Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 84
A loud crash suddenly broke out ahead, and west Le was seen falling off his horse.
Zi Jin rode quickly to the scene and saw west Le clutching his shoulder, staring resentfully at Dugu Xi Hui, who was slowly withdrawing his hand.
Dugu Xihui, who should have been seriously injured and unable to get up, sat on his horse with great spirit, looking down at Xile who was lying on the ground, a faint contempt in his beautiful eyes: "Since childhood, you have never been able to beat me, and now you have been defeated by me again."
Zi Jin quickly dismounted and ran towards Xi Le, but was stopped by west Le's sharp gaze.
west Le winced as he clutched his shoulder, then sneered, "Back then, that person willingly followed you, and you promised to help me rescue the little mute. Are you trying to take the little mute away with you today?"
Dugu Xihui leaped into the air, drawing a graceful arc in mid-air, and landed in front of Zi Jin. She said to Xi Le, "It's none of your business to interfere in my affairs."
"Have you thought it through? Is it that person, or the little mute?" west Le asked coldly.
Dugu Xihui grabbed Zi Jin and held her by the neck with one hand, laughing, "I want both of them!"
Zi Jin glanced cautiously at the hand gripping her lifeline: As the ancients said, greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. She's not that old, yet she's already trying to play the double-cross game.
Xi Le's teeth were practically grinding to powder as she glared fiercely at Dugu Xi Hui's utterly irritating smile: "Dugu Xi Hui, you treacherous and despicable man! I've seen your despicable nature since you were a child. It's just a pity that person was deceived by your gentle appearance for their entire life!"
Dugu Xihui glanced at Zi Jin and asked with a smile, "Are you willing to come with me?"
Zi Jin glanced at it, pressed her hand on her wrist, and nodded.
Dugu Xihui casually released Zi Jin's lifeline, then smiled brightly at Xi Le: "Now that she has willingly left with me, it's clear I'm not the treacherous villain you claim I am!" With that, he didn't look at Xi Le again, but instead swept Zi Jin up and leaped onto his horse. In a flash, Dugu Xihui suddenly fell from his horse, struggling to his feet but failing.
Zi Jin sat on her horse, holding a silver needle, striking a victorious pose towards west Le, her eyes filled with smugness.
west Le grinned, enduring the pain, and got up: "Little mute, you are the number one poison master in the Moon Kingdom. Young master is really too proud of yourself, even forgetting such an important matter."
Anger and regret surfaced in Young Master Jinyang's amber eyes.
west Le endured the pain and squatted down, slowly pulling out the dagger from her boot. She said softly, "Now that you have that person, why do you still covet my little mute? I didn't want to argue with you, but you can't push your luck..."
"Xile!" Zi Jin was shocked to see Xile trying to harm Dugu Xihui and hurriedly stopped him. Then, seeing Xile's murderous gaze, she quickly changed her words, "The pursuers from the Moon Kingdom will be here soon. Let him fend for himself."
west Le maintained her charming smile, gently crouching down with difficulty while touching her wound. She whispered to Jin Yang, "You're still as ruthless towards me as you were when we were children, but today I won't hold it against you. I'll also tell you a secret... Although I've given that person to you, that person is no longer the one you're waiting for..."
"You're talking nonsense!" Dugu Xihui glared at Xile angrily, struggling to get up but failing.
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know best in your heart. If you're still waiting for that person from back then, you're destined to be disappointed in them. After all, no two lives are exactly the same." Xi Le's lips curled into a strange smile, his schadenfreude undisguised.
Dugu Xihui's stunningly beautiful face was deathly pale: "If she is no longer her... she is no longer her?... How could she not be her? How could she not be her?... If she is not her, why did you go to such lengths to bring her to Chen Kingdom? I don't believe you! I don't believe you!"
"Cause and effect...exchanging one's life for another...reversing the cycle of time...now you should know why she was able to come back to life? It's okay if you don't believe me! You believe in yourself, don't you?" west Le's voice was icy cold.
"Could it be that Sikou Xunxiang did this for her..." Dugu Xihui's amber eyes were filled with shock. "Haha...haha...what a Sikou Xunxiang...everyone...everyone thinks they are deeply in love...but...who can compare to Sikou Xunxiang?...who can compare to Sikou Xunxiang?"
Zi Jin listened to the conversation between the two, completely bewildered, only understanding the four characters "Sikou Xunxiang": Sikou Xunxiang? Sikou Xunxiang? This unfamiliar name had become familiar over the years. Rumor had it that he was the eldest son of the former prime minister, the current emperor of Chen Kingdom; rumors said he was exceptionally talented, arrogant, and handsome as a celestial being, the most handsome man in the world; rumors said he was deeply in love with the empress and extremely tolerant… rumors said he was gentle and refined, and indifferent to worldly affairs… but what was incomprehensible was… why did he declare himself emperor after the empress's death? The rumors of the world were nothing but deception. If he was truly deeply in love, why did he stand by and watch the empress's ancestral legacy be destroyed? Sikou Xunxiang… was nothing but a hypocrite who deceived the world.
“If she were still the same person as before… how could you have fallen for my little mute!” After whispering this in Dugu Xihui’s ear, Xi Le took out a pill from his pocket, swallowed it, and walked with difficulty toward his horse, mounting it.
"You're talking nonsense!" Dugu Xihui's eyes widened, her breathing rapid, and she retorted loudly.
"Little mute! Let's go home!" west Le deliberately ignored Dugu Xi Hui's anger, shouted loudly, and spurred his horse to a gallop.
With great effort, Dugu Xihui raised his left hand, pointing tremblingly at Xile's back. His lips were quivering, and he suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.
Zi Jin was greatly alarmed and was about to dismount to investigate.
“Little mute, no matter how kind you are, he won’t appreciate it. Do you remember how you treated him and how he treated you? Besides, he’s been troubled by this since childhood, and a heart ailment needs a heart remedy… Some things are beyond your control.” Xi Le turned around coldly and said with a double meaning.
Zi Jin bit her lower lip, glanced back at Dugu Xihui, hardened her heart, and spurred her horse away. west Le quickly followed, and the two sped off into the distance.
The once stunningly beautiful face of Young Master Jinyang was now withered and emaciated. His eyes were tightly closed, blood stained the corner of his mouth, and he lay quietly on the ground, as if he were dead.
A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand, reincarnation begins again. The bamboo grower is heartless, the past is but a dream. (Part 8)
The past is but a dream (8) Ten days later, in the royal palace of the Moon Kingdom, the East Palace Chaoyang Hall.
Jun Lin's face was ashen, and he lay unconscious on the bed.
The imperial physicians rushed about, while Qi Yongyue knelt on the cold marble floor, his head bowed, looking haggard and exhausted. "His Highness the Crown Prince has almost no internal strength left after saving that person, and now he is seriously injured and has not woken up since falling into a coma. All the doctors in the prefecture are helpless. I can only rush back to the capital as fast as I can, hoping that Your Majesty can save His Highness's life."
Emperor Xuanlong's exquisitely sculpted face was filled with confusion and dejection: "Lizhou? Lizhou? Why is it 'Lizhou' again?"
Qi Yongyue looked blankly at the absent-minded Emperor Xuanlong, secretly worried about Jun Lin's injuries.
"After I ascended the throne, I renamed that place 'Lizhou' because it was... a place destined for separation. In the end, I still couldn't escape the demon of fate... You may kneel and rest..." Emperor Xuanlong leaned back weakly on the bench, seemingly utterly exhausted.
The Imperial Hospital steward knelt tremblingly before Emperor Xuanlong: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is depressed and exhausted his inner strength. He did not take care of himself and suffered from the hardships of travel. His external injuries are not serious, but he has lost too much blood. If his mind is not strong, I fear... he may never wake up again."
Emperor Xuanlong frowned and sighed silently. He waved his hand lightly, and in a moment everyone had left.
Emperor Xuanlong slowly walked to Jun Lin's bedside and sat down, gazing quietly at Jun Lin's face. He raised his hand to stroke Jun Lin's eyebrows: "...Now she has abandoned you again in Lizhou...It's clear that if everything were to start over...she wouldn't have stayed for me then either...ha..."
Emperor Xuanlong, his expression one of utter despair, slowly took Jun Lin's hand: "Lin'er, let your father tell you a story..."
Yao Chen 531 year, Yan Zai 15 years, Empress Yan Zai - Na Lan Feng Jin 18 years old
Yao Chen, 531st year, 15 years later, Dark Guard Jun Ying, 22 years old.
The night was deep and dark.
Empress Yeonjae paced back and forth in her palace, occasionally peeking out of the window to look around.
Jun Ying stood hesitantly in the shadows, cradling the swaddled infant. He glanced at the baby in his arms, who was neither crying nor fussing, but was curiously observing the surroundings. Finally, he steeled himself and entered Empress Yanzai's bedroom.