Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Chapter 85

Su Yin's eyebrows knitted tightly together as he stared at the enigmatic smile of Zong Zheng Lihan, his mind swirling with countless thoughts, unable to calm his emotions. He spoke somewhat stiffly, "Prince Shen, I am not in a position to decide on this matter."

Zong Zheng Lihan chuckled softly, "I will speak to Prince Li myself. I know this is hard for you, but the situation has changed, and I have no choice but to set aside my pride. I hope you can consider my humble request."

"Your Highness, it was you who initially approached me and my grandfather for a partnership. Now that we hold the winning cards, Zong Zheng Huai En is isolated and vulnerable, like a turtle trapped in a jar. I could take him down anytime. You must be aware, Your Highness, that I have a personal vendetta against him..."

Zong Zheng Lihan waved his hand with a smile, "Su Yin, in my eyes, there is no one among the younger generation who can compare to you. It is not an exaggeration to praise you from any angle. Prince Li speaks of you with more pride than he does of his own monumental achievements in expanding the empire. Even the Emperor and I hold you in high regard. It's no wonder the young prince is so fond of you..."

Su Yin suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Prince Shen, "Your Highness, you flatter me too much. I merely have a superficial understanding compared to you and my grandfather. I am unworthy of such high praise. As for the prince, his admiration is only slight and befitting his youthful nature. I implore you not to jest about me in this manner, Your Highness. I am truly uneasy."

Zong Zheng Lihan laughed heartily, "Look at you, cutting me off before I could even finish. Su Yin, Su Yin, you really don't let anything slip through."

Su Yin continued to bow, "I dare not, Your Highness."

Zong Zheng Lihan patted the table, "Sit, sit down."

Su Yin then sat down, his expression calm and composed.

"Hey, listen to me finish," Zong Zheng Lihan said.

Su Yin's long eyelashes trembled slightly as he gestured for Zong Zheng Lihan to continue.

"I know you can hardly wait to deal with Huai En, but... let's be clear, Su Yin, I don't believe you're completely in the dark about all this."

Su Yin blinked, "I'm not sure what Your Highness is referring to?"

Zong Zheng Lihan's lips curled into a mocking smile, "Alright, let's assume you don't know. Since Prince Li has agreed to help us eliminate the Universal Church, our plans should take precedence. Huai En is indeed a crucial part of this, but now a great mishap has occurred. Zong Zheng Yu Zhan has played a risky and fierce move just when we were about to close our net, throwing our plans into complete disarray. Regardless of whether his move is genuine or not, we can no longer proceed as planned. We must devise a new strategy, and you absolutely cannot act against Huai En at this time."

Su Yin sipped his tea, skillfully twirling the delicate cup in his hand.

"The fate of Huai En must be left to the Emperor. If something happens to him now, how can we explain it to the Emperor?"

Su Yin scoffed internally, questioning when it had become "we." If Huai En dies, it's your problem, not mine. If he really dies, whether I did it or not, you'll find a reason to target me.

Calming his mind, though he truly wanted to tear Huai En apart, the current circumstances forced him to prioritize the greater good. He nodded, "Since Your Highness has put it this way, it would seem inappropriate for me not to agree. Indeed, the Emperor manages countless affairs yet still pays attention to this situation—I truly admire that. May I ask if there has been any chance to discuss the relief funds for last year's plague in Yunnan?"

Zong Zheng Li Han looked at him and smiled, "You can rest assured, the Prince Li Qin, that the Emperor has already made a decision. I will also take responsibility for persuading other ministers. I know that the epidemic has caused suffering to the people of Southern Yunnan, and the Emperor will certainly not ignore this."

Su Yin also stared into Zong Zheng Li Han's eyes, "Then do you know when the Emperor will allocate funds?"

Zong Zheng Li Han laughed heartily, "The Emperor's intentions are not something we can speculate about, but I will certainly make every effort."

Su Yin also laughed heartily, "I understand, but the people I sent to track Zong Zheng Huai En have not been heard from for two or three days. Your Highness knows that the area between Southern Yunnan and Central Guizhou is a severe epidemic area. According to the timeline, they should have arrived there by now. However, that place is barren and sparsely populated, and I do not know their whereabouts. I hope I can still manage to catch up with them later. However, with Zong Zheng Huai En's martial skills, I believe he can handle dozens of people."

Zong Zheng Li Han stood up, elegantly flicked his clothes, and said to Su Yin with a half-smile, "Then you better send your men quickly to avoid missing the opportunity. The people in the epidemic area are suffering."

Su Yin bowed, "I will go right now."

Huai En did not go far after leaving the valley but found the local branch of the Beggar's Gang. He smashed down a large sum of silver to thoroughly investigate Su Yin's movements over the past two months, then found an inn to recuperate while waiting for news.

After waiting for half a month, the money he threw out brought back clues. Over the past few months, Su Yin had been searching across the martial arts world for the Red Demon Flower of Dali Flame. As for the news about the Jin family of three, Su Yin had sealed it tightly, and even the Beggar's Gang could not find out who had harmed Xiao Bao.

*

Huai En's fingers moved slightly, and the few thin pages he held crumbled into powder.

"Great Flame of Dali... this is the only thing I can do for Xiao Bao now..."

In the past few days, unexpected incidents had occurred one after another, pushing him to the brink of despair. He wondered if Xiao Bao had felt the same way, heartbroken and desolate, while imprisoned in the dungeon.

Thinking of Xiao Bao's resentful and sorrowful eyes, he felt so uncomfortable that he couldn't sit still or sleep. He repeatedly recalled those memories, unable to understand how things had turned into the current situation. He lay alone in pain on the inn's bed, filled with grievances and pain that had no outlet, unable to determine whose fault it was.

Regarding his own origins, although he was somewhat surprised, he was not shocked—it seemed inevitable. There was no semblance of father-son affection between him and his father, Zong Zheng Yu Zhan. He only resented that for such a man, for his absurd and insane obsessions, both he and Xiao Bao had suffered. He did not know where his future path lay.

He thought of Xiao Bao, nearly driven mad with longing. He dreamed of him whether his eyes were open or closed. Why was reality so far from what he had envisioned? He and Xiao Bao should have been living together peacefully in Wujiang County or anywhere else. He wished he could hug him whenever he wanted, pinch his cheeks, hear him talk, see him smile. If Xiao Bao ever did something silly, he would always stand by his side, and no one would be allowed to bully him. They were supposed to spend years and years together, until they grew old and died.

But now, he even dreaded facing Xiao Bao.

He had to return, and he could never give up unless he died. Yet, the thought of facing Xiao Bao, frail, haggard, continuously tormented by the chilling poison, and possibly having fallen for someone else, filled him with fear.

His heart was set on that one person, but this person hated him and didn't even want to see him. No matter how resilient he was, he couldn't endure such torment.

After much thought, his only option was to seek the Great Flame of Dali. He would never let Xiao Bao's latter half of life be jeopardized by that cruel poison. If he brought that flower to Xiao Bao, perhaps Xiao Bao wouldn't chase him away upon seeing him. Maybe, if the poison was cured one day, there might still be a chance for Xiao Bao to love him again.

Clutching onto this hope, in this vast world, there truly was no place for him, except by Xiao Bao's side. There was nowhere else he wanted to be, nor would he go.