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墨書 Inktalez
"Zing..." I barely dodged in time, feeling a sharp pain on my cheek as my disguise was torn away. The pain rendered me speechless. Strangely, he remained silent as well. I thought he would want to humiliate me, that he would mock me mercilessly.
But he did none of that.
"It’s you—" he exclaimed in shock, nearly stumbling into me. His body recoiled as if he had seen something terrifying, as if a demon from hell had appeared before him. He awkwardly fell off the stone bed.
His expression was one of utter bewilderment, as if he could hardly comprehend what was happening, as if he believed he was in a dream.
I looked at him, terrified and confused, and couldn't help but smile with a hint of schadenfreude. I didn't understand why he reacted this way, but the thought that my face could evoke such a ridiculous expression from the cold and indifferent man brought me a sense of satisfaction.
I gazed at him coldly, my eyes shimmering yet endless: "Have you seen enough?"
"It’s you... it really is you..." Yuwen Ruojian stammered in panic.
Yes, that familiar scent of Wild Hibiscus began to waft through the air again. It was her, it was her!
Peach Blossoms in Full Bloom, radiant and ethereal. The most dazzling, delicate, and cool woman appeared like a painting in his dreams. The woman who had stirred his heart for a lifetime.
As beautiful as Dew Flower, shining like she belonged among the clouds, graceful like a celestial being from the heavens, enchanting like an illusion, dressed in pale white that resembled moonlight.
The rich and serene fragrance of Wild Hibiscus filled the room, wrapping around him. He had nowhere to escape; there was no way back. His heart raced for her, every nerve tingling with joy, every part of his body rejoicing.
This person was her.
But equally, it was him.
Yuwen Ruojian was momentarily stunned. He was lost and confused; he didn’t know what to do next.
I looked at him curiously, puzzled by his intense reaction.
I shifted my body, still feeling weak, and asked, "What have you done to me? Have you crippled my martial arts?"
He furrowed his brows and lowered his head, making it difficult for me to see his expression. Then he chuckled softly, "I merely administered a large dose of Softening Powder. Once its effects wear off, you'll recover. Your martial arts, even without the drug, are no match for mine. Why would I need to cripple you? I know that having weakened your skills will surely make you resent me."
I maintained a blank expression and replied, "Afraid I'll resent you? Are you joking?" No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't believe he was worried about my resentment; he hated me too much to care.
As expected, he lifted his head, his fox-like eyes now filled with amusement. "You truly are as clever as I thought. I only want to humiliate you thoroughly. I want you to understand that even if you possess martial arts, I can still imprison you for life. You will realize that you're not as strong as you imagine; before me, you'll become utterly defenseless. You will lose the only pride and dignity you had after being captured by me." Though he spoke lightly and with a smile, my heart sank.
He truly resembled a demon, even in his methods of tormenting others—cold-blooded and cruel. He knew how proud I was, yet he aimed to strip away that pride, to take from me the most precious thing in my life, to drive me to despair and madness.
To make my life worse than death.
I began to reassess this person—this emotionless demon.
"But," he suddenly smiled again, "I've changed my mind..."
He gazed at me quietly, speaking in a calm tone as if stating something unrelated to him: "That painting—I originally intended to obtain it by any means necessary. However, in the end, I didn't take it. Do you know why?"
"What?" I looked at him in confusion.
A painting?
I started flipping through all my memories in my mind, trying to recall everything about the painting and this person.
Yuwen Ruojian's tone remained unperturbed and casual: "He showed me that painting. He said I was the only other person in this world besides him who had seen it. Do you want to know what was in the painting?"
My unfocused eyes finally began to clear up. I finally remembered why he seemed somewhat familiar at first.
It was him.
The one who sought a painting from Brother Gu.
I hadn’t paid much attention to him at the time, so I had no impression of him. It wasn’t until now that he mentioned it that I recalled his existence.
My expression was calm as I murmured, “I didn’t expect Brother Gu to show you that painting without even showing it to me. I wonder if the mandala is beautiful and if it resembles what I described.”
“Haha—” He suddenly burst into laughter, and when he finally stopped, he slowly said, “The Fifth Painting is different from the other four; the reason he doesn’t want to reveal it to the world is that it doesn’t depict flowers, but rather, a person.” As he spoke, his gaze burned intensely into mine.
“A person?” I murmured, looking up at him. I didn’t understand why this was the case. Wasn’t it supposed to be a mandala flower? Then who could it be?
“Yes, a person. A woman dressed in white, standing amidst a sea of red mandala flowers that looked almost like they were dripping with blood.”
I stared at him in confusion.
He gazed deeply into my eyes, his expression so intense it felt as if he could melt me away: “That person is you. The most extraordinary you in the world, An Jin.”
The figure in that painting wasn’t someone else; it was you—the woman was you. He told me that this was merely an expression of his feelings; there was nothing mysterious about it. He only wished to look at that painting during his lifetime and to give it to you before he died. He didn’t show it to you or let you know because he didn’t want you to feel guilty or burdened. That was his feeling; it was his painting, and no one had the right or ability to take it away. So, I gave up. I didn’t seize that painting.” He paused before continuing, “You could say I gave it up for you. The person in that painting is you, so selfishly, I don’t want the world to know how beautiful you are; I don’t want everyone to see you through their eyes…”
I was stunned. At that moment, my expression must have been just as ridiculous as when he first saw my true self. But I couldn’t care less about that now.
My heart was filled with countless questions. I wanted to speak up and ask, but my heart felt so blocked that not a single word could escape my lips.
I lowered my eyelids, Brother Gu… sigh…
What right do I have? How can I bear this… Brother Gu…
He, Yuwen Ruojian, asked what those words were for. Did he not hate me the most? Did he not want to make my life worse than death?
Why—would he say such things?
I looked at him in confusion. Had he gone mad too? Could he no longer distinguish between truth and falsehood in his own words?
"You are like a distant dream, though illusory, still the most beautiful dream, one that so many are willing to chase... just like chasing the sun and moon... An Jin, what kind of person are you..." He gazed at me, his eyes filled with pain and doubt.
I stared blankly at the sky for a while before finally sighing, "I am the one who has wronged him. Brother Gu..." I whispered.
I was in hell, selfishly dragging them all down with me...
An Jin, what have you done...? You pulled so many into your selfish world, yet you cannot respond to anything.
You simply cannot love anyone.
Suddenly, he let out a strange laugh, his voice gentle like a sharp knife, slowly torturing the heart with each word. "I originally decided to torment you for a lifetime. But, An Jin, I've changed my mind. I’ve decided," he announced with a wicked and bloodthirsty gaze, "to keep you by my side for a lifetime. An Jin, I want you to be my woman."
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