Emperatriz viuda Xiaoxuan

Capítulo 191

Not long after they left, Zi Jin, clutching her rumbling stomach, ran back to the riverbank. She searched everywhere for all her pitiful belongings, but to no avail. Weakly, she leaned against a large rock by the stream, and her gaze fell upon the robe Jin Yu had tossed aside. Zi Jin squinted, staring at the bloodstains on the robe for a long time. As if remembering something, she slowly rose and squatted down beside the robe, reaching out to touch the bloodstains. She sniffed them; it was indeed blood.

Zi Jin glanced sideways, recalling the situation just now. Prince Anle was thin, and his face had an indescribable sickly pallor—these couldn't be faked. Xiao Bai wouldn't easily go with him just because of Yu Luo and that fictitious child; if there was a real reason, it was probably because of Prince Anle's illness. But she had also fought with him, and her breathing didn't resemble that of a sick person. Could it be that she was faking illness so that Xiao Bai would go with him?

It doesn't seem like... This blood isn't fake. His face was deathly pale back then, which meant his blood and qi were churning violently, or perhaps he had extremely serious internal injuries. If that were the case, then it wouldn't be surprising if Xiaobai went with him. How could Xiaobai bear to let someone she had loved for half her life suffer a little? Prince Anle is indeed quite cunning; he's even gone to great lengths.

But... why didn't Xiaobai explain it to herself?

Love and hate leave no trace, deep affection is hard to wait for; the descendants of the gods, three generations of marriage and resentment, flowers bloom and wither in their time (Part Two)

Flowers bloom and fade in their time (Part Two) As darkness gradually fell, Si Kou Xunxiang and his group, who moved extremely slowly, set up camp early in an open space. A simple tent had already been erected in the large open space, and a small fire had been lit early on.

Lying listlessly on a tree branch, Zi Jin stared blankly at the distant tents and the bonfire. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything since last night and was feeling dizzy with hunger. To ward off the waves of hunger, Zi Jin drank a lot of stream water, but the more she drank, the hungrier she became. Finally, she could only lie weakly on the branch. She figured she might as well stay still; she didn't know when she'd be able to eat anything again.

Sikou Xunxiang ate a little and went to bed early. Prince Anle sat by Sikou Xunxiang's bedside, looking at the weariness that he couldn't hide between his brows, his face full of complicated emotions. Only when Sikou Xunxiang's breathing became long and even did Prince Anle get up and walk out of the tent.

Jin Yu and Qi Yongyue sat around the fire, roasting their food. When Jin Yu saw Prince Anle come out, he picked up something from beside him and went to stand beside him.

Qi Yongyue merely glanced at Prince Anle with his eyes slightly raised before looking away again.

King Anle carefully straightened his robes for a while, then smoothed his hair before taking the things from Qi Yongyue's hands and walking into the depths of the mountains and forests.

Qi Yongyue looked thoughtfully at the back of Prince Anle, as if he had thought of something. He glanced at the tent and a strange and eerie smile appeared on his lips.

King Anle looked up at the person lying weakly on the tree, his heart filled with tenderness and reluctance. His thoughts drifted for a moment, and he heard a soft snapping sound as he stepped on a branch.

"Who!" Zi Jin suddenly sat up, her gaze instantly becoming extremely sharp. When she saw who it was, the defensiveness in her eyes lessened considerably. She slumped back against the tree trunk, turned her head to the side, and said in a low voice, "I won't fight you. You can leave."

King Anle chuckled softly, slowly reaching out to peel back the layers of lotus leaf, releasing a fragrant aroma of meat. Zi Jin almost reflexively turned her face, staring longingly at the juicy roast chicken, but upon seeing King Anle's enigmatic smile, she secretly swallowed hard, gritted her teeth, and turned her face away again.

Prince Anle lightly sat down next to Zi Jin with a tap of his toes, placed the roast chicken in front of her, and said maliciously, "Does the little mute really want to eat some?"

Zi Jin frowned, looking at the roast chicken in front of her, trying hard to suppress the overwhelming hunger, and turned her head to swallow her saliva.

Prince Anle picked up a piece of chicken and chewed it again and again, smacking his lips as he said, "Mmm, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside... Jin Yu's cooking skills have improved quite a bit."

Already dizzy from hunger, Zi Jin suddenly sat up, snatched the roast chicken from Prince Anle's hand, turned her face away, and began to eat it in large bites without caring about her image.

Prince Anle looked at Zi Jin's profile and smiled slightly. The smile was unusually pure, without any impurities or calculations: "Eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you."

Zi Jin frowned and turned around, glancing at the person beside her, a strange and uneasy feeling welling up inside her. She unconsciously moved away from the person beside her, clutching the roast chicken, and refused to look at Prince Anle again.

A hint of sadness flashed in King Anle's eyes, but he leaned back against the tree trunk nonchalantly and said casually, "This is a good place, much cooler than that tent."

Zi Jin slowly put down the half-eaten roast chicken in her hand, glanced thoughtfully at the tent under the firelight in the distance, opened and closed her mouth, and finally asked in a low voice: "Why...why did he follow you?"

Prince Anle glanced sideways and chuckled softly, saying indifferently, "If I said... this time it wasn't me, but my brother who wanted to leave... would the little mute believe me?" Would he still believe him? Would he still believe me?

"I don't believe it." The answer was given without hesitation.

"Hehe..." Prince Anle's laughter grew louder and louder, "Since you already know, why ask? Little mute, do you know why I'm taking your brother back?"

Zi Jin casually tossed away the chicken bone in her hand, wiped her hands on her clothes, and leaned comfortably against the tree trunk, saying, "You don't need to tell me, because what you're saying is definitely not true."

King Anle slightly raised his eyes to look at the moonlight in the distance and said sarcastically in a low voice, "It's been more than half a year since I last saw you, and the little mute has become quite clever."

Zi Jin wanted to argue, but didn't want to get entangled with him, so she pursed her lips and stopped talking, turning her face away and closing her eyes to rest. After a day of hunger and travel, she felt unusually tired after eating, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Prince Anle, who had been gazing at the distant moonlight, slowly withdrew his eyes. Looking at Zi Jin, whose breathing was deep and even, he smiled indulgently, took off his outer robe, and draped it over Zi Jin. He carefully picked her up, found a thicker and more comfortable tree branch to sit on, and meticulously adjusted Zi Jin's position so that she nestled in his arms.

By the bright moonlight, King Anle carefully examined the person in his arms, gently tucking away her slightly disheveled long hair. A faint, strangely satisfied smile played on his lips: "Silly boy, you eat what I give you. But... this time it wasn't me who drugged you. Jin Yu poured the oil extracted from the fennel leaves onto the chicken, hoping you'd get a good night's sleep. Otherwise, where will you get the energy to chase us tomorrow?"

Prince Anle held Zi Jin tightly and carefully in his arms with one hand, while his other hand repeatedly and tirelessly stroked her features with utmost care: "The little mute has grown even more beautiful. When I first saw you that year... you were so small and short, so thin you were almost pitiful..." His gaze slowly swept over her eyebrows, her eyes, her mouth, her cheeks, then reluctantly moved away, settling on the calm water, lost in thought...

"What a wonderful woman! May I ask how this gentleman is addressed?" The woman sat sideways, her fair complexion as smooth as jade and as full as the moon. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her eyes sparkled, and a smile played on her lips. She was truly a beauty that could topple kingdoms.

Zi Jin was startled. She stared at the woman for a long time before hurriedly covering herself with her sleeve.

The woman covered her mouth and laughed, instantly exuding charm: "You've already seen everything, why do you still need to cover your face?"

Prince Anle's face gently rubbed against Zi Jin's cheek, gazing at her again and again, caressing her repeatedly. His expression of infatuation seemed never to be enough, never quite enough...

"Master, if you only harbor hatred for her, how could you have continuously channeled your inner energy into her for over ten days... It's not too late to pull back from the brink now, don't wait until..."

"What's wrong with me helping my brother get his things back?! ... You know how many people died trying to get the Soul and the Soul... Since I dared to give them to her, I certainly won't let her go insane, much less lose all four senses."

Zi Jin stared wide-eyed at Prince Anle's retreating figure, and timidly said, "Xile...you wouldn't..."

A hollow silver needle, half an inch long, slowly pierced Zi Jin's arm, causing her to cry out in pain. Prince Anle's hand trembled slightly; he kept his eyes tightly closed, never turning his head. Blood dripped, until the small, emerald-green bowl was filled.

Zi Jin tilted her head, scrutinizing the person five steps away. A strange smile crept onto 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 hit me! She wouldn't humiliate 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!"

Zi Jin lowered her head slightly, a dazed smile on her face: "She knew... I was timid, I was cowardly... She knew... I was afraid of the dark, afraid of the cold, afraid of pain, afraid of loneliness, afraid of being alone... She said she would be good to me, she said she would be good to me, I believed you... I've always believed you... west Le... where did you go..."

Zi Jin slowly squatted down, half of her body submerged in the water: "My Yu Luo... is gone, west Le is gone too... gone, there's no one left, nothing at all..."

Gone, everyone gone, nothing left… A single tear slid down the corner of Prince Anle’s eye: “Little mute, do you know?… I regret it… I really regret it…”

I regret it. Before going to Huaiyin City, before I fed you the Soul-Cherishing Delight, before I let my brother drink your blood... before everything, I regret it...

“Little mute… I won’t lie to you anymore, I won’t lie anymore… Please believe me… Please believe me… If there is a future, I will treat you well… I will treat you well… Please believe me… Please believe me, just this once, just this once, please?…” The soft, mournful voice was unusually clear and helpless in the silent forest.

Let's start over... Let's start everything over... Okay? Okay?

Under the moonlight, Prince Anle's dark, peach-blossom eyes shimmered with tears, reflecting only Zi Jin's peaceful, sleeping face. His eyes were filled with tenderness and sorrow, as if he wanted to etch this sleeping face, this unguarded sleeping face, into his heart, firmly etch it into his heart for all eternity.

A moment's mistake can lead to a lifetime of regret. No matter how desperately you pursue it, it's like struggling in an abyss, ultimately sinking into an irreversible darkness...