Chapter 81 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: The End.
Yu Jing tilted her head slightly, steadied herself, and tried to hide the sadness on her face. When she looked up again, only indifference remained in her eyes.
Xie Xuan was still completely unaware of what was happening. When the person he had been longing for appeared before him, he felt only joy, along with a touch of heartache and guilt: "There was no need to come to such a filthy place."
Upon hearing Xie Xuan's words, Yu Jing's breath caught in her throat. The icy air she had just inhaled felt like a sharp blade slicing through her body. After a long pause, she finally looked up at Xie Xuan and coldly replied, "Yes, I originally had no need to come to such a filthy place."
Xie Xuan was surprised by Yu Jing's reaction and stared at her blankly. Yu Jing looked completely unfamiliar. She wore a plain white dress with silver peony patterns, her hair styled in double buns adorned with a red camellia flower. Her makeup was exquisite, her lips red and teeth white. Even in the dim light of the prison cell, with the falling snow, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Xie Xuan." Yu Jing's red lips parted slightly, her voice devoid of any emotion, carried to Xie Xuan's ear by the cold wind. Xie Xuan looked at Yu Jing somewhat helplessly.
From a high-ranking general to a prisoner trampled upon by all, no one knew how he spent his time in prison. Every lonely night, every new wound, brought him immense torment. But the thought of Yu Jing kept him going. Exile or banishment, as long as he lived, he could see Yu Jing again. Even though she told him things were different now, for him, Jinzhu Village was the happiest time of his twenty years. Yu Jing told him to forget, but how could he possibly forget? Yet, when she called him that just now, he truly panicked.
"I've come here because there are some things I want to make clear to you." Ignoring Xie Xuan's helpless expression, Yu Jing continued coldly, "You are here and probably don't know that Xie Jin has already passed away. This morning, an urgent message came from Tanzhou."
Before Yu Jing could finish speaking, Xie Xuan suddenly coughed, as if he were about to suffocate. He coughed for a long time, his lips already chapped from the dry, cold weather, and the violent coughing caused bright red blood to flow from the cracks. Yu Jing stood outside, watching coldly, her hands, clenched white in her sleeves. She had only seen the spirited young general not long ago; how could she not feel heartbroken seeing him in this state?
"This sinful subject...cough cough...thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager...for informing me." Xie Xuan casually raised his hand to wipe the blood from his lips.
Hearing Xie Xuan refer to himself as a sinner, Yu Jing felt a sharp pang of sorrow. Although his movements were casual, Yu Jing clearly saw his eyes redden in an instant.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager... is there anything else you wish to say?"
"Mmm," Yu Jing responded, followed by a period of silence. Yu Jing felt a weight on her eyelashes, and everything before her eyes was white. She blinked, the snow was shaken off, and her cheek felt icy cold.
"You never asked before, and I have never told you about Su Siyang."
Upon hearing Yu Jing's words, Xie Xuan immediately recalled the things Su Siyang had said to him before.
"But so what if she's an imperial concubine? In this palace, no one can stop us. She says she loves me, and we're in the Cining Palace..."
Xie Xuan stared intently at Yu Jing, as if trying to find a flaw in her face, but found none. Xie Xuan then looked at the thin layer of snow that covered her hair and said, "It's cold, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager need not... cough cough... waste time on... this sinful subject."
Yu Jing seemed not to hear, recalling the contents of the letter she had just read, and then said, "We used to whisper sweet nothings to each other on the couch in Cining Palace. He would call me by my maiden name, Queque. He would write me love poems and buy me many novel trinkets from outside the palace to coax me. He would help me consolidate my power in the court."
At this point, Yu Jing slightly tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing an extremely contemptuous and disdainful smile: "When Jinzhu Village fell into misfortune, I was just teasing Lord Xie out of boredom. Who knew that Lord Xie would actually take it seriously?"
Yu Jing's voice trailed off slightly, full of arrogance and haughtiness, as if this was her true nature: "The one I love, the one I cherish, has always been Su Siyang. Never... it has been you."
When Su Siyang said these words to him, he only felt angry; when Yu Jing said these words to him, his heart felt as if it were being gnawed at by ants.
Yu Jing forced a calm expression as she looked at Xie Xuan. Xie Xuan's expression didn't change much, but for some reason, Yu Jing could clearly see his heartache. Feeling somewhat reluctant, she continued, "My lord will be setting off for the border tomorrow. I wish you a safe journey."
Just when Yu Jing thought he wouldn't respond, she was surprised to hear Xie Xuan's hoarse, light voice coming from behind her as she turned around: "This sinful subject Xie Xuan thanks... Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
As she turned, tears finally streamed down Yu Jing's face. She had been standing in the snow for a long time, and a thin layer of snow had already accumulated on her body. Just as she reached A Yu, A Yu quickly rushed to Yu Jing's side and held the umbrella over her head. Then, with her other hand, she took out a handkerchief from her bosom and gently patted the snow off Yu Jing. Seeing Yu Jing's tears, A Yu was only momentarily stunned, and moved the umbrella down further, blocking Yu Jing's view.
"Your Majesty, please follow me." Ayu's voice rang in my ears.
Yu Jing instantly understood. Besides feeling sad, she also felt a little reluctant. A Yu had treated her so well. If she knew that she was going to commit suicide, she would be heartbroken.
It was so cold! Tears that fell onto her face turned icy cold instantly. Just thinking about Xie Xuan's appearance earlier made Yu Jing's tears flow uncontrollably. Once she was seated in the sedan chair, she finally felt a little warmer.
Yu Jing's mood calmed down somewhat, but then she felt inexplicably worried again. After the Heavenly Emperor finished his tribulation and returned to the Heavenly Court, he would drink the immortal water of Laozi, and after drinking it, he would forget everything he had experienced in the mortal world. The thought of this made her feel inexplicably melancholy. She didn't know when she had become so sentimental, since her true form was just a butterfly tile and she shouldn't have so many emotions.
As she was thinking, Ayu's voice came from outside the sedan chair: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, we have arrived."
"Hmm." Yu Jing responded as the sedan curtain was pulled open, and Yu Jing stepped out. When she returned to the hall, the charcoal fire inside had cooled down, and a sense of quiet desolation washed over her like a tide.
Yu Jing didn't let A Yu come in. Only a single candle was lit in the outer hall. Yu Jing sat before her dressing table, and only now, in quiet contemplation, did she realize her hands were trembling uncontrollably. Yu Jing's mind was filled with Xie Xuan. She sat there in the hall for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, the light flickered, and a cool breeze brushed past her ears. Turning around, she saw the Night Wanderer dressed in snow-white robes.
"Night Wanderer!" Yu Jing was quite pleased to see the Night Wanderer.
"Fairy Yu Jing." The Night Wanderer stopped and bowed to Yu Jing.
Yu Jing had so much to say, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say first. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she said nothing. The Night Wanderer seemed to see her hesitation and said, "The Heavenly Lord's mortal body has already perished. This humble fairy is here on the orders of the Goddess Zhelan to deliver something to Fairy Yu Jing."
"Xie Xuan... he's dead!" Yu Jing stammered as she said this. She knew perfectly well that this was the outcome, but knowing it and actually facing it were two different things.
"Yes." The Night Wanderer responded, reaching out to Yu Jing and handing her the thing Zhe Lan had given him. Yu Jing still looked lost and dejected as he handed it over. The Night Wanderer softly called out, "Fairy?"
Yu Jing looked up at the Night Wanderer: "He looked weak just now, but somehow..."
The Night Wanderer knew that Yu Jing was referring to Xie Xuan: "After the Heavenly Lord was imprisoned and tortured, when he was not conscious at night, he would call out the name of the Fairy. Now that it is freezing cold, the clothes the Heavenly Lord is wearing are not enough to support him for so long. Now that the Fairy has cut off his thoughts, and Xie Jin is also... naturally there is nothing left for him to cherish."
The Night Wanderer spoke calmly. He was used to the ways of the world, and such things were commonplace to him, no longer causing any ripples.
Upon hearing these words, Yu Jing took them to heart, and her feelings of sadness and guilt intensified.
"Fairy?" Night Wanderer called out again. Yu Jing looked down and saw a bottle of water in a glass container lying in Night Wanderer's hand.
"This is the dew from the Jade Pool. The High God has already cast a spell on it. After the fairy drinks it, she can return to the Heavenly Court."
“Then I…” Yu Jing paused, “What about Sheng Hua’s physical body?”
“Shenghua’s physical body was already dead, so after the fairy left, she naturally couldn’t escape death as well.”
Yu Jing reached out and touched the glass; a cool sensation spread from her fingertips. She opened the glass lid, and a faint fragrance of lotus blossoms wafted out. She looked up at the Night Wanderer.
The Night Wanderer's gaze was deep and unfathomable: "How does the fairy wish to die?"
Yu Jing turned her head and glanced at the palace gate: "Don't frighten Ayu, let's keep it clean."
“Alright,” the Night Wanderer replied. “Fairy, drink the dew and lie down on the couch.”
After the Night Wanderer finished speaking, Yu Jing tilted her head back and drank the dew in one gulp. The dew gathered into a cool stream and flowed down her throat. Then Yu Jing lay down on the couch, still wearing her snow-white dress, with a red camellia silk flower in her hair. Not long after lying down, Yu Jing felt very sleepy, and her consciousness gradually faded. After a long time, Yu Jing felt her body becoming lighter and lighter. When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to being Yu Jing. Looking at the moonlight satin on her body, Yu Jing felt somewhat unfamiliar.
Although only two years had passed in the mortal realm, which in the Heavenly Court was no more than two days, Yu Jing felt as if a much longer time had gone by. In particular, she felt an indescribable sadness and loss.
"Fairy Yu Jing, let's go."
"etc."
The Night Wanderer turned around and looked at Yu Jing with a puzzled expression.
[Author's Note]
After a short transition, the Heavenly Court storyline will begin. It's scheduled for Thursday, with no updates on Wednesday, and three chapters will be released on Thursday.
Thank you for saving, commenting, and sending nutrient solution!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
