L'hibiscus comme peinture

Chapitre 128

"Phew... So that's how it is! You scared me to death, hehe... It's quite like what they show on TV, but..." Upon hearing this, Ao Xue breathed a sigh of relief and said with a grin. She picked up a few strands of hair to examine them, frowned, and deliberately paused, making Ao Jun tense up. He thought that Xue, with her keen observation skills, had noticed something, but unexpectedly, Ao Xue suddenly smiled and nodded appreciatively, saying, "But... It's pretty cool, haha... Jun, you've become a white-haired witch, so cool! Little Xuanzi, don't you think so? Doesn't it look like a white-haired witch? Hmm, it really does..." The more Ao Xue saw the resemblance, the more she scrutinized Ao Jun, her eyes shining. In the 21st century, people often saw stories of white hair due to cultivating divine skills on TV. She used to be a huge fan of white-haired witches; they were practically her idols!

Aside from Ao Jun, everyone else had countless black lines above their heads, plus a huge question mark: someone else's hair turned white before their time, and she actually said it was cool, but what is a TV? And who is the White-Haired Witch?

Ao Jun breathed a sigh of relief, feigning anger as she said, "How dare you call me a witch? How do I look like a witch? Be careful, or I'll sue you for defamation."

"Ha, go ahead and sue! Here, my husband is the boss. Who can you sue to? Who will even take your case?" Ao Xue raised her head arrogantly, looking like she was the boss and didn't care about anyone.

"So you know your husband's an emperor? Impressive! You've been so quickly assimilated by that evil feudalism, ignoring the laws of the country! You've truly disgraced us modern humans! God! Grant me strength to lead this lost sheep back to the right path! Amen!" Ao Jun gave Ao Xue a disdainful look, speaking as if heartbroken, adopting the air of a proper, bloodthirsty priest, her face full of piety, even tapping Ao Xue's forehead. Her serious expression really intimidated everyone; actually, she was practically bursting with internal injuries—no, it should be said, her internal injury medication had worsened, haha…

"Fine! You dare to make fun of me? You'll pay with your life..." Ao Xue put her hands on her hips, looking like a shrew, and pushed Ao Jun back onto the bed, then started tickling her.

Everyone else smiled as they watched the children play, their minds filled with questions about what the children were saying. Jin Xuan and Zheng Xuan looked at them with doting eyes; they were already used to their occasional strange remarks. They had waited half a year for this warm and happy scene, and it made them feel like the happiest men in the world. Yelü Ying felt a pang of bitterness: this was a side of his leader he had never seen before. Perhaps only with them could his leader be happy! He shouldn't force her to stay by his side and deprive her of her happiness. Sheng Qing and Sheng Zi desperately held back their tears. In the past six months, they had never seen their sect leader so childlike, but there was only one day left… How cruel fate was.

"Ha...no, Xue...you...cough cough..." As soon as Ao Xue made her move, Ao Jun only smiled briefly before beads of sweat quickly appeared on her forehead. She started coughing incessantly, unable to even smile anymore. Her heart ached, and she gradually became weak.

"Jun, how are you? What happened to you?" Aoxue and Jinxuan asked anxiously, quickly helping Ao Jun up. One patted her back, the other wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her deathly pale face terrified everyone. Yelü Ying took a step forward, but ultimately stopped abruptly. His fists clenched tightly, his heart bleeding and aching, yet he could do nothing, absolutely nothing.

"N-nothing...it's nothing." Ao Jun managed to utter two words with difficulty. Heaven knows how difficult it was for her to say even one word, but she couldn't let them see any flaws. With Jin Xuan and Xue's intelligence, they would notice even the slightest flaw.

Sheng Zi rushed over and anxiously fed Ao Jun a pill. Her brows were furrowed so deeply they could have trapped a fly, and her baby face was filled with deep sorrow.

This scene was witnessed by Jinxuan and the others. They exchanged glances and saw the same meaning in each other's eyes. Their brows furrowed deeply, and their once joyful eyes were now filled with sorrow and grief...

"Well... the sect leader's injuries haven't healed yet, and he's still very weak, which is why he looks like this," Sheng Qing quickly explained when he saw that Jin Xuan and the others looked unwell.

Such attempts to cover up the truth not only failed to reassure Jinxuan and the others, but instead made them even more uneasy.

"Jinxuan, Xue, I'm really fine. Don't forget, I'm the sect leader of the Holy Immortal Sect. The best doctors in the world are all in the Holy Immortal Sect. This little injury will heal in less than a day." Ao Jun gradually caught his breath, noticed the awkward atmosphere, and smiled calmly.

"Jun, are you really alright?" Jin Xuan asked, still disbelieving, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead. His deep eyes were filled with heartache and unease. Although the other sect leaders and Huang Ying were unharmed, their tension and grief did not escape his notice. Jun was not as easily cured as they claimed, needing only a few days of rest. Had Sheng Chi really injured her so badly last night? Jun's skill was superior to his; if it were merely internal injuries, it shouldn't be this severe, and the people of the Holy Immortal Sect wouldn't be so grieving. Jun must be hiding something from him…

"I'm really fine." Ao Jun nodded firmly, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, and changed the subject, "Xue, how did you get here?" If she continued, they would definitely find out.

"You still dare to say that? You faked your death to deceive us, making me cry for half a year. If it weren't for Xiao Xuanzi and me discovering that your 'death' was suspicious and doubting that the charred corpse wasn't you, and rushing over, would you still have planned to never acknowledge us? Tell me, why did you fake your death?" Aoxue said angrily. She knew that Jun was changing the subject and that Jun was hiding her injury, but she knew that it was useless to force her. Unless Jun was willing to tell you, no one could make her open her mouth if she didn't want to talk about it.

"Jun, what exactly happened half a year ago? Who was that corpse? Why did you become the sect leader of the Holy Immortal Sect? And back then, Cheng Wuying said that there was no cure for the poison you were poisoned with. And now look what happened?" Jin Xuan continued along with Ao Xue's words. He respected Jun's reluctance to talk about it, but he would definitely find out the truth. He would never allow Jun to leave him again.

Ao Jun looked up at the window, lost in memories of the past. He said calmly, "That day you were going to marry Cheng Wuying, I chose to run away, wanting to take Ying'er with me. I never expected she would poison my wine. It turns out she's always hated me; she wanted to make me suffer. My despair and misunderstanding of you were all part of her scheme with Cheng Wuying, the Prince of Zhongwu, and... Yelü Ying. At that moment, my heart ached so much, not from the poison, but from the pain of betrayal... After Ying'er ran away, I was utterly devastated... Before my mind completely collapsed, I suddenly sensed a strong killing intent. Instinctively, I seized the man. It turned out he was the black-clad leader of the Seven Killings Tower who had failed to assassinate me that night and fled. His mission failed, and he dared not return to the Seven Killings Tower, so..." He had been lurking near the Crown Prince's tutor's residence, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate me again. He finally caught up with me, but he still dared not act rashly. He finally decided to set fire to the place, but I, already poisoned, noticed. I was too weak to fight him, and he set the fire anyway. At the critical moment, Cheng and Elder Huang appeared, killed the man in black, and, discovering I was heavily poisoned, took me away. So the corpse belonged to the assassin. The Heavenly Qian Sword in my hand, and the Heavenly Kun Divine Skill Stone on my body—the Holy Immortal Sect's succession token—were passed down to me by my two masters, Feng and Yan, before their deaths, making me the sect leader. So I became the sect leader. As for… as for the poison, Elder Huang has already cured me.” His tone was so calm, as if he weren't talking about his own affairs, but this 'sorrowful white hair'…

"Hmph, Cheng Wuying deserved to die, and Yelü Ying too, hmph..." Ao Xue sneered at Yelü Ying standing at the door. Being betrayed by the person you trust most is the most painful thing in the world, and she knew this pain best when she was framed by Lan'er, who was also the person she trusted most.

"I..." Yelü Ying opened his mouth, but in the end he lowered his head.

"Jun, that's all in the past. Now we can finally be together forever." Jin Xuan reached out and hugged Ao Jun tightly, speaking emotionally. Although Jun spoke so casually, he still felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about it. If Sheng Cheng and the Divine Doctor hadn't appeared back then, then it really would have been Jun he had hugged...

"Mmm." Ao Jun buried her head in Jin Xuan's arms, nodded, and reached out to hug Jin Xuan's waist tightly, greedily inhaling his pleasant scent. Perhaps this was the last time.

The two embraced passionately, oblivious to everyone else, deeply piercing Yelü Ying's eyes. Though his heart ached, he was no longer jealous...

"We've been traveling for so many days, I'm so tired! Jun, let's go rest now. You and Jinxuan have a good chat about our parting! Hehe... Little Xuanzi, let's go." Aoxue winked at Aojun in a flirtatious way, then pulled Zhengxuan along, looking exhausted, and headed out of the room.

"Sect Master, we'll take the Emperor and the others down. Call us if anything happens," Sheng Qing said with a knowing smile, but still added with concern.

Yelü Ying gave Ao Jun one last deep look before following him out; he was superfluous here.

Ao Jun blushed as she watched Ao Xue and the others leave. Just as Yelü Ying was about to step out of the room, she lifted her head from Jin Xuan's embrace and said calmly, "Yelü Ying, the past is the past, we can still be friends." Although Yelü Ying had hurt her in the past, he had also been deceived. Besides, she had wronged him first. After these past six months, she had already forgiven him.

These words made Yelü Ying stop abruptly, his body trembling slightly, but he didn't turn around. With his back to Ao Jun, he smiled, his lifeless eyes regaining their light, nodded slightly, and strode away.

“He has suffered a lot in the past six months.” Jin Xuan sighed softly as he watched Yelü Ying’s retreating figure.

"Huh?" Ao Jun looked at him in confusion. In her memory, since she met these two, they had always been irreconcilable enemies. But now, listening to Jin Xuan's tone, she felt a little sorry for him.

Jinxuan smiled and recounted his story with Yelü Ying. Aojun's smile deepened as she listened: This must be for the best, right? They can both let go of their hatred and resentment, and she can leave in peace.

As night fell and the world fell silent, a loving couple slept in each other's arms, sharing their longing and yearning for each other over the past six months. Jin Xuan, usually taciturn, suddenly became eloquent and talkative, chattering incessantly throughout the night, as if he wanted to say everything he had to say in his life. Ao Jun, on the other hand, simply smiled tenderly at him, listening to him and occasionally chiming in with a few words... The candlelight flickered, and the two whispered softly in the tent, their deep affection filling the air.

As dawn broke, Ao Jun, who had been sleepless all night, opened her eyes and gazed tenderly at Jin Xuan, who was sleeping beside her with a gentle smile on his face. She reached out and gently traced his handsome features—his long eyelashes, his high nose, his sensual lips… She wanted to etch them deeply into her heart. As a modern human being from the 21st century, she didn't believe in reincarnation, but at this moment, she hoped for one. In the next life, she would definitely find Jin Xuan again.

Daylight broke, another day had passed. She sat up gently, clutching her chest; her heart began to ache. The "white hair of grief" had flared up; the miracle hadn't happened. But she still thanked God for giving her a beautiful last day, for allowing her to spend a wonderful, happy night with Jinxuan. Now, it was time for her to go…

The Strategist and the Princess: Chapter 88 - From the Highest Heaven to the Deepest Hell

Daylight broke, another day had passed. She gently sat up, clutching her chest; her heart began to ache. The 'white hair of grief' had flared up again; the miracle hadn't happened. But she still thanked heaven for giving her a beautiful day, for allowing her to spend a wonderful and happy night with Jinxuan. Now, it was time for her to go...

She covered her aching hands and mouth, struggling gently to get out of bed. Just as she was about to leave, she was suddenly grabbed and turned around. The person who had been asleep was now looking at her affectionately, his deep eyes showing no sign of sleepiness. It turned out he hadn't fallen asleep at all; he had been awake the whole time.

"I...I'll be right back." Ao Jun smiled faintly at Jin Xuan, but tried to pull away Jin Xuan's hand from hers with her other hand. The poison had already taken effect; she couldn't let Jin Xuan see her in pain. Just a little longer, and it would be over.

"Where to?" Jinxuan still held Aojun's hand tightly, sat up, stared at Aojun with his deep eyes, and asked in a magnetic voice.

"Something...something's wrong..." Ao Jun turned her head, speaking softly, beads of sweat constantly seeping from her forehead. She couldn't let Jin Xuan see. Jin Xuan, let go, I can't hold on much longer...

"Jun, don't lie to me. You look like you're in so much pain. Tell me, what's wrong with you? Don't bear everything alone anymore, okay? Let me share your burden, okay?" Jin Xuan pulled Ao Jun back, frowning as he spoke in a hoarse voice.

Gently wiping the beads of sweat from Ao Jun's forehead, Jin Xuan noticed her pale face and tightly clenched lips, the way she was suppressing her pain deeply piercing his heart. He held her icy hand tightly—a hand so cold, devoid of warmth: "Why?" Even her body was gradually losing its warmth... "No...it can't be, Jun, Jun is only injured, it can't be..." Jin Xuan was startled by his own sudden thought and shook his head repeatedly...

"Jinxuan, I... I just..." Ao Jun weakly raised her hand, trying to soothe the pain between Jinxuan's brows. She smiled, wanting to reassure Jinxuan, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her heart ached as if being cut by a knife. A surge of heat rushed over her, and she was too weak to suppress it. She spat out a mouthful of blood. The wind blew in the room, raising her white hair, and the remaining black hair quickly turned white... The red and white reflected each other, creating a beautiful scene.

"Jun, Jun, don't scare me, Jun..." Jin Xuan said in a trembling voice, his deep eyes flashing with unprecedented panic. He frantically wiped the blood from Ao Jun's mouth, but the more he wiped, the more blood flowed from Ao Jun's mouth.

But the only response he received was Ao Jun's uncontrollable cries of pain, his hands clenched tightly, his face covered in sweat, his magnetic eyes gradually losing focus, and his white hair cascading over Jin Xuan's arms.