The Sovereign – Chapter 111

Volume Six: A Cold Rainy Night Buries the Famous Flower

Burying Flowers, Remaining Life

Blood is everywhere, only half a life remains

[“burying flowers” is often used in Chinese literature as a metaphor for tragic fate]

“If you have the ability, then kill me. Otherwise, I will make sure you pay the price for what you’ve done today!” Qin Junlan glared at Ling Yu. Every breath she took pulled at her wounds painfully, but she was already numb. Facing the red-hot branding iron, her eyes flashed with cold intensity.

“Such a stubborn one. It’s a pity you’re the Empress of Ji Kingdom, a pity we’ll forever be opponents, a pity…”

As Ling Yu raised the branding iron, about to torture Qin Junlan, Liu Qianxun suddenly rushed over, blocking her path. “Ling Yu, torture me instead, don’t hurt her anymore!”

She was almost tearing her throat as she roared. She was already hoarse [literally: voice exhausted], she had no strength left to beg, but as long as she had one breath left, she would protect Qin Junlan.

“You care for her this much, willing to lower yourself repeatedly to beg me?” Ling Yu’s cold gaze carried deeper hatred, but she suddenly grew calm. Her dark pupils flashed with evil intent, her lips curled into a cold smile. “For her sake, you’re truly willing to do anything?”

“I’m willing to do anything…”

“Even willing to offer yourself to me?” Ling Yu deliberately asked, glancing at Qin Junlan again, seeing her face change color.

Liu Qianxun gave a light laugh, her pale lips showing a helpless smile. Her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at Ling Yu, “There was a time when you rejected me, pushed me away, preferring to spend all day with those favored companions who recited poetry with you, unwilling to be with me. What’s different now? Can you only resort to these methods?”

Ling Yu’s face instantly darkened, struck at her soft rib, her heart trembling.

“Isn’t this what you want now? I’ll give myself to you!” With these words, she slowly undid her clothes, removing her outer garment.

Ling Yu hadn’t expected Liu Qianxun to submit to her so unhesitatingly. The once proud and cold Liu Qianxun was nowhere to be seen. Now she was willing to sacrifice everything for Qin Junlan, making Ling Yu laugh bitterly. Her laugh carried bitterness and desolation – how laughable she had become.

This kind of Liu Qianxun – she truly didn’t want!

“Liu Qianxun! You are not allowed to do this! Stop!” Qin Junlan desperately began to struggle. Her hands were bound by iron chains, and despite her violent movements, the wooden stake didn’t budge at all. Even with her heart surging with emotions, she couldn’t break free from these restraints.

The peach-colored outer robe slipped down gently, revealing an iris tattoo on her shoulder, blooming sinuously near her collarbone. Ling Yu stared at the iris in a daze, her heart skipping a beat as she recalled past moments – Liu Qianxun’s past devotion and obsession with her, remembering how she had given everything for her.

Now… how ironic! Ling Yu smiled bitterly at Liu Qianxun. With just one test, she rushed to protect Qin Junlan – her feelings for her were truly deep… but this was Liu Qianxun – she would give everything for whoever she loved, only Ling Yu had never cherished it.

“Liu Qianxun! Put your clothes back on! Did you hear me?!” Qin Junlan roared like a madwoman, veins bulging on her forehead, her hands already covered in blood, her whole body so covered in wounds that individual injuries couldn’t be distinguished, only chaotic red everywhere.

She, as the mighty empress, how could she let her beloved woman face such humiliation to save her? She would rather die than let Ling Yu have her way. She cried out in anguish, “If you continue this, I will bite off my tongue and die right in front of you.”

As she finished speaking, she opened her mouth slightly, placing her tongue between her pearl-like teeth, ready to end her life. At this weight of thousand jun hanging by a thread [critical moment], Liu Qianxun rushed over, covered her mouth, and cried frantically, “No, no!”

She looked at Qin Junlan with heartache, blood flowing between her teeth. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart. Her fingertips firmly held Qin Junlan’s teeth, caressing her face as hot tears burst forth, leaving her only enough strength to call out weakly, “Yan’er, don’t do this, don’t…”

“Pull her away!” Ling Yu said angrily, and Lin Wuming followed the order, grabbing Liu Qianxun and restraining her.

The more she showed concern for Qin Junlan, the more it angered Ling Yu, who suddenly raised the branding iron and violently pressed it against Qin Junlan’s abdomen.

“Mmph…” Qin Junlan let out a heavy moan, biting her lips tightly, blood overflowing. She was like a beast trapped in a pit, unable to even make a roaring sound. The burning heat and pain in her abdomen made her whole body tremble uncontrollably, feeling as if her body was melting, with the smell of burnt flesh and blood in the air.

“Yan’er!” Liu Qianxun struggled madly, but Lin Wuming held her hands behind her back. Her cold eyes flashed with killing intent, gathering her inner force, a powerful wave of energy threw Lin Wuming back hard. Moving extremely fast, she made a feinting attack, and while Ling Yu was off guard, snatched away the branding iron!

Qin Junlan’s abdomen was severely burned, the flesh mangled. Her body gradually went limp, her vision becoming blurry, but she still tried to hold on, fearing Liu Qianxun would do something foolish. But helplessly, her eyelids were too heavy, gradually losing their luster.

Liu Qianxun’s heart was completely torn apart. She held the branding iron, resolutely standing in front of Qin Junlan. She turned to look at Qin Junlan’s wound, her torn heart bleeding endlessly. She glared at Ling Yu, grief, heartache, and despair – all the suffering in the world seemed to concentrate in those watery eyes.

Abyss, fear, and hatred shrouded this place, which had become her fierce hell, making her beyond ten thousand calamities [beyond redemption], more terrifying than the eighteen levels of hell [Buddhist concept].

“What? Want to avenge her?” Ling Yu coldly looked at Liu Qianxun, but when had her own pain ever stopped?

Liu Qianxun held the branding iron, suddenly giving a light laugh. This fearless slight smile, showing helplessness and sorrow, suddenly made Ling Yu’s heart flutter with anxiety. In that moment of distraction, she raised her hand and pressed the scorching branding iron against her own shoulder.

The branding iron melted into her flesh, making a piercing sound, instantly burning Liu Qianxun’s shoulder!

“Ugh…” she let out a low moan, the pain making her fall to the ground. Though she was in pain, her expression relaxed – now she had truly shared suffering with Qin Junlan. Only this bone-deep pain could bring her redemption.

The branding iron fell to the ground with a “clang,” like the sound between life and death, shattering Ling Yu’s heart and crushing all of Qin Junlan’s resolve.

“Xun’er!” “Xun’er!”

The two called out almost in unison. Ling Yu rushed with arrow steps [forward] to check her wounds, while Qin Junlan remained tightly bound, unable to move, only her body struggling weakly. How could she care about her own body riddled with wounds? She only wished she could chop off her own hands to crawl to Liu Qianxun’s side. The violent struggling triggered both her internal and external injuries, and Qin Junlan’s vision went black as she fainted.

“Why?? Why do this??” Ling Yu gripped her shoulders, roaring, her eyes instantly reddening. The festering wound was a mess of blood and flesh, her already slender shoulder now had burned skin, with white bone faintly visible, like rotted wood, completely destroyed. Ling Yu’s hands supporting her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

On Liu Qianxun’s world-toppling beauty, the former radiance was gone, cold sweat mixing with tears. She sighed softly, yet still managed to lift the corners of her mouth slightly. Looking earnestly into Ling Yu’s eyes, she said softly, “I don’t want to hurt you… and I don’t want you to hurt her…”

Ling Yu held her shoulders, afraid to apply pressure. Looking carefully, she saw that the burned area was exactly where the tattoo had been. Her lips twitched, her heart aching beyond measure, turning to anger.

“Do you hate me this much, so eager to sever all ties with me, all for this foolish ruler who slaughtered my city’s people??” Ling Yu’s trembling hands pointed at Qin Junlan, tears in her eyes that wouldn’t fall.

“She’s not a foolish ruler. Ling Yu, let yourself go. I know doing this brings you no joy – why torture yourself?” Liu Qianxun’s voice was now as thin as a thread, her delicate voice making Ling Yu’s heart ache more, yet also fueling uncontrollable anger.

“…Shut up! Lin Wuming, wake her up.” Ling Yu angrily pointed at Qin Junlan. Lin Wuming obeyed, getting a basin of salt water and viciously pouring it over Qin Junlan. Under the assault of salt water, her wounds swelled and festered even more.

Qin Junlan raised her eyes hazily, unable to see clearly. Only the gnawing agony kept her momentarily conscious, her lips constantly murmuring, “Xun’er… Xun’er…” But she couldn’t even produce a sound, only her lips moving slightly – only she knew what she was calling out.

“Since you’re so eager to sever all ties with me, I’ll let you know the consequences of such severance!” With these words, she took out an exquisite box from her waist and opened it, revealing a gu worm lying inside.

It was rounded and smooth, about the size of a little finger, with a grayish-blue color all over – this was the mother gu that controlled Qin Junlan’s poison. Ling Yu picked up the mother gu, letting out a cold smile. The mother gu struggled between her fingers, writhing as if begging for life. When Liu Qianxun saw Ling Yu take out the mother gu, she knew she intended to kill Qin Junlan. Finding strength from somewhere unknown, before anyone could react, she dragged her wounded body and crashed into Ling Yu.

The unexpected collision made Ling Yu lose her balance, and the mother gu slipped from her hand, falling to the ground. Liu Qianxun hurriedly rushed forward, picked up the mother gu, put it in her mouth, and swallowed it without hesitation.

“You!!” Ling Yu was too shocked to speak, just staring blankly at Liu Qianxun, unable to express anger or heartache, watching helplessly as she swallowed the mother gu, then laughing bitterly.

Liu Qianxun felt nauseous in her throat, but paid no attention to it. She just stepped back a few steps, leaning against Qin Junlan, “I’m not afraid anymore, I never have to be afraid again. Go ahead and kill her, I will accompany her.”

“Liu Qianxun…” This time even Ling Yu’s anger disappeared. She staggered back a few steps, extreme emotion causing blood to flow from the corner of her mouth.

“Princess!” Lin Wuming anxiously supported her.

The mother and child gu worms are life-linked. Those possessed by the child gu are controlled by the mother gu’s poison, but when both people are poisoned, their lives become connected – they live and die together.

Liu Qianxun watched Ling Yu cough blood, feeling an unspeakable heaviness. She said weakly, “Ling Yu, there’s no going back, we can never go back.”

“Hahaha…. hahahaha, no going back, indeed no going back, one reaps what one sows…” Ling Yu’s desolate laughter echoed in the dungeon, the dark and damp air thick with the smell of blood.

Ling Yu stumbled out of the dungeon, Lin Wuming following closely beside her, fearing she might collapse at any moment.

“Burying flowers with remaining life, love and bonds completely severed…”

Ling Yu raised her head, the strong light making her unable to open her eyes. Her solid outer shell had been completely shattered, her heart already riddled with wounds. After all the torturing and abuse, what did it matter now? From now on, Liu Qianxun would no longer exist in her world. She touched her shoulder where a lone iris bloomed, its glory gradually fading. From now on, she would be alone, facing life’s joys and sorrows, fleeting glory and fallen dreams by herself.

“One reaps what one sows” – that must be talking about her, Ling Yu thought as she looked up at the sky. The sounds of past laughter still echoed in her ears, the heart-pounding moment of their first meeting still vivid in her mind, the scene of teaching Liu Qianxun martial arts seemed like just yesterday. But regrettably, nothing could be undone. She had finally succeeded in pushing away her greatest love.

Ling Yu remained silent for a long time, with Lin Wuming standing behind her, also wordless.

After a while, she finally spoke slowly, “Wuming, let them go.” In the end, she couldn’t deceive herself, nor could she bring herself to harm them. She could kill anyone else in the world, but would never harm Liu Qianxun in the slightest.

“Princess! Releasing the Empress is like releasing a tiger back to the mountains. When she raises an army to attack, she won’t show mercy – she’ll seek revenge for today! How can we waste the lives of our city’s soldiers and citizens?”

“Killing her or not won’t change what’s already happened. Those who died can’t come back, and the Red Armor Army won’t retreat.”

“You just can’t bear to part with the Tower Master!” Lin Wuming said angrily. Though he had always been jealous of Liu Qianxun, Ling Yu’s favoritism toward her was too merciful.

Obviously, she had given no less deep affection than the Empress, but in the end only got herself covered in wounds. Now she still wanted to let the Empress go – when the Empress recovers and leads an army to attack the city, Yu Kingdom would face great disaster.

The severely wounded Empress had a lover by her side, but what did Ling Yu have left? She was just like before, pushing away those close to her, then licking her wounds alone, wandering lonely and desolate in the dark night.

“Lin Wuming, you don’t want to listen to me anymore either? You want to leave me too, hmm?” Ling Yu’s face darkened slightly.

Lin Wuming suddenly knelt down, saying resolutely, “Even if Wuming dies, it will definitely be at the Princess’s side.”

“Laughable, pitiful… Those I want can’t be kept, those who stay don’t have my heart…” Ling Yu sighed deeply, “Prepare a carriage for them.”

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