TNIBFT -Chapter 71 Giving the Broken Jade to My Son

“Go, go, go! Hurry up and leave!”

One of them covered his mouth and nose, giving a disdainful glance at Ye Yunting, then led the others out of the alley.

Once they were gone, Ye Yunting finally turned to look at Liu Ruyan on the ground, gently pushing aside the tangled hair on her face. “Madam, are you alright?”

“Madam, they’ve already left.”

Liu Ruyan, beaten and barely conscious, opened her heavy eyelids at the sound of the childish voice. “Don’t worry about me. My son… they’ve taken him away. I have to see the city lord.”

“Cough… cough… cough…”

Before she could finish, Liu Ruyan bent over, coughing violently on the ground. Ye Yunting gently patted her back, feeling just how frail and emaciated her body was.

A mother…

All mothers… should be like this, right?

Willing to face fire and death for their children, ready to sacrifice themselves, and even if they couldn’t stand, they’d still give everything for their child.

All mothers in the world… should be like her, right?

When Liu Ruyan finally stopped coughing, Ye Yunting awkwardly said, “Earlier, I pretended to be your son. I didn’t do it on purpose. I only wanted to save you. Those government soldiers… if you provoke them, even if you survive, they’ll strip you to the bone.”

“I… I only acted because I saw them beating you…”

“I understand.”

Liu Ruyan lifted her head. The winter sunlight was soft, falling on Ye Yunting’s small face, a delicately carved face that seemed strangely familiar.

The way this child looked at people… was very familiar, but Liu Ruyan couldn’t recall where she had seen it before.

She froze in place, her gaze somewhat distant.

“Madam, where do you live?”

“You’re very ill. You should rest and recover properly.”

Ye Yunting’s voice broke through her thoughts.

She weakly smiled, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. With a feeble voice, she said, “No… I have no home.”

“You might not even live till tomorrow.”

There was a hint of desolation in her words.

Ye Yunting didn’t know what to say and quietly squatted beside her. Liu Ruyan, still struggling for breath, picked up the shattered pieces of the jade pendant from the ground, handling them as if they were treasures. Then she handed them to Ye Yunting. “I probably won’t get to see him again.”

“Madam trusts you. Please, take these broken pieces of jade to my son, alright? It’s very important to him.”

Ye Yunting frowned, looking down at the shattered jade in Liu Ruyan’s hand, feeling conflicted. “But I don’t know your son. How am I supposed to give this to him?”

Liu Ruyan smiled, looking at the adorable child before her. Her heart felt especially at ease.

Her son… must have been this cute and sensible as a child, right?

Her gentle gaze met Ye Yunting’s. “His name is Shen Jie.”

Shen Jie.

Ye Yunting’s small face darkened instantly. Shen Jie wasn’t just an enemy of his; he was a great adversary. In this life, he didn’t want any connection with Shen Jie.

Someone like Shen Jie… if he died now, Ye Yunting would even think it was justice. And yet, such a person had a mother who loved him so deeply…

Truly, heaven had no eyes.

“He’s just like you, a very good child. Very kind, very filial…” Liu Ruyan spoke of Shen Jie with a face full of happiness.

Ye Yunting stood up, ready to leave.

He could save Shen Jie’s mother because of the goodness in his heart, but helping Shen Jie himself… he couldn’t do it.

Shen Jie had repeatedly framed his sister for stealing, and all three siblings had been wronged countless times since childhood. Today, he had gone utterly mad, even deceiving the scholar’s daughter. Someone like that… didn’t deserve forgiveness.

Should everyone just punish him?

“Little one, what’s wrong?” Liu Ruyan looked at Ye Yunting in surprise.

The child had been fine one moment, and the next, his expression changed—he wanted to leave. Had she offended him somehow?

But the fact that he had risked his life to save someone showed that this little one had a kind heart.

Liu Ruyan reached out and grabbed Yè Yún­tíng’s sleeve.

She had no other chance. She could feel her life slipping away; apart from this child in front of her, she trusted no one.

Ye Yunting frowned and looked back.

Liu Ruyan’s face was pale as she pleaded, pulling on his sleeve. “Little one, this fragment of jade is very important. I beg you, if your mother were here, she would surely understand my intentions.”

“I don’t have a mother.”

Ye Yunting said coldly, pulling his sleeve back sharply.

On his fair wrist was a red birthmark, shaped like a soaring eagle, or perhaps a mysterious, ancient pattern. Liu Ruyan’s pupils contracted violently; her eyes widened in shock.

Seeing a stranger staring at his birthmark, Ye Yunting quickly covered his arm with his sleeve.

As he turned to leave, Liu Ruyan seemed to gather every ounce of strength she had. She crawled up from the ground and, trembling with excitement, grabbed Ye Yunting by both shoulders. “Why are you here?”

“We’ve finally found you.”

“Has this birthmark always been there? Do you have any brothers or sisters—triplets?”

Liu Ruyan’s whole being was ecstatic.

Ye Yunting felt a chill of terror. A stranger knew everything about him.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he pushed her away and said coldly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My father is waiting for me at home. I’m leaving now.”

With that, he ran off as if escaping.

Liu Ruyan followed him, babbling like a madwoman. “Found you! Finally found you!”

“For five years, I, Liu Ruyan, have not failed my mission, Your Majesty…”

“Pfft!”

Her emotions soared and crashed; she spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed. Lying on the ground, breathing weakly, barely clinging to life, she fumbled in her bosom and pulled out a delicate jade tube. Her hands trembled as she struggled to unlock its mechanism.

In an instant, the sky above the entire Sifang City lit up like fireworks, sparkling with starlight.

In the corners of the city, many reached out to catch the fragments of the fireworks. Looking at the unique patterns on them, people hidden in the crowds hurried along.

Liu Ruyan lay collapsed in the snow, clutching the jade fragment tightly in one hand, her life completely gone.

Snow swirled and fell upon her, like a soft blanket. In a forgotten alley, Liu Ruyan, once a beauty renowned across Dàliáng Capital, lay quietly in the snow, her life ended, her beauty lost forever.

Ye Yunting ran all the way to the school.

The master had not returned yet; the children were all in the courtyard, spinning around under Ye Shuangxue’s command.

“Big brother, come play Go…”

Xiao Jiang waved to Ye Yunting. His mind was unsettled. He looked up at the snow-filled sky, memories of the woman he had just encountered flashing through his mind—weak, beautiful, gentle.

Desperate.

How did she know about him?

Why did she react so strongly to the birthmark?

Could she know something?

She said she had been searching for him all this time—so was Ye Tian really not his biological father?

Was that why Ye Tian had treated the three siblings the way he did?

Ye Yunting felt a storm of unease in his heart. If Ye Tian really wasn’t their father, this secret must rot forever inside this woman’s stomach.

With that thought, Ye Yunting left the school.

Xiao Jiang called after him, “Big brother, where are you going?”

“I’m going to fetch Master; I’ll be back soon.”

Ye Yunting ran at full speed. When he reached the alley, he saw Liu Ruyan lying in the snow, already covered by a thin layer of snow.

She was dead.