Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Chapter 45

Huai En raised his voice sharply, "Get out!" Unbeknownst to him, he had already grabbed his sword. With a flick of his long sword, he lifted the clothes from the ground and threw them over Xiaobao.

Xiaobao, in a flurry, tried to put on the clothes while nervously hiding behind Huai En. "Oh dear, who would appear at such a time, curse you to have no descendants for generations!"

Suddenly, a shadow flashed before their eyes, and before Xiaobao could even see where the person came from, he was only a few yards away from them.

The newcomer was a young man, seemingly younger than Huai En, with a handsome and extraordinary appearance. His brows were filled with arrogance, and though his eyes were looking at them, they seemed to see through everything, quite domineering.

Xiaobao immediately took a dislike to him, not just because he interrupted their sweet moment, nor because the young man's face bore the pride of a heroic youth which made Xiaobao jealous, but because the way he looked at Huai En made him extremely uncomfortable.

Xiaobao quickly picked up the clothes next to his feet to cover Huai En, and cursed at the young man, "What are you staring at, don't you have it yourself? Do you think by staring at others, yours will grow?"

The young man's cheeks puffed up, and finally, he deigned to look at Xiaobao, squeezing out two words through his teeth, "How impudent."

Standing by Huai En, Xiaobao felt a strong sense of security, not taking the person before him seriously at all. He diligently helped Huai En into his clothes, then, while wrapping an arm around Huai En's waist to tie his belt, provocatively lifted his chin at the young man.

The young man's face darkened, and glaring at Huai En, he demanded, "What have you two been doing here?" He was not foolish; noticing the red marks on the chest and the intimate demeanor between them, it was hard not to think otherwise.

"None of your business," Xiaobao glanced disdainfully.

Silence fell as Huai En, having been dressed by Xiaobao, finally spoke, "What are you doing here?"

"Do you know me?" the young man glared.

"I've seen you."

Xiaobao was surprised; Huai En knew this person?

"When?" Anger surged in the young man's eyes, wondering when he had been spied upon without his knowledge.

"Are you here to talk nonsense?"

"If you know who I am, you should know what I'm here for."

"Just with you alone?" Huai En smirked dismissively, although he was inwardly unsettled. He had not expected the Zong Zheng to act so swiftly, and they were not yet in Feng Chuan. Moreover, sending him? This person was far more important than the object they sought. What exactly was their plan, and how did he find this place, known only to him and Zuo Ying and You Ying?

"Hmph, of course not just me." The young man clapped his hands, and a group of people in black clothes and masked faces jumped out from the cave entrance.

Xiaobao's expression stiffened as he counted them; there were at least twenty, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"I volunteered for this mission, to meet you. So, the son of that man is nothing special, engaging in indecent acts with a man in a cave, and of such low quality at that." After sizing Xiaobao up, his face was full of disdain.

Damn!! Low quality!!

Xiaobao was furious, pointing at his nose and cursing loudly, "You milk-scented kid, instead of going home to drink milk, what are you doing in the deep mountains? Look at those slanted eyes of yours, must be from the same den as a weasel, what kind of quality are you? I am the eldest son of the Jin family, the richest family in the south of the Yangtze River."

The young man, obviously inexperienced in the world, was so angered by Xiaobao that he trembled all over. After a long struggle, he finally managed to articulate, "You dare insult me, I will have you torn to pieces and your family executed!"

Xiaobao, with an exaggerated expression, spat in his direction. Initially, he was somewhat nervous seeing so many of them, but noticing Huai En's calm demeanor, he felt reassured, believing Huai En must have a plan. At this moment, he certainly couldn't show fear, lest he be looked down upon.

The young man was so infuriated by him that his face turned red, pointing at Huai En, "Hand over the item, and I'll leave you a whole corpse."

Huai En coldly responded, "The item is not on me, and even if it were, you wouldn't live to take it back."

"Hmph, who are you trying to fool? You're heading back to Jin Qi Mountain, aren't you? My uncle predicted you would set out once your injuries healed, and now, as expected, you've fallen into our hands. I want to see how you, alone with this useless one, plan to escape."

Xiaobao's retort was louder than the young man's scoff, "Bringing twenty people with you, and you're calling us useless?"

"You!!"

"Young master, don't let him anger you. We have important matters to attend to. Once we catch this little troublemaker, we have plenty of ways to discipline him," a person in black approached and said with a bow.

"Hmph, right, falling into my hands, I will make sure you wish you were dead!"

Xiaobao hadn't expected the young man, despite his young age, to have such a vicious look in his eyes. He was truly shaken for a moment and couldn't help but shrink back behind Huai En. Huai En squeezed his hand, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The young man saw this and his face immediately filled with disgust, barking coarsely, "Disgusting. I'll say it again, hand over the item."

"As I said, the item isn't with me. If you don't believe it, try to take it, if you have the ability," Huai En replied.

The young man drew his sword from his waist, shouting, "Prepare to die!"

With a movement as majestic as a great roc spreading its wings, he charged at them, followed by a group of black-clad people drawing their swords and rushing forward.

Huai En, using his internal strength, pushed Xiaobao several yards back,

"Go to the back, don't come over."

Xiaobao steadied himself and looked back to see Huai En entangled in a fight with the group.

He was only wearing an outer garment, with his belt loosely tied around his waist. As he moved, his chest and legs were mostly exposed. The group was clearly skilled, and seeing the snow-white Huai En being engulfed by the darkness, Xiaobao's hands and feet trembled uncontrollably with anxiety.