The “flower” had bloomed.

Doulü sat with both hands propping up her chin, her eyes gleaming like a cat’s, shining dark and bright. She wore a green willow-brushing-water skirt, with a white ink-fish-playing-on-silkworm-silk upper garment, tied with a “flower” front closure and snow-blowing wind-gathering sleeves. Her black hair hung straight down, with one charming braid plaited on the right side, where ten or so green gemstones appeared and disappeared intermittently. Her left sleeve had slipped down, revealing a crystalline snow-white wrist, with a gold bracelet of drawn gold thread also inlaid with matching green gemstones.

The young master said that since she was staying at her sister’s place, he couldn’t very well have her wear the servants’ old clothes, so he had people make her several new outfits and craft some jewelry pieces, all with a distinctive flair.

The young master also said that when she followed him back to Yuling later, she would have to return these things to him, because after all she was a maid who had to do much work, and wearing such fine clothes would make her hands and feet less nimble.

When he said these words, he kept watching her, watching to see if she would lose her temper, if she would say something unpleasant, so that he could then bully the small with the great.

But she had no temper.

She had once worn Yuling’s most beautiful rainbow garments, which were said to use the finest heavenly silkworm silk, the finest weavers, the finest embroidery workshop, the finest tailoring masters—everything the finest, making only a single piece. However, her impression of that rainbow garment left only terror.

The way those people looked at her was as if they wanted to devour her alive.

She had also once worn what were probably the world’s most tattered clothes, which she had stripped from a little beggar who had been dead for many days after her sister had drawn away the pursuing soldiers. Nothing but holes and patches, impossible to tell the original fabric of the garment—some parts dog leather, some parts hemp cloth. Wearing it on her body for half a day had rubbed her shoulders and wrists bloody. But wearing these clothes, she had met her godmother.

Therefore, whether clothes were good or bad made no difference to her.

Willow Garden had always been so quiet that she thought such a large place had only herself in it. Recently, Bailiang and Qianliang, who usually chattered like sparrows beside her, no longer appeared, as if the young master had sent them on some errand. She didn’t know why, but when they were around, she found them noisy, yet when they weren’t around, she felt somewhat unaccustomed.

The “flower” had bloomed.

Like distant mountain ink, like celestial purple clouds, layer upon layer of petals resembled a thousand clouds in a thousand forms in the twilight colors of dawn. Ink-purple was her sister’s peony. From learning the art of forcing flowers to bloom, today was the first time she had successfully forced open a peony, and she was very happy it was ink-purple.

She just waited for her sister to return.

Many people, including her father and brothers, felt that her devotion to flower cultivation was rather foolish—neither ladylike nor useful, better to learn needlework. Only her sister had always encouraged and supported her. Whenever she had new insights to share with her sister, her sister was always happier than she herself was.

Her sister said that flowers made one’s mood beautiful, and a beautiful mood would make life beautiful too. When flowers bloomed constantly, smiles would always be present.

The leaves trembled slightly.

There was wind.

The design of this warm room was precisely to avoid wind force while maintaining fresh, warm air. Her grasp of wind direction could rival her sister’s. Since she trusted her own judgment, this breeze that was almost imperceptible to people could only be man-made.

She turned her head and saw a person, a person very familiar to her.

“Fifth Brother Jie.” Because they were familiar, the address was still quite intimate.

“Little Sister Lü.” Wu Yanxie, hearing this form of address, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He had thought she would be cold and cutting toward him like Mo Zi. From the looks of it, he might be able to persuade her to help him.

Doulü smiled sweetly. “Does Fifth Brother still remember the first time I saw you? It was also like this, separated by a window. You made my flowers serve as a backdrop, and at that time I blurted out—”

“Flower god.” The two said in unison.

Wu Yanxie also smiled. “Then your sister said, ‘What kind of flower god is this, bitter and thin, looking like a short-lived ghost.’ And you said you weren’t afraid of short lives, that flowers all have short lives, but the moment of brilliance is eternal. In your eyes, the instant you saw me, my beauty became eternal.”

Doulü lowered her eyes, the smile at the corner of her lips freezing. “I was young then, and with my sister beside me, I dared say anything. Especially since we thought you couldn’t possibly hear us.”

“But my ears are sharp.” Wu Yanxie knew martial arts—not the martial arts of jianghu people, but the abilities of a military general, secretly guided by a famous master.

For quite a while, Doulü said nothing.

Wu Yanxie knew she spoke slowly and wasn’t in a hurry.

“Now, Fifth Brother appears again among my flowers, but like a war god.” The modest gentleman remained only as a momentary flash of light and shadow.

Hearing these words, Wu Yanxie’s brow immediately furrowed. So he had been too optimistic. This little girl who had always been under Mo Zi’s protection had never had her own opinions, always accepting whatever Mo Zi said as truth.

He shouldn’t have hoped she would help him—she could only serve as bait to lure the person he wanted back to his side.

“Fifth Brother’s expression carries extremely heavy killing intent, with thoughts turning and twisting—first joy, then coldness. Could it be you first thought I was reasonable and could help you persuade my sister to change her mind, then discovered I’m not that foolish and could only use me as a hostage?” She spoke slowly, but that didn’t mean she was stupid. On the contrary, if she could read the postures of flowers, naturally she could also read people’s postures. Much the same.

Wu Yanxie had never truly understood Doulü. From the beginning, his attention had been on the outstanding Mo Zi. As for Doulü, when he discovered she couldn’t do anything except grow flowers, he gave her only the minimum concern, as Mo Zi’s sister. Therefore, her seeing through his thoughts so incisively left him slightly shocked. So she was clever too.

“Little Sister Lü, your sister has misunderstood me.” He wasn’t a villain—why did both sisters view him with hostility?

“Misunderstanding?” Doulü thought of past events. “I only know that the assassins chasing us sisters accidentally let slip words about Daqiu. This misunderstanding won’t be easy to clarify. Fifth Brother, I’m simple-minded, I don’t overthink things, I’m straightforward. My sister refuses to build ships for Daqiu, so you’d rather kill her than let her skills spread outside.”

Wu Yanxie was already helpless about this. “I never once issued any order to kill your sister or you.”

Doulü shook her head, a strand of black hair falling from her shoulder. “That it wasn’t your order doesn’t mean you’re innocent. You’re a prince now. Someone behind your back borrowed your princely authority to kill people—you can’t just say you didn’t know and claim it’s unrelated to you. If you had investigated thoroughly from the start, so many things wouldn’t have happened at all. Fifth Brother, my sister says your heart is set on the great enterprise of the realm, with romantic affairs ranking secondary. It’s not that you don’t know, but rather that knowing, you could only pretend not to know out of consideration for the bigger picture. Today, Doulü will be bold for once and ask Fifth Brother one honest question. Who exactly wanted to kill my sister—do you know or not?”

Wu Yanxie’s gaze grew gloomy and overcast. “I don’t know.”

Doulü sighed. “You’re not worthy of my sister. From this day forth, Doulü will never again call you Fifth Brother Jie.”

“You sisters look completely different, but only in this stubbornness are you truly bound by blood.” Wu Yanxie wasn’t a man who would admit fault. “My heart toward your sister is entirely sincere. Whatever happened before was compelled by circumstances, done out of necessity. However, I won’t give up on her. Unless I die. I don’t want to harm you, because you’re the only younger sister she cares about. Even your father and brothers, she could eventually cast aside without hesitation. Being so, I can only take you back to Daqiu.”

With a wave of his hand, seven or eight shadows appeared behind him, soundless and traceless.

Sighing faintly once more, Doulü slowly said, “I once tried to persuade my sister. I believed that your feelings for her were at least genuine. Only today do I realize that no matter how deep your affection for my sister, she could never possibly marry you. You don’t understand my sister. Using me as a hostage will only make my sister more determined to abandon you.”

But Wu Yanxie was already resolute and couldn’t listen. He retreated backward, making space for his shadow guards to seize her. “Doulü, it’s best if you come with me willingly, otherwise don’t blame me if my men are rough.”

“What I hate most is being my sister’s burden.” When Doulü said this, black blood suddenly flowed from the corner of her mouth, yet she smiled serenely. “I grow flowers, but I also grow poisonous flowers. I carry poisonous flower powder with me now. With just a small wound, it can enter through contact with blood, fearing I’d drag my sister down. I just never imagined it would be you who forced me to take my own life.”

Wu Yanxie stared in shock at all this. So not only had Mo Zi changed, Doulü had changed too. Both sisters were utterly heartless toward him.

“Why?” He truly didn’t understand. “I’m willing to give your sister everything—a lifetime of favor, lifelong devotion. What exactly does she want?”

“What she wants, you might be able to give now. Unfortunately, it’s simply too late.” Love has passed, cannot be pursued. Don’t remember, only move on.

Doulü closed her eyes and collapsed against the window frame. Her complexion wasn’t pale, her face remained fresh as flowers, her smile floated on her rosy cheeks, as if she had fallen asleep, still having pleasant dreams.

In Wu Yanxie’s entire life, all his panic and狼狈不堪 had been献给 this pair of sisters.

“Doulü?” A man rushed over, pushing the dazed Wu Yanxie aside, checking Doulü’s breathing, his face instantly becoming bloodless.

Wu Yanxie’s shadows moved to step forward, but his gesture stopped them.

This man, dressed in gleaming gold, was precisely his second target on this visit—the legendary second prince of Yuling. Chu Yu was already dead; this was something he had firmly believed before coming to the capital. On one hand, the useless crown prince of Yuling had confessed it himself; on the other hand, records collected from the Yuling palace clearly stated that Chu Yu had died of illness. Now suddenly another Chu Yu popped up, leaving him puzzled.

When Chu Yu was still a hostage, Wu Yanxie had never met him. The people who had seen him back then were in Daqiu and couldn’t come to identify him. The only method was, regardless of authenticity, to bring the person back for confirmation. Although Doulü’s suicide left him momentarily uncertain what to do, he was a man who accomplished great things and immediately set the dead person aside, thinking this was a heaven-sent opportunity.

“Is your surname Jin?” Wu Yanxie had already calmed down.

Jin Yin seemed not to hear, slapping Doulü’s face through the window. “Jiujiu, you can’t die. If you die, what will I do?” How would he explain to Mo Zi? “You’re so foolish—if he captures you, just go with him. Keep the green mountains, don’t fear lack of firewood. Your sister is too busy to rescue you, but I would rescue you. The silver you borrowed, and the money for building this warm room, your new clothes and new jewelry—if I don’t get the principal back, I’ll die of heartache.”

Doulü didn’t move, the color of her lips had turned somewhat white.

“Are you Chu Yu?” Seeing his improper tone, Wu Yanxie suspected the rumors were false.

“I’m not Chu Yu.” Jin Yin ignored Wu Yanxie, the cooling body temperature in his hands making his voice tremble.

The denial came too quickly, which instead made Wu Yanxie hesitate. Steeling his heart: “Since that’s the case, you should die too.”

Two shadows, two sword flashes, aiming to take his life!