They are my life

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Rong Xianxian pondered whether this so-called list had any connection to Ning Qingyun. Ning Qingyun was not a ruthless, duplicitous man; he deeply loved his two children and cherished the time spent playing with them. So what kind of purpose could those wanting us dead possibly have? Or perhaps Ning Qingyun was not the man Rong Xianxian thought she knew.

Looking back, Ning Qingyun enjoyed the warmth of family but never communicated with Rong Xianxian about his past, his family, or his thoughts.

Cui Lie failed to extract anything from Brother Liu, which was expected. Brother Liu was a member of the so-called organization, steadfast in his convictions. Cui Lie and Rong Xianxian were inexperienced in interrogation; intimidating two cowardly thieves was one thing, but it was useless against someone like Brother Liu.

Finding no information, they slit his carotid artery and sent him to meet his fate.

“What about these two?” Cui Lie was furious that these people dared to set their sights on their master. They had killed before, but this was the first time they had taken a life, and it didn’t seem to have any adverse consequences.

“Let them go,” Rong Xianxian waved her hand, signaling to release the two thieves.

“Let them go? Are we going to follow them to see who they meet?” Seeing the thieves panic and flee, Jiang Jie hurriedly asked, afraid Rong Xianxian might change her mind.

“Why follow them? They belong to an organization within the safe zone. There are only a few of us; we might fall into their trap,” Rong Xianxian said. She wanted to dismantle them but lacked the strength.

“Then so be it,” Jiang Jie said reluctantly.

“No time to waste on them. Let’s go back and prepare a meal,” Rong Xianxian said, unsettled by the mysterious origins of these people and her helplessness against them.

Fortunately, with communications cut off and them outside the safe zone, if they hid anywhere, these people would have nowhere to find them.

From now on, they would have to be more cautious coming and going.

New District, Capital City.

A corner of the Ning estate.

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With a crash, Ning Qingyun kicked over the dining table that had just been set, sending soup and food spilling everywhere, the fine china shattering into fragments.

“Get out!” Ning Qingyun’s cold eyes brimmed with killing intent as he glared at Yun Shan as if he wished to tear him apart.

Yun Shan silently helped to right the overturned table and spoke gloomily, “I didn’t expect them to be so vile and treacherous.”

Earlier, when Ning Qingjun and the others poisoned the food, Ning Qingyun had been in a bad mood and knocked over the meal. Yun Shan had thrown the food away, but the stray dog that had eaten it died on the spot.

Now, Yun Shan meticulously supervised the kitchen staff, never leaving their side.

The sound of a lock clicking open caught their attention.

Two beautiful women entered. Ning Qingyun’s eyes, once filled with fury, now held a trace of mockery.

“Qingyun, you’re an adult. Why do you always lose your temper?” The woman leading them was Ning Qingyun’s birth mother, Ying Cai’e.

“Brother Yun Shan, are you all right?” The shy, timid woman behind her glanced at Yun Shan with a bashful look.

Yun Shan frowned and instinctively stepped back.

“Oh no, your arm is bleeding!” The shy girl looked pale instantly.

“Qingning, take your brother Yun Shan to get his wound properly dressed,” Ying Cai’e said, glaring at Ning Qingyun over the shards on the floor. It was clear Yun Shan’s arm was cut by flying fragments.

“No need,” Yun Shan lowered his rolled-up sleeve to cover the small wound. “I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare another meal.” Saying this, he retreated.

Ning Qingning stomped her foot and hurried after him. “Brother Yun Shan, wait for me!”

“Yun Shan’s cultivation talent is S-grade. Although a bit below yours, he’s still top-tier. Your eldest uncle’s daughter, Qingcheng, has approached him several times. Rather than letting her have him, why not let your own sister have a chance? What do you think?” Ying Cai’e tested Ning Qingyun with a glance.

“He has nothing to do with me. Don’t come to me with this,” Ning Qingyun said darkly, his expression unchanged.

“He circles around you every day, and everyone treats your words like imperial edicts. Who doesn’t see that?” Ying Cai’e’s face darkened.

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“Stop joking. He even colluded with you before to kidnap me from Yunling. Otherwise, I’d be out of the capital by now,” Ning Qingyun sneered at Ying Cai’e.

“What kind of expression is that? I’m your mother, not your enemy,” Ying Cai’e snapped, anger rising.

“If you let me go, I promise to treat you like a real mother from now on, okay?” Ning Qingyun suddenly turned to stare at Ying Cai’e.

“I am your real—” Ying Cai’e’s words died halfway as Ning Qingyun’s fierce expression silenced her.

With a thud, Ning Qingyun knelt down.

“I beg you, please let me out. My two children are so young; Xianxian can’t manage alone. If you let me go, I’ll forget everything you did before.” His eyes held humiliation, resentment, struggle, and a faint glimmer of hope.

“Qingyun, you disappoint me. What have I done? Everything I did was for your own good and for Xianxian. She’s plain-looking and ordinary, how could she be worthy of you?” Ying Cai’e avoided his gaze, turning her back.

“For your own good, abandoning me was for my good, spending me like money was for my good. Think carefully. This may be the only time I’ll ever beg you. If you agree, all your past deeds will be forgiven.” Ning Qingyun’s expression was despairing; he seemed to have already decided.

“I painstakingly arranged for you to join the Ning family. You’re already recorded in their genealogy. You’re a legitimate son of the Ning family, yet you left without a word, running off to that remote corner in Chongzhou. Do you think all my years of hard work were for nothing? You’re a proud son of a noble family—handsome, talented, now with an unprecedented cultivation aptitude. Just one mission for the family and you’ll receive an official appointment and real power. Compared to that, what are she and her child?” Ying Cai’e couldn’t understand his stubbornness.

“Outside, people are dying every day, and we don’t even know if they’re still alive. You…” Ning Qingyun suddenly stood up, smashing the poor table to pieces again.

Ying Cai’e wisely closed her mouth.

“Get out.” Ning Qingyun pointed to the door.

After hesitating, Ying Cai’e probably thought it best not to provoke him further and reluctantly left, shutting the door behind her.

Leaning against the wall, Ning Qingyun slowly sank to the cold floor. He took from his collar a heart-shaped pendant hanging around his neck. Inside was a tiny photo of a woman holding an infant. The image was too small to discern their features clearly.

Gently, he traced the small photo with his finger, inch by inch. “What do they matter? How could you understand? They are my life, my soul.” He whispered softly.

A single, clear tear fell onto the photo. His face bore an expression that was half-smile, half-cry, a curve of lips tinged with indescribable sorrow.