Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Chapter 92

Huai En felt as if the name Xiao Bao was a fishbone stuck in his throat, impossible to swallow or spit out, like a thousand-pound stone pressing on his chest, making each step forward require immense willpower.

However, he was still blocked by Su Yin.

Facing Su Yin, Huai En was usually filled with rage, disgust, and jealousy, but now he appeared remarkably calm. He simply stated with cool certainty, "I won't leave. Wherever Xiao Bao is, that's where I'll be."

Su Yin was momentarily stunned, then scoffed disdainfully. As a cultured young master from a noble family, he was unaccustomed to using crude expressions. Struggling to voice his desire to curse Huai En's ancestors, he finally managed only to spit out, "Shameless."

As if he hadn't heard, Huai En continued to stare intently at Xiao Bao and said very seriously, "Xiao Bao, it's true."

Xiao Bao looked down, "There shouldn't be anything here for you to miss anymore. You better leave quickly. The Su residence is too small to accommodate a 'great Buddha' like you."

Huai En's throat moved as he wanted to say something but ended up saying nothing. Instead, he carefully took off the cloth bag he had protected all the way and opened the box toward Xiao Bao, saying with difficulty, "Xiao Bao... this... I will definitely cure the poison in your body. I will take care of you, no matter what you become. Can you please stop being angry with me?"

Everyone's attention was drawn to the contents of the box.

Que Siming unceremoniously stepped forward and pressed a dark red flower stem, "Ah, Daliyan flowers, one new and one old, not bad. With these, we have... Eh, Su Yin, did the Little Prince send the one he promised?"

"It's almost here. Together with what my father obtained from the Tang Sect, we currently have five plants."

Hope ignited in Huai En's eyes as he said somewhat unsteadily to Xiao Bao, "Xiao Bao, I'll figure out the rest. I definitely..."

However, Xiao Bao's eyes were captivated by the two plants; he hadn't heard the others talking at all, his gaze fixed solely on a bright red ribbon on one of the plants.

Suddenly, he rushed forward, snatched the box from Huai En's hands, and pulled out the plant underneath, demanding harshly, "Where did this come from?"

Huai En was startled and looked at the Daliyan in his hand.

"This knot... Xiao Yu tied it, right?!!! I recognize it; only Xiao Yu knows how to tie it!! Did you see Xiao Yu??" Xiao Bao's demeanor was extremely aggressive, his eyes nearly shooting flames.

Huai En then realized, the beautifully odd knot made from the bright red ribbon.

Xiao Bao threw the flower to the ground and grabbed Huai En by the collar, shouting, "This is Xiao Yu's thing!! What did you do to her?! Where is she!! My sister, where is she!! Speak up, speak up!!!"

Huai En slowly raised his hand, and the moment he touched Xiao Bao's hand, Xiao Bao reacted as if struck by lightning, pushing him away. Huai En, unprepared, almost fell to the ground.

As Huai En slowly raised his hand and touched Xiao Bao's hand, Xiao Bao, as if struck by lightning, pushed him away. Unprepared, Huai En nearly fell to the ground.

Xiao Bao no longer approached him, but continued to shout relentlessly, "Where is Xiao Yu?! What happened to her?! Xiao Yu!!! Speak!!!"

Huai En felt a painful churning in his chest as he glanced at his own hand and said softly, "She is with the Tongjiao sect; she is doing well. My father... everyone in Tongjiao dotes on her."

"And this flower? Did Xiao Yu give it to you?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you bring her back?"

Huai En was left speechless.

Xiao Bao, pointing at himself forcefully, yelled, "She is my sister!!! What right do you have to take her away?! What right do you have?! Who needs your things?! Who needs your feigned affection?! You’ve practically uprooted my Jin family, not even sparing my sister, and you still have the face to appear before me!!! Get out now!!! Leave!!!"

Xiao Bao's eyes were bloodshot, and his body shook uncontrollably. He felt he was nearing his end, overwhelmed by despair and anger, emotions even more intense than when he suffered from his cold poison.

Looking at him was painful; why could he not ignore him entirely even now?

Huai En stiffly crouched down, packed the two plants back into the box, and tossed it to Su Yin. He tried to maintain a calm tone with Xiao Bao, "I won’t leave. I’m not going anywhere, Xiao Bao. I just want to stay by your side."

By the end of his speech, Huai En's voice choked up, but his expression was intensely serious, stubbornly naive, as if he couldn’t see the vast chasm between them. With such sincerity, he resembled the old Huai En in the cave, eyes bright as he spoke of a lifetime together, tearing at Xiao Bao's heart.

Xiao Bao turned away and walked toward the inner room.

Huai En watched Xiao Bao enter the room and close the door before he shifted his gaze away from that direction, turning to Su Yin with the ever icy demeanor of Zong Zheng Huai En.

Su Yin handed the box to his subordinate, "That’s what you were supposed to do. Don’t expect anything else."

Huai En coldly replied, "What I did was for Xiao Bao; it has nothing to do with you."

Su Yin responded just as coldly, "Now that you’ve delivered the goods, like Xiao Bao said, you can leave."

"I plan to settle down in Dali permanently. It must be hard for you to see me nearby and not be able to lay a hand on me. I don’t know what you and Zong Zheng Lihan have traded for my exchange, but as long as you don’t interfere with me, we can coexist peacefully. If you dare meddle between me and Xiao Bao, I have many resources I can utilize. If I can’t spend this life with Xiao Bao, I will sacrifice the rest of my life to destroy your grandfather's decades of foundation and ensure this world never sees peace again."

Su Yin's expression changed drastically, his fists crackling inside his long sleeves.

Having dealt with countless individuals over twenty years, Su Yin was adept at discerning truth from falsehood. Although he found it ironic, he knew Huai En's affections for Xiao Bao were genuine. Yet, Huai En's words had caught him completely off guard.

Had Huai En spoken like this before, Su Yin would have scoffed at him. Although Huai En was exceptionally capable, one man's power was insignificant compared to the entire world—mere ants. Even though Huai En could command the Tongjiao sect, there were still many constraints on him. However, the situation had changed dramatically, and Huai En had suddenly gained a significant position of power in the grand scheme. If utilized wisely by someone like him, it could indeed overturn the world.

And yet, such a man, abandoning all potential for power, simply wished to stay by another man’s side?

Shocked, Su Yin began to contemplate further.

He calmed himself and said, “Let me be clear, I promised Prince Shen not to kill you, but that’s all I promised. To think you could shake the world is utterly boastful. I don’t care if you reside in Dali, but once you leave the Su residence, if you dare step inside again, I will sever your tendons and make you a cripple.”

Huai En scoffed disdainfully, thinking how laughable it was for anyone to think they could stop him from moving freely as he wished.

Que Siming interjected, “You better hurry up and secure the remaining two plants. I've been here too long and am growing impatient. If you can't gather them before autumn starts, I'm out.” He then grabbed Jin Bao and left, with Jin Bao glancing back at Huai En with a fierce stare and spitting disdainfully.

Huai En took one last look at Xiao Bao's room, then turned and walked away.