Chapter 1338: A Burst of Emotion Liu Yun knocked on Zhang Ning's bedroom door. Before them stood Zhang Ning, her face streaked with tears, eyes swollen with emotion—clearly she had wept deeply and been deeply saddened since Lu Yun had left. How could Lu Yun's departure have hurt her so much? It had hurt her just as much as it had hurt Lu Yun himself. Zhang Ning hadn't expected Lu Yun to return at all, nor had she imagined that he would come with his sister. Standing behind the door, she looked weary and somewhat at a loss. Upon seeing Zhang Ning's expression, Liu Yun felt a pang of sorrow and turned to Lu Yun standing behind her, saying, "Xiao Yun, let's go in." Lu Yun nodded firmly, his gaze fixed steadily on Zhang Ning's face, while Zhang Ning's eyes kept darting away, unable to meet the intensity of Lu Yun's steady stare. After stepping back slightly, she allowed Liu Yun and Lu Yun to enter the room. As soon as they stepped inside, at the very moment Lu Yun closed the door, Liu Yun suddenly gently held Zhang Ning in her arms and couldn't help crying out, "Xiao Ning, it's all my fault for not showing enough care for you—making you suffer so much. Please rest assured, as long as I'm here, your brother will never make you endure any more hardships on outings." Her heartfelt words, infused with sincere regret, moved her so deeply that she broke down in tears upon finishing, weeping for the long suffering Zhang Ning had endured. Zhang Ning was stunned—she had never expected her sister-in-law to say such things. Could it be that Brother had told her about this? Yet, this matter had been strictly confidential. Although Brother had always been obedient and attentive to her, how could he have defied the family's wishes and revealed this to her? Zhang Ning couldn't make sense of it, yet she was deeply touched by Liu Yun's words. She glanced at Lu Yun quietly and then, holding each other tightly, both of them softly wept. "Brother, I'm fine, I can handle it," Zhang Ning said, her voice breaking with emotion. "You're making me do something that even your brother—a man—hasn't dared to do. If Sister Liu doesn't agree, this whole thing will fall apart. Listen to me, Xiao Ning. No matter what has happened between you two in the past, from now on, you belong to yourself. You will never be a sacrifice—someone else's project, someone else's need—forced into the hands of these women. Never again!" Liu Yun's voice trembled, yet it was filled with an unyielding determination. In her eyes, that resolve was clear—she had made her stance. As long as Liu Yun stood firm, no one would allow such self-sacrifice to happen again. Zhang Ning remained silent, only tears flowing steadily from her beautiful eyes. It was only then that Zhang Ning finally realized: Sister Liu had known about that deeply hidden matter all along. Lu Yun listened with growing confusion, yet he was certain that Zhang Ning’s numerous severe scars likely stemmed from a directive from her master. If that were true, then wouldn’t Lady Xinlan have known about it long ago? Although Liu Yun had spoken at length, she had not revealed the specifics of what had transpired. Lu Yun didn’t press for details—since Liu Yun had offered no hint throughout her conversation, it was clear that the matter remained highly confidential among Zhang Yi and his companions. Even after he had gained access to Liu Yun, he still hadn’t earned the right to know the truth. Nevertheless, since the matter originated from the master’s orders, Master Sister Tie Xinlan must certainly be well-informed. Lu Yun began to wonder whether he should visit her to find out more. While Zhang Ning and Liu Yun cried without a care, Lu Yun turned and opened the door, heading straight for his dorm room, where there were still some ointment left—enough to help Zhang Ning remove the scars on his back. Yet removing the scars would only be a temporary remedy, a mere palliative. Despite this, Lu Yun managed to return with the ointment as quickly as possible. When he arrived back at Zhang Ning's room, both Zhang Ning and Liu Yun had already taken seats on the bed, Liu Yun holding Zhang Ning's hand, whispering softly to one another. Upon Lu Yun's sudden entrance, both of them looked up at once. Zhang Ning, as always, glanced at Lu Yun, a sense of guilt passing through his eyes before he quickly turned away. Liu Yun, however, fixed her gaze on Lu Yun and asked, "You little runt—what were you doing when you suddenly left?" Lu Yun said nothing, holding the small bottle in his hand. He approached the bed and said to Zhang Ning, "Ning姐, please get up and turn around." Zhang Ning felt a bit hesitant. She was very clear about what Lu Yun intended to do, but with her sister-in-law present, she felt shy—imagine being treated the way Lu Yun used to, with medicinal ointments applied to her body. Facing Lu Yun’s earnest gaze, Zhang Ning instinctively wanted to speak, yet her body moved on its own, standing up and turning her back to Lu Yun, her lips pressed tightly together, silent. Yet what nearly drove Liu Yun mad was that, once she stood beside Lu Yun, the bird-like man suddenly lifted Zhang Ning’s nightgown, revealing the delicate pink underpants instantly. “You…!” As Liu Yun prepared to storm over and demand an explanation, she found herself struck dumb—her entire body electrified, her eyes filled with fear and astonishment, fixed on the intricate network of serpentine scars that crisscrossed across Zhang Ning’s body, her hair standing on end. “This… this is impossible. How… how could Xiao Ning have…?” Liu Yun stood utterly speechless, as if frozen in place. "With Liu Yun present, Lu Yun would seem to be taking advantage of the situation if he kept staring at Zhang Ning's back the entire time—so it would be more appropriate this time for Liu Yun to administer the medicine to Zhang Ning. Lu Yun's real intention, however, was to make Liu Yun fully aware of the extent of Zhang Ning's suffering. The striking scars on Zhang Ning's back would deeply move Liu Yun, strengthening her resolve to firmly prevent Zhang Yi from subjecting Zhang Ning to any hidden, cruel treatments in the future. Liu Yun glanced at the medicine bottle in her hands and turned to Lu Yun with a look of surprise, asking, "Xiao Yun, is this medicine really effective?" Lu Yun nodded and then turned around. Liu Yun exhaled a long breath, her hands trembling as she opened the bottle and gently applied the remaining medicine to Zhang Ning's back, one drop at a time.