Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 69

Dugu Xihui flicked her sleeves and strode away, while a hint of a smile flashed in Lou Shuo's icy eyes.

The woman gently embraced Zi Jin, sat down in Dugu Xi Hui's original seat, and first took out a pill and fed it to her.

Zi Jin seemed to be suffering from the bitterness of the pills; her brows furrowed, and she breathed heavily.

The woman gently smoothed Zi Jin's slightly disheveled hair, straightened her inner garment, and whispered softly in Zi Jin's ear, "Is it bitter? I know you hate bitterness, this medicine has a lot of bitter herbs added... Why is the little mute so disobedient? Look, you saved him, and not only is he ungrateful, he not only beat you so badly that you suffered internal injuries, but he also threatened me with your safety. Do you see? The only person in this world who is truly good to you is me."

Zi Jin seemed to sense the woman's anger and nuzzled against her neck in a conciliatory manner.

The woman gently stroked Zi Jin's face and sighed helplessly, "I know you don't like this. Be good and wait three more days, then I'll come to pick you up."

“west…Le…” Zi Jin’s voice was hoarse as she slightly opened her eyes to look at the woman.

The woman gently covered Zi Jin's mouth, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes: "She's awake."

Zi Jin looked at west Le, who was dressed as a woman, and her eyes reddened slightly. She buried her head in Xi Le's shoulder in a coquettish tone and said, "west Le, my chest... hurts so much."

west Le's expression turned cold, and she lowered her eyes slightly: "Back then, you were so ruthless towards me in order to save him, and now you dare to say that your chest hurts in front of me."

Zi Jin glanced guiltily at west Le's expression, shrank back, grabbed west Le's hand, and pressed it to her injured chest: "west Le, rub it, your chest hurts."

Xi Le wanted to withdraw her hand, but seeing Zi Jin's furrowed brows and pained expression, she couldn't bear it. She secretly used her inner strength to gently massage Zi Jin's chest: "Don't worry, I will definitely avenge you." As she spoke, Xi Le suddenly exerted force, accidentally touching something soft. As if remembering something, she abruptly released her grip, lowered her head, and said fiercely, "Do you think I'm Yu Luo? Don't think that just because of this, I can forgive you! I'll come to pick you up in three days!"

Zi Jin grabbed west Le's collar: "west Le... let it go. Young Master Jin Yang has no great grudge against you. Don't make an irreconcilable enmity over this."

“Young Master Jinyang? Didn’t you hear me call him Dugu Xihui that day? Young Master Jinyang has no grudge against me, but my feud with Dugu Xihui is already irreconcilable, so one more thing won’t make a difference.” Xi Le finished speaking resentfully, then suddenly turned around and asked in surprise, “Didn’t you hear us talking that day?”

"I... after he injured me that day... my ear has been hurting non-stop, and I didn't hear a word of your conversation." Zi Jin lowered her head, not daring to look at Xi Le, afraid of injuring Xi Le with her unpredictable temper.

"What?!" west Le stared blankly at Zi Jin, and after a long while, she came to her senses and asked uncertainly, "Really?"

Zi Jin nodded earnestly, then carefully observed west Le's unusually gloomy expression.

west Le's eyes were unusually complicated as he absentmindedly stroked Zi Jin's hair, his thoughts wandering elsewhere.

A mischievous smile played on Zi Jin's lips as she nestled obediently against west Le's shoulder, just as she had countless times before when she had acted coquettishly towards Yu Luo. Zi Jin finally understood that this coquettish trick could not only completely control Yu Luo, but also instantly win over the unpredictable west Le, filling her with immense joy.

After a long while, Xi Le came to her senses, quickly pressed Zi Jin's sleeping acupoint, quietly looked at her sleeping face for a while, then gently laid her flat on the bed, tucked her in, stood up, and said loudly, "Young Master, please come in."

Dugu Xihui walked in almost as soon as she finished speaking, quickly glanced at Zi Jin who was sleeping unusually soundly, then lowered her eyes and asked as if she didn't care much, "How is it?"

west Le lowered his head slightly: "My young lady has been extremely frail since childhood, relying on a large amount of precious medicinal herbs to prolong her life, and has never suffered the slightest injury. When you attacked, you used at least thirty percent of your power. This would have been harmless to an ordinary person, but even this mere thirty percent of your power damaged my young lady's internal organs. I hope you will remember your promise to my master and treat my young lady well." He emphasized the word "my" in his words.

Dugu Xihui sat down casually on the chair next to her, smiled slightly, and looked out the window with her beautiful eyes: "Since your master cares so much, why is the person I asked for so long still not here? Everyone's patience will eventually run out, and then... no one can guarantee your young lady's safety."

“Young Master, you probably know the time it will take to get from here to the capital of Chen Kingdom much better than we servants do. I hope you will consider this carefully. My master asked me to pass on a message to you: if anything happens to the young lady again… then we’ll fight to the death.” Although west Le kept her head down, her voice was firm and powerful.

Dugu Xihui suddenly stood up, glaring angrily at Xi Le, who was dressed as a woman, for a long time. As if she had thought of something, she smiled and said, "Heh... even if your master had ten lives, he wouldn't dare to fight to the death. If she herself didn't want to come, Sikou Xunxiang would definitely not force her. Now that she's here, your master wouldn't dare to touch her either. Your master has been terribly afraid of her elder brother since childhood, so you don't need to threaten me. As long as I get the person I want, I will treat your young lady well. If I don't get her... I'm also very much looking forward to... a fight to the death."

west Le lowered her eyes, no longer arguing. She took out an ordinary small porcelain bottle from her bosom and respectfully presented it with both hands: "Give one pill to my young lady every day. I'll take my leave now."

Lou Shuo stepped forward and took the porcelain bottle: "Someone, take this to Madam."

A servant stood respectfully outside the door waiting. west Le glanced back at Zi Jin, who was still fast asleep, and then turned and left.

After west Le left, Lou Shuo bent down and asked, "Should I send someone to follow them?"

Dugu Xihui sat in place, looking at Zi Jin's peaceful sleeping face: "Never mind her, let's see how many pills are in the bottle."

Lou Shuo opened the bottle as instructed and replied, "Three pills."

"Not even three days?... Is she really that important to...?" Dugu Xihui's gaze never left Zi Jin's sleeping face, but an unprecedented confusion appeared in his eyes.

The late spring night was chilly and desolate. Dugu Xihui sat with his knees drawn up in the grass by the lake, gazing at the lotus leaves in the water, his eyes filled with longing and anticipation. A fleeting smile played on his lips, and his eyes were misty and dreamy, making him look like a lost immortal from afar.

Lou Shuo quietly approached: "Master... Miss has woken up and is about to have her meal. You haven't eaten all day either. Would you like to have your meal with Miss?"

Dugu Xihui did not turn around: "No, go down."

Lou Shuo glanced at Dugu Xihui's back and continued, "In that case, I will have the servants remove the dinner."

Dugu Xihui turned her head slightly, frowned, and asked, "Isn't she going to eat either?"

Lou Shuo replied with his head down, "Miss seems to be feeling unwell, saying her chest hurts..."

"Nonsense!" Dugu Xihui's face darkened, and he abruptly stood up and walked towards the inner courtyard.

Zi Jin, whose chest still ached dully, sat at the dining table with a pale face and disheveled hair, frowning as she looked at the food. Before, she was forced to take medicine, and now she was forced to eat! Why was her life so miserable? No matter where she went, she couldn't escape being forced.

With a sullen face, Dugu Xihui quietly sat down next to Zi Jin and asked in a harsh voice, "Not to your liking?"

Zi Jin raised her eyelids and saw Dugu Xihui sitting down next to her with a gloomy expression. She immediately picked up the chopsticks beside her, shook her head quickly, and pretended to be busy picking at the white rice in her bowl.

Dugu Xihui's sharp, knife-like eyes continued to glare at Zi Jin. Zi Jin secretly raised her eyes and met Dugu Xihui's fierce gaze. She immediately lowered her head and began to eat her rice with all her might.

A hint of a smile flashed in Dugu Xihui's eyes, and his mood was no longer as gloomy as before. He elegantly picked up the chopsticks beside him, took a piece of fish and put it into Zi Jin's bowl, his movements natural and intimate.

Zi Jin frowned, looking at the fish in her bowl with a troubled expression, and stole a glance at Dugu Xihui. Dugu Xihui noticed Zi Jin's glance and glared at her fiercely again.

Zi Jin shuddered and quickly put the fish into her mouth. Without chewing, she swallowed it whole, gritting her teeth in resentment.

Dugu Xihui finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Zi Jin raised her head blankly, staring at Dugu Xihui's undisguised smile. Her face turned from white to red, then from red to green. Although she was a beat slow to react, she realized that she had been tricked! She glared angrily at Dugu Xihui, her face turning bright red.

Dugu Xihui could tell that Zi Jin was really angry, so she suppressed a laugh and imitated Zi Jin, pretending to be busy as she picked up her chopsticks and elegantly ate the rice in her bowl.

After being stunned for a long time, Zi Jin angrily picked up the green vegetables on the table and put them into Dugu Xihui's bowl.