Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Translator: Silvery ButterflygcDPwZrRmHTkXMbyWHLWomOkNbuxgc

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When Huai En awoke, he found himself lying in the dungeon of the Tong Sect.jPsFjJAQNSSHfDIVZMbtLcMtFRXDKm

All the strength had been drained from his body. His wounds had been treated, but the pain still made his scalp tingle. Yet, he didn’t care about these things. He had never hated his own powerlessness as much as he did now. In his world, pain and death were punishments for the weak, and not being strong enough was an undeniable sin.tBZZbadLcyRpEsvIaWQMyANNhLTNUR

Shortly after he opened his eyes, Zong Zheng Yu Zhan arrived as expected.RxAWxkEAKdZUzUKJPwgQwQcHfSXDPS

Huai En’s hands and feet were bound by heavy chains, and with his injuries still not healed, his movements were difficult. But he still struggled to prop himself up from the bed.WNTeEkIjJaajnLaseDhEmmjGtxNYoC

The accompanying guards quickly unlocked the cell door, and Zong Zheng Yu Zhan stepped inside, glancing over Huai En’s body. He said calmly, “No bones or tendons were damaged, but you won’t be able to move for a while.”kZPRIbIQwfHslYpuRnMJdwNzGhEmjz

Huai En leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. “What are you planning?”rrnyKKczUKvUzOaTrcpKkHFELTBgCm

“Father just wants you to calm down for a while. I can chalk this up to you being willful and throwing a tantrum, but you can’t continue to act recklessly. You’re still young, you can’t be expected to have much self-discipline. This obsession with Jin Xiao Bao is nothing more than a passing fancy…”aEgazhIpZnlAVnDyXWdRiyaioONfUa

“When did you become so talkative? If that’s all you came to say, then leave.” Huai En still kept his eyes closed, but his expression had already turned impatient.TOCqOAylFoSknhPopeFEgKQCavtXcj

Zong Zheng Yu Zhan didn’t blink, but he gave a signal to the people beside him. Shortly, a soft rustling of footsteps sounded, stopping beside Huai En.IEIxkcYMKstmhvNMtVQXVIVUCDDYRi

Huai En, feeling something was strange, opened his eyes. Before him stood seven or eight youths, each one delicate and beautiful with slender figures. Their downcast eyes and submissive demeanor made them appear pitifully charming. Huai En’s eyebrows twitched as he glared at Zong Zheng Yu Zhan.mJNqXZJflLaTYGfSCxCcMSToslthAG

“These are all prepared for you by Father. If you don’t like girls, that’s fine too. Which one do you like… or keep them all. You’ve reached that age after all; it was my oversight. If I had taught you the ways of the world earlier, you wouldn’t have been so easily bewitched by Jin Xiao Bao. How about it? You can take them back to your pavilion right now.”hyMJKhgOdbTTUpyUkypiVZuvbOpieu

Huai En snorted coldly. “Zong Zheng Yu Zhan, you’ve grown weak, resorting to such underhanded tactics against me.”rZKXlJpajWlEuenicitBMZNqbFqltE

Zong Zheng Yu Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly. “Are you really going to oppose me to the end?”fATJuZOzXFXGMwSQjXQEiePncBbNss

“You can either let me starve to death in this dungeon, or let me go.”KMRbJHfSEJjdIfhFugNxWnnOIiTQnT

“Then stay here!” Zong Zheng Yu Zhan swept out of the room with a flick of his sleeve.afsXlfnxUYvqDAjAkdbKCINBTnvege

Huai En sighed, which triggered a violent cough that tugged at his lungs. He had no choice but to slowly lie back down.TAjfcGUEOmfUfFJcBjspFHZLopFVSj

He hadn’t expected that he would be held here for three full months.rZddacVKhGvEJivoBbTbgSaQoPajHO

Three months were enough for his exceptionally strong body to heal completely, but it felt as though there was a wound in his heart, growing larger with each passing day.kjCydDMnGIJTRlVSdCBrzbaCuJngeZ

In the dark and sunless dungeon, the world had shrunk to nothing but cold and gray. The brief time he had spent with Xiao Bao felt like a dream. When all he had was a small window to mark the passage of day and night, everything became hazy and unreal. There were even times when he couldn’t remember what Xiao Bao looked like, how he smiled, how he cried, how he pouted. He couldn’t recall the warmth of holding Xiao Bao in his arms, the feelings they shared. Those words that made his ears burn, that smile he could never get enough of, the searing heat of Xiao Bao’s body tightly wrapped against his own—it all seemed to have melted into his being, becoming the energy that sustained his life. Yet, with each passing moment, it was slipping away, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hold onto it.jhvXprzYwuevGUQTSlXXMpNSobOEOl

Although he sometimes doubted whether that dream was real, the longing that cut to his very bones was so real and intense. In his mind, there was nothing but Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao. All these years, he had watched coldly as his father suffered and struggled, never imagining that one day, he would experience it too. Just the simple act of missing someone was enough to drive a person mad. Who knew that yearning for someone you couldn’t see or touch could be so painful?uxXhlRmewchEhAUIINZuEPVORgkpWa

In his barren life, looking back, only Xiao Bao had any color, and he was the only one worth stopping to observe. Huai En even felt that as long as he could see Xiao Bao now, he would do anything.tmYqwBBYteJGDAZlfRitWwhGqPYmwv

During this time, Zong Zheng Yu Zhan came by a few times, even the few Tangzhu, and Zuo Ying and You Ying, all tried to persuade him, but Huai En kept his eyes closed and remained silent, as if he had entered a state of nothingness.IBgBKJfpweUUnlqLXYqmHkmZRhuZoN

Three months of soft imprisonment forced both of them to make concessions.bDnCVPIqxCBpCdNNqbboNBqQBGlVqq

“Huai En, you are just as stubborn as when you were a child. Fine, do this one last thing for Father, and after that, you can go wherever you want, and I won’t bother you anymore.”zjcvlSnXgfzfdxkYFgAPUYMLpqAnCd

Only then did Huai En open his eyes, and he slowly said, “What is it?”hmXyNFVaOsQObsrUsSwCajAqzFyzim

“The Fu Run Commercial Association has hidden a large amount of wealth. Now, the other families have all been executed, leaving only the Jin family alive. Find it for Father, and I won’t trouble you anymore.”mpfIgMqnaAoGXPAuLEcZLJTacwBrlc

Huai En glared at him, “You think I would still harm Xiao Bao for you?” Although he didn’t dare to admit it, he already regretted and feared what he had done. In the dead of night, he repeatedly asked himself if Xiao Bao would blame him, but there was never an answer. He wanted to see Xiao Bao so badly that he was going mad, yet he was also afraid that if he did see him, he wouldn’t be able to bear it. He could only hope that Xiao Bao still cared deeply for him, that he still had some chance left.zseHXyhFcmZgJtmQCmlnCxMwGPhxjU

Zong Zheng Yu Zhan shook his head, “This isn’t for me; it’s for yourself. Do you know where Jin Xiao Bao is?”sKdLnXXIMtHxDHNrjvnLUGFoyWxdYR

Huai En’s body tensed. He suppressed the anxiety in his heart and asked calmly, “Where?”MDsRcgwKXwSEMcNbnYWfjzqWiVGKUZ

“Dali, on the territory of my royal third uncle, Prince Li. His grandson, the Su family’s young master, has bought a mansion for him in Dali. I know everything about Jin Xiao Bao’s situation, do you understand what I mean? For the Tong Sect to take someone’s life, it’s effortless.”xqnXFkiKVIIkQUgaZqezqxGMYVESQr

Huai En’s eyes filled with killing intent. His fists clenched so tightly that the iron chains on his wrists began to faintly rattle.XoLqueTTALViQkrExHWJDiRDZJXCyo

“Even if the Su family’s young master can protect him for a while, can he protect him for a lifetime? Even if you manage to escape from here, so what? Can you protect him for ten years, day in and day out, from the Tong Sect’s pursuit? Huai En, Father has already compromised and given you the best option. Don’t push your luck. Find the hidden treasure of the Fu Run Commercial Association for me, and you will be free.”EvUtWIwePFSfeUUxWDcBleXMXOrIcW

Huai En took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his violent emotions. After a moment of contemplation, he said coldly, “Fine, I’ll do it. But once it’s done, we will go our separate ways and never see each other again!”hNwpDZIOJEjbkZFFtZQLHNlYJaKCbA

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