Chapter 1105: Perplexed and Smitten (165)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Hua Jin’s initial anger vanished without a trace. She held his gaze and said, “Why do you not tell me about anything at all? Don’t you trust me?”

“I trust you, I just didn’t want you to be worried about it. I definitely trust you.”

“Why did you bring Princess Consort Mu out and walk on the streets with her for the past two days? You didn’t even come to see me. Did you fall in love with her?” she asked, tearing up again.

“I’m not blind, why would I be in love with her? Let’s be honest with each other today, alright?” He held her hand and pulled her up from the bed. “Remember, I’m not saying this just to coax you, but you’re the only one in my heart. You’re the only one I miss and the only one I love. Although I seem to be treating her as my wife on the surface, I’m only pretending to do that and it’s all for show. It’s not real at all,” he continued.

“You should have told me earlier. You bottle all your feelings up, and if you keep hiding your emotions from me, I’ll never know how you truly feel,” she said, hugging him.

“From now on, no matter what happens, just bear in mind what I said today.”

She snuggled up into his embrace and murmured a.s.sent.

During breakfast, Jin Qingyan was jolted awake from his dream by a sudden pain.

He had broken out in a cold sweat. He struggled to get out of bed and took a look at the time to discover that it was two in the morning.

He felt an unbearable pain that was spreading all over his body from head to toe, as if he had been crushed by stone bricks.

However, it seemed his best bet was to just lie still, for the pain would worsen with every slight movement of his.

He lay stiff in bed with his eyes wide open, all the way until five o’clock in the morning. He then slipped into a daze and fell asleep.

He initially thought that he would finally get to sleep properly. To his astonishment, he drifted off to dreamland again.

This time, he was no longer in the Prince’s residence. Instead, he was in an obscure and secluded mansion.

He was not partic.i.p.ating in the dream either and was simply a bystander who was watching the scenes play out in front of him.

Staring at the pale Xihou Ling who was lying on the bed, Jin Qingyan knew that he had already developed a severe illness.

“Your Highness,” greeted one of his bodyguards, who entered with a bowl of herbal medicine soup. The bodyguard then helped him up and eased him into a comfortable position while feeding him the medicine with a soup.

However, the effects were clearly not potent, for he constantly threw up the medicine right after taking a mouthful. He persisted and repeated the process over and over again.

At last, he finally curbed his urge to vomit.

Seemingly not wanting his bodyguard to be worried, he said softly, “I’m fine. Call the rest of them in later, I have some instructions for all of you.”

“Yes.”

The bodyguard left with the empty bowl while Xihou Ling took out a thick handkerchief that he then placed over his mouth before spitting out the medicine that he had been holding in.

He gasped a few times before stuffing the handkerchief back into the bed and lay in bed with his eyes gla.s.sed over.

Moments later, a few bodyguards entered and stood in front of the bed. Staring at the ill-stricken and sickly Xihou Ling, the men teared up uncontrollably, not daring to utter a single word.

“There are a few mountains situated along the river and there’s one in between two of the highest ones, called Mount Yihua… Take me there and prepare a coffin for me as well… I want to wait for her there.”

“Your Highness!!!”

“I want to go there today,” he said in a soft yet a.s.sertive voice.

“Yes…”

His bodyguards had never dared to defy his orders.

His instructions were final.

While Jin Qingyan was staring at Xihou Ling, the scene in front of him changed drastically all of a sudden. It happened as quickly as the blink of an eye. He took a closer look, only to discover that he was now in a cave.

Xihou Ling was lying down on the stone bed and struggling to take his very last breath.

He was on the brink of death and appeared extremely drained and feeble.

He had become gaunt and emaciated, due to the fact that he could barely stomach any food.

He lay quietly on the bed, his eyes slightly open.

There were only two bodyguards present. Jin Qingyan did not manage to see where the rest had gone.

After about two hours, the other bodyguards finally returned.

They came back together.

His eyes lit up slightly upon the sight of them. As much as he tried to speak at the top of his voice, he still sounded faint and soft to others.

“Has there been any news yet?” Xihou Ling asked, struggling to speak.

The few bodyguards stood rooted to the ground with a grave expression on their faces. They remained silent and refused to speak.

Xihou Ling seemed to have guessed that there were bad news, judging from the expressions of his bodyguards.

“Are there still no news yet? It’s alright, I still have some time. I’ll continue waiting for her. She’ll definitely come,” Xihou Ling said with a look of dejection.

“Rest a.s.sured, Your Highness. We’ll definitely accompany you to wait for Miss Jin until she comes.”

“If… If I pa.s.s away, just leave my body here and leave this place. Go somewhere else and start life anew…”

“No… we’ll continue staying by your side until Miss Jin comes. This is our duty.”

“…”

The scene began to change again. At last, it stopped changing when Xihou Ling held a small piece of jade in his hand and scrutinized it. There was a raging snowstorm outside the cave.

The bodyguards returned from outside, covered in snow and s.h.i.+vering from head to toe.

“Has there been any news yet?” Xihou Ling asked, struggling to speak.

“We’re incompetent, we didn’t manage to find anything…”

“Forget it, you don’t have to go out to ask around…” As his voice faded, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Your Highness!” the bodyguards exclaimed. They hurriedly crowded around his bed, after which one of them wiped the blood away from the corner of his lips. They had long since teared up uncontrollably.

“I can’t hang on anymore. I won’t make it. I won’t get to see her before I die,” he murmured, panting heavily and struggling to breathe.

The bodyguards were frightened out of their senses and frantically called his name.

He used his remaining energy to raise his arm and placed the small piece of jade inside his mouth. He pa.s.sed on.

During ancient times, many royals and aristocrats had a penchant for swallowing a jade piece before their deaths, for they placed great emphasis on preserving their corpse and keeping it in the best condition possible.

The cave was filled with the sounds of his bodyguards weeping and mourning his death.

Jin Qingyan opened his eyes again to see that the sky had already risen high above the sky.

He sat up, after which Auntie Chen asked from outside his bedroom, “Young Sir, are you awake?”

“Yes…”

“I’ve already prepared breakfast for you.”

“Got it.”

It was already half past nine,

During breakfast, Xiao Bai entered and said, “Young Sir, Chief said that he couldn’t reach you on your mobile phone.”

“I forgot to charge it last night. I’m putting it to charge now.”

“Are you going to the office today, then, Young Sir?”

“No, I’ll go in the afternoon instead.”

“Young Sir, you seem to be out of sorts. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just didn’t sleep well. You may take your leave if there’s nothing else. I’ll call s.h.i.+xin after breakfast.”

“Okay.”

However, breakfast was not too enjoyable for him because he did not have much of an appet.i.te.