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墨書 Inktalez
"Where is he?"
"In the backyard warehouse." The warehouse was piled high with gold, silver, and jewels; I wondered if there was even room left for him.
"Help me up; I want to see him." I struggled to rise. Azure Thorn hurried over to assist me.
Azure Thorn looked worried. "My lord, your injury—"
I shook my head. "It's nothing."
"Just wait outside," I instructed Azure Thorn.
"What if he—" Azure Thorn hesitated, recalling the moment before the young master fainted when a sharp knife had been held against his throat. That kind of heart-stopping fear was something he never wanted to experience again.
I smiled slightly, aware that this smile only accentuated my pale face in an unsettling way. "Don't worry; he won't harm me."
He leaned against the wall, coldly watching me. "Who exactly are you? Are you here to take my life?" His black clothing had been changed into the white garments I usually wore. It seemed Azure Thorn had chosen something from my usual disguise as a man. Only then did I clearly see his features: sharp and cold, his face was as frigid as ancient ice, devoid of any expression.
"The world's number one assassin, Yifenghua?" I said calmly, observing his expression darken. I stepped closer, gently brushing my fingers over the red birthmark on his forehead and casually lifting the long sleeve on his left arm. There was a strange wolf's head design on it, dark green with black hues; the wolf's eyes seemed alive, glinting with an eerie blue light, staring coldly at me.
"The current Master of A Bead of Pearl, isn't it?" I smiled slightly, and his complexion suddenly turned pale.
"Who... who are you?"
I stood there in silence, simply pulling out a jade pendant from my pocket. I thought anyone from A Bead of Pearl would recognize this symbol.
He gasped upon seeing the pendant, but his expression quickly regained composure as he rushed to stand before me respectfully. "I pay my respects to the Master."
I remained silent, coldly gazing at him as I walked past and without hesitation slapped him hard across the face. Although I used my less injured hand, it still pulled at the wound painfully. I inhaled sharply but endured it.
Hearing the sound, Azure Thorn rushed in immediately but froze at the strange scene inside. The assassin knelt respectfully before the young master, a red five-finger mark clearly visible on his cheek, suggesting considerable force had been used. With an awkward smile, Azure Thorn discreetly retreated under my probing gaze.
I noticed his lips twitch slightly but he remained kneeling without moving.
"What’s wrong? Are you dissatisfied after being struck by a woman? Do you think I'm taking personal revenge?" I said emotionlessly.
He spoke in a businesslike tone, "Flourishing has harmed the Master and is willing to die as an apology."
A mocking smile appeared on my face. "Do you think I would care about your life? Master, you still consider me your Master. Who gave you the audacity to hide from me and attempt to assassinate the Emperor? Does Uncle Fu know about this? I trusted you so much, entrusted A Bead of Pearl to you, and yet you deceived me like this."
Before I could finish, I delivered another hard slap. I put all my strength into it, and his face immediately swelled up.
"Have you ever thought about what would happen if your assassination failed and your identity was revealed? Your actions would implicate the entire A Bead of Pearl, even the whole Jun Jin. If this matter comes to light, thousands of lives in Jun Jin would be lost because of your foolish impulsiveness. The Master of A Bead of Pearl, the world's number one assassin—what a sensitive identity that is. Have you thought about your adoptive father? Have you thought about the brothers who follow you wholeheartedly? Have you considered the safety of those who care for you and would sacrifice their lives for you? Have you thought about the consequences of this act? Even if you succeeded in killing the Emperor, perhaps your deep-seated grudge against him would be resolved, but what follows? Political turmoil, and it is always the innocent common people who suffer. How many families would be displaced, how many lives shattered? How many would become the next Yifenghua? You foolish, selfish fool!"
He no longer appeared cold and unfeeling; his whole body trembled, and his expression began to soften as if he recalled something or was suppressing something, struggling with an inner conflict. His gaze was filled with sorrow, and the blood at the corner of his mouth remained uncleaned, appearing particularly vivid.
"Fortunately, only my hand was crippled this time. Next time, if there's anything you want or need, just tell me directly to avoid dragging Jun Jin into trouble. Listen carefully: the existence of Jun Jin is to protect those who follow us; it is to shelter those kind-hearted, innocent homeless people. It is not a tool for your revenge! I don't care what deep grudges you have; settle them today! Treat me as if I were that Emperor; I'm standing here—stab me as many times as you want! But once you step out that door, there will no longer be the world's number one assassin Yifenghua!"
I furrowed my brow deeply and stared at him intently. "Only my Azure Dragon King 'Song Kong.' Do you agree?"
He knelt on the ground, lowering his head more and more, his body shaking uncontrollably as if he were having a seizure. After what felt like an eternity of struggle, he finally stood up to look at me.
His eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.
"Promise me not to seek revenge again," I repeated coldly.
"I... I can't." His face showed intense conflict and contradiction.
"Then from today onward, you are no longer a part of A Bead of Pearl, and I am no longer your Master. You may leave."
"Master, I've hurt you; I deserve death. Let Flourishing stay by your side to atone for my sins. But I have an irreconcilable enmity with Sima Rui..."
I pressed my lips tightly together and said coldly, "Get out."
Finally, he collapsed on the ground as if all his spirit had drained away, kneeling before me: "Yifenghua is willing to follow the Master for eternity."
I felt a pang of pity for his desolate state, but I couldn't show weakness; I couldn't allow him to make irreversible mistakes or watch as Jun Jin fell into despair. I remained expressionless and coldly said, "Remember, from now on there will be no more Yifenghua in this world. The moment you walk out that door, there will only be Azure Dragon King 'Song Kong.'" My words were laced with cruelty.
Silence lingered around us as both of us engaged in a fierce mental struggle—who would ultimately emerge victorious? It was like a battle between two people with no room for retreat. Behind us lay an abyss with no chance for withdrawal.
He finally stammered, "From now on, Flourishing's life belongs to the Master; Flourishing will never leave the Master’s side."
I sighed deeply. "Song Kong, don't let me down. And don't disturb your father."
Suda told me that I had been unconscious since my injury. Although Azure Thorn had diagnosed that there was nothing wrong, I still refused to wake up, remaining in a daze as if trapped in a dream, and I kept moaning in pain, as if I were suffering from some torment. Gaze looked at me with a complex expression. At that time, Azure Thorn had informed them that I was controlling my own will to avoid waking up, seemingly due to some trauma. If I chose never to wake up, I would remain in this state forever, never opening my eyes again. Suddenly, I recalled the old man from that dream; he must have helped me untangle my heart and guided me back. In truth, I didn't want to wake up again, but he had said that without trying, how could one know it wouldn't work? Remembering the strange expression on Little White's face when I woke up made me wonder if he had come to fetch me. Wasn't that a bit too strange?
Suda also told me that during my coma, the Emperor visited every night while everyone else was asleep, watching over me until dawn before leaving. She had noticed this because there was one night when she couldn't sleep and came to keep me company. The Emperor held my hand with a pained expression, murmuring something as if trying to awaken me. His expression was filled with sorrow.
I lowered my eyelids slightly, feeling confused. If he did all that, then why was he sad? Why did he choose to accompany me?
While I was still lost in the dream and hadn't awakened yet, he had already issued an edict declaring me the Lotus Consort, the only concubine to receive such a title from him.
A slight smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I self-deprecatingly remarked, "That barrier of mine really was worth it; it earned me the position of Xie De Fei."
Azure Thorn joked about how when they learned I was critically ill and on the brink of death, Little Seven almost rushed into the palace to see me.
This illness had drained my vitality severely. Just as I was preparing to take a long break and recuperate properly, shocking news arrived from outside the palace. Due to this year's lack of rainfall and dry weather, people from the south who were used to humidity were suffering greatly; now a plague began to spread across the land. People were in a state of panic; some villages had turned into ghost towns as those infected with the plague died due to lack of money for timely treatment. What saddened me even more was when Yun Ying hurriedly informed me that the usually healthy Shaoshao had also fallen ill. I remembered him visiting me several times after I woke up; each time his face was pale and he coughed incessantly. He insisted he was fine, and I naively thought he just had a minor cold or something. I never expected he would also contract the plague and fall ill in bed. Even the palace maids and eunuchs serving him had fallen sick. The atmosphere in the palace grew tense; no one dared visit him, and now there wasn't even anyone left in his quarters to take care of him. This situation had been going on for several days, but they all worried about my injury not being healed yet. They kept it from me—this was also Shaoshao's intention.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner! Yun Ying, go find Azure Thorn and gather at Jingyang Palace." I couldn't allow him, just a child, to lie alone in bed waiting for death while sick. I couldn't bear it. Besides, he always smiled so sweetly and happily calling me 'Mom.' He is my child.
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