I will not give spring flowers to my beloved.
Chapter 57
There were no more paths leading deep into the forest. Only when she reached this point did Gu Shuangshuang suddenly realize that she had fallen into a trap.
The net of heaven and earth instantly trapped him in place. He quickly scanned the area with his spiritual energy and found that there were six people present. Three of them were at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, and three of them had reached the Nascent Soul stage. Upon realizing this, Gu Shuangshuang's heart sank instantly.
He looked up at the leader and said, "I've already handed the evidence over to someone else. You can't escape." He uttered a single, cold word: "Kill."
The expected massacre did not occur. Instead, someone broke into the inescapable trap. Gu Shuangshuang slowly opened her eyes, and a slender figure of a young man appeared before her. Gu Ling opened his arms, his almond-shaped eyes narrowing in displeasure. "Dare to kill someone within the imperial city? You really have a death wish!"
"Kill them all together." The words fell lightly.
Gu Ling, his temper flaring, jumped up in anger, "No, do you even know who I am?"
"Is it that important? Just kill him." The man asked doubtfully, smiling as he looked at Gu Ling.
Gu Shuangshuang, standing to the side, grabbed Gu Ling's arm, tears welling up in her eyes, "Brother, thank you for dying with me."
Gu Ling glanced at the sobbing Gu Shuangshuang, pointed at the leader and scolded, "Where did this country bumpkin come from? He doesn't even recognize the Crown Prince?"
“Kill him.”
The others were about to make their move when Gu Ling, still stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, cried out, "Hey! Wait, wait! Didn't I already say I'm the Crown Prince? Do you understand? Killing me is a capital offense!" Meanwhile, Gu Shuangshuang, crying, was digging her own grave, trying to make her death more dignified. After all, being eaten by wild beasts in the middle of nowhere was hardly a respectable end.
"Have you finished your nonsense?" The leader landed on the ground and said in a chilling tone, "So what if I kill the Crown Prince today?"
"Two mere early-stage Golden Core cultivators, do they think they can defy the heavens?"
Seeing the once arrogant prince now bow his head in anger, the leader smiled with satisfaction and ordered, "Activate the formation!"
The chains of the net tightened swiftly around the two, but then a dazzling white light burst forth. "Formation, runes, explode!" A woman's clear, cold voice echoed from within the smoke. "Wind activate." A gust of wind blew away the dust, revealing a peerless face to everyone. The newcomer wore an immaculate white robe, a bright red dot between her brows, and her beautiful eyes gazed leisurely at the leader.
"Interesting. How did you get here? It seems I have no choice but to spare your lives."
"Half-step Nascent Soul, not bad, but a pity." The leader smiled and looked at Zhou Yulin with satisfaction. "That's enough."
"Wrong, it's you who's done." The moment the words left his mouth, an extremely powerful wave of spiritual energy rippled outwards.
The group immediately opened the net, but unexpectedly, they heard the sound of the locks breaking one after another. Looking closer, they saw the woman holding the glass spirit sword in her hand, looking at them calmly. She didn't say anything, but it seemed as if she was saying to them, "Is that all?"
"This sword is the Jade Sword?" The leader's pupils dilated, and he said in disbelief, "Impossible, that person is already dead."
So who exactly is this woman in front of us?
"Zhou Yulin from the Zhou family of Jiangning greets everyone."
Seemingly sensing the man in black's shock, Zhou Yulin explained frankly.
"Zhou Yulin!? You're not dead! The news from Xuanling Sect is false!" The leader seemed to have been greatly deceived and said angrily, "Damn it, I knew that old man wouldn't just watch his precious disciple die."
Gu Ling had seen Zhou Yulin countless times, but never before had he felt such a sense of belonging as when she appeared here. It seemed that Gu Ling had finally found the answer to the questions he couldn't answer when he was young.
He knew what kind of emperor he wanted to be.
Unlike Gu Ling's composure, Gu Shuangshuang was completely stunned. His mind was racing: the number one genius in swordsmanship wasn't dead, he was still alive, and he had even appeared in front of him to save his life!?
Is he dreaming?
"Two fists can't beat four hands, so what about Zhou Yulin? Can she really beat twelve hands? Attack!" Sword energy accompanied by sword arrows attacked Zhou Yulin. At this critical moment, the teleportation talisman in her palm finally finished buffering the attack.
She tossed out the talisman, and the jade pendant in her hand sliced open a patch of pure land. Her swordsmanship flowed smoothly, blocking the first attack of the six men.
In a quiet corner unnoticed, the talisman paper that had fallen to the ground burned to ashes.
"Again!" The vicious tone was twisted. "I want to see how many moves this so-called genius can actually survive."
If it's just an attack on her alone, that would be fine.
The poisoned arrow, originally aimed at Zhou Yulin's eyes, suddenly veered in mid-air and flew straight towards Gu Ling, an innocent bystander. Zhou Yulin dodged, flying away without falling, and blocked the arrow. As she turned, someone attacked from behind, a sword piercing her wrist in an instant. She clutched her wrist, and thick, purplish-red blood flowed down.
"Yu Lin!" Gu Ling shouted upon seeing this.
The woman landed on the ground, a feeling of weight instantly washing over her. Counting the seconds, just as the flying arrow was about to hit her, she cried out, "Don't fall, Jade!"
A purple and white spring flower, seemingly blown from nowhere, landed in Zhou Yulin's hair. The flower petals, like jade pendants, pierced through the petals, deflecting arrows coming from all directions. Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind, "Hey, are you dead yet? I'm here to save you."
“I don’t need your help.” Zhou Yulin swallowed a hemostatic pill and used her internal energy to temporarily seal the toxins in her body. She breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the Jade Pendant, and stood side by side with Chen Muyao. She tried to explain the battle situation as simply as possible, “The three in the middle are archers. Their arrows are too dense, and I can’t get close. You take down the strongest one on the left, and I will attack.”
Without the slightest hesitation, I said, "Okay."
Zhou Yulin took a deep breath, knowing full well that a tough battle was ahead.
"Be careful." These were Zhou Yulin's last words.
As soon as she finished speaking, she drew her sword and lunged towards the man in black in the middle. Chen Muyao's arrows cleared a path for her, and realizing what was happening, Gu Shuangshuang quickly drew her bow and joined the battle.
"Frost, seal!" Zhou Yulin threw out talismans as she moved forward to block the incoming sword energy. She then moved closer to the weakest archer on the right, swiftly sticking a talisman to his forehead and kicking him hard against a tree.
The man held up his bow and arrow, the last arrow about to be released resting on the string.
Chen Muyao immediately fired another arrow.
An arrow pierced the man's heart.
Soon, a Nascent Soul swordsman approached from not far away, wielding a heavy sword.
The sword energy that came at her was sharp and powerful. Zhou Yulin did not take the blow but dodged. In addition, she kept using wind talismans, and soon she created distance between herself and the person, returning to a safe distance.
Chen Muyao's arrows seemed to be free. What we didn't know before was that the moment his arrow left the bowstring, it instantly split into a hundred arrows, forming a dense network that protected the people in the center. The young man's gaze was firm, and his arrows never missed their mark. Zhou Yulin returned, and the group now faced five people.
She took a deep breath and said, "Some of them know poisons; I'm guessing they're swordsmen from the southwest."
“I’ll go forward,” Chen Muyao said matter-of-factly. “You cover me.”
"No slacking off," he emphasized deliberately.
Zhou Yulin looked into his amber eyes and replied without hesitation, "Of course."
Gu Shuangshuang swallowed two Rejuvenation Pills and her fingertips never stopped. Unlike Chen Muyao, who had his own rhythm, Gu Shuangshuang dared not stop at all. Gu Ling swung his sword to block the attack for Gu Shuangshuang, his hands trembling, but he did not relax in the slightest. He knew that it was either them or him who would die.
"Draw the bowstring, and a thousand arrows will be unleashed." Amidst the illusory arrow shadows, Zhou Yulin flashed and appeared in front of the female swordsman. The female swordsman also possessed the cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator and did not relax her guard against Zhou Yulin in the slightest. However, just as the sword was about to strike Zhou Yulin, the swaying phantom dissipated, and the spring blossoms fell upon the swordsman's lifeless eyes. The real opponent appeared behind her, her gaze mercilessly fixed on the Sun and Moon Arrow piercing her heart in her palm.
Gu Shuangshuang was clearly running out of energy, and Gu Ling could tell, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do now was not to cause trouble for Zhou Yulin. He gritted his teeth, spat out a mouthful of blood, and could only use the move he disliked the most.
He transmitted his voice to Zhou Yulin, "I will open my domain in a moment, which can hold them off for three breaths. Sister, I'm counting on you."
"Domain, open."
In an instant, the people who were fighting disappeared from their original spot. Gu Ling knelt on the ground, his heart clenching so hard that he couldn't breathe. His vision blurred. Before Gu Shuangshuang could even be shocked, she quickly helped him up.
"Don't die in my arms! I... I didn't kill the Crown Prince!"
Gu Shuangshuang glanced around at the desolate place, then cried out in anguish, "Hey, someone come and vouch for me!"
Upon entering the domain, the space was disrupted. Zhou Yulin was prepared; she affixed one talisman to herself and another to Chen Muyao's back to break the effects of gravity. Zhou Yulin looked at the blood-stained Jade, held her sword to the leader's neck, and said, "The victor is king, the loser is villain. You lost."
The domain closed, but the man smiled brightly at Zhou Yulin, "I will never lose." A wisp of black energy withdrew from the body, and the leader collapsed helplessly to the ground.
Zhou Yulin stepped forward and ripped off the man's mask.
The jade pendant fell onto the grass. Zhou Yulin stared blankly at the person's face, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Little Moon, look what good things your second senior brother brought back for you!"
"Little Moon, are you mesmerized?"
"Little Moon, Second Senior Brother said that if anything happens, Senior Brother will back you up."
Everything remained frozen in this person's carefree smile; memories faded, and the past became all the more precious in her heart.
"Second Senior Brother," she murmured, wondering how they could have met here.
The person who had disappeared for so many years suddenly appeared before her. More than disbelief, she felt a sense of grievance.
She wanted to ask where this person had gone and why he had left without saying goodbye.
Did he know about all the things that happened at the Xuanling Sect?
Even if you know, can you still remain so indifferent?
Everything boils down to the final sentence, "It's alright."
Thankfully you're still alive.
Zhou Yulin looked up at the approaching dusk, someone behind her shielding her from the glare of the light. "If you want to cry, then cry for a while," the young man said indifferently, without much emotion. He suppressed any extra emotion in his eyes, his clenched hands loosened, and as the sobs came from behind him, the light gradually dimmed.
*
Quan Jin lost count of how many days it had been. Every day was the same, and there was no longer his nagging father behind him. He fed the goldfish in the pond.
When he got home, he found his door wide open. Just as he was wondering if a thief had broken in, a person came out from inside and said, "How have you been, Young Master Quan?"
Quan Jin looked at the person who came in, without joy or sorrow, only a kind of ordinary feeling that had been smoothed out. "Hmm, I'm always startled when I see you. You really look like a friend I know."
He continued talking to himself, not blaming Zhou Yulin for prying open his door.
"Quan Jin, I already know that you didn't do that."
Quan Jin paused for a moment, then slowly turned back. "Oh? That matter? I stopped caring about it a long time ago." As if he had thought about it for a long time, he said with a grin, "You know, I'm a lazy bum who does unexpected things."
Looking at Quan Jin, who seemed completely unconcerned, Zhou Yulin felt a growing pang of bitterness in her heart. "I said, I know you didn't do it, Quan Jin, why did you admit it?"
Quan Jin put out the food for the goldfish. He seemed to have never disliked the square thatched hut. There were graffiti and insults by children at the door. He was like a smooth stone, having lost his former temper, and only bowed his head.
"I already said, it's all in the past." Quan Jin said, getting a little angry. "Can't this person understand? Besides, what does this have to do with you at all?"
"I just feel that you shouldn't be like this."
This sentence completely enraged Quan Jin. "What should it be like! Is this the kind of pathetic life I want! When you judge me, have you ever truly considered my perspective? You stand on the sidelines and talk without understanding the pain. When you label me a murderer, beat me, and verbally abuse me, have I ever fought back? I beg you, please stop harassing me. I've already lived like this, and you still think you haven't punished me enough? Do you only feel it's enough when you've driven me to my death?"
Looking at the hysterical Quan Jin in front of her, Zhou Yulin handed her a handkerchief, but Quan Jin turned his head away and did not take it. Naturally, Zhou Yulin quickly put it away and recalled, "The last time I saw you, you also cried very badly."
Quan Jin raised her head to stop her tears from falling, but Zhou Yulin smiled gently, without the coldness she had shown just now, "I think you have a great talent for acting."
"I'm sorry, I don't have that talent."
"It's never too late to start over."
Zhou Yulin looked at the young man with red eyes and returned to the initial question, "You clearly saw Jun Fengqiu that night, so why did you give false testimony for him? Why did you insist that you did it?"
Two questions brought Quan Jin back to his initial silence.
Zhou Yulin voiced her bold guess, "Because of Linghu Miao, right?"
Quan Jin's pupils dilated, as if he had seen a ghost, as he looked at the woman who had spoken.
"You...you're not!"
Seeing Quan Jin's flustered and helpless expression, Zhou Yulin knew she had guessed correctly. But she didn't understand, "Why? You have no relation to him, why are you compromising with him?"
"..."
After a long while, Quan Jin looked at the evergreen tree in the courtyard and asked Zhou Yulin, "Do you think this evergreen tree in the courtyard is growing well?"
That's naturally a good thing.
“I have an old friend,” he said, choosing his words carefully.
“My deceased friend was a very, very good person. If it weren’t for her, perhaps I would never have broken through to the Golden Core stage, and I would never have become a decent child in everyone’s eyes. I couldn’t do anything to repay her while she was alive, and that is my regret.” He added, “It’s my regret for the rest of my life.”
"People who were so brilliant in life are forgotten after they die."
“Even the brightest star will eventually go out, but the fire in my heart has not been extinguished. I can’t help her, but I can’t just stand by and watch her senior brother die. I only destroyed his spiritual veins, but Jun Fengqiu wants his life.”
“I promised him I would take the truth to the grave.”
Realizing what was happening, Zhou Yulin hurriedly pressed Quan Jin down, preventing him from committing suicide. Swords struck the ground. "Are you insane!?"
"Why are you stopping me? I just want to end this meaningless life."
Seeing this, Zhou Yulin was furious. She grabbed Quan Jin by the collar and warned, "She's not dead. Even if she were dead, she wouldn't just stand by and watch you be bullied like this. Let me tell you, Quan Jin, if you die and go to the underworld, I won't let you off the hook."
Zhou Yulin left herself a way out, "Also, Linghu Miao is fine."
Upon hearing this, Quan Jin's eyes flickered with something. Compared to his previous tension, he was obviously much more relaxed. Noticing the strange posture, he coughed twice and reminded him, "Um, you can let me go now. I won't... I'll live."
He spoke the last few words in a rough voice, as if that wasn't enough, and then made a low promise: "I swear, I will live well, live to the limit of my life."
"Longer than this tree that doesn't bloom in spring."
"Good, good, it's longer than this tree."
Quan Jin had to admit defeat.
Zhou Yulin then released Quan Jin, "Come back to Qingyun Sect with me tomorrow."
Quan Jin was quite surprised to hear this. "You actually joined the Qingyun Sect?"
Zhou Yulin met the man's scrutinizing gaze with complete composure, "If I don't go in, will you?"
Quan Jin shook his head. "Let you young people fight over it. My noblest ideal in this life is to inherit the family business."
Zhou Yulin: ...Damn connections.
As he was about to leave, Quan Jin called out to Zhou Yulin, seemingly hesitant. But the moment he met the woman's clear gaze, something seemed to vanish like clouds dissipating. He gripped the document in his hand tightly. "I think there are some things I still need to know."
"This is information I looked up later; I thought I wouldn't need it."
He entrusted everything he had collected over the years to Zhou Yulin.
"That's a good name, Zhou Yulin."
The much-mature-looking young man lowered his eyes and forced a smile, which was more difficult than crying. "Jade knocks on the innocent table, rain awakens passersby."
The purple-white spring flowers were blown gently by the wind and scattered around the two of them, with one of them landing in Quan Jin's palm.
"The flower that does not bloom in spring has always had a very beautiful meaning."
Zhou Yulin simply asked casually, "What?"
"A gift for the one I love."
Looking at the spring flower in Quan Jin's palm, Zhou Yulin recalled Chen Muyao's fleeting unease at that time, and realized that she had made a big mistake.
Help! Someone tell her how to resolve this situation after accidentally giving Bu Chunhua to her nemesis.
No wonder people were looking at me strangely!
How is this different from confessing your feelings?
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