Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Translator: Silvery Butterfly

Even though Xiao Bao had prepared himself mentally, his heart couldn’t help but clench painfully at the sight of Huai En’s condition, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

Huai En’s clothes were so dirty that their original color was indiscernible. His entire body was covered in wounds mixed with dust and blood. His hair was a disheveled mess, and his face was filthy, with strands of hair stuck to it by blood and sweat. If it weren’t for his bright eyes, straight nose, and stubbornly pressed lips, Xiao Bao wouldn’t have recognized that this was his Huai En.

Corpses of both men and horses were strewn across the ground.

Four grotesquely dressed, sinister-looking individuals had Huai En surrounded. The five people still standing were swaying on their feet, clearly not in good shape.

This sight broke Xiao Bao’s heart. Huai En looked even worse than the first time he had seen him. His injuries from a few days ago hadn’t healed, and now he was fighting for his life again, looking like a blood-soaked figure.

Anyone who saw such a stunningly beautiful person being so cruelly mistreated would feel sympathy, let alone Xiao Bao, who had already decided that Huai En was going to be his wife.

Along with his heartache, Xiao Bao felt a burning hatred for Huai En’s enemies, wanting nothing more than to devour them alive.

He had never asked Huai En why people were trying to kill him. He knew asking would just get him scolded; Huai En would never tell him. He was prepared to help Huai En, no matter what. He was determined to marry Huai En, which meant Huai En’s enemies were his enemies. Anyone who dared to hurt his wife would face the entire Jin Clan, and if that didn’t work, he would hire mercenaries. No matter what, he wouldn’t let anyone harm his loved one.

In the end, Huai En fell into this predicament, clearly having taken the horse and fled because he knew someone was after him. While Xiao Bao was touched that Huai En didn’t want to involve him, it also hurt his pride as a man that Huai En hadn’t sought his help.

Xiao Bao bit his lip, anxiously watching them from his hiding spot in the bushes.

The five men were too badly injured to notice Xiao Bao hidden in the grass. Each one was intently watching for an opening in their enemy’s defenses, looking for a chance to deliver a fatal blow.

Xiao Bao’s round eyes darted back and forth, and he slowly reached into his clothes.

He anxiously wondered when the reinforcements from the Jin Clan would arrive. By now, the old man should have been able to make the round trip. They should be here already, but maybe they couldn’t find them. Or perhaps Jin Bao had found Huai En’s men and brought them back. In any case, Xiao Bao knew his own abilities. Even if he were to face one of those four grotesque figures, injured as they were, his legs would be trembling.

But what if Huai En couldn’t hold on until help arrived?

In a flash, the damaged forest erupted into chaos again. The four men attacked Huai En simultaneously, their various weapons kicking up dirt, leaves, and stones into the air, creating an illusion of blocking out the sun.

Xiao Bao could barely see what was happening. He could only make out vague silhouettes entangled together. The clashing of weapons made his heart pound. He felt like a desperate, helpless ant on a hot pan. He wanted to help Huai En but was too afraid. He had always been well-protected, never exposed to such violent scenes. Just being near the battle made him feel his life was at risk. But he couldn’t leave; the person he liked was fighting for his life. As a man, he couldn’t abandon Huai En. It was disgraceful enough that he couldn’t step in to be the hero. Running away now would be unthinkable. He couldn’t leave Huai En alone.

If worst came to worst, he’d have to try. Hopefully, the old man hadn’t lied to him.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

Xiao Bao heard a heart-wrenching scream, the long, drawn-out end abruptly cut off. The sound sent chills through him, but he felt a glimmer of relief because the deep male voice wasn’t Huai En’s.

“Third Brother!!”

“Third Brother!!!”

Several cries rang out as three figures rushed to the man on the ground, emitting beast-like roars filled with rage and hatred.

Huai En’s eyes were filled with a sinister light as he looked at the fallen man. Xiao Bao saw that Huai En’s hand, holding the sword, was trembling, and blood was running down his arm, dripping off his fingers and onto the blade.

“Little beast! You blinded my fifth sister and killed my third brother! I’ll fight you to the death!” A man with disheveled red hair shouted in anguish, raising his thousand-pound hammer and swinging it.

“Second brother, don’t be impulsive!”

It was too late. Huai En leaped up like lightning, his hand twirling a gleaming sword. Before Xiao Bao could even see clearly, he heard another scream. A thick arm, still holding the hammer, flew into the air and landed heavily on the ground. Blood splattered everywhere, and Xiao Bao, who was not far away, felt his stomach churn at the sight.

“You little beast! You little beast! Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll make you wish you were dead!” A sharp, piercing woman’s voice shouted as she dragged the man with the severed arm back, pulling out a medicine pouch and sprinkling it on the wound. The man writhed on the ground in pain, his mouth full of mud and blood, cursing incoherently before finally passing out from the pain. The scene was like hell on earth.

Xiao Bao glanced at Huai En and was paralyzed with fear.

Huai En was still standing straight, his eyes bloodshot. The ruthless and cruel look in his eyes made Xiao Bao shudder every time he recalled it. It was a look that Huai En should never have. Xiao Bao, in that moment, asked himself in shock, what kind of person should Huai En be? He realized that aside from Huai En’s beauty, he knew nothing about him or had never paid attention.

In that life-and-death moment, he didn’t have time to think too much. He anxiously awaited reinforcements while gauging how long Huai En could hold out.

The current situation was a matter of life or death. The three people still able to fight were going at it with murderous intent, quickly entangling in combat again.

Xiao Bao had sharp eyes. He saw Huai En’s bloodshot eyes beginning to lose focus, driven purely by instinct to swing his sword. The desperate fighting style meant each strike he made on the others also cost him another heavy blow in return.

The old woman with the sharp voice was throwing hidden weapons like rain, while the man who seemed to be the leader wielded a large saber in coordinated attacks. Huai En was forced to roll on the ground several times, eventually taking another cut to his right leg. He groaned in pain, tried to get up quickly, but collapsed straight down upon standing.

It’s over!

Xiao Bao felt a chill in his heart, knowing Huai En had reached his limit.

The two enemies laughed in sync, laughing so hard they coughed up blood but still managed to laugh several more times before stopping.

“Little beast, die!”

“Stop!!!”

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