xu pressed a shaking hand to her mouth as the truth crashed down on her.

To save the man who had almost died for her...

she had to give herself to a man she knew nothing about.

There was no other way.

For a long moment, Lin Xu couldn’t move.

Her thoughts were tangled. Mo Ying’s face kept flashing in her mind: the way he shielded her, the way he bled for her, the way he looked at her with warmth she didn’t deserve.

If she did nothing, he would die.

Her hands trembled as she pushed herself off the cold floor. She wiped the tears from her lashes and forced herself to stand, even though her knees felt like they might collapse again.

"I have to save him," she whispered.

Susu watched her silently, sadness and worry in her eyes.

Lin Xu went to her wardrobe with heavy steps. Her blood-stained dress clung to her skin, cold and stiff. She peeled it off with shaking fingers. A washbasin stood nearby, and she splashed water on her face and hands, trying to erase the dried blood on her skin.

But no matter how much she scrubbed, it felt like Mo Ying’s blood was still there.

Once she was clean enough, she reached for a plain outer cloak, the kind servants wore when running errands. She wrapped it tightly around herself, hiding her features in its hood.

"Keep your head down," Susu said softly. "Avoid the guards at the eastern gate. They’re changing shifts. You can slip out during the gap."

Lin Xu nodded weakly.

Her legs felt like water as she tiptoed toward the doorway. She pressed her ear against the wood, listening.

Silence.

Slowly, she opened the door.

The corridor outside was dim, lit only by a few flickering lanterns. Most servants had gone to rest, and the guards were at the front courtyard, discussing General Mo’s injury in hushed voices.

Lin Xu pulled her hood lower and hurried down the side walkway, her breath catching with every step. At one point, a guard turned abruptly, and she pressed herself behind a pillar, heart pounding so loudly she feared he might hear it.

The guard yawned and walked away.

Lin Xu didn’t wait. She darted toward the east gate.

Just as Susu said, two guards were leaving their posts, and the next pair hadn’t arrived yet. Lin Xu slipped through the half-open gate and stepped into the cold night air.

Outside the residence, the streets were quiet except for a few late travelers. Lin Xu’s cloak blended into the darkness.

Then she froze.

How would she get to the inn? Walking alone at night was dangerous, and she didn’t even know the exact path.

Before panic could rise, a soft glow appeared near her shoulder. Susu floated beside her in her tiny spirit form.

"I arranged something," Susu whispered. "A carriage driver passing by owes me a favor."

Almost on cue, a small wooden carriage rolled up the road. The driver, an elderly man with a kind but tired face, slowed when he saw Lin Xu.

"You heading toward the main market?" he asked quietly.

Lin Xu nodded.

"Get in. I’ll take you there."

Lin Xu climbed into the carriage, her heart thudding painfully. The wooden seat felt cold beneath her, and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

The carriage began to move.

With each turn of the wheel, the Mo residence faded behind her. The city grew darker, the roads emptier, but she kept her eyes fixed forward.

Somewhere ahead, in an inn near the market, the Crown Prince waited without knowing she was coming.

And Mo Ying’s life hung in the balance.

Lin Xu closed her eyes and whispered one last promise:

"Mo Ying... wait for me. Please... just wait."

Unknown to he that since she stepped her foot out of her quaters, peer of black eyes have been monitoring her every movement.

"Where possible could Lady Lin be heading to this late, Lady San would really find this interesting." the maid smiled deviously.