Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 79
Zi Jin followed Xi Le's gaze to the table laden with food. She noticed the man in black standing beside the table blink rapidly. Zi Jin turned her head, stunned, her mouth slightly agape: "Uh? Hmm...don't you like these?"
west Le's gaze softened considerably, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. Although she still looked weak, she no longer seemed as deathly as before. She slowly stood up, then suddenly stumbled back down, her hand instinctively rubbing her head.
"What happened?!" Zi Jin hurriedly reached out to help, but saw that the wound on Xi Le's hand, which had been almost healed, had completely split open at some point, even deeper than before. Although it had been treated with medicine, it was still shocking to see. "How did your hand get like this?"
west Le leaned softly against Zi Jin's shoulder, lowering her eyes and unwilling to say more.
“Even if it’s my fault, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself. It’s one thing to throw such a big tantrum, but why torture yourself by not eating?” Zi Jin patted the dust off west Le’s shoulder, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.
west Le's smile deepened, and his hand trembled slightly, perhaps from the pain.
The man in black moved the few dishes of food to the table next to the soft couch. Zi Jin picked up a bowl of rice, took out the spoon, and almost cried tears of joy: Finally! Finally, it was her turn to force others to eat!
Zi Jin held out the spoon for a long time, but Xi Le didn't open her eyes or mouth. She became a little annoyed: "Even if you don't want to eat, eat less. Look at the state you've become."
west Le slowly opened her eyes, her gaze soft and gentle, slowly spreading outwards, radiating layers of joy. She slowly opened her mouth and ate the rice from Zi Jin's spoon.
The feeding went quite smoothly afterward; Xile would eat without hesitation whenever Zi Jin brought it to her. The only thing that made Zi Jin uncomfortable was that Xile's eyes never left her face after she opened them, making Zi Jin feel very uneasy.
After finishing a bowl of rice, west Le's smile remained on her lips, and her complexion was much better than before: "Jin'er... from now on... shall we live here?" Her voice was almost incoherent.
Zi Jin was slightly startled, paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes and dared not make a sound.
A fleeting smile appeared on west Le's lips: "This place is far from the palace, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, simple and honest people, and is extremely quiet. It is a good place to live in seclusion. Jin'er wanted to leave the palace back then, so why are you so surprised to hear me say that I want to live here forever? Could it be that Jin'er wants to go back to the Chen Kingdom's palace with me?"
Who said I wanted to live in seclusion? There are still countless beautiful landscapes in this world waiting for me to appreciate, and countless wildflowers in this land waiting to be discovered. Why should I live a life of anonymity? What's the difference between living in seclusion and staying in the Moon Kingdom's palace?
"Who said I was going to go into seclusion?" Zi Jin shrank back and muttered softly.
west Le's beautiful face gradually darkened: "So, in the end, you still want to come back to Chen Kingdom with me!"
Zi Jin chuckled: Back then, someone had begged her to go back to Chen Kingdom with her, but now they were criticizing her.
west Le's eyes were filled with icy coldness: "What's so great about Chen Kingdom! Why do you yearn for it so much?! Is it so difficult to be with me?!" Her voice had changed tone, and it was almost a hysterical shout.
"Master!" the man in black called out loudly, then said softly when he saw that west Le had come to her senses, "You frightened the young lady."
west Le gasped for breath, his lips trembling: "Get out! Get out of here!"
Zi Jin ran towards the door in a panic. She couldn't understand how things could have turned sour so quickly, when everything had been fine just a few moments before.
The sight of Zi Jin running away with her head in her hands pierced west Le's heart. After Zi Jin disappeared, she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed limply onto the bed.
"Master!" The man in black hurriedly stepped forward.
"It's nothing." west Le casually wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, slowly opened her eyes, but there was no light in them.
"Master had almost exhausted his inner strength at that time and should have rested more. You also traveled day and night for three days, how could this be..."
"Has that person made any unusual moves these past few days?" west Le interrupted the man in black, speaking in an unusually low voice.
“He stayed quietly with the girl the whole time, and there was nothing amiss,” the man in black said, his expression turning serious.
"Really? Are all four city gates properly arranged?"
“Each household has one hundred people, and each person has a portrait of the girl. In addition, with the people Your Highness brought back, we will surely be able to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. Please rest assured, Your Highness.”
"Go down." After a long while, west Le's voice came through. There was helplessness, exhaustion, and even more so, a sense of powerlessness and bewilderment in her voice.
A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand; reincarnation begins again. The bamboo-wielder, unintentional, faces many trials and tribulations upon first entering the world of martial arts (Part 7)
Entering the world of martial arts is fraught with difficulties (Part 7) Willow catkins drift in the air, a warm breeze carries their fragrance, and fish shimmer with vibrant colors as they swim freely in the water. Beneath the green willows by the forest, tender yellow and green shoots create a chaotic, dazzling scene.
Not far away, there is a small waterfall and pool, the water crystal clear, with a few small fish and shrimp swimming by occasionally. It's a perfect scene, a picture of spring that lasts every year, its beauty intoxicating the world.
This group outing came rather inexplicably and suddenly. Before dawn today, Xi Le dug Zi Jin out of her warm bed and personally washed, dressed, and styled her hair—it was a spring outing.
Since leaving the house, Xuanping has been staring thoughtfully at Zi Jin's hair bun.
Zi Jin lay on her side on the grass, trying to avoid Xuan Ping's gaze to no avail. She could only look around to ignore the inexplicable and annoying stare.
In the pool, under the protection of two bodyguards, west Le waded into the water fully clothed, catching fish. Although it was springtime, spring arrives late in the mountains, so the water in the pool, while not bone-chilling, was undoubtedly icy cold. Xi Le, true to form, did whatever came to mind, taking his perverse ways to the extreme; it was just a pity for his two loyal bodyguards.
For this spring outing, eighteen of the twenty-four bodyguards were deployed, with six remaining to guard the residence. Apart from the two guards beside Xi Le, the remaining sixteen were hidden in various locations fifty paces away. This wasn't a spring outing; it was an ambush! Yes, an ambush! But who was west Le planning to ambush?
"Have you taken everything I gave you?" Xuanping tugged at Zi Jin's sleeve and asked softly.
Zi Jin nodded absentmindedly.
Seeing that Zi Jin's gaze was fixed on west Le and that she didn't seem to care about what he had said, Xuan Ping wasn't annoyed. He leaned closer and whispered, "Is it pretty?"
"Ugh... Ouch!" Zi Jin jumped up, rubbing her arms vigorously, and looked at Xuan Ping with a mournful expression.
Xuanping quickly withdrew the culprit's hand and looked into the distance as if nothing had happened.
west Le, who was in the pool, heard Zi Jin's cries of pain, his eyes flashed, and he quickly looked at Zi Jin.
Zi Jin sat down awkwardly, giving west Le a nonchalant smile. west Le smiled faintly, relieved, and continued to touch the fish in the pond.
"You're talking to me so absent-mindedly! Do you know those things are for saving your life? Have you taken them?" Xuanping said through gritted teeth, turning his head to the side.
Zi Jin nodded resentfully. It's not like it's for saving her life right now; there's no need to be so nervous. Can't you just talk things out? Pinching someone is so rude.
Xuanping glanced at the jade hairpin in Zi Jin's hair and sneered, "Cold Valley Jade, formed over a thousand years, not only enhances the wearer's physique but also makes them immune to all poisons. I was worried she might have this for self-defense, but now that she's given it to you, you absolutely mustn't be soft-hearted, or none of us will be able to escape, understand?"
Zi Jin subconsciously adjusted the hairpin in her hair. For the past few days, Xi Le had been recuperating from her injuries, and with no one to style her hair, she had been using a hairband for convenience. Today, Xi Le herself was styling her hair, using the jade hairpin she had given her. She hadn't expected it to be such a treasure. Since Xi Le was willing to give her a protective item, she must not want to harm her. But why was she confining her here?