Chapter 24: Ruining Her Purity

"Did you go alone? Or... were you accompanied by someone?"

Silence followed once more. Jiang Li coughed twice, his expression remaining detached.

"I appreciate your hospitality over the past two days, Scholar Meng, but where I go is my own business and has nothing to do with you."

"A great deal has happened at your estate, so I shall not intrude further. I bid you farewell."

The less Jiang Li answered, the more convinced Meng Boji became. His gaze sharpened, fixed upon Jiang Li’s retreating back as he stepped out of the Meng family gates, until he suddenly roared.

"I treated you as a friend, inviting you to stay under my roof, yet you stab me in the back! What kind of logic is this?!"

Jiang Li merely paused for a heartbeat without looking back, then continued on his way, leading Danzhu with him.

Meng Boji, shocked that he remained so composed, raised his voice in a fit of rage.

"Leaving in such a hurry in the dead of night—are you feeling guilty, Young Master Jiang?!"

"Do you think you are helping her? No! You are destroying her—"

"Do you think I, Meng Boji, am so easily defeated? Just you wait—"

Having vented his anger, Meng Boji turned and stormed back inside, slamming the heavy gates shut.

Jiang Li, who had not gone far, halted and glanced back, his brows furrowing.

A moment later, he spoke abruptly: "Has she returned to the Duke’s manor?"

Danzhu confirmed the direction in which Nan Yan’s carriage had departed: "I saw it clearly just now; it was indeed the direction of the Duke’s manor."

Jiang Li’s brow did not relax. After a flicker of thought, he suddenly turned and began to walk briskly in the direction Nan Yan had taken.

The Duke’s manor was some distance away. The night was deep, and the secluded path was devoid of any light. Having rained earlier, the carriage moved at a glacial pace.

Nan Yan sat inside with Mother Su and Bie Zhi. They were nodding off, but Nan Yan felt no desire to sleep. After all, she had been unconscious for most of the day; she had slept enough.

These past two days, she had suffered frequent fainting spells and recurring nightmares. The most terrifying part was that almost everything she dreamt had come true.

It was not without its benefits, however; at least tonight, she had known about the divorce and prevented Meng Boji from swindling her dowry and the Nan family’s wealth.

Yet, concerning the dreams about her father and brother, she was helpless, unable to alter their fate.

The news had already reached the capital; the fact that her father and brother had been framed was settled. She only hoped that tonight’s dream would have a better ending. At the very least... her father and brother must stay alive.

Overcome by worry, Nan Yan shed tears and squeezed her eyes shut.

Suddenly, a wave of heat surged from her lower abdomen, causing her heart to skip a beat. Nan Yan felt a faint, growing fever spreading throughout her body.

At first, she thought it was just the stifling air in the carriage, so she lifted the curtain to catch some of the night breeze. But the heat within her did not subside; instead, a wave of dizziness began to cloud her mind.

Nan Yan felt something was wrong and, clutching her temples, called out to Mother Su and Bie Zhi.

The two women awoke with a start and asked anxiously, "My Lady, what is wrong?"

"Why is your face so flushed?!"

Nan Yan could not see herself, but to Mother Su and Bie Zhi, it was glaringly obvious that her entire face was unnaturally crimson. When they touched her skin, it was indeed feverishly hot.

"What is happening?"

This was clearly abnormal. But because her body had been so strange these past few days, causing her to faint repeatedly, Nan Yan could not immediately identify the cause.

Mother Su, however, was quick to react: "The wine! My Lady! Could there have been something wrong with the wine Meng Boji gave you?!"

Nan Yan’s eyes widened.

Despite all her caution, she never imagined Meng Boji would be so ruthless. She was already leaving, yet he had poisoned her!

"It must be!" Bie Zhi said, panic rising in her voice. "He had already divorced you, yet he came to see you off with a hypocritical smile—it was all a trap!"

"Not good..." Everything before Nan Yan’s eyes began to spin. "He... he must have a follow-up plan... hurry, get away!"

If he could poison her, he would certainly want to destroy the evidence!

As the words left her lips, the horses outside let out a long, piercing neigh that shattered the night.

The carriage jolted to a sudden stop, the violent momentum throwing all three women forward.

With that fall, Nan Yan felt too dizzy to even crawl up. As Mother Su and Bie Zhi tried to steady her, another violent jolt sent them all tumbling.

The coachman’s scream pierced the air outside.

"Who are you people?! What do you want?! Ah—My Lady, run—"

Immediately after, a glinting blade sliced through the carriage curtain. The blood on the edge of the steel made Bie Zhi shriek in terror.

Nan Yan struggled to lift her eyelids. Amidst a flash of lightning, she saw several men in black, their faces masked.

"That’s her! Take her—"

A burly man jumped into the carriage, hoisted Nan Yan onto his shoulder, and began to run. Mother Su and Bie Zhi lunged forward but were kicked back.

Nan Yan was already devoid of strength, carried like a sack. The violent tossing made her dizziness unbearable.

"My Lady!"

"My Lady—"

The men in black moved with supernatural speed. Nan Yan forced her eyes open, only to see herself being carried rapidly away from the carriage.

The coachman lay in a pool of blood, and several other men in black were rushing toward Mother Su and Bie Zhi with raised blades—

No, don’t kill them...

Her consciousness blurred, and her vision began to distort. In despair, Nan Yan closed her eyes.

She did not know how long she had been tossed about. Her head was spinning, perhaps due to the blood rushing to it, which ironically kept her from passing out entirely.

Suddenly, she was thrown onto a pile of hay. In the flash of lightning, she vaguely made out the silhouette of a ruined Buddha statue and a ceiling covered in spiderwebs. It was likely an abandoned temple.

The man in black stood before her, and the others soon arrived. Nan Yan could smell the metallic stench of blood on their blades.

Bie Zhi, Mother Su...

"Is it done?"

"Done. What about her?"

"As the old woman ordered—we brothers shall enjoy ourselves!"

Following a wave of lewd, guttural laughter, Nan Yan’s heart went cold.

The Meng family... they intended to ruin her virtue?!

Helpless, desperate tears slid from the corners of her eyes. Nan Yan could not understand; they had been her family for three years—how could they be so malicious?

Under the dim, flickering light, the shadows approached her with wicked laughter. Nan Yan retreated in vain.

Her limbs were paralyzed, and even her voice was a mere whisper: "No... don't come near me..."

How would they listen? As they stepped forward, they began to undo their belts. Nan Yan retreated to the very corner, nowhere left to run.

Just as she closed her eyes in final despair, a great shout echoed through the temple.

"Men! Seize them—"

Amidst the thunder and lightning, a group of guards swarmed in. The men in black, sensing disaster, scattered in every direction.

The guards gave chase. Nan Yan was still dazed, and by the time she regained her senses, a lantern and a person appeared before her.

It was a face she never expected to see—Meng Boji.

"Yan'er! Are you alright?"

He set the lantern down and carefully helped Nan Yan sit up.

Nan Yan leaned against the wall, staring at him in confusion for a long time: "Why... why are you here?"

Was it not he who poisoned her? Were these men not his henchmen? How could he be the one to save her?

Meng Boji looked heartbroken: "Yan'er, I am so sorry... I had no idea that even after I wrote the divorce papers, my mother and grandmother still wouldn't let you go!"