Hibiscus as a Painting

Chapter 124

A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand, reincarnation begins again. The bamboo grows without heart, how long can a reflection in a mirror or the moon in the water last? (Part 8)

How long can a mirage last? (Part 8) Zi Yinfeng was heartbroken and flew down like lightning, using all his inner strength to make his body plummet through the air. In mid-air, he finally grabbed Zi Jin's hand and held her firmly in his arms. He tried to use his feet to climb back up the cliff, but the rain was too heavy and the stone wall was too smooth, so he could not find any foothold.

In mid-air, Zi Yingfeng smiled slightly, flipped over and placed Zi Jin above him, holding her firmly in his arms.

Zi Jin stared wide-eyed at Zi Yingfeng's smiling face in disbelief: "Why..."

“So…very good…” Zi Yingfeng closed his eyes peacefully, a dreamy and satisfied smile on his handsome face.

In a daze, Zi Jin smelled a strange fragrance and gradually lost consciousness.

Prince Anle and Dugu Xihui, who were standing further away, ran towards the edge of the cliff at the same time, but only saw a blurry image.

Dugu Xihui's amber eyes were filled with grief. He wanted to shout, but he couldn't even make a sound. Without thinking, he flew down and was caught in mid-air.

"Retreat!" Lou Shuo knocked Dugu Xihui unconscious with a palm strike, caught his slipping body, and shouted to the crowd behind him.

"No!" Yu Luo's shrill scream brought Si Kou Xun Xiang, who was lost in thought at the edge of the cliff, back to reality. He slowly turned his head, and in his dark, jade-like eyes, he saw Yu Luo's trembling figure. His eyes were devoid of any light, as if they were filled with mist, dreamlike and illusory.

Covered in mud, Prince Anle slumped to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. He mechanically turned his head, watching Sikou Xunxiang walk away from the cliff edge, while tightly clutching Yu Luo in his arms. In that instant, he clearly heard the sound of the jade shattering, the sound of it lodged somewhere… the pain unbearable. This wasn't what he wanted; everything shouldn't have been like this. It wasn't him who harmed the little mute! It wasn't him who harmed the little mute! He clearly loved her to the core; how could he be the one who harmed her?!

Who?! Who?! Who abandoned my little mute girl?! Who?! So cruelly abandoned my little mute girl?!

Prince Anle tilted his head back, letting the raindrops patter on his face to ease the pain in his heart. He suddenly opened his eyes, staggered to his feet, and walked step by step towards Sikou Xunxiang. Raising his trembling hand, he pointed at Yu Luo, whom Sikou Xunxiang was tightly holding in his arms, and screamed sharply, "For her! Just for her! You abandoned her! You abandoned her! How could you bear it! How could you bear it! How could you bear to abandon my little mute!!"

Sikou Huanxiang swayed, his eyes vacant. He glanced at Prince Anle, then continued to comfort the weeping child in his arms.

Prince Anle suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Sikou Xunxiang's wrist tightly, his beautiful eyes contorted with rage: "Give her back to me! Give her back to me!...Brother...please, give her back to Le'er...give her back to Le'er..."

Sikou Xunxiang woodenly shook off Prince Anle's hand, his once gentle eyes now filled with icy mist. He stared at the Imperial Guards rushing towards them, glanced at the chaotic crowd, and hugged the person in his arms even tighter, coldly saying, "Kill without mercy!"

As he raised his head, Prince Anle's face contorted with rage. He charged fiercely at Sikou Xunxiang, grabbed Yu Luo's arm, and slapped him across the face. The sharp crack stunned everyone present.

Sikou Xunxiang stared in astonishment at Prince Anle, his gentle eyes filled with shock, which was instantly replaced by rage. He kicked Prince Anle in the chest. Caught off guard, Prince Anle rolled several times and fell face-first at Jun Chi's feet, splashing mud all over himself.

Sikou Xunxiang lowered his head, his long eyelashes unable to conceal his heartache. He gently stroked Yu Luo's swollen cheek and said softly, "Jin'er, don't be afraid. After we return to the palace, your brother will find the best imperial physician for you. Jin'er is not in pain, be good."

Prince Anle lay prone in the mud, slowly raising his head. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Sikou Xunxiang, roaring, "Brother? You hit me?! You…hit me for this bitch…? You've always been so arrogant, never laying a finger on me, and today! You actually hit me for this bitch!" It was my brother! It was my brother! My brother threw her away! My brother threw her away! It was my brother's fault! It was my brother's fault! It was all my brother's fault!!!

Sikou Xunxiang turned around, his sharp gaze fixed on Prince Anle, and shouted sternly, "Even if she is my brother, you cannot touch her!"

King Anle suddenly stood up, a sharp pain shooting through his chest. He clenched his fist tightly against his chest, about to erupt in anger, but then suddenly threw his head back and burst into wild laughter, the deafening sound echoing across the cliff. He stared intently at Sikou Xunxiang: "You..." His hand suddenly pointed at Yu Luo in Sikou Xunxiang's arms. Without warning, scalding tears mixed with rainwater rolled down from his bloodshot, cracked eyes. "You threw her down the cliff for this bitch! Just for this bitch! You really didn't know who she was!? You really didn't know who she was?! Don't you feel anything at all?! You can fool the whole world! Can you fool yourself!? Can you fool your own heart? Can you even do that?! You can't believe she is her! You're afraid of her! You're afraid to know it's her! You're afraid that you selfishly drank her blood to cure your illness! You can't believe... that you can only stand here today because you drank her blood! You've blinded your eyes! But you can't blind your heart! You can't fool your own heart! You're so heartless! To cover up your mistakes, you heartlessly threw her off the cliff! It was you! You killed her! You killed her!"

"It's you! It's all because of you!! It's all your fault that she... has ended up like this today!..." Jun Chi, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly attacked, thrusting his sword at Xun Le's back, but it was blocked by Jin Yu's sword. Jin Yu then slapped Jun Chi hard with his palm.

Jun Chi retreated several feet, then suddenly plunged his sword into the soil. He knelt on one knee, his eyes bloodshot and filled with hatred as he stared intently at the back of the Prince of Anle.

Sikou Xunxiang's pale lips were pressed tightly together, his long eyelashes completely concealing his emotions. He slowly loosened his grip on Yu Luo's hand, letting it fall to his sides, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. He silently turned away: "Send the Third Prince... and Miss Nan back to the palace first."

Yu Luo suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly reddening, her grief-stricken gaze brimming with panic. Her petite body trembled violently in the wind and rain, her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Jun Chi, whose inner strength had been sealed by Jin Yu, looked ashen-faced. He struggled to his feet, slowly turned back to look at the spot where Zi Jin had fallen off the cliff, smiled sadly, and followed Jin Yu's footsteps like an unconscious puppet.

Jin Yu looked at the motionless Yu Luo with a troubled expression: "Please, young lady, don't make things difficult for Jin Yu."

Yu Luo's eyes were red and filled with pain. She walked unsteadily to the carriage, then suddenly turned back and stared at Si Kou Huan Xiang's trembling back. Her heart ached terribly. She then turned and got into the carriage.

The cart rumbled away into the distance, crushing someone's heart, severing someone's emotions, and extinguishing someone's hopes...

Prince Anle sat motionless in the rain, his face covered in mud, his narrow eyes dull and lifeless. He stared blankly in the direction where Zi Jin had fallen off the cliff, muttering to himself as if in a daze, "I killed her... I killed her... I killed my little mute..."

Sikou Xunxiang turned around and walked step by step toward Prince Anle. He silently squatted down and gently wiped the mud off Prince Anle's face with his sleeve. A bitter smile, utterly desolate, slowly appeared on his beautiful lips: "Le'er... be good..."

Prince Anle turned around blankly, his eyes gradually focusing: "Brother..."

Sikou Xunxiang gently pulled Prince Anle into his arms, slowly closed his eyes, and patted his back softly: "Le'er, we should go back now."

Prince Anle buried his face in Sikou Xunxiang's chest, suppressing his sobs, and whispered, "Brother, please bring her back, okay? Please bring her back to be with Le'er, okay? Brother, Le'er is in so much pain, Le'er is in so much pain that she can't breathe. Brother, the little mute girl was so good and obedient. She was always so good to Le'er. She couldn't bear to see Le'er hurt, she couldn't bear to see Le'er sad. She always doted on Le'er. How could she bear to leave Le'er? How could she bear to leave Le'er? Brother... Le'er was wrong, Le'er was wrong. Le'er killed her, Le'er killed her!... It was Le'er! It was Le'er! It was Le'er who killed her!"

Si Kou Xunxiang's brows were furrowed, his long eyelashes trembling violently. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and tears welled up in his chest, corroding his heart and his very being: "It's not Le'er's fault, it wasn't Le'er's fault... it was brother... it was brother who pushed her... it had nothing to do with Le'er..."

“Brother doesn’t know! Brother doesn’t know! Brother doesn’t know… She came all this way to me with all her heart. I should have treated her well, shouldn’t I have? But instead of cherishing her, I made her suffer and belittled at every turn. I even fed her the Soul-Cherishing Elixir myself. When you were sick, being close to her made me afraid and uneasy, so I made you drink her blood every day to cure your illness…” He sobbed softly, murmuring to himself.

"Actually, I know! I know! I know she has long lost her sense of taste! Even so... I still don't want to let her go, I still want to take revenge on her and torture her. Whenever I can't bring myself to do it, I recall again and again how she treated my brother back then! I tell myself again and again how much humiliation and misery she inflicted on my brother back then! Brother... it was me! It was me! It was me who drove her to this point little by little! It was me who drove her to her death little by little!" Prince Anle suddenly raised his head and roared hoarsely, like a wounded beast letting out a series of mournful howls, his sobs filled with suppressed pain.

Sikou Xunxiang clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm, and bright red blood trickled from between his fingers. His body trembled uncontrollably. He slowly opened his eyes, his dark, lifeless pupils a deep, unfathomable darkness. He mechanically reached out and carefully wiped away the tears and mud from Prince Anle's face.

"Le'er, don't blame yourself. It's my fault. I only cared about you and didn't teach you properly. You don't know how to love, let alone how to protect the one you love. I blame you, I blame you for always treating you like a child, not knowing that you've grown up. I also forgot to tell you that I miss you. I forgot to tell you that as long as you're okay, even if you go crazy for the rest of your life... I'd be willing. I forgot to tell you that I've never resented you."

Si Kou Xunxiang's flawless face was dazed and empty, yet chillingly calm: "Today... it wasn't Le'er's fault. I don't deserve... I don't deserve... I don't deserve Heaven's mercy. I'm a villain, a petty and utterly despicable person. I drove her step by step to a dead end... This isn't Le'er's fault, it wasn't her fault... It was I... who personally... pushed her down..." His warm, gentle voice, like crystal falling from a great height, shattered and broke the heart.

The rain gradually stopped, and a rainbow appeared on the horizon.

Prince Anle clenched his fist against his chest, his brow furrowing in pain. Suddenly, he coughed violently, blood-tinged spittle splattering onto his blood-stained brocade robe, leaving it covered in spots. He stared blankly at the stains, then grabbed Sikou Xunxiang's arm: "Brother...she's not dead! She can't be dead! How could she be dead? She cared so much about you...she cared so much about you, how could she bear to see you grieve for her, how could she let you grieve for her! Cough cough...Jinyu!...Quick! Quickly send people down the mountain to find her! Find her! No matter if she's dead or alive...no matter if she's dead or alive...I will find her!"

Si Kou Xunxiang ignored him, staring blankly at the seven-colored rainbow, his eyes filled with a fleeting, empty expression that was heartbreaking to behold: "Le'er, we should go back."

A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand; reincarnation begins again. The bamboo weaves is heartless; we'll be together through life and death, until our hair turns white. [Reader's Extra]

We'll be together until we grow old together [Reader's Note]

The accompanying aria is "I love you, not because of your kingdom, not because you are an emperor, but simply because you are you."

You don't love me, not because I am who I am, but because I come from a powerful family, and because you don't accept me.

A fleeting glimpse outside the imperial city—at that moment, he was the only one in your eyes.