76 Orchids

If I were to die for her, wouldn't I leave a lasting and indelible mark on her heart?

Twelve was badly injured. When Du Zhijin went back to save him, he was almost unrecognizable.

However, Number One and the others were more seriously injured. Ying Jianhua glanced at the painting and immediately understood how Twelve had done it.

He really gave it his all.

With mixed feelings, Ying Jianhua did her best to save him, but unfortunately, Twelve had too many internal injuries. Despite pouring basin after basin of hot water, the bleeding still could not be stopped.

He emerged from behind the screen and shook his head at Du Zhijin, causing the hope in her eyes to fade instantly.

“I…promised him that I would save him.”

Ying Jianhua and she remained silent. After a long while, he said, "This is not your fault, and Twelve certainly doesn't want you to be sad about this."

She didn't speak, her profile hidden in the twilight shadows, her sorrow overflowing.

His heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle. Not because she felt sorry for another man, but because her pain caused him pain as well.

It turns out that loving someone means sharing their suffering and their joy.

Just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, he suddenly heard her ask, "Amo, when I fell into the Tiger's Den and was so badly injured, you actually saved me. Did you use some special herbs?"

After being reminded by her, Ying Jianhua thought about it carefully and hesitated before saying, "I did use a rare herb, but I only have that one. Once it's used up, there won't be any left."

Du Zhijin was overjoyed and jumped to his feet, hurriedly asking, "What is it?"

He pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and sketched the appearance of the herbs next to the prescription. Seeing her eagerly tucking the prescription into her bosom, he couldn't help but remind her, "I heard from my mother that this herb grows on the edge of a high mountain cliff, where eagles circle overhead, making it extremely dangerous. Do you want to... fetch the herb yourself?"

She nodded without hesitation: "I'll try to find it and bring the medicine back as soon as possible. I'll leave Twelve in your care during this time."

Hearing that she was going to risk her life for Twelve, Ying Jianhua was not surprised at all.

He had known she was this kind of person all along, just like when he saved her, she said, "I can give my life back to you."

In her heart, there was no distinction between the lives of people, or even between people and demons; she never delayed repaying what was owed to her.

Rather, he would be surprised if she backed down.

"Okay, I'll wait for you." In the end, Ying Jianhua only said this one sentence, and then Du Zhijin left without looking back.

He kept watch all night. Zhao Zhonggan came to check on him once, only saying that if he needed anything, he could just go to the medicine pavilion to get it. Wu Ti wanted to inquire about what had happened in the palace, but Zhao Zhonggan dismissed him by sending his attendant, Zhu.

In the latter half of the night, Twelve's condition improved somewhat, and he finally had a chance to catch his breath. He went to the courtyard and stared blankly at the moonlight. The night was cool and still, and Ying Jianhua couldn't help but recall the time when he sneaked into Prince Chengduan's study, and the beam of moonlight that had guided him.

What kind of demon is Mother...?

He carefully took out the long-sealed demon core and examined it curiously.

According to Du Zhijin, the more powerful a demon's core is, the longer it lasts. Ten years have passed since his mother's death, yet her core remains intact. Does this mean his mother was once a powerful demon?

If she was a powerful demon, why was she killed by Prince Chengduan's men? Or is it that Mother didn't die at all and is still alive?

No, he quickly dismissed his own guess. If the demon core could be extracted even without death, the emperor wouldn't have gone to such lengths. He suddenly regretted not stopping the orchid demon's revenge; he should have spared the emperor's life and allowed him to reveal more of the truth.

Unfortunately, the emperor was already dead, and he had no way of knowing why his mother had died.

Tonight is destined to be turbulent. Not only is the Youhuang Courtyard brightly lit, but the entire Jianchang Marquis's residence and even the capital city of Liuli will remain sleepless all night. The Jianchang Marquis has been summoned to the palace by Empress Dowager Zhao, and the court officials have yet to return home. The Marquis's wife has just recovered from a serious illness, so the heavy responsibility of managing the Marquis's residence has fallen on Zhao Zhonggan's shoulders.

The emperor died, and the entire city was clad in white robes, the cries of mourning deafening, yet few truly shed tears for him. Zhao Zhonggan told Ying Jianhua that the young fifth prince, still an infant, had been enthroned as the new emperor, the Empress Dowager ruled from behind the curtain, Grand Eunuch Hu was dead, and the eunuchs had lost power; Grand Tutor Sun was deceased, and the court was leaderless. This magnificent city, as beautiful as crystal, shattered into pieces overnight.

After hearing his words, Ying Jianhua instantly understood the meaning of the celestial phenomena.

A sign of dynastic change... Trouble arose from within; the fifth prince was not of true royal blood, and the Liang dynasty's throne changed hands without anyone noticing. If the emperor—no, the former emperor—knew that he had not only failed to achieve immortality and remain on the throne, but had also severed the ancestral line, he would probably be furious enough to come back to life.

However, all of this had nothing to do with him or Du Zhijin anymore. They were just two ordinary people who happened to be passing through Liulijing and would be leaving soon. Because they were friends with Zhao Zhonggan, they had witnessed some wealth and status, but other than that, they had no connection whatsoever.

The next morning, Du Zhijin returned empty-handed.

It cannot be found near Rurikyo.

Seeing that he was staring at her face, she smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's the blood of a wild animal, not mine."

He glanced at her, unsure whether he believed her or not, and took out some ointment for her to apply. She sat down with the ointment in her hands, then, as if lost in thought, said goodbye and left, saying she was going to the palace to find someone.

Number One and the other two were killed by Number Twelve, but Number Eleven was not. She used varying degrees of force, only knocking the people unconscious.

The reason for saving Eleven is simple: Twelve is close to her, and it would be good for Twelve to start a new life and have a relative or friend by her side.

As a key witness, the unconscious Eleven was imprisoned in the Jinyiwei's dungeon. However, no dungeon could stump Du Zhijin, and in less than a quarter of an hour, she brought him back to Youhuang Courtyard.

However, after seeing Eleven's face clearly, Ying Jianhua showed a surprised expression.

She asked in confusion, "You knew Eleven before?"

He shook his head, his expression complicated, unsure how to explain, and simply said, "You'll know as soon as you see."

As he spoke, he led her inside and pointed to Twelve on the bed, saying, "Twelve and she look exactly alike."

Du Zhijin was stunned.

The two have identical eyebrows and eyes, as if they were twins.

She suddenly realized: "Could it be that all twenty people who ate the demon core look exactly the same?"

Ying Jianhua nodded: "Very likely. Didn't Twelve say that they have no memory of their parents at all? Perhaps it's also due to the influence of the demon core."

Upon hearing this, Du Zhijin remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh.

When the emperor died, he could no longer be called human. He was probably afraid of the side effects of taking the demon pill, so he found twenty children to test it on. But even after witnessing the strange behavior of the twelve children, he still insisted on going ahead with his plan.

How cruel, how arrogant, how foolish!

They deserve to die.

"Then, are they related to the elder sister of the Orchid Fairy?" she suddenly wondered.

Ying Jianhua said, "Only it probably knows the answer. Do you want to see it?"

Du Zhijin asked, puzzled, "Amo, do you mean you have a way to make the orchid fairy appear?"

He nodded with a smile, and took a pill from the box right in front of her. She stared in astonishment, then suddenly realized, "This is the elixir I got from Wu Ti? Right, eating the elixir allows you to be possessed... How come I didn't think of that!"

She clapped her hands, about to grab the medicine, but Ying Jianhua dodged it.

Huh? Why not give it to her?

Ying Jianhua said, "What if it goes berserk if you eat it?"

Actually, he had something he wanted to ask the Orchid Fairy, but with Du Zhijin around, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Perhaps when possessing someone, he could communicate with the orchid fairy through what is called the sea of ​​consciousness.

Upon hearing that he wanted to take the elixir himself, Du Zhijin immediately objected. Ying Jianhua asked her, "Then who do you plan to give it to? Neither Lady Hou nor Wu Ti are suitable, and it might not be effective for anyone else."

“Since it might not work for others, why do you think it will?” She pursed her lips, her face full of resistance.

The more she objected, the more secretly pleased Ying Jianhua became.

Look, she cares about him; she cares about him a lot.

"It's alright. You know, I seem to have a special attraction to demons, such as phantom demons."

Facts speak louder than words, and Du Zhijin had nothing to say. He could only watch him swallow the pill with a sullen expression.

He smiled faintly at her, gently stroking her cheek as if to tidy her hair, but only he knew that he was actually a little scared.

Fearing that the orchid fairy would perish together with him in despair.

But then he thought, if he died for her, wouldn't he leave a lasting mark on her heart?

Since learning that his mother was a demon and that he was not a pure human, Ying Jianhua's views have been subtly changed without his realizing it.

He gently reassured her, "With you here, what do I have to worry about?"

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Du Zhijin stopped trying to stop him and waited quietly by his side, watching him fall into a deep sleep. A moment later, "Ying Jianhua" opened her eyes again, and she knew at a glance that this was the Orchid Fairy.

"Come with me." To save time, she got straight to the point. Lan Hua was led into the courtyard, and upon seeing two similar faces, she froze on the spot.

It looked at Twelve on the bed, then at Eleven who was unconscious, and tears welled up in its eyes: "They are...they are..." "They are your elder sister's 'children'."

Hearing this, it approached and carefully examined the two of them with a solemn gaze. Du Zhijin sighed silently, turned her face away, and pretended not to see its tears.

After a long pause, the orchid fairy said softly, "Perhaps Heaven is not entirely heartless; after all, my elder sister has left something behind in this world."

She chimed in, "Good and evil are finite, and cause and effect are retributive."

It nodded, then gave a bitter smile and murmured, "Unfortunately, I realized my mistake too late, and I've already made a terrible one. You won't let me off the hook, will you?"

Du Zhijin looked directly at the "Yingjianhua" and said without the slightest hesitation, "Yes."

She wanted revenge, but she also hurt so many people, and she wouldn't waver because of momentary pity.

The orchid fairy wasn't surprised by her answer. It glanced one last time at Eleven and Twelve, made up its mind, and said, "He won't survive. Give him my demon core."

Du Zhijin paused. In that instant of her stunned silence, Ying Jianhua's body began to change. He was enveloped in a beam of white light, and as the light faded, a budding orchid floated in the air.

Immediately afterwards, the orchid quickly bloomed, withered, and produced a tiny, magical core.

She supported Ying Jianhua, who was still unconscious, and remained silent in front of the demon core.

The red dot belonging to the Orchid Fairy on the map has disappeared.

A moment later, she let out a soft sigh, looked down at the orchid petals scattered on the ground, and said, "As you wish."