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墨書 Inktalez
Before I left, the High Priest told me a long-forgotten story, one that concerned her and the tragedy of her life, as well as a related love.
She had not always been so ugly. On the contrary, throughout the Yan Kingdom and even across the entire realm, no one was unaware of Murong Yan, the Feiyan Rebirth. She was as light as a swallow, beautiful as a flower, able to dance on lotus leaves with the grace of a fairy. She floated like clouds in the sky, dazzling like Night Stars, and captivating like Winter Sunlight. Her dance made her as renowned as Zhao Feiyan, who once danced on the palm of a hand. However, she fell in love with a Musician. Yet, his father, the emperor, would never approve of their union. Thus, they chose to flee together.
But in this place, they were pursued by soldiers and forced to fall. Here too was a Demoness, who had been abandoned by a man in her youth and thus no longer believed in love. At that time, she forced the High Priest to take a potion that would make her ugly; however, to save her, the Musician had to consume the Soul Severing Pill for her to save the High Priest. Similarly, the Demoness offered the Musician two choices: either take the poison and be with her or spare his life at the cost of the High Priest suffering a torturous death.
When the Demoness explained the effects of the Soul Severing Pill, he was immediately struck dumb with fear and chose to live alone.
In truth, the Demoness had betrayed him; when he chose to live and hesitated to abandon his beloved, he was brutally killed before he could react. As for the High Priest, after enduring torment and losing her beauty, she managed to survive. The Demoness saw her plight and recognized their shared fate. Instead of killing her, she left her there.
Before the old Demoness died, tears streaming down her face, she lamented how she had spent her life searching for true love in this world only to be met with disappointment. She told the High Priest that if only that Musician had been willing to swallow that pill back then, she would not have troubled them and would have let them go. But true love did not exist in this world after all; murmuring with resentment, the old Demoness passed away with eyes wide open.
The reason she troubled me was merely to test whether what the old Demoness said was true; she wanted to see true love so that she could die in peace. At this point, she suddenly gazed intently at me: "You are truly something special."
I fell silent. In truth, I did not know what I was thinking at that moment; I simply wanted to ensure he did not die—that was all there was to it. If I did something unexpected for them, it was merely instinct.
Just as survival is human instinct—without any basis for it.
After leaving there, we quickly departed Liang Minshan along the path she indicated.
However, while allowing me to leave, she also made me promise something. That promise became a heavy shackle from which I could not escape.
I never told Sima Rui about my conversation with the High Priest. I thought it best that he remain unaware. Although he was curious, he never asked about it directly.
For some reason, I felt that after this incident, there was something strange about our atmosphere. His attitude toward me also felt somewhat odd.
But there was no time for us to explore the nature of our relationship. A greater event had occurred.
Upon returning to Jiankang City, the first thing I did was rush to the medical hall to inquire about the situation. Upon seeing my safe return, the crowd that had been anxiously waiting in Azure Thorn's medical hall, like ants on a hot pan, finally relaxed. They had been worried sick since I had gone missing, and when I stepped through the door, I saw that Azure Thorn, Little Seven, Yun Ying, Xiao Quanzi, and even Song Kong looked much more haggard. It felt as if I had returned from a great calamity, having narrowly escaped death; an inexplicable sense of rebirth washed over me. I noticed that not only were their eyes red-rimmed, but mine were too.
We stood there in silence, gazing at each other for a long time. Finally, Azure Thorn stood up, his voice barely suppressing his excitement and agitation as he spoke in his usual calm manner, "Welcome back."
I smiled lightly, as gentle as a breeze. "Long time no see."
Later, Azure Thorn told me that after my disappearance, they quickly gathered the entire Jun Jin to investigate. They soon discovered Jimo's existence and had already captured him, locking him away in Jun Jin's stone prison. They hoped to decide how to deal with him after my safe return.
I replied calmly, "Since I'm not dead, find a good room in the villa for him and have someone attend to him. Let him stay there for the rest of his life."
At this point, Little Seven chuckled lightly and said, "Jimo has gone mad. He saw you and that person fall off the cliff and concluded you were dead; he became deliriously happy. We—" He choked up at this moment. "Song Kong mobilized all of A Bead of Pearl to search for you at the foot of the mountain but couldn't find your bodies. Little Seven was so afraid he would never see you again..." He struggled to continue.
The others looked at me with tears brimming in their eyes.
I felt moved and reassured them, "Don't worry; I'm fine. I couldn't bear to leave Jun Jin or you all behind; how could I easily die?"
"By the way," I said with a serious expression, "the herbs..."
"The herbs that Jimo had bribed have all been found; the epidemic has been brought under control. Please rest assured," Azure Thorn said with a joyful smile. "Jun Jin's reputation is known far and wide."
It was Jun Jin that saved them. Countless citizens believed this to be true.
"Really?" I said calmly, "Those are just our responsibilities. It's merely a matter of duty."
I looked at them and instructed, "Each of you should take your responsibilities seriously and protect Jun Jin. Treat the common people well."
"We understand," they replied in unison.
"Alright, that concludes our discussion. I should return to the palace now."
"Young Master—" Azure Thorn hesitated.
"If you have something to say, just say it." After this ordeal, I realized that they were my closest family. I wanted to cherish that bond even more. My heart felt calmer and more peaceful, and I understood the true meaning of life better. I knew what was important to me and what I should cherish.
The three of them wore serious expressions, and finally, Azure Thorn spoke up, "Su Jun has rebelled. The rebels have already reached the capital. The palace is no longer safe. Young Master, you should return to Jun Jin."
"What?! Su Jun has rebelled?!" There was indeed such an event in history, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. Judging by their expressions, the situation must be urgent. No wonder Sima Rui had looked so serious after convening a court meeting upon our return; he had prepared for our return to the palace ahead of time. So much had happened while we were away.
Su Jun, the Su Jun rebellion. Isn't Su Jun the father of Su Xunnan? Then what about the relationship with the Jian Kang Five Young Masters? I recalled a few years ago seeing that somewhat sinister boy named Gaze in Red Lattice Flowers, which made me uncomfortable. I thought of that boy who lost his dignity for Sister Dan Yi, bowing and scraping time and again. I remembered that boy who treated Second Sister's feelings as mere playthings. A sense of dread washed over me as I wondered what might happen in the future.
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