Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Translator: Silvery Butterfly

Two inexperienced individuals charged around the vast mountain forest like headless flies. After several hours, their voices were hoarse from shouting, and they could still only hear their own echoes.

The mountain paths became increasingly difficult to traverse, and their horses were long since unable to continue, forcing them to proceed on foot.

Xiao Bao , a pampered young master who was carried even for trips to the latrine as a child, had never endured such hardship. He hadn’t eaten for an entire night, and he was exhausted, hungry, and anxious. The scenery around him seemed to blur.

Reaching his limit, he collapsed under a tree.

Jin Bao  was terrified. “Young Master… what’s wrong with you…”

Xiao Bao , in a hoarse whisper, said, “I’m… so hungry…” His stomach growled in protest.

Jin Bao  sighed. “Young Master, rest here for a while. I’ll go find something to fill your stomach.”

Xiao Bao  lay motionless on the ground, his head resting against the tree trunk, looking completely lifeless. His voice matched his appearance, weak and faint. “Alright… be careful…”

Jin Bao , being a true martial artist, showed no signs of fatigue apart from his hoarse voice. He stepped carefully, the snapping of twigs and leaves underfoot audible with each step.

“Make sure there’s meat!” Xiao Bao  mustered all his strength to shout in the direction Jin Bao  had disappeared, and then he couldn’t fight the drowsiness any longer, slipping into a daze.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard the crunching sound of branches and leaves again. Xiao Bao  had no sense of time and didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Back so soon?”

There was no response. Xiao Bao  sniffed the air, not catching any scent of food. Instead, he was met with a strong smell of blood.

Startled, Xiao Bao’s eyes flew open, his vision momentarily unfocused. He saw a blurred, blood-soaked figure with long hair and a broken sword, staggering towards him. In Xiao Bao ‘s view, the figure appeared sideways, exactly like a zombie from ghost stories.

Xiao Bao  let out a scream, sprang up from the ground, and jumped back a good distance. “Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t come any closer…”

Every step the “zombie” took forward, Xiao Bao  retreated three steps. Shaking, he finally remembered he had a sword and quickly drew it.

This was an extraordinary sword, once priced at ten thousand taels of silver, which Xiao Bao  had bought without blinking. Unfortunately, like his fine horse, it ended up with a master who was more of a drunkard and glutton, never unleashing its true potential—a real waste of such a treasure.

But if he didn’t buy the best and most expensive of everything, how could he prove he was wealthy? The pinnacle of a nouveau riche is flaunting wealth, a principle Xiao Bao  understood well.

Now, this extraordinary sword was held in his trembling hand, pointing shakily at the “zombie” as Xiao Bao , terrified, kept repeating, “Don’t come any closer.”

The “zombie” suddenly staggered and dropped heavily to one knee, barely managing to support himself with the broken sword to prevent further collapse.

Seeing that the figure was indeed struggling, Xiao Bao  turned to run.

“Wait… wait…”

So he was still alive.

Xiao Bao  thought about it. This person was severely injured and couldn’t do much to him. Moreover, he might be an enemy of his fiancée, so he should seize the opportunity to interrogate him about her whereabouts.

“Are you… Jin Xiao Bao ?”

Xiao Bao  was slightly surprised and turned back. “How do you know?” Then, he remembered that as a well-known young master, everyone in Suzhou City knew his name, so there was no need to ask.

“Go… go save my master…”

“Your master? Is it… Huai En?”

“Yes… hurry…” The man raised a trembling hand to point in a direction.

Xiao Bao  cautiously approached. “Are you… are you about to die…”

The man’s bloodstained face twisted into an ugly smile. “Pretty much… stop wasting time… hurry…”

Xiao Bao  pulled out a porcelain bottle from his inner garment. “This is a top-grade wound medicine from the Western Regions. I don’t have time to apply it to you since I need to save your master. My servant will be back soon to help you. Ask him to send more people to assist me. Since you can still talk, there’s hope for you. I’m going now. Hang in there, you hear me? Hang in there!!!” He said this while sprinting madly in the direction the man had indicated.

The man watched as Xiao Bao ‘s figure gradually disappeared, and his body slowly sank to the ground.

Xiao Bao  was already exhausted, but the possibility of finding Huai En gave him a burst of energy. He pushed himself to run deeper into the forest.

After more than a quarter of an hour, he noticed the signs of trampling on the ground became more apparent. Further ahead, the trees were clearly damaged. He knew he was on the right track.

Though he desperately wanted to rush forward, his earlier burst of energy had left him drained. His body couldn’t keep up with his will, and he had to endure the intense pain in his legs as he continued to move forward. The sounds of fighting grew nearer.

Xiao Bao ‘s heart pounded wildly.

He wondered if Huai En was alright… if he was badly injured…

Following the sounds, Xiao Bao  slowly approached.