Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Chapter 63

As the dusk clouds dissipated and the cold air filled the air, the Silver River silently turns its jade plate.

This life, this night, won't last long. Where will I see the bright moon next year?

This life... this night... the bright moon... next year?

Raising his hand, stained with mud and dirt, to the top of his head, he happened to grasp a strand of moonlight leaking in through the ventilation hole. It was indeed pure and flawless, casting a serene shadow. Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival, yet he can only glimpse the moonlight through this small opening, wondering what the scene outside is like, and how it used to be in previous years.

In previous years, the Jin Family would be bustling with activity during this time. From early morning, they would open the granaries to distribute grains, with people lining up for miles. The entire Jin Mansion would be adorned with lanterns and decorations, filled with the fragrance of osmanthus flowers. In the evening, they would host banquets for guests from all directions, and visitors would crowd the gates bearing gifts.

Never did he imagine that there would be a Mid-Autumn Festival like this, where he would be lying in this deathly quiet prison cell, trying to move his fingers that barely retain sensation under the moonlight.

The needle marks on his wrist joints, as Qi Xiaobin had said, were barely visible after two days. But all seventy-eight joints of his body still felt cold. Despite it being the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather wasn't too chilly, but the cell was damp. After the pain subsided, he still couldn't sleep for two days, feeling a chill seeping from his bones. During the day, it was bearable with the sun, but after sunset, he tossed and turned, feeling like his body was being pierced. Even sitting down, his hips couldn't support him, and he felt like a complete wreck.

His father lay beside him. Shortly after Qi Xiaobin left, someone came in to tend to his father's illness, checking his pulse and administering medicine with great care, seemingly afraid of any mishaps. After settling his father, they examined him inside and out, confirming no external injuries, and after giving him a few pills, they left. The medication eased some of the pain.

His mother also slept beside his father. She hadn't closed her eyes for days, with tears almost constantly flowing. Her mind seemed to be wandering, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, which deeply worried and frightened him.

He felt exhausted, but no matter what, he couldn't fall asleep. Thinking about leaving this place tomorrow, heading towards an unknown fate, he no longer felt fear.

He looked at his hands, dirty and grimy, with bloodstains and mud between his fingers, self-inflicted. Upon closer inspection, he could see tiny red dots under the moonlight, fourteen needles on one hand... densely packed... all ten fingers connected. Recalling how painful it was, especially on his hands, which are now stiff and painful to move, unlike his own hands. He remembered someone who loved these hands, lying on his legs, playing with his hands, pinching and biting them, then raising his chin, blinking his dark eyes, and smiling, calling them pig trotters...

These hands covered his eyes, and the scalding liquid flowed down his cheeks onto the dry hay beneath him, disappearing without a trace.

From the detention center to the outer gate of Suzhou, Xiao Bao walked the longest distance of his life.

In fact, he had traversed this path countless times, sometimes riding in luxurious carriages, sometimes on a fine horse, and even on foot, each time with an air of confidence and vitality. Never did he imagine that one day he would be sitting in a prisoner's cart, sentenced to a severe punishment, escorted to the capital for execution.

The people of Suzhou, if they had eyes, all knew him. While he hadn't committed any major crimes, there were always mocking remarks and sneers directed his way. But when they reached the commercial district, everything changed. The Jin family's business was too dominant, squeezing out other businesses, and seizing this opportunity to strike back, people hurled all sorts of filth at them. The soldiers escorting them warned several times, but seeing it wasn't causing harm, they turned a blind eye. However, the blatant humiliation made the three of them dare not even open their eyes. Anything hitting their bodies felt like a thousand-pound hammer, causing unbearable pain.

Due to the large crowd watching, the procession moved exceptionally slowly, and by the time they exited the city, it was almost dark.

The venom's toxicity seemed to be brewing with the changing weather, and Xiao Bao couldn't help but fear the excruciating pain Qi Xiaobin had warned about during an outbreak, even worse than the needle injections. Curled up tightly in the prisoner's cart, Xiao Bao almost counted the passing time with his eyes open, waiting for the sun to rise.

The unexpected happened at noon on the second day.

The group was resting under a tree when the sharp sound of swords unsheathing pierced the heavy air. Dozens of black figures descended like a dark storm. Xiao Bao strained to turn his head in the cart and immediately recognized a familiar figure.

Zhao Cai!! Jin Bao!!

Although both were masked, their physique and movements were unmistakable.

The black-clad figures clashed with the escorting soldiers, who were already outnumbered and quickly overwhelmed. Suddenly, the cart shook violently, followed by a deafening explosion. In the blink of an eye, the wooden bars of the cart around him splintered and broke apart, yet not a single piece touched him. A strong hand grasped his waist and lifted him into the air. Xiao Bao turned abruptly and met a pair of eyes, equally familiar, with sharp corners at the inner corners and an upward slant at the outer corners. The eyebrows were sharp and slender, and under the slightly narrowed, elongated eyes, the curled lashes cast a small shadow. Usually filled with the arrogance and ease of a nobleman, those eyes were now ablaze with intense fury.

Xiao Bao exclaimed, "Su Yin!"