L'hibiscus comme peinture - Chapitre 101
"Brother..." the pink figure called out, choking back tears as she ran, but stopped abruptly when she saw Ao Jun. She kept wiping her eyes and stared at Ao Jun in disbelief.
"Ying'er, what are you doing here?" Ao Jun exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the newcomer, smiling happily as she went to greet her. How could Ying'er be here? That's wonderful! It's been so long since I've seen her; I really missed her.
"No, it can't be, no..." Yueying murmured, distraught, upon hearing Aojun's excited cries and seeing him approaching, retreating continuously. Brother, how could brother become a woman? How could this be? No, no, this isn't brother, brother is a dignified man, why...?
"Ying'er, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Ao Jun asked worriedly as he helped Yue Ying up. He couldn't understand why Ying'er, who had been so happy just moments before, had suddenly become so distraught.
"No, don't touch me... You're not my brother, brother, brother is a man, you're not, you're not..." Yueying forcefully shook off Aojun's hand that was supporting her, and shouted as if she were crazy.
"Ying'er!" Ao Jun grabbed Yue Ying's shoulders, who was in a frenzied state, and roared. The roar calmed Yue Ying down, and she stared blankly at the stunning face before her. Seeing that Yue Ying had calmed down, Ao Jun sighed and said softly, "Ying'er, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you. But I had to disguise myself as a man to join the army. Actually, I am a woman, as your parents know. I am your older sister, not your older brother." It's understandable that Ying'er would find it hard to accept being called an older sister instead of an older brother.
"Sister? No, I don't have a sister, I only have a brother, only my beloved brother, brother..." Yueying murmured as she backed away with empty eyes.
This blow was too much for her to accept. Her brother, the man she loved so deeply, her dream man, was actually a woman! She had fallen in love with a woman—how ironic! Her brother, the god in her heart, had played her for a fool, deceived her like this! She hated him, she hated him so much! She hated the woman before her, hated her, she wanted nothing more than to kill her…
"Ying'er, you..." Ao Jun stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Yue Ying's vacant gaze. What did Ying'er just say? She said she deeply loved her brother? Could it be that she... had always deeply loved her disguised as a man? No way! Only then did Ao Jun belatedly recall some of Yue Ying's unusual expressions and actions in the past, as well as that burning gaze. She was shocked. She hadn't known anything about her.
"You're not my brother, I hate you..." Yueying, with a strength she didn't know she had, pushed Aojun away violently, and ran out like a madwoman, knocking the late-arriving butler to the ground. Then she ran out of the mansion without a care in the world.
Ao Jun was caught off guard when Ying'er suddenly pushed her away so forcefully. Still in shock, she stumbled back several steps and was about to fall when two figures flashed before her eyes. Jin Xuan and Yelü Ying caught her on either side and asked worriedly, "Jun, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Ying'er. No, I have to go find Ying'er." Ao Jun hurriedly shook off Jin Xuan and Yelü Ying's hands and was about to rush out. She was worried about Ying'er going out like this and felt very uneasy.
"I'll go with you," Jinxuan and Yelü Ying said at the same time, then snorted at each other: Why are you copying me!
Ignoring the undercurrents between the two, Ao Jun ordered the steward to send everyone in the mansion out to find Yue Ying, and he also left the mansion, only to be followed by two tagalongs.
Yueying ran forward like a madwoman, not knowing where she was going. She just wanted to get away from that person. She didn't want to see that person. She didn't know how long she would run. It was as if only by running like this could she vent the pain and hatred in her heart.
Finally exhausted, Yueying knelt down against a large tree. All the pain and hatred in her heart erupted at that moment. She cried out loudly, screaming at the sky, "Ah!...Why did you treat me like this? Why...Mo Jun...I hate you, you lied to me, I hate you, I hate you...Mo Jun, give my brother back to me, brother...ah..."
The sudden noise startled thousands of birds that were about to roost in the forest, plunging the once-silent woods into chaos...
Exhausted from the hardship and the shouting, she collapsed against the tree, completely drained. Her eyes still gleamed with resentment, and her hoarse voice continued to murmur, "I hate you, I hate you..."
“Hate is useless to talk about; if you hate, you must take revenge…” A ghostly voice rang out from behind Yueying, with a seductive quality.
Yueying raised her resentful eyes and turned her head. In the dappled shadows of the trees, a tall figure stood backlit, hands behind his back, his face obscured. Only a cruel smile could be vaguely seen on his lips, giving off an aura of terror and oppression.
Yueying stared blankly at the person in front of her who exuded an eerie aura that sent chills down her spine. She should have been afraid, but she felt nothing at all. Only one sentence echoed in her mind: "If you hate, you must take revenge, take revenge..." The hatred in her eyes deepened, and a cold smile appeared on her lips.
On a dark and windy night, a woman in green stood against the wind on the edge of a cliff. The wind blew her soft, black hair, her pale face, and her frail body, as if a gust of wind could blow her away. She was so delicate that one couldn't help but want to go forward and hug her, to cherish her. But her fierce eyes, flashing with hatred, were so terrifying and so bloodthirsty in the silent night.
"What do you want from me?" A deep, seductive voice sounded from behind, carrying a hint of laughter and cruelty.
"Help me kill someone." The woman in green, still gazing at the distant sky, spoke with a bloodthirsty rage, her words filled with profound hatred and ruthlessness.
"Mo Jun." The newcomer smiled knowingly and stepped out of the darkness. A tall figure dressed in black emerged. Although his face was not visible, one could see the cruel and bloodthirsty smile on his lips. His eyes were fixed on the person in front of him, and there was a tenderness in his eyes that he himself did not realize, though it was only fleeting.
"Hmph, as expected of the master of the Seven Killings Pavilion. So, will you agree or not?" The woman in green snorted coldly, turned her head, and looked at the tall man in black in front of her expressionlessly.
"I can't kill him." The man in black shrugged and said truthfully, his eyes flashing with deep hatred: Mo Jun.
"Oh, can't kill him? Is there anyone in the world that the Seven Killings Pavilion Master can't kill? Hmph, he's just a weak scholar. Isn't the Pavilion Master a bit too insecure?" The woman in green sneered, looking at the man in front of her with disdain. This was the man she had unintentionally saved, the man who had promised to do something for her.
"Heh... a weak scholar? I didn't expect Mo Jun to have fooled everyone. Do you really think a weak scholar could wipe out all the elites of my Dark Night Pavilion?" The man in black chuckled coldly, his laughter sounding eerie on the cliff, as if it came from hell. If it weren't for the fact that she had saved his life, given her attitude just now, he would have been reduced to dust long ago. A murderous intent surged in his eyes: If it weren't for Mo Jun, he would be the overlord of the world today, how could he have become the shameful master of the Seven Fiends Pavilion?
"What? You mean you already sent assassins to kill Mo Jun, and all of them were elites from the Dark Night Pavilion, but..." The woman in green stared at the man in black in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief and doubt. The Dark Night Pavilion was an organization that killed people, and she knew very well the strength of its elites. How could they not kill Mo Jun? Was Mo Jun's martial arts really that powerful? She didn't seem to know any martial arts at all! Why would he send people to kill Mo Jun, and even mobilize all the elites of the Dark Night Pavilion at once? Did he have a grudge against Mo Jun?
"Completely wiped out." The man in black continued with a hateful glint in his eyes, a cruel smile still playing on his lips, as if he could read minds. He added, "You guessed right. I not only know Mo Jun, but I also have a deep-seated hatred for her. She is the biggest obstacle on my path to domination, but I can't kill her. I've fought Mo Jun before. Her martial arts are unfathomable. No one knows just how high her skills are, or how strong she is. She's terrifying..."
"Even you can't kill her, am I really going to admit defeat? Is she really untouchable?" The woman in green took a step back, dejected, her heart filled with even more hatred: Why, why are you so outstanding, why? I'm not reconciled... I'm not reconciled!
"No, we can't kill her in martial arts, but there is someone who can." The man in black suddenly laughed eerily, exuding an air of conspiracy.
"Who is it? Is that person's martial arts really that high? Can he really kill her?" The woman in green seemed to see hope again and excitedly grabbed the sleeve of the man in black, asking anxiously.
"That person doesn't know martial arts, but she can definitely kill Mo Jun." The man in black raised a cruel and bloodthirsty smile, full of confidence.
"Haha... I believe you. No matter who that person is, as long as they can kill Mo Jun, that's all that matters." The woman in green laughed cruelly, her hateful eyes flashing as she sneered, "Now that we have this trump card, there's no need to rush to kill Mo Jun. Perhaps I can agree to cooperate with that person, haha... Mo Jun, before you die, I'll make good use of you, get what I want, and let you taste what it means to wish you were dead before you die, haha..."
His already pale face now looked even more ashen, like a ghost from hell. His watery eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty conspiracy, and his laughter sounded so sinister and terrifying on this empty cliff... The man in black curled up a cruel and bloodthirsty smile and laughed loudly as well... Those two laughs were more terrifying than the eighteenth level of hell.
While Ao Jun was overjoyed at finding Yue Ying, she was unaware that a storm was brewing beneath the surface, and a conspiracy that she could hardly bear was quietly approaching...
The Strategist and the Princess: Kyoto Chapter 72 - Conspiracy! Falling into the Trap!
On the hill behind the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's residence, Ao Jun, dressed in white, stood in front of the "gymnasium." It was finally completed. To give Jin Xuan a surprise, she had been busy with the final completion of the "gymnasium" these past few days and hadn't seen Jin Xuan again. She was going to find him later, hehe... Ao Jun smiled sweetly.
"What are you thinking about? Why are you so happy?" Yelü Ying suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a wicked smile on his face. His red eyes, however, held a hidden rage: Hmph, thinking about Ouyang Jinxuan again. Every time she thinks of Ouyang Jinxuan, she flashes that sweet, happy smile, making him want to tear her smile off. She can only think of him, she can only smile for him…
"It's nothing, Yelü Ying, I have something to tell you." Ao Jun turned around, her face serious, determined to make things clear today no matter what.
"My lord, your so-called 'gymnasium' has been completed? You've been ignoring me these past few days because of this 'gymnasium,' I'd like to see what this 'gymnasium' is all about." Yelü Ying said as if he hadn't heard Ao Jun's words, looking both interested and dissatisfied with the "gymnasium" in front of him.
"Yelü Ying, stop changing the subject. Let's clear everything up today!" Ao Jun closed her eyes and said firmly. These past few days, Yelü Ying had been clinging to her every day, but every time she tried to talk to him, he always managed to steer the conversation away, preventing her from speaking. Today, she wouldn't let him change the subject again. Everything had to be resolved today! A short pain was better than a long one. Although seeing him heartbroken still hurt, her own heart was now clear and no longer confused, so she had to harden her heart.