Chapter 57 Pomegranate Blossoms Everywhere "Xue Chan, for whom do your tears flow?"...

"Thud"

Crystalline tears fell, landing on her face.

Jiang Ce opened his eyes. The creamy yellow curtains were embroidered with large patches of pomegranate flowers, and the figures were beautiful.

"Thud"

Another tear fell onto the bridge of his nose.

Jiang Ce turned his head and saw someone sitting on the edge of the bed with their face down.

He couldn't see her face clearly, so all he could see was a lush, verdant tress with a bright pomegranate flower pinned to it.

Those flowers were even more beautiful than the exquisite embroidery on the curtains, especially against the backdrop of the dark green hair, making the green appear even greener and the red even redder.

The color is rich and the aroma is strong, intense and rich.

Jiang Ce thought: It's only mid-April, and the pomegranate flowers are already in bloom?

Why are you crying?

The other person raised their face, as if they hadn't expected him to wake up at this time, and were somewhat taken aback, with tears welling up on their cheeks.

She turned her head away and didn't say anything.

Jiang Ce tried to sit up, but his body ached. He threw back the covers and found that he had many wounds, which had already been treated with medicine.

Seeing him frown and try to sit up despite the pain, the person next to him immediately reached out to help him, but when their eyes met, she looked away.

After helping him sit up, she sat back down in the same spot, then turned her back to him, wiping away her tears and sobbing softly.

Why won't you talk to me?

She said, "Why should I talk to you? Don't forget, we're still arguing."

Hearing her words, Jiang Ce smiled and said, "But you still care about me, don't you?"

The girl sobbed for a while, then said in a muffled voice, "Who cares about you? Don't flatter yourself."

Jiang Ce leaned to one side, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her retreating figure.

A light blue shirt, a bright red skirt.

Her delicate eyebrows outshine spring's beauty, and even the pomegranate blossoms seem to envy her skirt.

The spring shirt is light and thin; even without skin-to-skin contact, a surge of heat is already seeping out from beneath it.

His eyes were dark and brooding as he softly laughed, "You say you don't care about me, then for whom are your tears shed?"

Xue Chan ignored him, simply turning her back and remaining silent.

A soft, gentle voice sounded behind her, filled with a rich, tender, and romantic atmosphere.

"Xue Chan, for whom are your tears?"

He sat up straight without her noticing, and pulled her towards him by her shoulder.

Jiang Ce's voice was low and soft, yet it carried a hint of something alluring.

Why won't you answer me?

Jiang Ce lowered his face, moving even closer to her. He just looked at her, his gaze deep and intense.

The girl couldn't bear it, so she lowered her head shyly and still didn't answer.

He reached out and touched her face, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin through his palm. His fingers caressed her face, lingering for a long time at the corners of her red and moist eyes, gently circling and stroking them.

Jiang Ce used a little force to lift Xiu Qiao's chin, forcing her to look at him.

Even though she wanted to turn her face away again and remain silent, her entire face was in his hands, and she couldn't break free at all.

Tell me, why?

His dim figure slowly enveloped her, invading her little by little, like a surging tide, overwhelming the small boat on the river.

She reached out and pushed her back, then immediately stood up and walked out.

Jiang Ce quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She staggered and fell back into his arms.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge that arm at all; instead, it tightened even more as she struggled.

So her back was pressed tightly against his, almost completely wrapped and wrapped around him.

Jiang Ce's other arm wrapped around her right side across her chest and gripped her left shoulder tightly, thus truly imprisoning her in that world that belonged only to them.

He nestled against her neck and whispered, "You still haven't answered me, for whom are your tears?"

Jiang Ce felt the slight trembling of the person in his arms and loosened his grip on her shoulder.

The girl felt as if she had seen a light in the dark sea, and she seized the opportunity to escape immediately.

The person behind her curled his lips slightly, letting her break free from his embrace.

She had only taken half a step when the arm across her waist suddenly pulled back, and she fell completely into his arms.

Jiang Ce's fingertips traced her arm, then moved down to grasp her wrist. He stretched her arm out in front of him, leaned forward, and kissed her palm as they pressed tightly together.

He kissed his way up her hand, until he reached her wrist, feeling the pulse beating beneath her delicate skin, and then continued kissing upwards along her wrist.

Arms, shoulders, neck.

His kisses were delicate and lingering, unhurried and gentle, like a beast gathering strength in the depths of an abyss, ready to hunt at any moment.

"Why won't you talk? Why won't you tell me? If you won't talk, I'll just have to keep wearing you down until you do."

The girl started crying, but her mouth remained stubborn: "I won't tell, why should I tell?"

Jiang Ce pulled her onto the bed, and the copper hooks holding the curtains fell, making a crisp sound as they hit the floor.

She was completely trapped there until all the curtains were drawn.

Jiang Ce supported her waist with one hand, undid her hair at the other, and pressed her down onto the brocade quilt.

"It's alright, it's alright, I know."

She had to curl up in his arms and reach out to touch his chest, where she was surprised to find it was incredibly hot.

She wanted to use force, but considering his injuries, she only resisted slightly for a moment.

"Look, you still won't admit it, but your body is much more honest than your mouth."

He looked up and saw that the pomegranate flowers on the curtain were a deep red, like burning blood or intense flames.

But whatever it was, it burned recklessly, like a wildfire raging across the wasteland, destroying everything in its path.

Jiang Ce's heart trembled, and his whole body felt sore and burning.

He held her tightly, and even when she said it hurt, he didn't let go. He just held her so tightly that she couldn't go anywhere.

The pomegranate blossoms burst into flames, rolling up the thin, fine silk curtains and falling in clumps onto the couch.

Burning pomegranate blossoms fell around them, biting their robes and igniting them. A boundless heat spread from between them, burning into every inch of their bodies, reaching all the way to their hearts.

Jiang Ce felt as if his heart was about to be burned through.

But when he was next to her, all he could think about was getting closer and closer.

He thought maliciously: Then let it burn, let it burn, let them all melt together.

Xue Chan nervously grabbed his sleeve, but he wasn't quite satisfied, so he grabbed her wrist in return. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if water had been poured on a raging fire, bringing him a moment of satisfaction and relief.

But, but...

The flames suddenly flared up, revealing that what had been sprinkled was not cool water, but rather a fragrant and intoxicating wine.

When water is poured over a fire, the rising steam is merely an illusion.

Intense, burning, yearning, satisfaction, greed.

Jiang Ce lifted her waist with his hand; her green shirt and red skirt made her shoulders and neck even more dazzling.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

They fell together into a wasteland filled with flames, melted together, and bloomed into a field of bright red flowers.

Jiang Ce suddenly sat up in bed, panting heavily.

He was drenched in sweat, looking as if he had been pulled out of the water. Looking down, he saw that his outer robe was nowhere to be found, and the jade belt was hanging loosely. His inner long robe was wide open, exposing his chest, and sweat slid down his neck and into his waist.

Jiang Ce trembled involuntarily. All the emotions in his dream were so real. He could even remember the warmth from her body and the soft, slightly cool feeling of her long hair sliding through his palm.

Clear and practical, or rather, he craved practicality.

How could he have such a dream? He shouldn't have such a dream.

But the restlessness kept coming, desperately overflowing from every inch of my skin.

I felt like a parched field, cracked and barren, a shocking sight from afar, desperately yearning for a timely rain from heaven.

Perhaps it was from drinking alcohol, or perhaps it was from the cold wind.

It must be because of the dream that I feel so uneasy and agitated.

Jiang Ce was panting, trying his best to calm himself down.

But the night at Jixiang Temple was too quiet, so quiet that he could hear his own heart pounding wildly like thunder and drums.

He needed to calm down; he needed to calm himself down. Once he calmed down, all his emotions would dissipate!

He hurriedly got out of bed, tumbled off the edge, and crashed to the ground. Without a second thought, he ran barefoot out the door.

The terrified boy ran to the Longevity Pool and jumped in.

The pool water enveloped his body until his body temperature became as cold as the water, until he was exhausted and nearly suffocated, then he stood up from the pool.

My heart has stopped pounding wildly and has become calm; even the heat has been washed away by this pool of clear water.

His body was clean and free of any impure thoughts.

But Jiang Ce was even more powerless.

If it were just now, he could have said it was merely the lingering desires of a dream.

What about now?

When all the mixed emotions are washed away, what's left?

It is the heart.

Jiang Ce tried to shift his gaze, so he raised his head and suddenly met the gaze of the stone statue beside the Longevity Pool.

The Bodhisattva lowered her brows, her long eyes filled with compassion. She gazed into Jiang Ce's eyes quietly, with pity and tenderness.

He had no time to hide it; his whole heart was seen through.

The moon is out.

The clear moonlight poured down from the clouds, illuminating the pool of water, making it ripple and sparkle, and illuminating his entire heart without any omission.

It's so bright! How can the moonlight be so bright? So bright that all emotions have nowhere to hide or conceal themselves.

All his secrets, avoidances, and refusal to face.

Everything was so directly illuminated and dissected before his eyes, leaving him no choice but to see and acknowledge it.

The boy seemed somewhat bewildered, still gazing at the stone statue.

The Bodhisattva smiled gently and asked him, "What's in your heart?"

He retorted loudly, "No!"

"No!"

The Bodhisattva watches quietly, while the moon laughs merrily.

Hehehehehe

You're lying.

You're lying.

You're lying.

He became frightened and panicked, stumbled backward and fell to the ground, muttering to himself.

"No!"

There's nothing there!

The Bodhisattva smiles, the moon stirs.

He rushed into the house in a panic, barefoot, leaving a trail of tracks behind him.

Even though he ran into the side room, the moon still playfully teased him.

It climbed up the window, seeping in through the paper, spreading a frosty white hue across the floor. Some were even more playful, sneaking in through the cracks and tugging at his robes.

Jiang Ce retreated into a corner in a panic.

The floor tiles were stained white, inch by inch, and illuminated, like flowing tides rolling in with snow-white waves, forcing him to retreat again and again until he had nowhere left to retreat.

He gritted his teeth, pulled the brocade quilt from the bed, and tried to seal the window shut, attempting to block the moonlight out.

Until the entire window was completely blocked, not even a gentle breeze could get in.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

But the moonlight streamed in from all directions, through the cracks, the corners, and the narrow edges of the door frame. It flowed, gathered, and merged into a bright, dazzling light.

Jiang Ce was exhausted, but the moonlight flowed enthusiastically to his feet, then up his ankles.

Hehehehehehe...

The moonlight laughed merrily again, as if to say...

"Look at yourself, look at yourself."

He was exhausted. He let go of the quilt, which slipped to the ground. Moonlight surged through the doors and windows, and the surging tide flowed through his body, illuminating him.

Jiang Ce leaned against the mirror stand with his head down. After a long while, he slowly raised his face as if he had given in and accepted the situation, and stared at the person in the mirror.

He stared at the mirror, and the person in the mirror suddenly laughed, reached out and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him forward abruptly.

"You're lying."

Unable to bear the repeated shocks, Jiang Ce smashed the silver mirror with a punch.

"Thump!"

He rolled off the bed and collapsed onto the floor tiles.

Was he awake? Or was he dreaming? He couldn't tell anymore.

But my shoulders and back ached from the impact, and my cheeks, pressed against the floor tiles, felt icy cold.

He turned his head slightly to look at the stained-glass window. The moonlight was quiet, silent, and neither joking nor laughing.

Jiang Ce slowly got up, walked to the mirror, leaned against the mirror stand, and faced the person inside, eye to eye.

A diamond-shaped mirror sat beneath the window; it was neither eerie nor startling, but simply reflected his image quietly.

He stared into the eyes of the person in the mirror.

What's in those eyes?

On the Shangsi Festival, she looked at him and said, "Second Young Master, don't be so sentimental, don't be so sentimental."

The jade pendant that was carefully crafted and given to him.

Inside Fangchun Pavilion, she talked to him so much.

By the Floating Light Pool, she pointed to his heart and said to him, "Do you know what you need most? It's a mirror."

So that's how it is. So she already knew.

He was clearly deeply in love, his desires surging like waves; he was clearly obsessed with learning from Xue Chan, yet he remained blind to it all. Xue Chan, on the other hand, stood on the shore, watching him, deceiving herself.

How stupid! How foolish! How ridiculous!

She was always the one reaching out to him, the one taking the initiative to walk towards him. A little bit of probing, a step-by-step guidance.

But he retreated step by step, avoiding the issue again and again.

The closer and deeper he got to her, the more he realized how vast the gap was between him and Xue Chan.

Gradually moving away, forced to look up.

His palm hurt a little from the long object digging into it, so he moved his hand away and picked it up to examine it in the moonlight.

That was when they parted at Ningcui Tower, when Zheng Shaoyu slipped it onto him.

Jiang Ce thought for a moment before remembering that this was the flower fortune slip that Zheng Shaoyu had taken away on the Shangsi Festival, which he hadn't had a chance to look at yet.

He flipped over the fortune slip; the inscription on it was a line from the Book of Songs.

"Who says bitter tea is bitter? Its sweetness is like that of water chestnuts."

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The author says: "Who says bitter herbs are bitter? Their sweetness is like that of shepherd's purse." --- The Book of Songs, "Gu Feng: Bei Feng: Gu Feng"