Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 108
Upon seeing the person in the lake, Dugu Xihui's jade-like smile instantly vanished. He narrowed his eyes slightly, a glint of light flashing in his amber pupils, his gaze fixed intently on Zi Jin's every move.
Si Kou Xunxiang frowned slightly as he looked at the person standing in the water covered in blood. A strange feeling arose in his heart, and his hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.
"Little mute... come... come to my side..." At this moment, King Anle had long forgotten everything around him.
"Yu Luo, you... don't want me anymore either?" Zi Jin's eyes reddened slightly as she stared unblinkingly at the person behind Prince Anle.
Yu Luo lowered her head slightly, not daring to look at Zi Jin.
“Heh… It’s understandable that you didn’t want me… It’s not your fault. I was wrong back then… I refused to believe you and selfishly abandoned you… Now that I see you’re safe and sound… I don’t have to feel guilty every day anymore…” Zi Jin slowly turned her face to look at her reflection in the lake.
“Little mute… come here, and I will take you out of the palace… take you to see the world, just like when we came back from the Moon Kingdom, walking and stopping as we please… is that alright?” King Anle’s narrow eyes were filled with fear, and his voice was extremely cautious.
“My fish is gone... Xile is gone too... Gone, there’s no one left, nothing left…” Zi Jin lowered her head slightly, a dazed smile on her face.
“I am Xile… I am here, come here… come here and you will see me clearly, you just need to come over and you will see me clearly…”
Zi Jin tilted her head, scrutinizing the person five steps away. A strange smile crept across her lips: "I know you're trying to lie to me... You're still trying to lie to me!... My Xile is gone! Gone! Xile wouldn't treat me like this! Xile wouldn't hit me! She wouldn't humiliate me! She would kill those who bullied me! She wouldn't draw my blood every day! She wouldn't leave me so alone and helpless! She wouldn't have abandoned me here all alone! She knew... I'm timid, I'm cowardly... She knew... I'm afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of the cold, I'm afraid of pain, I'm afraid of loneliness, I'm afraid of being alone... Where is my Xile? My Xile..." …Where did she go? She said she would be good to me, she said she would be good to me, she said…she was the only one in the world who was truly good to me…I believed her…I believed her…But…where is my Xile? Where is my Xile? …I will never complain about your mood swings again, I will never secretly call you a narcissist again, I will never make faces at you behind your back again…Xile…where did you go? I feel so cold, so hurt, so scared…Didn’t you say you would be good to me? Didn’t you say you would be good to me? I believed you…I always believed you…Xile…where did you go…I believed you…I always believed you…”
“Little mute, come up here. As long as you come up here… as long as you come up here, I will give Xile back to you.” King Anle’s eyes were slightly red, and his hands were trembling violently.
"I don't believe you!...I don't believe you anymore!...Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!" Zi Jin suddenly pulled out the silver needles from her hand, pointed to her own neck, and looked at the Prince Anle who was about to approach. "If you take one more step, I'll make sure you never have any more blood to draw."
King Anle stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at Zi Jin, a boundless fear welling up in his heart, a fear he had never felt before.
Dugu Xihui stepped forward abruptly, gritting her teeth as she said, "You took her from me back then, and now you treat her like this. She's such a timid person, how could you drive her to this point!"
Prince Anle did not turn around, nor did he refute. He stared at Zi Jin without moving for a moment, as if afraid that something might happen to her.
Zi Jin slowly squatted down, half of her body submerged in the water.
"Your Highness, if you still want her to live, you absolutely cannot let her squat, otherwise..." Old Mr. Fang lowered his eyes, not daring to say anything more.
"Then tell me... what should I do?! What should I do?! She no longer believes me... she doesn't believe me at all!" King Anle's eyes were bloodshot and seemed to be cracking.
"What's her name? Let me try..." Dugu Xihui stepped forward and said with a sneer.
Prince Anle glanced at Dugu Xihui, then turned to Yu Luo, only to see her hand tightly gripped by Sikou Xunxiang. He closed his eyes, turned his face away, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips: "Zi Jin..."
Si Kou Xunxiang's face turned unusually pale instantly. His dark, warm eyes stared unblinkingly at the person who was squatting in the water, hugging his knees.
Dugu Xihui's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stepped forward to stand side by side with Prince Anle.
"Zi Jin...do you still remember me?" On the shimmering lake, a man in a silver robe suddenly smiled at Zi Jin. His eyes, so captivating and mesmerizing, seemed to radiate a bewitching allure; his perfectly red lips subtly curved upwards into an enticing arc, like ripe fruit tempting one to nibble on its fragrance; in the ripples of his gaze, in the slight upturn of his eyes, lay a captivating charm that could bewitch all living beings.
Zi Jin stared blankly at Dugu Xi Hui.
Taking advantage of the moment, Dugu Xihui leaped up, grabbed Zi Jin, and held her tightly in his arms. He wrapped Zi Jin in his robe and affectionately tapped her nose: "Why are you still as lustful as before..."
Having reached her limit, Zi Jin struggled to open her eyes and gave Dugu Xi Hui a hazy smile: "Hui'er... my Hui'er."
Dugu Xihui stood frozen in shock, his amber eyes, like those of a little fox, fixed on the person who had fainted in his arms.
Under the moonlight, Sikou Xunxiang's face was deathly pale. His gentle eyes were filled with tears, his lips trembled slightly, and he clutched his head, which throbbed with pain, before staggering back two steps and collapsing limply into the arms of the person next to him…
A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand, reincarnation begins again. The bamboo, heartless, reflects only fleeting moments like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water. (Part 1)
How long can a mirage last? (Part 1) Inside the Weiyang Palace, only a dim palace lantern shone faintly.
King Anle sat pale-faced on the edge of the bed, his narrow eyes now misty with tears, devoid of their former sorrow and gloom. He stroked Zi Jin's sleeping face repeatedly, his gaze unblinking, as if trying to find a trace of color and life in her skin. After sleeping for so many days and consuming so many elixirs, why was she still like this? Why was she still like this?
Prince Anle held Zi Jin's hand tightly, rubbing it against his face, saying, "Little mute... little mute... little mute... what do you want me to do? What do you want me to do... so you'll believe me again?... Little mute... little mute..."
“I will never hit you or scold you again. I will never let them bully you again. I will never let them take you away again. I will never let you be lonely and helpless again. I will never abandon you again. ... From now on, I will stay with you every day. I will never let you be cold, hurt, afraid, or lonely again, okay? Okay? ... I dare not, I dare not... I am scared, so scared. I have never been so scared before. It is my fault... It is my fault... Please don't disbelieve me, please don't disbelieve me. I dare not, I really dare not.” Prince Anle choked up, pressing his face against Zi Jin's hand, a single tear sliding down his cheek.
"Your Highness..." Jin Yu called out softly from the shadows.
“Speak…” King Anle said nonchalantly without moving.
"Should Your Highness go and see the Emperor?"
Prince Anle gazed silently at Zi Jin's sleeping face, his slender fingers gently stroking her cheek: "I'm not going."
"...The Emperor flew into a rage...and drove everyone out of the palace, even Miss Nan was sent back...Should Your Highness go there..." Jin Yu said with a troubled expression.
After thinking for a while, Prince Anle sat up, gently placed Zi Jin's hand under the brocade quilt, and carefully tucked it in. He patted her cheek lightly, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, "Little mute, wait for me... I'll be right back."
The world was shrouded in darkness, light and darkness intertwined, burning pain and scorching heat entangled, it was an extreme annihilation and rebirth.
Zi Jin stood in the Moon Kingdom Palace, the mournful sound of a zither from the Chaoyang Palace drifting sadly through the empty palace. The music was filled with bewilderment and sorrow; what kind of emotions could evoke such turmoil?
Jun Chi was much taller than before. Standing in the small courtyard, he looked up at the sky, but the courtyard was even more desolate and old than Su Ran Palace.
In the Imperial Garden, Emperor Xuanlong and Zi Yingfeng were playing chess. The calm and timid Zi Yingfeng was no longer the same as before; his sharp eyes and decisive moves showed that he had become a true strategist and king.
Taiping Pavilion remained as spotless as when I left, with lotus fragrance still burning in the bronze incense burner, as tall as a baby. The faint, sweet scent evoked memories of the innocence and peace I had felt back then.
Zi Jin returned to the Chen Kingdom, whose palace was more magnificent and ancient than that of the Yue Kingdom. The towering city walls, weathered by time, were so dilapidated that their original appearance was unrecognizable. How many lofty ambitions, how much darkness and ugliness, how many emperors' eternal dreams of their kingdoms had been buried there?
In her dream, the empress's youthful face was etched with panic and coldness. She dared not trust anyone, dared not approach anyone. The sole descendant of the Nalan Nan tribe lived in constant fear, struggling to survive. Faced with the rebukes of high-ranking officials and the relentless pressure from the crowd, she could only weep secretly, weeping again and again.
She had lost both her father and mother, and the golden throne did not bring her lasting glory and wealth. It was a sharp blade that could cut through iron like mud, and ambitious people used this blade to scrape her heart and take her life. Her young heart cried out, pleading: Please... please spare me.
But those people had become ruthless and insane, relentlessly pushing her to the brink of despair. She transformed from a bewildered, weeping girl into a callous general, ruthlessly slaughtering her enemies, showing no mercy, no mercy whatsoever. The road, her hands, her body—all were stained with the blood of her enemies. Treading on this stench of blood, she never looked back, step by step walking the path to becoming emperor.
A tear...slid down from the corner of someone's eye.