Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 55

"But what if..."

"If I dare to use you, there will be no mishaps. Even if my brother investigates this matter, the conclusion will only be about you." west Le calmly sat down next to Yu Luo, smiled slightly, and was full of confidence.

"If he asks why he got this ring, how should Yu Luo answer?"

"You can rest assured, in my opinion... my brother will definitely not ask any further questions."

"What benefits will Yu Luo get?" Yu Luo asked casually, stroking the pattern on the ring.

"I don't care whose side you are on, or who you're loyal to. Since your mission is to look after Zi Jin, I will take her back to the Chen Kingdom's palace. At that time, although you won't be able to accompany her as before, it will be easy for you to find out about her whereabouts and situation. Besides, you have already taken my unique drug, so you have no right to bargain with me." Xi Le reached out and gently lifted Yu Luo's chin, looking at her with a half-smile, her voice as gentle as water.

"Since the Princess knows that Yu Luo harbors ulterior motives, aren't you afraid?" Yu Luo raised her chin, met her gaze, and smiled slightly.

"Afraid? I'm only afraid that you'll treat her sincerely and forget who you should be loyal to." west Le's eyes were sharp, as if she could see through people's thoughts.

Yu Luo turned her face away as if fleeing: "What does the Princess intend to do to Yu Luo's sister?"

west Le slowly turned around, her smile deepening, but her eyes were icy cold: "As long as you behave, I will ensure that you and your sister enjoy wealth and honor forever. But if... you dare to play any tricks on me, I have plenty of ways to make your lovely sister wish she were dead."

Yu Luo, her face cold, put the ring into her bosom: "When do we set off?"

"Jin Yu." west Le slowly sat down and called out softly.

Jin Yu slipped inside and stood respectfully to the side with his head bowed.

"Take Miss Yuluo out of the city immediately, catch up with those people, and make sure to bring her and her sister back to the palace safely."

"My lord is in a dangerous situation, Jin Yu believes..."

With a flick of her finger, west Le caused the fish to land in place, opening its mouth but unable to make a sound. west Le's red lips opened and closed, but no sound could be heard.

"Bring Mei Hun and Xi Po back to the palace. They must be back within fifteen days!" west Le said coldly and forcefully.

"Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission."

Zi Jin opened her eyes groggily, and the unfamiliar gauze curtains still greeted her. She didn't know how long she had been living in this mansion, only that she felt like she hadn't slept enough, day and night. Xi Le said that the Moon Kingdom had withdrawn the search warrant five days ago, but she was holding everyone back from leaving.

Zi Jin rubbed her eyes and realized it was daytime. A beautiful smile slowly spread across her lips. How long had it been? How long had it been since she'd woken up in broad daylight?

"Awake?" west Le leaned against Zi Jin's bedside, her voice unusually low and hoarse.

Zi Jin looked up at Xi Le, grinning to reveal a row of neat, white teeth. Outside the window, the sun shone brightly. Like a fish out of water, Zi Jin happily stretched her arms and legs on the bed, then suddenly sat up, not even bothering to put on her shoes, and rushed towards the door.

west Le remained leaning against the bedside, glancing up at Zi Jin, who was bouncing around in the sunlight outside the door. A smile slowly crept onto her beautiful face, reaching her eyes. She picked up Zi Jin's outer robe and boots and walked over leisurely: "Put these on."

Zi Jin turned around and smiled brightly, cheerfully taking the clothes and clumsily trying to put them on, but she couldn't get them properly dressed no matter how she tried.

Under the soft sunlight, west Le's lips curved into a gentle, watery smile as she slowly reached out to neatly tidy Zi Jin's disheveled clothes, her movements clumsy yet tender. Today, she wore a purple gauze robe, which made her complexion appear both unusually pale and unusually gentle. The warm light shone on her profile, making her breathtakingly beautiful, captivating and mesmerizing.

Zi Jin looked dazed, a silly smile on her lips, her eyes fixed on west Le. Unconsciously, she reached out and smoothed a stray strand of hair behind Xi Le's ear.

west Le looked up and met Zi Jin's infatuated gaze. For a moment, she didn't know what to do, so she lowered her eyes, her ears turning bright red.

Zi Jin stared incredulously at Xi Le's unusually shy expression, a mischievous urge suddenly rising within her. She gently rubbed the back of her hand against Xi Le's cheek, then tiptoed closer, bringing her face to him for a light kiss.

west Le's movements froze, her whole body stiffened instantly, and without thinking, she pushed Zi Jin away abruptly.

Before Zi Jin could react, she stumbled back a few steps, standing there dejectedly: "Only the magistrate is allowed to set fires, while the common people are forbidden even to light lamps!" Who was it that used to harass her several times a day, making her blush and run away each time?

west Le stood there stunned, looking up at Zi Jin with an unusually gloomy expression and eyes so complex that no one dared to look into them. She turned to leave, but then stumbled back several steps due to dizziness.

Without thinking, Zi Jin rushed forward and grabbed west Le's hand. west Le, her brows furrowed, leaned weakly against Zi Jin's shoulder, breathing softly. The sun was warm, but Xi Le's hand was icy cold. Zi Jin quickly felt Xi Le's pulse, but her complexion grew increasingly worse. Although Zi Jin didn't know martial arts, she possessed an unusual talent for medicine. Xi Le was considered a master by Zi Jin; how could her pulse be so chaotic and disordered? "How could this be?"

west Le leaned obediently on Zi Jin's shoulder, her eyes closed, looking as if she didn't want to say anything more.

"Master's injuries have not yet healed, yet he has been transferring internal energy to others for dozens of days in a row, so it's natural that this would happen." Jin Yu had already appeared on the other side of the corridor at some point.

Zi Jin stared blankly at west Le. No wonder she had been in much better spirits when she woke up these past few days, and she had woken up even earlier today.

After a long while, west Le slowly raised her head and looked at Jin Yu: "Did you bring back what I asked for?"

Jin Yu nodded respectfully.

west Le smiled alluringly, turned and left without even glancing at Zi Jin, with Jin Yu following closely behind.

Zi Jin looked helplessly at Xi Le's back: Such unpredictable mood swings, is she going through early menopause?

In the northernmost corner room of the house, Xi Le sat leaning against the table, one hand supporting her head. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes were closed, and she looked utterly weary. "Does Your Majesty have any doubts?"

“His Majesty’s days of lucidity are becoming fewer and fewer. These days he is mostly in that state. When he saw Miss Yu Luo being escorted back by his subordinates with the ring on her finger, he was overjoyed and didn’t think much of it,” Jin Yu replied, lowering his eyes.

west Le breathed a sigh of relief: "When we first met her, my brother wasn't fully conscious either. Now... when he's fully conscious, he won't suspect anything."

“If the two souls are in the same place, the Emperor will recover faster and be more lucid, and he will be less likely to doubt Miss Yu Luo’s identity. I think it would be best for Master to return to the palace as soon as possible.” Jin Yu raised his eyes and glanced at west Le’s expression.

"Heh, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid that I... won't take her back?" west Le sneered, staring intently at Jin Yu.

Jin Yu quickly lowered his head: "This subordinate dares not."

"Did you bring back the Soul of Dreams and the Soul of Cherished Soul?"

Jin Yu took out a palm-sized brocade box from his bosom and presented it to the emperor.

west Le quickly stood up, picked up the brocade box, and slowly opened it. Inside, a tender, jade-green herb, seemingly just picked, and a blood-red pill lay quietly.

"In my opinion... Your Majesty should think twice before acting."

west Le's expression shifted, and she looked at Jin Yu with a sharp gaze: "Then what do you think we should do?"