Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 218
When Zi Jin looked at Jun Lin again, Si Kou Xunxiang, standing behind Zi Jin, gave Jun Lin an elegant, calm, and provocative smile. His face no longer showed the naive and uneasy expression from before, but was as confident, determined, and self-assured as it had been before Zi Jin entered.
Seeing the faint smile on Sikou Xunxiang's face and hearing Zi Jin's words, Jun Lin's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and the cold, murderous aura in his phoenix eyes intensified. The overwhelming rage in his heart instantly transformed into hurt, hatred, resentment, and an uncontrollable killing intent: "Since that's the case, then there's no need to say anything more! Take them down! Take them down!!"
Zi Jin frowned as she watched the approaching guards. She shielded Si Kou Xun Xiang with her body, pulling him back step by step. They retreated straight outside the hall, only to be completely surrounded by guards lying in ambush all around, leaving no way out. A dark mass of people slowly approached from all sides; the Imperial Guards and the Forbidden Army had poured out in full force. It was virtually impossible for her to lead Si Kou Xun Xiang out of the encirclement.
Jun Lin, who had been following the two closely, stood on the high platform outside the palace, his eyes fixed on the two people on the open ground below, who, despite being in grave danger, still clung tightly to each other. The sight pierced his phoenix eyes deeply. His already unbearable heart felt as if it were being stabbed again and again by a red-hot knife. No pain could compare to this searing, agonizing agony, a pain that penetrated to the very marrow of his bones, driving him to the brink of madness. Only by biting his flesh tightly could he suppress a cry of pain.
Jun Lin stared into Zi Jin's eyes and said, word by word, "Whoever obtains the head of Si Kou Xun Xiang will be promoted two ranks and receive ten thousand taels of gold!"
Zi Jin said coldly and angrily, "Jun Lin! Don't make me hate you!"
Jun Lin abruptly raised his eyes, threw his head back, and laughed wildly, the deafening sound echoing outside the empty hall. Without warning, a crystal-clear, scalding tear silently rolled down his cheek: "You've finally stopped pretending... No wonder you've been lying to me these past few days... You were deceiving me again! This time, this time I will never forgive you!" Jun Lin slowly turned around, his back to the crowd, and coldly said, "Kill!"
In an instant, the attackers swarmed in from both sides. Zi Jin blocked Xiao Bai's path, glanced coldly at the crowd, and held the zither in one hand, her five fingers gripping the strings. She unleashed a powerful melody, and a buzzing sound echoed from all around, like a sharp weapon piercing the air. Dozens of people at the front turned and fell.
The surrounding guards were stunned for a moment. Taking advantage of this, Zi Jin pulled Si Kou Xunxiang to sit cross-legged, placed her hands on the strings of the zither, glanced around with her head down, and revealed a disdainful smile on her lips. She then lightly plucked the strings. A piercingly sharp sound tore through the air.
Qi Yongyue rose and leaped to Jun Lin's side, supporting his slightly unsteady body with one hand. He used his inner strength to suppress the surrounding zither music and whispered, "Your Majesty, please enter the palace. This cold and sensual music has been extinct for many years, yet it has been...learned. Your Majesty cannot suppress this music at the moment, so please return to the palace for refuge... Qi Yongyue will absolutely not allow them to harm the...Empress!"
Relying on Qi Yongyue's inner strength, Jun Lin turned around with difficulty, looking at the person sitting in the middle of the open space playing the zither. A look of sorrow flashed across his face: "I want to see with my own eyes how she can do things for him! I want to see it with my own eyes!"
Zi Jin closed her eyes and concentrated, channeling her inner energy into her fingertips. The clear, resonant notes of her zither revealed a murderous intent. Wave after wave, the soft, gentle music was devoid of any softness, filled with resolute killing intent and a desire to leave. The guards, fearless of death, charged forward one after another, struggling desperately, yet none could get close to the zither player.
"Contain your inner energy! Calm your mind! If you are within ten steps of her, the music will break down on its own!" Someone shouted from the crowd.
Si Kou Xunxiang, who had been sitting upright behind Zi Jin, paused, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.
A flicker of panic crossed Zi Jin's eyes, and the broken notes in her hand immediately rang out. These few broken notes gave others an opportunity to exploit. The group broke through the sound of the zither and pointed directly at Si Kou Xun Xiang beside Zi Jin. Without thinking, Zi Jin hurriedly abandoned the zither and drew the golden whip from her waist.
Graceful as a startled swan, agile as a swimming dragon, seemingly like light clouds veiling the moon, drifting like swirling snow in the wind.
Her graceful figure, with every flick of her wrist, wove a perfect defense, preventing anyone from getting a single step closer to her.
Jun Lin stared intently at the alluring figure, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement, which gradually coalesced into a misty shimmer. But when his gaze swept over the person being tightly protected by that figure, his phoenix eyes instantly shifted, becoming sharp and icy once more.
Wave after wave of people surged forward, gradually overwhelming Zi Jin, and her defenses weakened. One of them, a glint of cunning in his eyes, endured two lashes from Zi Jin's whip, pushed his way to Si Kou Xun Xiang, and swung his blade. Zi Jin caught this out of the corner of her eye and, in shock, without thinking, mustered all her strength and swung her whip at its widest angle, narrowly blocking the powerful blow.
The blow sent a shiver down Zi Jin's spine. She had no time to spare, and immediately checked on Si Kou Xun Xiang. Suddenly, she staggered back two steps, her once rosy face turning deathly pale. She clutched her whip-wielding hand tightly to her lower abdomen.
Zi Jin's selfless act of shielding him from the knife had already left Si Kou Xunxiang shaken. Seeing Zi Jin's pained and weakened expression, Si Kou Xunxiang didn't hesitate, pulling her into his arms. His dark eyes flashed with self-reproach, heartache, regret, and remorse: "Xiao Zi..."
The fierce battle had exhausted all of Zi Jin's inner strength, and it was inevitable that the movement had aggravated the unborn child in her womb. She clutched her lower abdomen and gave a pale smile: "It's alright, don't worry." Then, ignoring Si Kou Xun Xiang's attempts to stop her, she forced herself to stand up straight.
The crowd, momentarily stunned by Zi Jin's sudden weakness, saw her stand up again with her whip in hand and, without hesitation, launched another attack.
"Stop!" Jun Lin had already stepped down from the platform and stood behind the crowd, shouting angrily.
The guards stopped and made way for Jun Lin, but they did not put down their knives and continued to watch Zi Jin warily.
Jun Lin rushed over, his phoenix eyes filled with regret and heartache: "What can I do?! What can I do?! Why did you deliberately make me lose my temper... For him, you don't even care about our child?"
Si Kou Xunxiang paused, his eyes flickering with a series of emotions—surprise, confusion, sudden realization, and delight—followed by an overwhelming sense of worry. He reached out and pulled Zi Jin into his arms, pulling her close, and asked urgently, "How are you feeling? Where does it hurt? Is it very painful? Where does it hurt?"
Zi Jin, preoccupied with staring at Jun Lin, completely overlooked Si Kou Xun Xiang's change in demeanor.
"If you insist on forcing me, we'll all perish." His face betrayed his exhaustion, but his voice remained as harsh and cold as before.
Those eight words, if struck like a bolt from the blue, would be incredibly cruel to Jun Lin.
Jun Lin swayed precariously, his eyes tightly shut. His once arrogant brows were now filled with vulnerability and hurt, tinged with endless despair. He took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, which rippled with tears. He stared directly at Zi Jin: "Even... even with a child, it's still not as good as him... is that right?... I've known you longer than him, and I've never hurt or disappointed you. I've been so, so fearful of you... why, why won't you even give me a handout? If you truly don't like me at all, then why do you love the child in your womb so much, why do you care so much about that child... have I been nothing to you all these years?... Why must you go with him?... Why are you so resolute towards me?"
A hint of reluctance flashed in Zi Jin's eyes, a look that met Si Kou Huan Xiang's gaze. Si Kou Huan Xiang lowered his head and tenderly stroked Zi Jin's hair, trying to soothe her guilt and self-reproach. His arms around her waist slowly tightened: "Xiao Zi..." His soft whisper carried a hint of unease.
Zi Jin glanced sideways and saw Si Kou Huan Xiang's mangled hand. She took a deep breath and looked at Jun Lin again, her eyes frozen in ice: "Let go, or not?"
Jun Lin's disheveled face and panicked eyes transformed into the deepest despair. He held his breath, gazing intently at Zi Jin's face, as if trying to etch it into his heart. Gradually, his phoenix eyes welled with tears, and he forced a smile, though it was a smile of relief, it was utterly bleak and bitter, heartbreaking to behold. He approached Zi Jin step by step, raising his hand to touch her face, but she abruptly pulled away.
Jun Lin's hand remained frozen in mid-air for a long, long time, before slowly and deliberately lowering itself. His tense body trembled slightly for an extended period, as if the world were about to change, as if the end of time was approaching...
Jun Lin suddenly turned around and said coldly, "You can leave now!"
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Sikou Xunxiang's lips as he reached out and scooped Zi Jin up in his arms, turning to walk towards the palace gate. As he passed, the dense crowd gradually parted to make way for him.
After an unknown amount of time, Jun Lin, who was unsteady on his feet, suddenly turned around, his phoenix eyes fixed on the figure below the palace gate: "Si Kou Xun Xiang! If you dare to wrong her and the child in the slightest... Heaven and earth! I, Jun Lin, will never forgive you!"
Sikou Xunxiang slowly turned his head, his diamond-like, dazzling eyes shimmering with iridescent light as the candlelight flickered across the palace lanterns. A captivating smile played on his lips, then he turned and walked step by step out of the palace gates, disappearing into the shimmering glow of the palace lanterns…
Love and hate leave no trace, deep affection is hard to wait for, the descendants of the gods, three generations of marriage and resentment, the wind and rain watch the tide rise (XIV) The Grand Finale Part 1
The Tide Rises Amidst the Wind and Rain (Part 14) - The Finale - Eight days ago, at the Phoenix Palace of Chen Kingdom.
Lady Yu looked at Sikou Xunxiang standing by the window and smiled slightly, "I wonder what business Your Majesty has with me?"
Sikou Xunxiang slowly turned around and smiled, "What does Madam wish for?"
Lady Yu's eyes flickered slightly, but her smile remained unchanged: "How much is she worth in the heart of King Sikou?"
Sikou Xunxiang suddenly raised his eyes and looked directly into Madam Yu's eyes, and said in a low voice, "I wonder if Madam is satisfied with all the cities of Chen Kingdom?"
Lady Yu twitched her fingers slightly, turned her face away and smiled, "Since the King of Sikou is so sincere, what more can this old woman say?"
Sikou Xunxiang said, "But there are conditions."
Lady Yu was taken aback, then sneered, "Does the King of Sikou feel he's been cheated by exchanging the city of Chen for her?"
Sikou Xunxiang smiled and said, "Madam, you misunderstand. These conditions have nothing to do with the city."