The War King is the lofty and revered God of War of Azure Flame, admired by thousands. He has never been insulted or rejected. Although the War King has already suspected that the painting was not a gift, as long as she doesn't speak, he won't get a definite answer and will definitely harbor resentment. Being insulted and rejected by the one he loves must be very painful for him. She wants to make him wish he were dead and make him suffer to death!
The War King possessed profound inner strength; the palm strike he unleashed was enough to destroy the entire pavilion. If it were to hit a person, they would be sent flying more than ten meters, their internal organs shattered, vomiting blood and dying. Just as he was about to strike with a sudden flick of his wrist, Shen Lixue hurriedly reached out to stop him: "Father, there are still many doubts about the matter that have not been clarified. I want to clear Mother's name. You cannot execute Ruan Chuqing now!"
Ruan Chuqing is the wife of the Duke of Wen. In front of the Duke of Wen, just because of a painting, he wants to execute his wife. If this gets out, the War King's reputation will be ruined. It's not worth sacrificing the War King for Ruan Chuqing. Shen Lixue has a better way to deal with her without sacrificing the War King.
The War King was on the verge of exploding with rage and would no longer listen to any advice. However, Shen Lixue's words touched Lin Qingzhu, striking the softest spot in his heart. His arm trembled, his powerful inner strength gradually dissipated, and the expression in his eyes slowly returned to calm. The intense tyranny also gradually disappeared.
Duke Wen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He dared not confront the War King, nor did he want Ruan Chuqing to die. If the War King were to strike, he truly did not know what to do.
Ruan Chuqing's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, slowly calmed down, and a cold smile appeared on her lips. The War King didn't kill her, very good. She would soon let him know what it meant to wish he were dead!
"I will definitely find out the truth. If that painting was not given to you by Lin Qingzhu, don't blame me for being ruthless!" The War King looked at Ruan Chuqing, his words directed at Ruan Chuqing and Duke Wen. Duke Wen was also responsible for the painting not being delivered to Lin Qingzhu.
With that, the War King flicked his sleeves and strode out of the pavilion, the gust of wind he stirred up stinging people's cheeks.
Shen Lixue glanced at the Duke of Wen and Ruan Chuqing, whose expressions varied, and walked slowly forward. As she passed Ruan Chuqing, she slapped her arm hard with her fair hand: "Madam is in poor health and needs to rest more!"
A flash of pain crossed Ruan Chuqing's eyes. Shen Lixue's slap had carried internal force, which had reopened the whip wound on her arm, causing it to sting. "Thank you for your concern, Princess!"
Shen Lixue smiled softly, stepped out of the pavilion, her long robes flowing like water sleeves, and her clear, cold voice carried indifference and aloofness: "Steward Wang, see the guest out!"
Watching Shen Lixue's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Ruan Chuqing's eyes flashed with cold light. "Bitch, she bullies others in the War Prince's Mansion, but once she leaves the War Prince's Mansion, she won't be able to do as she pleases."
The War King walked to the other side of the pool, stood on a protruding rock, and stared blankly at the lush green bamboo forest with his deep gaze. He looked lonely and desolate.
Having known the War King for so long, he had always been strong and sharp. This was the first time Shen Lixue had seen him so sad and in pain.
She walked slowly forward and handed him the painting of the rain-washed landscape: "Godfather!"
The War King took the scroll, looked up to the sky and sighed deeply, his sharp eyes filled with boundless sorrow: "Li Xue, actually..."
“I know, my godfather loves my mother!” All the events have made it very clear, how could Shen Lixue not understand? “Those nine hundred and ninety-nine lanterns, were they lit for my mother?”
The War King paused, nodded slightly, and looked at the dark bamboo forest, quickly concealing the pain in his eyes: "Let's go light the lanterns together!"
In the past, he always lit those lanterns himself, never relying on others. The twists and turns of that picture after the rain caused cracks to appear in his hardened heart.
The red lanterns were lit in the hands of Zhan Wang and Shen Lixue, turning the room into a sea of red, like bright lights in the night, illuminating the way home for those who had lost their way.
"Godfather, why are there only nine hundred and ninety-nine lanterns here?" Shen Lixue had asked the same question before, but the War King had not given an answer.
"The last lantern is in your mother's hands!"
The War King looked up at the dark night sky, a smile playing on his lips. That year, he was thirteen years old, a carefree prince, visiting the renowned Duke Wu's mansion in the capital.
As darkness fell, a beautiful little girl of seven or eight years old, with her hair adorned with exquisite hairpins and dressed in a purple kimono, walked towards him carrying a small red lantern. Her eyes were as bright and dazzling as the stars in the sky, and her radiant smile was even more dazzling than the sun in the sky, instantly melting away all the darkness.
She walked gracefully up to him, opened her clear eyes, and asked, "Little brother, could you help me light this lantern?"
Looking into her pure eyes, he was momentarily taken aback. He smiled, bent down, lit the lantern, and then asked her, "With so many people, why did you only let me light the lantern?"
She looked at him, her gaze pure and untainted: "Because I like handsome young men!"
She said she liked him!
A tear welled up in Dongfang Shuo's eye, slid down the corner of her eye, and quickly disappeared into her hair. The night sky was dotted with stars, each one like her eye—clean, clear, and untouched by any dust.
"I always hoped that she could be happy!" Even if she didn't marry him, as long as she was happy, that was enough. But he never expected it to end like this. Overworked and ill, she passed away, leaving us separated by death.
“Mother might really like you!” Shen Lixue’s throat tightened, the words were on the tip of her tongue but she didn’t say them. Lin Qingzhu had married Shen Minghui and had a daughter like her. It would be unrealistic to say that she liked the War King.
Lin Qingzhu is exceptionally talented, unmatched by anyone in the Azure Flame Sect. Her judgment of character must also be excellent. Why would she abandon the renowned Azure Flame War God and choose the mediocre, poor scholar Shen Minghui? There must be something fishy about this.
"Father, don't you think the Duke of Wu's expression is a little strange?" When Lin Qingzhu was mentioned, Shen Lixue thought of Ruan Chuqing, who had come into contact with the painting, and the Duke of Wen, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
The War King's gaze was cold and majestic: "He handed the scroll to someone else without permission, which delayed my important business. Of course it's strange that he feels guilty!"
"I'm not referring to that, I'm talking about the color of his face!" When Shen Lixue first formally met him at the Duke of Wu's birthday celebration, she noticed that his complexion was somewhat unnatural. Just now, under the lamplight, his complexion appeared even more dull. That's right, dull, a bluish-yellowish color, a very unhealthy complexion.
"Is the color of his face abnormal?" The War King was only focused on figuring out the truth behind the painting and didn't notice anything amiss.
"This is very abnormal!" Shen Lixue emphasized. Ruan Chuqing and Duke Wen lived in the same mansion. If there was a problem with the water quality or food, both of them would look abnormal. However, Ruan Chuqing's face was fair and rosy, which was very normal. Duke Wen, on the other hand, looked much worse, like someone who was about to get a serious illness.
Shen Lixue's cold gaze darkened: "Godfather, when will the Duke of Wu's mansion be repaired?"
"About a month!" The Duke of Wu's mansion is completely abandoned, and many houses and landscapes need to be rebuilt, which will take at least a month.
Shen Lixue frowned: "Can we speed things up? A month is a bit long."
"What are you going to do?" The War King looked at Shen Lixue and guessed that she must have a purpose for being in such a hurry.
"Use the newly built Duke Wu's mansion to find out the truth behind the 'After the Rain' painting!" Shen Lixue believed that Lin Qingzhu had not given the painting away to others casually. She wanted to clear her name and make the evildoer feel ashamed.
The War King's gaze sharpened: "I ordered my men to urge them to send more people and speed up the process!" He also believed that someone as pure as Lin Qingzhu would not insult people's feelings. Once the truth was uncovered, he would not let the real mastermind behind the scenes off lightly.
Wenguo Gongfu
Duke Wen's face was ashen as he coldly stared at Ruan Chuqing: "What exactly is going on with that painting?"
"Didn't I already make it clear that it was a gift from Lin Qingzhu?" Ruan Chuqing frowned, giving an impatient and perfunctory reply.
"Really?" Duke Wen squinted at Ruan Chuqing, clearly not believing her words.
"Fine, don't believe me if you don't want to!" Ruan Chuqing glared at Duke Wen and walked straight to the mahogany chair.
Duke Wen's icy gaze followed her slender figure, and he coldly uttered, "You once admired the War King, didn't you?"