L'hibiscus comme peinture

Chapitre 93

"Jun, how are you feeling? Does it still hurt?" Ao Xue asked worriedly, sitting on the edge of the bed as Ao Jun leaned weakly against the headboard, her face pale. Tonight, despite Zheng Xuan's strong objections, she insisted on staying to take care of Jun. After all, she was Jun's older sister. In this other world, Jun was her true blood relative, her most trusted younger sister. Taking care of her was only natural, and besides, her illness was indirectly related to her.

"Much better," Ao Jun said weakly, her eyes slightly narrowed. But she was incredibly frustrated. She'd only eaten something bad, but it was acting like she had a terminal illness. They'd brought in all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital, and everyone said the same thing, prescribing a whole bunch of medicine. The sight of that dark, murky stuff reminded her of Jin Xuan's bowl of 'poison,' and she vomited even more violently, almost developing a stomach ulcer. It was all that damned Ouyang Jin Xuan's fault! She was fine at first, but he nearly killed her.

"Jun, is the porridge that Jinxuan cooked really that bad?" Aoxue glanced at Aojun and asked mysteriously. Jinxuan's skill is really amazing. Even someone as strong as Jun can drink his porridge and get like this, hehe... Luckily, it wasn't her who drank the porridge.

"What do you think?" Ao Jun opened her half-closed eyes and glared at Ao Xue. Now that she's in this state, if Jin Xuan is the mastermind, then Ao Xue is the accomplice—no, more like the strategist. Jin Xuan would inexplicably come and cook porridge for her; Xue must have taught him that. Did she offend all the gods and Buddhas in her past life? Otherwise, how could she have such a sister, and such a… uh… friend?

"Hehe... Well, this is Jinxuan's first time cooking, so it's inevitable that it'll be bad. Next time, next time it'll be better." Aoxue said with an embarrassed smile, cold sweat pouring down her face, her eyes darting around, not daring to look at Aojun. Jun had already turned cold, and even she felt chilled. Jinxuan, you've really ruined this! If you can't cook porridge, then don't cook it! And you, you just ran away, leaving me here to endure the biting cold.

"Next time? You want more flaws? You want my life?" Ao Jun's face grew even colder, and she gritted her teeth as she spoke. A next time? After this, she probably wouldn't even dare to drink her beloved pork rib porridge again. Forget drinking it, just hearing those three words made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Oh God! I can't live anymore…

"Hehe... No, there won't be a next time. How could I bear to take my lord's life?" Ao Xue immediately fawned over Ao Jun with a fawning smile. As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Surely the lord wouldn't emit cold air again, right? Otherwise, she would be fine, but she would freeze to death.

"Hmph." Ao Jun snorted coldly, turning her head away and ignoring Ao Xue's fawning expression. Actually, she wasn't angry at all, just feeling helpless. Jin Xuan had actually cooked for her, arriving at her residence so early to prepare porridge for her—though it couldn't really be called porridge. Even if she were an idiot, she could understand his intentions. Jin Xuan, such a proud, aloof, and noble person, had been so disheveled, so furious, so anxious for her… How could she bear to refuse him again? How could her heart be so cruel as to hurt him? She couldn't, didn't want to, and was unwilling…

"Jun, why do you keep running away? Why make two people who love each other suffer so much?" Ao Xue forcefully turned Ao Jun's face back, her expression serious, completely different from her playful and roguish self just moments before. She could tell that Jun's feelings for Jin Xuan weren't just infatuation; she had actually fallen in love with him long ago, but she kept running away from him.

"Xue, haven't I already told you about this?" Ao Jun looked back at Ao Xue and said helplessly. They kept telling her not to run away anymore, and she didn't want to run away either. It would cause pain for all three of them, but she really couldn't figure out who she truly wanted to choose, or who she loved more deeply.

"I know you're having a hard time deciding, but Jun, even the toughest choice has to be made. Close your eyes now, don't think about anything, what's the first thing that comes to mind?" Ao Xue pouted, disagreeing with Ao Jun's words, and coaxed her. Today, she was determined to make Ao Jun see her own heart clearly, to see who she truly loved.

"Oh!" Ao Jun obediently closed her eyes. Would this method really work? The first thing that came to mind? I think I see it...

"What? Who is it?" Aoxue asked nervously.

"Ying'er," Ao Jun said to Ao Xue with a serious expression.

"Huh? Who's Ying'er? Could it be... Waaah... You chose someone else? I'm not convinced! I refuse to believe that kind of person is as handsome as Jin Xuan, as charismatic as Jin Xuan, as wealthy, powerful, and influential as Jin Xuan. Besides, what's with the name 'Ying'er'? It's practically a woman's name. Needless to say, he must be a transvestite. My lord, how could you fall in love with such a sissy? No, this doesn't count, let's start over." Upon hearing this, Ao Xue immediately put on a bitter face and complained, her expression incredibly anxious, as if Jin Xuan were her son. In her heart, Jin Xuan would always be her brother-in-law's first and only choice. She didn't want that sissy named 'Ying'er' to be her brother-in-law! She hated transvestites the most.

"Ying'er isn't sissy, she's a woman!" Feeling incredibly annoyed that the reaction was too much, Ao Jun glanced at Ao Xue, then slowly dropped a heavy atomic bomb on the defiant Ao Xue, leaving her completely stunned. Her mouth was agape, wide enough to fit two eggs, and her already large eyes widened even further, staring at Ao Jun as if she were a monster.

It took her a long while to find her voice. She leaped a few steps away from Ao Jun, her finger trembling as she pointed at him, saying, "You...you actually fell in love with...fell in love with a woman! Oh my god! No, I must be dreaming, I must be dreaming. How could Jun be a GL? How could this be? Jin Xuan actually lost to a woman. Jun, you've disappointed me so much...how could you..." What to do, what to do, Jun actually fell in love with a woman, sob...it's all her fault. She didn't take good care of her. She's let down the ancestors of the Ling family, she's let down her uncle and aunt, she's let down Jin Xuan...

Ao Jun was stunned by Ao Xue's inexplicable words, and it took her a while to react. What was Xue talking about? She really wanted to go over and give her a good talking-to. She actually called her a GL (Girls' Love)? Did she look like one? Unfortunately, she had no strength left to discipline her. Seeing Xue still muttering to herself, Ao Jun really wanted to just faint. How could she have such an idiotic sister?

"Stop, Ying'er is my sworn sister, not what you think." Unable to bear it any longer, Ao Jun gestured and explained weakly. If she continued, she probably wouldn't just become a GL (Girls' Love) character.

"Huh? Really?" Ao Xue, who was still reflecting on herself, was stunned by Ao Jun's sudden words. After a long while, she cautiously asked.

"Really." Ao Jun nodded solemnly.

"Hey, you should have said so earlier! You scared me half to death." Ao Xue patted her chest, still looking frightened, and rolled her eyes at Ao Jun. Then she sat back down on the edge of the bed and scolded, "Why are you thinking about Ying'er for no reason?"

"You're the one who made me think of this! As soon as I close my eyes, I see Ying'er cooking delicious food. I haven't had it in so long, I really miss it!" Ao Jun said with longing, her eyes half-closed and drooling. After being poisoned by Jin Xuan's bowl of 'rib porridge', she hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. She was very hungry, but she couldn't eat anything. That's why when she closed her eyes, she saw many delicious dishes cooked by Ying'er, which kept tempting her and making her even hungrier.

"Oh my god, I really don't know what's going on in your head? At this time, you actually want me to eat, it's infuriating! Don't tell me you're my sister, Ling Aoxue is smart and clever, how could she have an idiot sister who only knows how to eat?" As soon as Ao Jun finished speaking, Aoxue almost fell off the bed. She rubbed her forehead, looked at Ao Jun with a headache, and sighed to the sky.

"I'm an idiot? Have you forgotten that I am the number one strategist in the world—Young Master Mo Jun? How dare you call me an idiot?" Ao Jun retorted indignantly. She was Young Master Mo Jun, whose wisdom surpassed that of all the workers in the world. Only she kept calling her an idiot.

"Yes, yes, you are the greatest strategist in the world, your wisdom is unparalleled." Ao Xue rolled her eyes at Ao Jun helplessly and surrendered. Seeing Ao Jun raise the corners of his mouth smugly, Ao Xue suddenly said with a serious face: "Jun, it is because you are too wise that you cause Jin Xuan pain and yourself pain. That's right, you are proficient in military strategy, Qimen Dunjia, the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, you are calm and wise in handling affairs, and your strategies are outstanding. But love is not a battlefield. Sometimes being too rational will only make you unable to see your own heart clearly. Who you love in your heart is not something you can think about, think about, or compare with your head. You should ask your heart. Only she can tell you the answer, only she can make the choice."

"Use your heart?" Ao Jun frowned, pondering Ao Xue's words. Use your heart? How does one use their heart? How can one make a choice without thinking? Use your heart to make a choice?

"I'll go ask someone to cook you a bowl of porridge. You haven't eaten all day, have you? No wonder you're thinking about delicious food. Don't think about it now, just rest!" Ao Jun said gently and considerately, tucking a blanket around Ao Jun. Seeing Ao Jun nod, she then went out.

Lying in bed, Ao Jun's mind was filled with Ao Xue's words, constantly asking himself: Who do you truly love? Whom do you choose? Jin Xuan? Or Yelü Ying? Sigh, can the heart truly make a choice? Xue, why are you being so vague? You know I won't think about it...

Why not explain these things clearly using this nature?

As Ao Jun lay in bed pondering the meaning of Ao Xue's words, she suddenly sensed a strong killing intent approaching her room. Alarm bells immediately rang in her mind, but she remained calm and continued lying in bed: "Hmph, I'd like to see who dares to mess with me."

In no time, more than a dozen men in black appeared in Ao Jun's room. It was clear that these assassins were no ordinary people. The fact that they had caused such a commotion meant that the person in question thought highly of her.

Sensing several men in black approaching her, a gleaming sword shot straight at her. The attack was truly ruthless. Ao Jun snorted coldly inwardly, dodging the sword with a somersault. She then stood directly behind the men in black, her sharp gaze fixed on one of them, and calmly asked, "Who sent you?"

The men in black were taken aback at first, probably not expecting that the seemingly weak scholar Ao Jun possessed such high martial arts skills. However, they quickly regained their composure. One of them, who appeared to be the leader, put his hands behind his back and sneered, "You have no right to ask. Hand over the item, and perhaps we can spare your life." Although he was dressed in black and his face was covered, his gleaming black eyes looked at Ao Jun with disdain.

Things? What things? They let her take them without even knowing what they were talking about. Are these people out of their minds? And she's the one who's going to be killed! They actually said she has no right to ask!

"Hmph, we'll see if you're lucky enough to have it." Ao Jun crossed his arms, seemingly harmless, and sneered. But just by standing there casually, he exuded an aura of dominance over the world that was pressing down on them. Their sword-wielding hands trembled involuntarily, and the chill emanating from him made them feel as if they had fallen into a deep ice cellar. Their sword-wielding hands suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

"Hmph, you won't listen to reason, so here we are. Attack! Kill her first, then we'll find the stuff." The black-clad leader was also intimidated by Ao Jun's aura and took a step back. He suppressed the sudden unease that welled up in his heart and ordered with a fierce look in his eyes. Hmph, he didn't believe that she was really that powerful. Although her aura was strong, even stronger than his master's, she was only a twenty-year-old girl. He didn't believe that she could stop them all by herself. His master overestimated her too much, actually mobilizing all the elites of the Dark Night Pavilion. You should know that just one of them was a top assassin feared by everyone in the martial arts world, who had never missed a kill.

At the command of the black-clad leader, a dozen or so men in black, their eyes gleaming, lunged at Ao Jun with their swords drawn. Ao Jun, like a ghost, easily dodged them all. None of the assassins could even touch the hem of her garment. For a moment, the room was filled with the glint of blades and the flickering of swords, a white figure and dozens of black figures playing a game of 'chase'. These assassins were ruthless figures feared by all in the martial world; when had they ever been so useless? A dozen men couldn't even touch the hem of a young girl's clothes. If word got out, they would lose all face. Besides, if they failed their mission, they would face certain death. Their master's methods were terrifying.

Thinking of this, the dozen or so men in black became increasingly ruthless, each move sharp and precise, each sword strike fast, accurate, and vicious, yet they still couldn't harm Ao Jun.

Ao Jun was still ill, having vomited and had diarrhea all day, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. She was also feeling weak, so she needed to act quickly and decisively to eliminate these people as soon as possible. Just then, an assassin thrust his sword straight at her. Ao Jun dodged, simultaneously grabbing the man's wrist. With a forceful pull, the man's sword-wielding hand snapped, likely shattering all the bones. The sword fell to the ground. Ao Jun kicked him, and the man immediately collapsed to the ground groaning, unlikely to get up. Having dealt with one, several more colleagues immediately attacked. Ao Jun sneered, "Perfect timing!" Suddenly, only cries of "Ah!", "Bang!", "Ah!" filled the air.

The leader in black watched as his men fell one by one. He first stared in disbelief, then narrowed his eyes and suddenly struck out, delivering a palm strike to Ao Jun. This time, he dared not underestimate Ao Jun, and this strike was delivered with all his might.

Ao Jun felt a powerful palm strike coming from behind. She was about to turn around to defend herself, but her body was too weak and her reaction was a little too slow. Just as the fatal palm strike was about to hit her, a sword flashed in front of her and went straight for the black-clad leader. The sharp sword energy and the powerful palm strike collided in the air. The two figures, one in green and one in black, were both sent flying. The black-clad man fell straight to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Seeing that the situation was not good, he fled. The green-clad figure was caught steadily by a bright yellow figure.

"Jin-di, are you alright?" Zheng-xuan, dressed in a dragon robe, asked Jin-xuan, while Ao-xue, looking anxious, stood behind him.

"It's nothing," Jinxuan shook his head and said. At this moment, Aojun ran over anxiously. Jinxuan was about to meet Aojun to see if she was hurt when he suddenly felt his body go limp and fell straight down. Zhengxuan, who seemed to have known he would fall, caught him. Looking at Aojun who had come to their side, Zhengxuan lowered his head and smiled strangely.

"Jinxuan, Jinxuan, how are you?" Aojun looked anxiously at Jinxuan, who was pale and had his eyes closed, in Zhengxuan's arms. She asked anxiously, and a bad premonition suddenly rose in her heart. She was very scared, more scared than she had ever been before.

Zhengxuan glanced at Jinxuan, his eyes reddening, and said incoherently, "Jin-di... his meridians were all severed by that palm strike, he... can't live anymore. Jin-di, I'm too late..."

Can't survive? Can't survive? What does "can't survive" mean, and why say it? No, it can't be...

Like a bolt from the blue, Ao Jun's already pale face turned even more bloodless. Her mind went blank, and she staggered back a few steps, her eyes fixed on Jin Xuan as if afraid he would disappear in the blink of an eye. Her fists clenched so tightly that she didn't even notice her nails digging into her flesh and bleeding. Her world went dark, gray, and collapsed. She could feel nothing, there was nothing left, only those three words: "I can't live," "I can't live." At that moment, she heard her own heart; her heart was bleeding, her heart was broken, her heart was empty. Her once full heart was now empty... empty. Why? Why? Why did her heart suddenly become empty? Why?

“Jun…” Ao Xue, with tears streaming down her face, supported the swaying Ao Jun and called out worriedly.

"No..." Ao Jun, distraught, suddenly roared, shoving aside Ao Xue who was supporting her, rushing to Zheng Xuan, snatching Jin Xuan from his arms, and holding him tightly in her embrace. Tears streamed down her face, dripping onto Jin Xuan's face. Ao Jun frantically tried to wipe away his tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed, dripping from her face onto Jin Xuan's...