At the beginning of the change of imperial power, there was bound to be some turmoil, and no major personnel adjustments were made. The new emperor simply gave everyone a great encouragement and bestowed rewards, which greatly appeased the ministers who believed in "a new emperor, a new court." As a result, the ministers shouted "Long live the emperor!" with grateful hearts.
Lin Zijin stood quietly behind the curtain, watching everything with satisfaction.
The overall situation is settled; the fate of the kingdom now belongs to Jun Yilin!
Lin Zijing turned around, took Anmei with her, and went to Jun Yifeng's bedroom again.
"Tell someone to open that mechanism!" Lin Zijing said calmly.
Anmei smiled: "Why would I need anyone else? I am the best in the building!"
"Then why didn't you make a move last night?" Lin Zijing asked curiously.
"That's because the Lord of the Tower didn't give the order!" Dark Enchantress replied.
"Hmph, you'd actually be that obedient?" Lin Zijing didn't believe it.
"I've always been obedient!" Dark Enchantress replied with a straight face.
"Stop pretending, what is it?" Lin Zijin asked seriously.
Anmei stopped pretending and answered softly, "Because the Lord's killing intent has dissipated, you—don't want to kill him!"
"Hmph, don't think you know everything!" Lin Zijing turned her head and strode forward.
Anmei watched his retreating figure and said with a wry smile, "I know you're still as kind as ever!"
After several attempts, Anmei finally opened the secret passage. Just as Lin Zijing was about to jump down, Anmei stopped him and said, "It's dangerous, I'll go instead!"
"Hmph, is your martial arts better than mine, or are your hidden weapons and poisons better than mine?" Lin Zijing feigned contempt.
Anmei was taken aback, and Lin Zijin jumped down.
Anmei cursed inwardly, "So what if I saw through your heart? Is there any need for immediate retaliation?" Then she jumped down.
Below the secret passage was a winding, rugged path. Although simple, steps had been carved out, and bright pearls hung on the walls as lamps for illumination. After walking about two miles, the steps went up, and pushing them revealed light once more.
What came into view was a dilapidated palace, surrounded by overgrown weeds. The crooked weeds on the path in front of the main hall indicated that someone had been there.
The two of them slowed their pace and entered the main hall.
The doors to the main hall were open, revealing a dusty interior where the dust motes danced in the sunlight like willow catkins. Two sets of footprints, clearly belonging to two people, were clearly visible on the dusty floor. The entire hall was strangely permeated with the scent of sandalwood used in Buddhist rituals.
The two exchanged a glance and then slowed their pace even further.
As I entered the inner room, I suddenly saw someone—Jiang Yumin.
Lin Zijing didn't rush forward. Instead, she observed her surroundings. There was no sign of a fourth person. Although the room's furnishings were old, they were tidy and showed no signs of a struggle. Jiang Yumin sat blankly on the floor, his eyes vacant. Even as the two approached, he remained unresponsive.
Lin Zijing was a little worried. He squatted down, put his hand on Jiang Yumin's shoulder, and said softly, "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Jiang Yumin slowly raised her head, her lifeless eyes looking at Lin Zijing, and said, "I'm fine, he—I let him go!"
Lin Zijing didn't ask why, she just nodded and said, "It's good to let her go, it's better to avoid creating more bloodshed!" She tried to help Jiang Yumin stand up.
Jiang Yumin said, "Aren't you going to ask me why?"
Lin Zijing said, "Some secrets don't necessarily have to be revealed to others. Even though you treat me like family, you don't have to tell me everything. Right now, I'm just relieved to know that you're safe. Let's go."
"I—I—" Jiang Yumin tried to speak, but Lin Zijing stopped her with a gesture. So Jiang Yumin shut up and didn't say anything more.
Lin Zijing and Anmei helped Jiang Yumin up, and the three of them walked outside.
Suddenly, several loud "whoosh" sounds rang out, and a volley of crossbow bolts shot towards the three men. They quickly adjusted their breathing and dodged. However, the crossbow bolts came wave after wave, and the three men, unable to dodge in time, were all injured.
Lin Zijing looked at the wounds on herself and their bodies. They weren't serious, just bleeding profusely. She thought to herself that the injuries weren't too bad and they could still break through. But it was easy to dodge a spear in the open but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. She wondered where there were any traps or where the breakthrough point was.
After a barrage of hundreds of crossbow bolts, the attack finally stopped.
Lin Zijing shouted loudly, "I've already let you go, aren't you leaving?"
"Haha..." Jun Yifeng emerged from behind a large tree in the courtyard—yes, a large tree—"I clearly have the upper hand now, so why should I leave?"
Lin Zijing said disdainfully, "You think you can take this?" She reached out and took the soft whip wrapped around her waist, then pulled out several packages from her bosom and handed them to Anmei, saying, "You've wanted this for a long time, here you go today!"
Anmei happily accepted it, saying, "Great! We can use him to test the medicine today!"
Jiang Yumin pursed her lips tightly and remained silent.
Jun Yifeng laughed and said, "How do you know I am a person?" Then he shouted loudly, "Yumian, capture that annoying shadow demon for me!"
Just as Anmei was about to mock his wild ideas, Jiang Yumin suddenly caught him off guard, struck his pressure points, and slashed at the back of his neck. Anmei immediately lost consciousness.
Lin Zijing was taken aback. Jun Yifeng saw his expression and was very pleased: "How about it? You're next, Yu Mian. Take him down too. Don't worry, I won't kill him. Once this is over, he'll be yours."
Jiang Yumin made no move this time. Jun Yifeng's eyes sharpened, and he said, "What? You're disobedient, aren't you afraid—" but he didn't finish the sentence.
Jiang Yumin's eyes flickered, her face showing extreme difficulty.
Lin Zijing noticed Jiang Yumin's predicament, assuming he had some unspeakable difficulty. Unwilling to give Jun Yifeng another chance, Lin Zijing lashed out with her whip, leaping into the air and attacking Jun Yifeng.
Jun Yifeng was no match for Lin Zijing. After a few moves, he was already at a disadvantage. His hair was disheveled and his clothes were in disarray. As he parried, he shouted, "If I die, she won't live either! Aren't you going to make your move?"
Jiang Yumin finally couldn't hold back and used his most ruthless move. Lin Zijing was caught off guard and was immediately entangled by him, while Jun Yifeng broke free.
Lin Zijing's martial arts skills are now slightly better than Jiang Yumin's, but he never expected that this young man would attack him. His mind was thrown into disarray, and he was unable to dodge the attack in time and was subdued.
"I'm sorry! I'll explain later." Jiang Yumin, her face full of shame, was about to press Lin Zijin's pressure point to put her to sleep when she saw a crossbow bolt pierce through Lin Zijin's chest. Lin Zijin was suddenly thrown to the ground by the force and couldn't get up.
Jiang Yumin was shocked and quickly pressed several acupoints to stop the bleeding. She turned her head and shouted, "You said you wouldn't hurt him!"
Jun Yifeng sneered, "Hmph! If he doesn't die, I will. Don't be sad, come with me to see Mother! You haven't seen her for over ten years, she misses you terribly!"
"No! If he dies, I won't live either!" Jiang Yumin cried out, her face covered in tears.
Jun Yifeng stepped forward helplessly and said, "If I save him, how can you guarantee he will let me go? I am your family. Our family will be reunited soon. Why would you turn against me for the sake of an outsider!"
Seeing that Jiang Yumin remained unmoved, Jun Yifeng regained his cold demeanor: "Hmph, if you don't come with me, I'll pretend I don't have a brother like you! His heart is injured, and he probably won't survive. This time, I'm going to find a highly skilled master to make his soul scatter and prevent him from being reincarnated!"
Jiang Yumian was furious: "You—"
Several hurried footsteps sounded, and Jun Yifeng's expression changed. He quickly said, "Someone's coming. I have to go. Even if you don't come with me, now that you know your background, don't betray me!"
He turned around and walked back into the big tree. The hidden door closed, and the tree remained the same, without the slightest flaw.
"What's wrong with him?" A figure rushed over, hugged Lin Zijing, and asked loudly.
Jiang Yumin was knocked down by his momentum. When she saw that it was Jun Yilin, she was even more ashamed and stammered, "He—he was ambushed!"
"Is it Jun Yifeng?" Jun Yilin asked. "Where is he?"
Jiang Yumin looked at the big tree with difficulty, then shook her head and said, "They ran away!"
"Hmph! You're the one who let him escape!" It was Anmei, now fully awake. "Your Majesty, it's that tree! There's a secret door there; he must have escaped through there!"
Jun Yilin glanced at Jiang Yumin and ordered, "Men, go after him! Keep Lord Jiang under temporary custody and await further instructions!"
Jiang Yumin felt utterly powerless, gazing longingly at Lin Zijin lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Her heart was in turmoil, and she had no desire to resist.
"Wait," came the faint voice of Lin Zijing, "Don't arrest him. He didn't do it on purpose; he was just coerced."
Jun Yilin was overjoyed to see that Lin Zijing had woken up and shouted, "Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"
Then he said to Lin Zijin, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. I heard from the guards that there was some commotion here, and they couldn't find you, so I guessed it was you. How did you end up in such a mess!" Seeing that Lin Zijin had difficulty speaking, he said, "Don't say anything. I'll carry you back and heal your injuries first!" After saying that, he tried to pick up Lin Zijin.
Lin Zijing stopped him, saying, "I know my own wounds. This time, the wound has penetrated my heart and lungs, and it can't be healed. Don't blame Yu Mian; he has his own difficulties."
Seeing Lin Zijin's pleading eyes, Jun Yilin had no choice but to agree.
Jiang Yumin was too ashamed to look at Lin Zijin.
Lin Zijing continued, "Knowing that time is running out, I am actually calm. I understand my own feelings now, but it is too late."
Jun Yilin didn't understand what he was saying, and only sobbed, "Don't be afraid, you'll be alright."
Lin Zijing said, "I agree with your three conditions, but now, they can't all be fulfilled at the same time."
Jun Yilin's eyes lit up: "You—you mean!"
"Yes, I—have feelings for you!" Lin Zijing said shyly.
Jun Yilin was overjoyed: "You finally—"
Lin Zijing nodded slightly, her face flushed: "The only things I can't let go of now are you and Yu Mian. I have a few things to tell you, can you agree?" Seeing that Jun Yilin nodded, she continued: "After I leave, you can miss me, but you can't dwell on the past. You must govern the country well and let it flourish. That will fulfill my wish!"
"No, don't say such discouraging things. If you're not here, I will never marry!" Jun Yilin said firmly.
Lin Zijin said plaintively, "You won't even grant me my last wish?"
Jun Yilin's face turned ashen, and he remained noncommittal.
"Fine, even if I die, I will be filled with resentment. I will never have peace in the underworld!" Lin Zijing closed her eyes.
After struggling for a long time, Jun Yilin finally managed to utter a few words through gritted teeth: "Fine, I agree!"
Lin Zijin opened her eyes, looked at him with affection, and said, "I know it's hard on you. There's one more thing, which is to take good care of Yu Mian. He and Zhan Qing are both my younger brothers. I'm not worried about Zhan Qing because he is mentally strong, while Yu Mian seems strong but is actually very fragile. I—I'm worried about him!"
Jun Yilin nodded and said, "No problem! I will definitely do it!"
Lin Zijin said with relief, "In that case, I have no more desires. I am already lucky to have this opportunity and to have lived these extra years. To have you know and understand me is even more fulfilling! The only regret is that I did not realize my own feelings sooner..." Her dazzling and charming eyes finally closed forever.
Jun Yilin, expressionless, picked up Lin Zijing and walked out.
"No!" Jiang Yumin, who had been watching Lin Zijin's movements closely, couldn't accept this fact and cried out, "If you're gone, what's the point of me living?" She pressed her hand against her vital point...
☆、Twenty-two、Vitality
"What's the point of me living if you're gone?" Jiang Yumin cried out, raising her hand to her vital point, attempting suicide. Jun Yilin only said one sentence: "Do you want her soul to be restless?"
Jiang Yumin froze, his hand paused, then fell limply to his side. He had just heard what Lin Zijing said; he was the person Lin Zijing worried about most! If he died, wouldn't that go against Lin Zijing's last wish? Wouldn't that make Lin Zijing uneasy in the afterlife?
But—Jiang Yumin smiled bitterly, "I killed him! It was me! Letting me live is worse than being dead!"
Jiang Yumin collapsed to the ground, completely disheveled, his clothes stained with dry grass and blood, his hair disheveled. But at this moment, no one cared about such things, including himself.
So be it. Even if I suffer endless torment of conscience and endless bitterness throughout my life, I will only consider it atonement! Jiang Yumin thought to herself.
Seeing Jiang Yumin sitting on the ground in a disheveled state, and then looking at Lin Zijin's pale face in Jun Yilin's arms, those who arrived later were stunned. No one explained; they seemed to suddenly understand everything. The scene was silent, broken only by the occasional sobbing. Their pillar of strength, their soul, their handsome and loyal friend, had once again left them…
After a long pause, "No, I don't believe it. I don't believe he's dead. Just like last time, he'll definitely come back. All members of Dark Night Tower, listen to my command! I will temporarily assume the position of Tower Master. We must spread our agents throughout the country to search for the Tower Master's whereabouts! Now—go back!" Dark Enchantress stood up, calmly finished speaking, and left without looking back.