FRGNM -Chapter 72 Who Was That Man?

Experienced life and death?

Did I die?

That thought suddenly flashed through her mind. In the dark space, the frail figure sat cross-legged, allowing the small golden characters to shatter into countless points of light that flowed into her body, cleansing her blocked meridians. Purple Dou Qi surfaced, spreading from the center of her brows and flowing through her head and into every limb and bone. The pattern on her back transformed into twin wings—pale-purple feathers wrapping her entire body as time itself seemed to vanish.

“Why did this happen? Yizhui… Yimeng… what exactly happened?”

Gently pressing on the pulse that had already stopped, Fang Xu froze completely. His eyes widened as he stared at the woman on the bed. Her skin was deathly pale, her breathtaking face seemingly frozen in time, utterly devoid of life.

Her hair still carried traces of moisture, and she wore a sleeping robe. In the courtyard behind the house, her torn clothes lay scattered by the pool, yet the water inside the bath was as icy as a frozen abyss.

“W-w-I don’t know… When we woke up this morning, we couldn’t wake Mommy no matter what…” Yimeng cried, tears falling like broken pearls as she clutched Ling Ruoxi’s wrist. “Brother Yizhui… Mommy… is Mommy dead?”

Yizhui clenched his teeth, his furious eyes fixed on Fang Xu. “You’re lying! Mommy was fine last night! She can’t be dead! You’re lying—you’re all lying to us!”

“Yizhui, Yimeng, calm down!” Fang Xu’s heart sank. The pulse—there truly was no sign of life.

Yet he refused to believe Ling Ruoxi was dead.

The Five-Colored Flower possessed a protective instinct. Even if Ling Ruoxi wanted to die, the flower would protect her, releasing Dou Qi to shield her body. But last night, he hadn’t sensed even the slightest fluctuation. How could that be possible…?

“Ruoxi! Ruoxi!”

Upon receiving the news, Nangong Mo and Ye Ningfeng arrived together, their Dou Qi heavily depleted. Panting, they stared at the woman lying on the bed, their pupils contracting.

“How could Ruoxi be like this… she…” Nangong Mo murmured in disbelief. She looked as though she were merely asleep. How could this be death?

“Your Highness, let me check with the Life Stone,” Ye Ningfeng said urgently. He plucked a strand of Ling Ruoxi’s hair and took out a jade stone.

But Fang Xu seized his wrist. A red stone appeared in his hand—completely shattered, riddled with cracks that symbolized the woman lying before them.

“No… the Life Stone… shattered?” Even Ye Ningfeng’s voice trembled. He didn’t dare continue the test.

Fang Xu nodded, then shook his head. “I don’t know either. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this. When the Life Stone shatters, the owner is in mortal danger. Ruoxi is dead—but the stone hasn’t turned to dust. That means she should be in a state of false death.”

“False death?” Nangong Mo’s heart jolted as he stood up. He wasn’t a physician—how was he supposed to understand this? False death or real death, what was the difference? She had no heartbeat, no breath—so complete that even they couldn’t sense her presence. How could this merely be ‘false’?

“What exactly happened? I need to know everything.” Ye Ningfeng frowned and turned to Tang Yinhai. He vaguely felt the man looked familiar, but there was no time to dwell on it.

He pressed on Ling Ruoxi’s wrist. Just as Fang Xu had said—no pulse. She was like a corpse.

It felt as though something stabbed fiercely into his heart. Ye Ningfeng looked at the woman on the bed. “Yizhui, Yimeng—tell me. Was there anything unusual about her yesterday?”

“No… no,” Yimeng sobbed, shaking her head. “Yesterday we went to Xizhao Pavilion to play. Mommy was with Uncle Fang. We ate outside, went to the night market, bought lots of yummy food. Mommy was the same as always…”

“Yizhui,” Fang Xu said gravely, “after that, did anyone come into the room?”

His gaze darkened. When he entered the room this morning, the table had been smashed to the floor. Someone had been here last night—and that person was the real culprit.

Fang Xu clenched his fists. He had believed the defenses of his estate were flawless. He never imagined someone could still infiltrate it.

A palm pressed down. Purple light flared.

Tang Yinhai staggered back, staring at the fabric stained with purple Dou Qi. “It was a Purple-rank expert. The person who came last night was a Purple Sovereign!”

“What?” Nangong Mo frowned. “What would a Purple-rank Dou Qi master be doing here? A Purple Sovereign… was it Luo Mingyu?”

Suddenly recalling something, Nangong Mo grabbed Ling Ruoxi’s clothing and gently pulled it down.

“What are you doing, you bad man!” Yizhui lunged forward and bit fiercely into Nangong Mo’s arm.

Ye Ningfeng sucked in a breath, pressing Ling Ruoxi’s shoulder and staring at the bite marks on her neck.

Beneath her clothes, bruises of deep blue and purple covered her pale skin. They all knew what those meant.

“Damn it—what kind of monster is that bastard? Worse than an animal!” Nangong Mo finally exploded, kicking the table away with full force.

Yizhui was startled and released his bite, staring at him in shock.

“Was it Luo Mingyu?” Fang Xu asked, his fists clenched tight.

Nangong Mo took several deep breaths, pointing at the bruises on Ling Ruoxi’s body. “Who else could do this to her? That man is a complete scum! Sneaking into her room at night and violating her! Purple Sovereign—so what if he’s powerful? Does that give him the right to treat a woman like this?! Ruoxi… why did you ever fall for such a man?! Why?!”

“You’re not allowed to talk about Daddy like that!” Yizhui shouted angrily. In his heart, the man who taught him Dou Qi could never be bad.

“Not allowed?” Nangong Mo sneered coldly.

“You still defend him? He’s the one who killed your mother! Look at the marks on her body—those were left by your beast of a father! She was supposed to marry me—she was my woman! It was your animal of a father who destroyed her entire life!”

“That’s not true! Mommy said you were the one who broke off the engagement—”

“As the Crown Prince of a nation, how could I defy an imperial decree?!”

Nangong Mo roared. “If your father hadn’t violated your mother, you would be my son and daughter now! That animal!”

The room fell into silence. Only heartbeats could be heard. The woman on the bed lay there as if forgotten by time, eternally asleep.

Hot tears soaked her chest as Yimeng and Yizhui cried softly, clinging to her. “Mommy… Mommy, wake up… We want Mommy… Don’t leave us… we’re scared…”

Scared…

Long lashes trembled. The sleeping woman slowly opened her eyes. Her gray pupils gradually shifted.

“Ruoxi!” Fang Xu was the first to see it. His heart jolted violently. “Quick—come look!”

All eyes turned to the bed.

The woman opened her ashen eyes—empty, emotionless. Slowly, light returned. Her black pupils swept over the room, and she asked instinctively:

“Why… are you all here?”

“Ruoxi, you’re okay? That’s great!” Ye Ningfeng exclaimed. He didn’t understand what had happened, immediately motioning for Tang Yinhai to check her pulse.

The pulse was steady.

She was alive?

Tang Yinhai froze. “Junior Sister Ruoxi, just now you—”

“What about me?” Ling Ruoxi asked calmly. “I only know I had a very long, very long dream. What time is it now?”

She struggled to sit up, gently stroking Yizhui and Yimeng’s heads. Seeing their red, swollen eyes, she smiled softly. “What’s wrong, you two little ones? Crying in your sleep?”

“Mommy… we thought you didn’t want us anymore…” The two children clung to her arms, crying.

Her loose robe slipped again, revealing her snow-white back. The strange purple pattern was now even clearer—but everyone’s attention was fixed on the bruises covering her body. No one noticed her back.

“Ruoxi,” Fang Xu said quietly as he pulled her robe up, covering her. “Tell me—what happened last night? Was it Luo Mingyu?”

Ling Ruoxi shook her head gently. “No. It wasn’t him. It was a man I didn’t know. Very cold. Dressed in black. His voice was hoarse. I don’t know who he is—only that he was extremely strong. With just one move, he shattered my defenses and broke my Dou Qi shield.”

“One move?” Nangong Mo frowned. Six years ago at sea, countless arrows from Dou Qi masters hadn’t broken that purple shield. Even a Purple Sovereign would need considerable strength. And now… only Luo Mingyu should be capable of that.

Fang Xu shook his head, resting his chin on his hand. “Impossible. The Five-Colored Flower’s protective barrier surpasses all artifacts. Even a Purple Sovereign couldn’t break it. If it truly happened in one move, then that man has already surpassed the Purple Sovereign realm.”

“Surpassed Purple Sovereign?” Ye Ningfeng froze. “Is there really someone above that level on Longxing Continent?”

Tang Yinhai nodded calmly. “Yes. There must be. Luo Mingyu is merely the young master of Qiongyu Immortal Island. If he has already reached Purple Sovereign, then the Island Lord’s strength must be above it.”

“Enough,” Fang Xu interrupted. “What matters is that Ruoxi is fine.”

He looked at her gently. “Ruoxi, how do you feel now?”

“Mm. I’m okay. Nothing feels wrong—much better,” she said softly, rubbing her neck before frowning. “Yizhui, Yimeng—are you two puppies or something? You even bite me in your sleep!”

“Ah? Mommy, we did that?” Yizhui’s jaw nearly hit the floor as he hurriedly rubbed her neck for her.