L'hibiscus comme peinture

Chapitre 59

"Ahem... Jinxuan..." get out of class was finally over. No, it was Aojun who realized something was wrong as she was talking. She turned around and saw Jinxuan staring at her like she was a monster, his eyes full of confusion. Only then did she realize how stupid she had just done. She had actually started talking to Jinxuan about the universe. She coughed awkwardly. Oh no, would he think she was a monster and burn her?

"Uh? Jun, you...you mean it?" Ao Jun's light cough finally brought Jin Xuan back to his senses, and he asked with a curious expression. How amazing, is it true? How did Jun know?

"Hmm." Ao Jun thought for a moment and nodded. Even if she was treated like a monster, she had to be truthful. That's what Grandpa Deng taught her.

"Jun... Ah!" Jin Xuan was so excited that he wanted to turn over and hug Ao Jun, but unfortunately he was too badly injured. He didn't have the strength to turn around or even move. He accidentally aggravated his wound.

"Are you alright?" Ao Jun turned her head and asked worriedly. She was too weak to get up.

"It's nothing." Jin Xuan said weakly, his forehead covered in cold sweat and his breathing slightly labored. After calming his breathing, he continued, "Jun, how many more surprises are you going to bring me? You really are knowledgeable about everything, from astronomy to geography, you know everything and understand everything! In front of you, I feel like a child who knows nothing. I have never heard of anything you say in my more than 20 years of life. You are the first person to have such a view of the world. I think only you in the world would dare to make such bold statements."

Ao Jun chuckled softly and said, "No, you're wrong. There's someone else who knows just as much as I do." That chuckle was enigmatic. That person was none other than your beloved Empress Xue. If you were to say that she knew a little more than Xue, it would only be about military strategy and the art of divination.

"Who is it?" Jinxuan asked curiously. Besides Jun, who else in the world is so powerful? Most importantly, Jun's expression softened so much when she mentioned that person. Is it the person she said was very important to her?

"The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed; you will find out later," Ao Jun said with a mysterious smile, refusing to tell him.

"Jun, who exactly are you? You're a complete mystery, so enigmatic." Jin Xuan suddenly frowned, speaking bitterly. He remembered Jun's sudden surge of powerful internal energy and divine skills during his battle with Sheng Chi, and Sheng Chi's revelation that her name wasn't Mo Jun, but Ling Ao Jun, while she claimed to be the twentieth generation leader of the Holy Immortal Sect. Who exactly was she? Although he knew she wasn't from Mo Family Village, no matter how hard he investigated, he couldn't find any information about her origins; it was as if she had appeared out of thin air. He truly didn't understand her at all. For example, he knew nothing about her relationship with Yelü Ying, not even how they met, and he didn't even know how to ask her about Yelü Ying—how ironic! Despite this, his heart still uncontrollably lingered on her, yet he dared not speak of it.

Jin Xuan's bitter words made Ao Jun stare at him. Her eyes flashed, and she said with reservation, "Jin Xuan, I can only tell you now that my real name is Ling Ao Jun. As for the rest, you will know when the time is right." Ao Jun now felt that she was like an old monk uttering Zen koans.

Jin Xuan's eyes dimmed for a moment, then returned to normal. He chuckled in a deep, magnetic voice, "Ling Aojun, a fine name, a gentleman aloof from the world." A pang of sorrow filled his heart: My lord, whether you are the greatest strategist in the world—Mo Jun—or Ling Aojun, in my heart, you will always be my lord, the lord I deeply love but cannot be with. But why, my lord, are you so mysterious before me? Do you truly not have me in your heart? Is it because I, like you, am a man? Can you not accept this distorted emotion?

"A gentleman? I've never been a gentleman." Ao Jun chuckled at Jin Xuan's words. She was just a young woman, not a gentleman at all.

But someone misunderstood her words. A hint of jealousy flashed quickly in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down and said with an ambiguous smile, "That's right. You've always been a flirtatious and passionate man, and you can't be considered a gentleman at all!" Just thinking about her joking and laughing with those women, and even the fact that one day she would get married and have children, made him want to kill all those women.

"Uh? Cough..." Ao Jun was startled, then coughed awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Did he still think she was a heartless, philandering man? Heh... Your Highness! I am a genuine woman! But he couldn't say these words aloud; saying them wouldn't make a difference.

"My lord, do you know what that little trinket left behind by the Fairy of the Moon is?" Jinxuan suddenly asked out of the blue.

"What?" Ao Jun asked, puzzled. Seeing Jin Xuan staring at the pistol in her arms, she wondered if the little gadget he was referring to was a pistol. But what was this "Fairy Under the Moon" thing?

He slowly pulled out an exquisite silver pistol from his pocket and asked calmly, "Is this what you mean?"

Jin Xuan reached out and took Ao Jun's pistol, nodded, and stroked it with great affection. He nodded again, slowly sinking into his memories. Although the Moon Fairy was only a fleeting beauty, she had left the most beautiful hope in his heart. She was so ethereal, so alluring. After experiencing two fruitless relationships with Yu Qing and Jun, it seemed that only she could give him hope now. As for what that hope was, he didn't know, only that deep in his heart there was a glimmer of light she had left him, like this little silver thing shining brightly in the sunlight.

"Oh, this is called a pistol. It's extremely powerful; even highly skilled martial artists can't dodge it. It can even penetrate armor, killing with a single shot," Ao Jun explained simply. After thinking for a moment, she decided to pretend not to know and ask, "Who is the Fairy of the Moon? Is this pistol related to her?"

Jin Xuan nodded slightly and sighed, "I never imagined there were such powerful hidden weapons in the world. No wonder even Yelü Ying couldn't dodge them." Ao Jun was about to retort: "That's not a hidden weapon." But after thinking about it, she decided against it. Otherwise, she would have to explain later.

Jin Xuan, seemingly lost in memories, continued, "I don't know her name. I only know that after our chance encounter by the pond that night, she disappeared. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find her. She was like a fairy who had mistakenly descended to the mortal world. She came under the moon that night and returned under the moon, leaving behind only this... this pistol. This doesn't seem like something from this world. Yet you, my lord, not only know what this is, but also how to use it. My lord, are you an immortal?" Jin Xuan suddenly uttered a question that could scare someone to death. For the dignified and wise Prince Jin to ask such a question was bound to frighten anyone to death.

"Ah! Don't I look like a human?" Ao Jun feigned anger. Of course, she knew what Jin Xuan meant, but she was inexplicably happy and wanted to play with him. It turned out that their encounter that night had made him mistake her for a fairy! Haha... He probably never imagined that the fairy he spoke of who had returned on the wind was right under his nose every day!

"Do you think you are like that? You've always been like an immortal who doesn't eat the food of mortals." Jinxuan sincerely admired him, but then felt a pang of bitterness in his heart: the thought that he had such feelings for you made him feel like he wasn't human and had desecrated such an immortal.

"Heh... an immortal? If I were an immortal, would I be lying here in such a sorry state, with the yellow sand covering my face? Maybe this is our final resting place!" Ao Jun rolled her eyes at Jin Xuan with a mocking look.

"Haha... Your Majesty, what do you think people's reaction will be if word gets out that the dignified 'Cold-Faced War God' Prince Jin and the world's number one strategist—Young Master Mo Jun—have died on this desolate road?" Jin Xuan laughed heartily, jokingly. Being with Jun, all pretense of a cold demeanor and keeping one's emotions hidden crumbled. Although Jun didn't like to laugh and always had a cold expression, he could always make him burst into laughter.

"What kind of reaction? I imagine a moment of shock, followed by a dismissive "So what if he's dead? He's better off not being left to plague the world, especially that Prince Jin. With him gone, the hearts of all the young women in the land can find their place, and the young men can finally marry their dream lovers." Ao Jun's expression hardened, and he spoke earnestly, deep in thought. Inwardly, however, he was nearly bursting with pent-up emotions; his internal injuries must have worsened.

Jin Xuan was taken aback at first, then realized what he meant and laughed heartily, "Jun, you're talking about yourself, aren't you! Who doesn't know that Young Master Mo is a charming and romantic man, the dream lover and husband of countless women in the world!"

"Injustice! I am devoted to one woman and never flirt with any other woman. How could I be a womanizer? This is truly a case of misfortune, I am more wronged than Dou E!" Ao Jun cried out, pouting, as if she had suffered a great injustice. Actually, she's quite a good actress; otherwise, how could she have fooled Sheng Chi and Chi Yu? Sigh, if I had known she had such a talent for acting, I should have considered pursuing a career in film and television. Maybe she could have even won a Best Actress award.

"Haha... Ah! Ha... Ha!" Seeing Ao Jun's silly expression, Jin Xuan laughed heartily. However, he forgot that he was currently suffering from serious internal injuries. This laughter aggravated his injuries, causing him to cry out in pain. But he still couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat and laugh loudly.

"Stop laughing, okay? I won't tell you. Be careful of your injury." Ao Jun reminded him worriedly, but she also smiled slightly. Seeing Jin Xuan's genuine laughter, she felt very happy and content.

"Haha... I'm fine... Haha..." When Jinxuan heard Aojun say this, he couldn't help but laugh loudly, laughing like a child who had just received candy.

Seeing Jinxuan like this, Aojun couldn't help but chuckle: "Hehehe..."

Under the scorching sun, on the yellow sand, two figures, one in green and one in white, lay side by side on the ground, laughing loudly. In that instant, everything in the world seemed to become insignificant, and it seemed that only they existed in the entire world.

"I wonder if you two have had enough laughing? If not, I'll head back first. Once you've had your fill, I'll have someone carry you back." Suddenly, a clear female voice interrupted, followed by a yellow figure appearing above, staring at Ao Jun with a smile.

The two suddenly stopped laughing and stared blankly at the dark figure that had suddenly appeared above them.

Just as Ao Jun was wondering, he heard Jin Xuan calmly say, "Huang Ying."

Huang Ying chuckled and said, "That's more like Prince Jin! I thought I had mistaken you for someone else just now." The implication was that Prince Jin would not laugh so heartily.

"Who is Huang Ying?" Ao Jun asked, bewildered. This cute little girl is called Huang Ying?

"You haven't heard of the legendary healer Huang Ying?" Jin Xuan suddenly looked at Ao Jun, as if she were a monster. Seriously? Doesn't Jun know and understand everything? How could she not have heard of the legendary healer Huang Ying?

Huang Ying's expression changed, and then she stared at her with interest and said, "You are the number one strategist in the world, who makes countless young girls swoon and is admired by all people. It is said that you are a genius, a strategist, and know everything. But now that I have seen you, you are nothing special!" How could this be? When has she, the dignified divine doctor Huang Ying, ever been ignored like this?

"A miracle doctor? She's a miracle doctor, so her medical skills must be amazing!" Ao Jun said to Jin Xuan as if she hadn't heard Huang Ying's words. This meant they were saved. She hadn't even seen Xue yet, and she didn't want to die young.

"Hmm! Jun, is it true that you said last time that you are the twentieth generation sect leader of the Holy Immortal Sect? How come you don't even know Huang Ying in the Yellow Pavilion of the Holy Immortal Sect?" Jin Xuan also ignored Huang Ying and asked Ao Jun in confusion.

Before Ao Jun could speak, Huang Ying looked like she had seen a ghost and exclaimed, "Sect Master? You actually dare to impersonate the Sect Master of my Holy Immortal Sect? Don't you want to die?" Huang Ying's voice grew colder and colder as she spoke, and she exuded a murderous aura. Although they did not recognize Sheng Chi as their new Sect Master, when did he become this Mo Jun?

However, according to Wei Ziqi, she not only understands Qimen Dunjia, but also knows their Holy Immortal Sect's treasured treasure - the Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation. She was even able to break Sheng Chi's Blood Soul Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation. It seems that she has some connection with the Holy Immortal Sect. What exactly is she?

"Ahem... Let's talk about this later! Huang... Huang Ying, Jin Xuan is seriously injured. You should take him back for treatment quickly." Ao Jun coughed awkwardly, changing the subject. So this Huang Ying is from the Holy Immortal Sect. She absolutely cannot let her know that Tian Kun and Tian Gan are in her hands; she doesn't want to become some kind of damned sect leader! However, this Huang Ying seems harmless, but unexpectedly possesses such a strong killing intent; her martial arts must be extraordinary.

“Miss Huang, I am fine. Please take a look at Jun. She was struck by the Holy Crimson Sword earlier.” Jin Xuan understood that Ao Jun was unwilling to talk about the Holy Immortal Sect. Although he did not know why, he went along with her and asked Huang Ying to quickly check if Ao Jun was alright.

Did Huang Ying know what Ao Jun was avoiding? She became even more curious about her, but on the surface, she acted as if nothing had happened, as if the murderous Huang Ying from just now was just an illusion.

"She looks perfectly fine to me. But you, didn't I tell you? You're still injured and can't move around. I knew you wouldn't listen, so I sealed your acupoints. I didn't expect you to risk your life by breaking through them yourself. Now look what's happened, your old wounds haven't healed, and you've been slapped twice. Your heart meridian is damaged. You're useless even if you don't die..." Huang Ying was furious when she saw Jin Xuan and gave him a good scolding.

He was willing to risk his life for a strategist. Wasn't he too good to his subordinates? It seemed that things between the two weren't so simple. She didn't care about the simplicity or not right now. All she knew was that he had wasted her precious medicinal herbs, squandered her good intentions, and made her run out breathlessly to find him. Meanwhile, he was lying here with his strategist, 'sunbathing and chatting'.