This is \\WHO SAID THIS\\ reposted as  LUNATIC LOVE.

Okay, I lied that I wouldn't write till end of month. I managed to write yesterday in celebration of being halfway through my exams and because the scenes couldn't stop playing in my mind. I need to let them out!

You better comment and vote, though, haha

Chapter 64

Bai Shen Hong
Emperor Huizhong

Three days since he last saw Li Lian, three days since he last got a good night sleep, three days of regret and remorse.

'Li Lian, where are you?'

Yuwen Hong jumped off his horse with a virtuoso. He patted the head of his huge black horse and unsheathed his sword as he approached a kneeling traitor who was guarded by his generals.

"Why is he still alive?" Yuwen Hong was irritated.

"Grand General, these servants assumed Grand General would like to question him." Outside the palace, they were to address him not as 'His Majesty' for many purposes concerning his security.

Like he cared. He didn't care for anyone, all he wanted was Li Lian.

"Where did you find him?"

General Ling bowed, she was the only female general he had and way better than half his generals. Her fierce attitude is what he liked, her impulsiveness is what he disliked.

"He was knocked out behind the bush."

Yuwen Hong flexed his fingers around the holder of his sword. "Li Lian is not here?"

"We have only found all the dead criminals except him and... Concubine Pi... was murdered."

"Where is Li Lian?"

"Answering to Grand General, Imperial Concubine Wei is not here." General Ling looked behind her. "We have questioned Consort Wang, but she has refused to speak until Grand General arrives. She will not move from where she seats."

"I'm here now, she must start talking then. Have you done the official protocols?"

"Yes, we summoned the coroner who has already covered what needs to be done, the time of death is estimated to be three days ago. We await for Grand General to allow us to carry away the body of the resting imperial."

The general that escorted Yuwen Hong arrived from behind, the man was quite slow that Yuwen Hong left him behind by a massive distance as they rode to this place. He had been anxious to arrive as soon as possible, in case his love was waiting for him. But she wasn't.

Yuwen Hong looked down at the criminal. "Do you know what you did wrong?"

He shook his head, causing General Ling to kick him. "You will not answer  the Grand General using body language!"

"I did nothing! The woman hit me when I took her to relieve herself, a few days ago."

"What woman?"

"The Furian looking woman."

"Li Lian? What did she look like?"

"She was the most beautiful... elf-like ears..."

It had to be Li Lian. Who would have that courage? "Where did she go?"

"I was passed out."

"You are telling me you were knocked out for days?"

The young man groaned. "When I woke up hours later, I couldn't walk. The villain behind me had stabbed my legs, it was too painful to run away."

Consort Wang was clever after all. She did him right.

The young man pointed at the five generals. "They then found me."

"Hao. Give him a fast death as a reward."

Yuwen Hong smiled, feeling hopeful. His Li Lian was a fighter. She was out there somewhere.

He marched past them and went to the cliff side, as General Ling impulsively stabbed the young man dead.

Yuwen Hong stopped, inspecting the area. It was a mass slaughter. Bodies scattered the ground, though he was relieved to not see Li Lian anywhere.

He felt out of sorts to see Concubine Pi ravaged by knives all over. His child was dead. The nation would have to do a one-hour wailing session for the imperial unborn.

Death of an unborn was common in the harem, miscarriages that could not be stopped or the poisoning of each other, the women jealously did. From long back, he learnt not to attach himself to an unborn child.

"Finally, His Majesty is here." Consort Wang stood from the rock she sat on by the tree. She trailed to him with a sword in hand.

The generals purposefully neared him simultaneously, afraid for his safety.

However, Yuwen Hong lifted his hand to halt them. Could unskilled Consort Wang kill him?

"No one shall enter Grand General's presence with a weapon at their disposal!" General Ling shouted at Consort Wang.

"Your Majesty!" Consort Wang laughed like a lunatic.

She looked awful. Darkened eye shadows, blood on her white nightwear and dirty bare feet with dry lips.

"I killed her, Your Majesty!" She continued to laugh.

He frowned. "Killed who?"

"Li Lian!"

One eyebrow of his lifted in speculation.

"I told myself I would avenge all the pain and hurt you caused me. My life was stolen from me by you." She lifted the sword and had it at her neck. "You will regret not choosing me for yourself and being blinded toward my efforts. I was the most well behaved, you were not happy. I bore you a child, you were still not happy. What of me did you require?"

Her words were gibberish. Maybe the trauma made her lose her senses.

"Now, I will kill myself and you will live to regret it. All your life, you will always remember that you are the person who killed your daughter's mother because of your aloofness toward me."

All right. Whatever.

"What happened to Li Lian?"

"I killed her."

Li Lian knew a bit of martial arts.

"Not possible," he smirked.

"I threw her off the cliff," she laughed.

"It is impossible."

"I killed her!"

She was indeed mad.

"General Ling!"

"Yes, Grand General."

"This woman is venomous. Take her to the den of snakes and lock her in there to die. She must die on the bed she has made for herself. Venom with venom. Record in the books that she was killed in this massacre. No one needs to know I had the honour of punishing such a waste." If her clan knew, they would make noise for him in the court, better do it in secret, a golden opportunity.

General Ling seized Consort Wang and snatched the sword out of her hands, pinning Consort Wang's arms behind her back.

"Bù yào! I want to kill myself! I want him to see me die!"

Yuwen Hong chuckled. "You think I would miss this opportunity of doing it myself. I want you to die my way, you deserve death seven times for hurting Cai Wenjin."

As she screamed and objected, Consort Wang was taken away. A delightful moment. He was glad to be rid of the woman.

Yuwen Hong wandered around looking at the dead men. He stopped in contemplation when he saw that the swords swipes on their necks were identical. He knew this marking and had seen it before, the preciseness, the slanting.

It looked like the skill of Oren. Could it be that his master was there and was responsible for killing these men?

He backtracked quickly and jumped onto his horse, kicking it into acceleration. His escort would have to catch up, later.

Yuwen Hong determinedly rode to the waterfalls, hoping that Oren was at his favourite place. But unfortunately, he wasn't there.

Yuwen Hong then went to the other places he could think of that Oren could be found in, but again he wasn't there.

That meant Oren was probably back at his cave, so that is where he charged his horse towards. He was going to ask Oren to fly around looking for Li Lian, since searching for someone from the sky was easier, or maybe he already had her for him.

S.V