Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 122
"Why?" Zi Jin looked straight at Yu Luo and asked expressionlessly.
Yu Luo lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes obscuring them: "I... had no choice."
Zi Jin stepped forward, a strange smile on her face: "Unavoidable? Tell me about it."
Yu Luo took a step back, looking flustered: "Master, please don't blame me. If you hadn't abandoned me back then, I would never have ended up like this today."
Zi Jin sneered: "You foresaw all along that I would abandon you, so you stole this ring early on, found its owner, and planned all of this, right?"
Yu Luo suddenly looked up: "It's not what you said, Master. King Anle took Yu Luo out of the palace, kidnapped Yu Luo's younger sister, gave Yu Luo the ring, and told Yu Luo to come to Chen Kingdom to find him... At the time, Yu Luo didn't know that the ring had such a use..."
"If that's the case... you had so many opportunities to tell him the truth, why did you keep it a secret?" Zi Jin's tone had softened slightly.
"Yu Luo's sister is still in the Prince's hands, how dare she go against the Prince's wishes?" Yu Luo looked at Zi Jin with tears in her eyes.
A glimmer of hope flashed in Zi Jin's eyes: "Yu Luo...can you go and tell him the truth now...?"
Yu Luo lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, "Yu Luo...can't."
Zi Jin's eyes narrowed, and she took two steps forward, grabbing Yu Luo's wrist: "Is it because of your sister?"
Yu Luo suddenly knelt down: "Since following the General, Yu Luo has been wholeheartedly devoted to the Master and the Zi family, never daring to have her own desires. But since arriving in Chen Kingdom... Yu Luo has realized that she can also have likes, dislikes, and wishes, and that she can also be cherished like a precious treasure. Yu Luo has been arrogant since childhood and has never had anything, nor dared to ask for anything, but he... he has moved Yu Luo's heart, and he has so many things that Yu Luo cannot bear to part with. Yu Luo begs the Master... Yu Luo begs the Master not to... not to take even this away. The Master has so many others even without him. His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting for the Master to return, the Third Prince Jun Chi considers the Master his closest relative, and the General cherishes the Master like a priceless treasure. Yu Luo only has him, and only him..."
Zi Jin slowly released Yu Luo's hand, her eyes dim and lifeless, filled with a hazy, painful gaze. She stood swaying in the torrential rain: "I have so many? I have so many..."
A pink oil-paper umbrella brushed past everyone's eyes. Si Kou Xunxiang glanced to the side and saw Yu Luo kneeling in the rain, forced to the edge of the cliff by Zi Jin. His heart was in turmoil, and his expression was filled with grief. He hooked the long silk in his hand with the long sword at his side and flew sideways toward the edge of the cliff.
The chilling killing intent made Zi Jin turn her head blankly, staring blankly as Si Kou Xun Xiang approached with his sword.
Zi Jin's dull, lifeless appearance caused Si Kou Xunxiang extreme heartache. He dared not delve into his own thoughts, nor dared he look at Zi Jin's face. How could this be... how could this be... She was clearly the daughter of his enemy, she was clearly the daughter of his enemy...
Si Kou Xunxiang trembled violently, his sword suddenly shifting mid-strike. Yu Luo, startled, didn't notice this change. She abruptly stood up, grabbing the dazed Zi Jin and pulling her backward, forgetting the cliff behind them. The ground beneath their feet instantly collapsed, and the two were horrified.
Sikou Xunxiang was extremely shocked. Without thinking, he threw away his long sword and long silk, pounced forward, grabbed Yu Luo with one hand and Zi Jin with the other.
The mountainside had been softened by the heavy rain and could no longer withstand even the slightest weight. Zi Yingfeng, Jun Chi, Dugu Xihui, and Anle Wang stared wide-eyed in alarm, not daring to take a single step forward, fearing that the cliff edge would collapse again.
Si Kou Xunxiang was already struggling to hold back the two men. The soil beneath them was unusually soft, and he dared not exert any force, fearing that collapsing rocks would injure them. His fear had reached its peak, and he gripped the two men even tighter, not daring to loosen his grip even slightly.
Zi Jin looked up, her eyes wide, staring intently at Si Kou Xunxiang, oblivious to the large raindrops pelting her face.
Si Kou Xunxiang's long silver hair was now stained with mud, and Zi Jin's gaze made his heart race with panic. He angrily turned his face away to hide his unease and inexplicable heartache. Why was she still the one he cared about most at this moment? Why was it still her?
Si Kou Huanxiang bit into the tender meat in his mouth, trying to clear his mind and understand who he cared about most. He gently coaxed Yu Luo, "Nan'er, don't be afraid."
Zi Jin stared at Si Kou Xunxiang's profile without moving: "Xiao Bai, turn your face around, let me look at you for a little while longer, just a little while." Her tone was low and soft, lingering.
Si Kou Xunxiang turned his face almost reflexively. For a moment, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and then his eyes were full of self-loathing: "Saving you was not my choice."
How could I disregard Nan'er's feelings? How could I let Nan'er be heartbroken? How could I ignore the person I've waited for through two lifetimes? I shouldn't... I shouldn't have done this...
Zi Jin looked up and chuckled, but her eyes were red and her face was covered in raindrops: "I know."
"Brother! You must get the little mute girl up here." Prince Anle's voice was full of panic, and his thin figure trembled violently in the downpour.
Zi Yingfeng dared not say more. Given his past grudges with Sikou Xunxiang, even if he said something, Sikou Xunxiang would not believe him.
"Sikou Xunxiang, if you save him..."
"Don't distract him. He's captured both of them; he'll save them both," Zi Yingfeng interrupted Dugu Xihui's shout and said in a low voice.
Jun Chi's hand holding the sword trembled slightly as he desperately suppressed the fear in his heart.
Seeing the rain getting heavier, Zi Yinfeng's deep eyes gradually showed panic: "Jin'er, don't be afraid, Father is waiting for you up here."
Zi Jin's eyes were lifeless, stinging from the rain, yet she kept her head tilted back, staring intently at Si Kou Xunxiang. Hearing Zi Yingfeng's words, she smiled faintly and called out loudly, "Father... listen carefully, I'll only say this once... Whether before or now, Jin'er has never blamed you, never blamed you. Don't blame yourself anymore, she never blamed me... and I won't blame you either."
Zi Yingfeng was heartbroken and in great distress. His expression was chaotic, and a deep unease flashed through his mind. He saw Sikou Xunxiang turn around and glance at him, but he dared not say another word.
Yu Luo lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with struggle. If she used her martial arts now, she would expose her past lies. Would he still believe her in the future? If he did doubt her... what should she do then?
Zi Jin slowly lowered her head, glanced at Yu Luo, and smiled brightly: "Guess who he will save first? Don't you want to take a gamble?"
Yu Luo lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Zi Jin, her heart filled with unease, secretly hoping for an answer.
Zi Jin raised her head, letting the raindrops fall on her face. She carefully examined Si Kou Huan Xiang, his eyebrows, his eyes, his lips, as if she wanted to etch them into her mind, as if she was afraid that she would forget them in the next second.
A deep unease and pain flashed through Si Kou Xunxiang's heart. Why... just one look, just one look, and he couldn't bear it anymore, he couldn't bear it anymore...
Zi Jin gazed at Si Kou Xunxiang with fascination, and said in a daze, "Xiao Bai... I promise you, I will never lie to you again, I will never bully you again, and I will never let you cry again. Xiao Bai... How can Xiao Bai be so handsome? I want to look at you for a lifetime, and I can never get enough of looking at you. Xiao Bai... I will never let you go again. I will hold onto you and never let you run away again. I will treat you very, very well, and you have to believe me. Xiao Bai... If you go out to gather herbs in the future, I will never throw a tantrum and insist on following you. I will obediently wait for you to come back at home, okay? Xiao Bai... Actually, I'm not afraid. As long as I can be with you, I'm really not afraid of anything."
Zi Jin sang softly and gently, her voice filled with longing, her eyes gazing into the distance.
Don't listen! Don't listen! I can't listen! I can't listen! My heart... why is it so chaotic, so chaotic? If I can't bear to part with her... if I can't bear to part with her, how can I bear it? How can I bear it! I shouldn't listen, I don't want to listen, but these words are imprinted in my heart, I can't shake them off?
Seeing the pain in Yu Luo's eyes, Si Kou Xunxiang suddenly snapped to his senses. He bit himself hard to clear his head. The struggle in his eyes gradually faded, and he looked at Yu Luo uneasily, as if he had committed a terrible sin.
Yu Luo's eyes were red and swollen with tears, her gaze filled with pain. She spoke softly, calling out, "Brother..."
Those two words caused Si Kou Huanxiang excruciating pain, as if his heart and lungs had been ripped out. Memories he thought he had forgotten flooded back—his innocent, charming face, his sweet, tilted-head smile—how could he…how could he let her be sad again, make her cry? His struggles must have deeply wounded the person he had given everything to protect, the person who had sworn never to let her suffer the slightest injustice. What was he doing? What was he doing?! Did he want to regret it? Did he want to spend the rest of his life in regret?!
Si Kou Xunxiang's brows were furrowed with regret and guilt, and his voice was full of pity and self-reproach: "Nan'er, don't be afraid, it was your brother's fault."
With just two words, Zi Jin slowly closed her eyes, a bitter smile playing on her lips. Regardless of who she was in her past or present life, or what it mattered: just two words… just two words were enough to utterly defeat her…
The four people behind him held their breath, but dared not urge them any further. As long as they saved both of them, there was no need to compete for who would go first.
Sikou Xunxiang held Yu Luo's hand tightly, carefully applying force to gradually pull her up to his waist. Once he was confident, he suddenly exerted force, throwing Yu Luo behind him. The four men reached out to catch her, but upon seeing her robes, three withdrew their hands, leaving only Prince Anle to catch Yu Luo firmly.