Chapter 108 (End of Main Text - Part 1) He then realized that it wasn't hatred. ...
"Don't move!"
"Behave yourself!"
Bai Hemian and Jingnu, who were lying in ambush outside, tied Jiang Shiyan up and took him away along with the servant guarding the door.
The door to the side room closed again. Xue Rongyue looked at the long street in the distance, where firelight flickered and fighting broke out. Her gaze followed that familiar figure, and the knot in her heart that had been stuck for days gradually dissipated. She couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief.
Her knuckles rubbed against the letter she held in her palm. On the letter was a short sentence: "Wait for me to come back."
This was brought back by Luo Zhen, who had returned from a long journey, some time ago. When Xue Rongyue saw the familiar handwriting on it, she felt relieved.
Watching Qin Jin fall off the cliff, Xue Rongyue was distraught ever since she woke up. Even though she knew it was a trap, and even with Princess Yu'an's repeated persuasion, she couldn't find peace of mind until she saw this letter.
Upon learning of this, Princess Yu'an scolded, "That brat! He secretly sent a letter about something so important. And since he did send it, he didn't even say a few more words."
Actually, these four words are enough.
Qin Jin took the lead, his banners fluttering in the wind, and led his men toward the palace.
Meanwhile, the original booklet that Xue Rongyue had hidden in her sleeve was now burning hot.
Xue Rongyue took it out and walked to the side to look at it.
[The Last Moment]
[The Prince Xian's Mansion, a side courtyard.]
"You bitch, it was you! So it was you!"
With bloodshot eyes and a ferocious expression, the King of Xian roared and charged forward with his sword.
With a "thud" as the sword pierced flesh, the sword in the Prince Xian's hand fell to the ground. He looked at Xue Rongyue in disbelief, his face gradually turning pale with pain, and blood continued to flow from his abdomen.
Xue Rongyue drew the knife expressionlessly.
The splattered blood on her face resembled a red plum blossom proudly blooming on a branch in winter.
The Prince Xian's swaying body collapsed, his face ashen and contorted, his outstretched fingers desperately trying to grasp something, his knuckles weakly reaching forward, but it was all in vain.
When he died, his eyes were wide open, staring straight at Xue Rongyue, his eyes wide open in death, as if he could never understand why he would die at her hands.
The main villain in the story did not fall at the last moment, nor did he die at the hands of the male and female protagonists who symbolized justice. Instead, he died at the hands of a vicious female supporting character who should have been his accomplice and despised by everyone.
It's like a painting that's only half-finished being suddenly splashed with dirty water; a story that's been carefully laid out comes to an abrupt end, so unexpectedly that it's unbelievable.
Xue Rongyue walked slowly out of the room.
In the cold winter, Chang'an has already experienced two heavy snowfalls, and today is the third.
Snowflakes fell thick and fast, covering the eaves and courtyards with a layer of white, which, when blown by the wind, resembled an elusive white mist.
Several white plum trees were planted in the large courtyard. Xue Rongyue was pale and walked forward with difficulty. She wanted to leave the courtyard, but the dripping blood drained her. The sword that had slashed her chest had sealed her fate.
She leaned against a plum tree and fell to the ground, but this only made her wound hurt more.
With her brow furrowed slightly, Xue Rongyue gasped for breath, but still couldn't catch her breath. She knew she was about to give up.
Finally, she slowly lay down.
The snow fell on her, making it hard to tell whether it was white plum blossoms or snowflakes.
Her figure was slender, like a withered branch in autumn, and the gorgeous silk dress wrapped around her body looked more like a cage at this moment.
Xue Rongyue saw a parrot.
Those were raised by her.
At this moment, the gorgeously feathered parrot somehow escaped from its cage and flew back and forth in the room, trying to fly out into the vast world.
Xue Rongyue whistled softly.
She was so weak that she could no longer feel the cold, and so weak that the whistles she used to spout could only be produced as faint whispers with all her might.
Sorrow gradually settled into Xue Rongyue's unfocused eyes.
She watched the parrot wander aimlessly around the room like a headless fly, eventually becoming exhausted, its efforts futile despite its best efforts.
She didn't want to see this cruel scene anymore, so she slowly looked away. Snowflakes fell on her, and she wanted to reach out and catch them, but her vision was already blurring.
Her pale, colorless lips parted slightly, and Xue Rongyue murmured, "...So beautiful."
Xue Rongyue didn't like white plum blossoms before.
In winter, the red plum blossoms are vibrant, the winter plum blossoms are eye-catching, while the white plum blossoms blend into the snow and ice, as if they are buried with the bitter cold of winter.
She hated winter and hated white plum blossoms, but she never imagined that one day she would die in winter, under a white plum tree.
She frowned, and complained softly with dissatisfaction, "...It's all...it's all Qin Jin's fault..."
She originally intended to die in the pavilion outside the Taoist temple, and even picked a flower for herself—a bright and beautiful hibiscus. Unfortunately, Qin Jin stopped Ji Dian.
But it's all for the best, as it gave her the opportunity to kill the Prince Xian with her own hands.
Although the poison was gradually draining the King's body, enough to kill him suddenly in the near future, she wouldn't be able to see it then, and it wouldn't be as satisfying as killing him with her own hands.
A gentle east wind swept through the courtyard, and plum blossoms mingled with the falling snow, showering Xue Rongyue with a shower of white petals. She laughed happily, "How beautiful! How come I never noticed before..."
As she spoke, she inevitably recalled her short life.
From the orphanage to the hospital ward, from the palace to the Xue residence, and then to the Qin residence, she thought of her brother, of Jingnu, of her mother whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and of... Qin Jin.
Outside the Taoist temple, his gaze was so cold and distant that he didn't even bother to say a word to her.
I suppose he must hate her to the core.
Her tears froze, and these memories, like the blizzard before her eyes, completely engulfed her, leaving her momentarily unable to distinguish whether this was a bizarre dream.
What if she opens her eyes and finds herself back in a cold hospital bed?
If that's the case, it's really sad...
Suddenly, Xue Rongyue found her strength and, with her last breath, raised her hand to catch a falling snowflake. As it landed in her palm, the corners of her lips curved into a difficult smile.
She whispered, "It's not your fault, you've done your best..."
A chill ran down her cheeks from the corner of her eye, and Xue Rongyue sighed softly, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
She could no longer think or recall anything. She looked at the scenery before her with reluctance, even though her blurred vision made it impossible to see anything. But she still wanted to take one last, greedy look.
Sadly, despite being born in Chang'an, she seemed never to have had the chance to leisurely appreciate its beauty, not even for a moment. Her short life was filled with constant striving, busy work, and scheming.
Unfortunately, no matter how many regrets one may have, one cannot stop the passage of life.
A long wind howled past, and white plum blossoms fluttered down.
Her arm slumped helplessly into the snowdrift, and in the midst of this long, heavy snowfall, Xue Rongyue slowly closed her eyes.
The east wind rang the copper bells under the eaves, making a clear, tinkling sound. Snow piled up on the branches, bending the bamboo branches. Under the trees, the cold and beautiful hairpins were gradually covered by snow plum blossoms.
......
Who will compensate for this lifetime of good times?
The sudden neighing of a horse outside the mansion broke the silence.
Qin Jin dismounted and rushed in without a care.
He had just stepped into the courtyard when he saw the open door, and for some reason, his unease grew stronger. He hurried into the house, and the sight of the King Xian's unseeing corpse threw him into a panic, especially when he saw the blood-stained swords lying on the ground.
Breathing rapidly, he clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, and searched the room almost frantically.
...Xue Rongyue was nowhere to be seen.
Realizing this, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, his hands gripping the corner of the table as he gasped for air.
However, a casual glance from the corner of his eye made him freeze.
He looked up abruptly, staring in disbelief at the figure under the tree, almost completely buried in the snow.
His breathing grew increasingly rapid. Qin Jin carefully stepped out from under the eaves, the parrot following him, circling above his head. His heart was pounding violently; his unease had become a tangible tremor.
A wave of intense suffocation washed over Qin Jin, who stared blankly at the familiar figure, who stood like a statue, her shoulders covered in frost and snow, yet he hesitated to approach.
He always thought he hated Xue Rongyue.
I hate her silver tongue, her sweet talk, her honeyed words and daggers, she has no sincerity whatsoever.
He hated her for using him time and time again, for trapping herself in her own web, and for showing no remorse.
He hated her for making him a laughingstock time and time again by protecting her.
However, after all that hatred, he eventually realized he didn't even know what he was hating anymore.
only......
He should hate her, shouldn't he?
But why...?
His knuckles and legs trembled uncontrollably as Qin Jin slowly and laboriously walked forward, each step seemingly requiring all his strength, and he had to stop and catch his breath after each step.
It took Qin Jin a full quarter of an hour to walk those few steps. When his eyes finally fell on that familiar face, he clutched his head and howled in agony, like a trapped beast driven to the brink of despair.
His legs were so weak that he could not support his whole body. Qin Jin almost tumbled and crawled to Xue Rongyue's side. He was panting heavily, but still could not breathe.
Qin Jin's mind went blank, and tears came even before the pain.
After being poisoned and rendered mute, Qin Jin thought about hating her for the rest of his life, about taking revenge on her, about torturing each other for the rest of his life, but he never thought that one day, Xue Rongyue would die.
She will die silently.
Finally, the snow on her body was completely brushed away, and looking at her skirt soaked in blood, it was as if someone had struck a gong in her ear, shaking Qin Jin to the core.
Her body was so cold.
Qin Jin trembled as he picked her up and gently shook her: "...Xue Rongyue, please don't lie to me..."
"Please say something to me."
"Stop pretending, I know you're definitely faking it."
"I've seen through your scheme. Get up, Xue Rongyue, get up..."
Qin Jin held her tightly, his voice no longer able to maintain its fragile composure; he was already sobbing uncontrollably: "Xue Rongyue, please... please don't do this to me..."
The only response he received was the whistling wind.
Having learned everything from the guards, Ji Dian rushed over and witnessed the scene. When he saw the lifeless corpse in Qin Jin's arms, his heart skipped a beat, and he dared not approach.
Xue Rongyue is dead.
She really died.
This realization was unacceptable to Qin Jin. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared blankly at Ji Dian, pleading, "Please, please call her for me! She must be angry with me, angry that I ignored her when I saw her outside the Taoist temple. Please help me..."
Qin Jin abruptly stopped speaking.
He suddenly remembered the look Xue Rongyue gave him when she called him back as he was leaving.
Back then, he couldn't decipher the meaning of that gaze; he only felt inexplicably uncomfortable. But now, he finally understood—
That was a deep-seated attachment and reluctance to part, which was being suppressed.
At this moment, grief was like a boulder crashing down on Qin Jin's head, mercilessly crushing every bone and every piece of flesh in his body.
Blood gushed from his throat, and Qin Jin lost consciousness.
Even while unconscious, he still held tightly to Xue Rongyue's body, unwilling to let go.
In a dream he didn't want to wake up from, Qin Jin saw Xue Rongyue.
After his pet raccoon was slaughtered, he went to confront Xue Rongyue, only to overhear her discussing his past with a friend. He fled in panic, but then heard someone calling his name from the window: "Qin Jin!"
Xue Rongyue sat on the windowsill, a gentle breeze lifting her skirt. Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she waved to him, tilting her head to ask, "Qin Jin, did you come to see me?"
When he was lucid, Qin Jin often felt pain whenever he thought of Xue Rongyue. There were many reasons for this pain, too many to count on two hands.
At the same time, emotions even more intense than pain surged and ebbed within him.
Qin Jin always believed that the intense emotion stemmed from hatred.
But now, the person he hated is dead.
When hatred should have been stripped away, the intense emotions surged even more fiercely, overwhelming him.
It did not disappear.
At this moment, Qin Jin finally realized that it was not hatred.
Hate will not make him live in fear, constantly think about it, or hesitate about what to do next; it will not make his joys and sorrows all tied to one person.
So if hatred cannot be explained, then what is more deeply rooted and unforgettable than hatred?
-----------------------
Author's Note: There will be another chapter after midnight!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
