Blooming of the Red Spider Lily: The Enchanting Pavilion Master - Chapter 52 - Offering Help

Le Zimu, rushing towards Bi’an, seemed to forget the dagger in his hand. He charged forward recklessly, and to bystanders, it looked as if he wanted to kill Bi’an. A flicker of triumph crossed Hongxiao’s eyes; she had known all along that when Le Zimu focused on one thing, he would forget everything else. With such explosive speed, those around Bi’an didn’t have time to help.

Friendly fire! What a convenient term.

Blood gushed forth, just as Hongxiao desired, the bright red liquid tracing a path through the air. Someone screamed in shock, and upon looking closer, it was Hongxiao!

Memories surged forth like a flood unleashed, erasing the once simple and beautiful past. It was only now that he understood how beautiful the past had been and how painful the present was, with only one simple wish in his heart from beginning to end.

Hongxiao clutched her head with both hands, staring intently at the ground. Her face had already lost all color, paler than those seriously ill, as if the dagger Le Zimu had lunged with had pierced her own heart.

Yet, in truth, she was unharmed. The Bi’an she had plotted against was also unscathed, for at that critical moment, before Bi’an had even moved, Lansheng had already returned to where Bi’an and Hongxiao were, with a speed that was almost impossible to see. In an instant, he stood in front of Bi’an. It was unclear what he had done; by the time Hongxiao and the others could discern the scene, the dagger had already struck Le Zimu in the abdomen, blood spreading broadly over his grand red robe.

“Zimu!” his father shouted, horrified, and instantly fainted. The concubines went pale with fear. Le Family had only one child, Zimu; if anything happened to him, would the Le Family be destroyed? The piercing cry echoed in Hongxiao’s ears, and all she could see was Le Zimu lying there injured, his eyes wide open. His usually smiling features were now filled with regret and terror.

All she had wanted was to take advantage of the situation to kill Bi’an; she merely wanted to eliminate her rival; she simply yearned for Lansheng’s love. Why did Li Bai’s sacrifice lead to Le Zimu completely disappearing from sight? Why was Le Zimu bleeding and lying there?

She hadn’t done anything wrong! There were so many people greedier than her in this world; why did she have to watch her friend fall before her? Why did she have to confront her own ugliness and helplessness?

She just wanted a humble love!

Tears flowed uncontrollably from Hongxiao’s eyes, dripping down her beautiful face, each drop creating small ripples on the ground.

Lansheng let out a soft sigh, pulling Hongxiao into his embrace to comfort her gently while, on the other side, he hurriedly sent a nearby dazed servant to fetch a doctor.

The maid from Le Mansion snapped back to reality and immediately ran outside, though she shot him a fierce glare before leaving. Lansheng helplessly rubbed his nose; if he said he hadn’t intentionally harmed Le Zimu, he doubted anyone here would believe him.

The thought of possibly having a life on his conscience left Lansheng feeling downcast. If Le Zimu really died, he would be a murderer! Getting caught in a foreign land and thrown into prison was definitely not an entertaining prospect.

While mourning his impending fate, Lansheng watched as Bi’an calmly approached, placing her hand over Le Zimu’s wound. A gradually brightening light emanated from her palm, and under that light, Le Zimu’s wound seemed to stop bleeding automatically!

Surprised, Lansheng looked at Bi’an, and before long, he recalled the floral patterns embroidered on her sleeve, unable to hold back a smile: indeed, she deserved her reputation as one who guides and ferries souls.

“Your wish,” Bi’an said.

“I… I want to see Li Bai one more time. I want to regain my memories from her,” Le Zimu replied. Although the bleeding had ceased, the pain still lingered. Glancing down at his wound, he realized it wasn’t so much that the wound had healed but rather that Bi’an had sealed the flow of blood. A thin layer of ice faintly covered the wound, freezing the blood to stop its flow.

However, this could not save his life; it could only delay his death. Coming to terms with this fact, Le Zimu eagerly responded to Bi’an’s words. He believed that the missing Li Bai in Hongxiao’s tales must hold the key to his memories!

He couldn’t seek out Li Bai by himself, so he could only pin his hopes on this seemingly capable woman in front of him.

“This deal is accepted by this Pavilion,” Bi’an replied solemnly, then quietly stepped aside to clear a path for the doctor. Still, they all understood that his wound was too deep. Even with Bi’an’s magic, the fact that Le Zimu was facing death couldn’t be changed.

Death wasn’t frightening, at least not in the eyes of the person dying, because often, no one knows when their time will come. What was truly terrifying was waiting for death to arrive without the ability to resist, with unfulfilled wishes leaving them unsatisfied.

As Le Zimu lost consciousness, only unwillingness remained in his heart.

The red silk ribbon lay on the nanmu table, pressed down by a few small plates that Hua Ning had placed to prevent it from blowing away with the wind.

This was the last thing Li Bai had touched before she disappeared from this world. It still carried her scent, and the ribbon should be able to lead them to her whereabouts.

Bi’an gently picked a vibrant red spider lily from the courtyard and immersed the flower in a basin of clear water. Feng Moqing and the others widened their eyes in surprise: the flower in the water appeared as if it were being dyed, pure white gradually turning to the petals until the entire blossom became a vivid red. Only then did Bi’an lift it from the water and carefully place it on the red silk ribbon.

Muttering something inaudible to Feng Moqing, Bi’an closed her eyes and extended her hand. Her slender fingers danced on the ribbon like they were gliding over the strings of a guqin. In no time, the red silk ribbon started to flutter gently before finally soaring into the air. Like a bird, it spiraled for a while before darting straight in one direction, ultimately passing through a wall.

Feng Moqing and the others stared in astonishment, especially Feng Mojin, who had never witnessed such a magical sight before.

“Hua-er, stay with them. I’ll go fetch Li Bai,” Bi’an said calmly, preparing to follow the direction of the ribbon. However, her wrist was suddenly grasped by someone. Turning in surprise, she found Feng Mojin looking at her intently, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Bi’an-Jie, I want to go too. I want to meet Li Bai,” Feng Mojin said hopefully. Partly driven by curiosity, she was also motivated by a desire for revenge, recalling the unfair treatment she had received from Li Bai in the past.

“Alright.” Feng Mojin had been worried that Bi’an would refuse, but to her surprise, Bi’an readily agreed and even patted her head in a warm and affectionate gesture.

Hua Ning, witnessing this, pouted in dissatisfaction and sharply stepped on Jiang Qing’s foot, glaring at the doted-on Feng Mojin. She wondered to herself whether the next time she saw Feng Mojin, she should ignore her or toss her aside instead.

Feng Moqing didn’t show the same outward reaction as Hua Ning but felt a similar pang. As he saw his sister, who usually clung to him, suddenly pay no attention to him and instead affectionately call another person “sister,” he couldn’t shake the feeling of being forgotten in favor of someone else.

Unable to help himself, he lightly tapped his forehead with his fan, sighing resignedly. When he lifted his eyes again, Bi’an and Feng Mojin were already out of sight, likely having entered the space where Li Bai resided.

As they walked down the dark path, Feng Mojin found it hard to see ahead, and panic began to creep in. She clung tightly to Bi’an’s hand, feeling anxious and unsettled.

Noticing the fear in Feng Mojin’s heart, Bi’an suddenly slowed down, extending her free hand forward. A flicker of flame burst forth from her fingertips, faint but bright enough to illuminate the path beneath their feet.

Feng Mojin immediately felt a warmth in her chest. She thought to herself: Brothers are right; although Bi’an appears cold, she is attentive and gentle with others. Even if she sometimes becomes indifferent due to her position in the Pavilion of Rebirth, Bi’an-Jie is truly a good person.

A very, very good person! With her eyes twinkling, Feng Mojin smiled like a mischievous little mouse that had stolen some rice. It was at this moment that she truly dropped her preconceived notions about Bi’an. In the future, she would even risk everything to help Bi’an when trouble arose, recognizing Bi’an’s significance as well as Feng Moqing’s. This bond ultimately led the three of them down an irreversible path.

At the end of the darkness, petals of pear blossoms danced in the air, sending forth a faint fragrance. Feng Mojin closed her eyes, enjoying the floral scent mingling with the wind, letting the gentle breeze caress her cheeks, bringing a sense of soft comfort.

When she opened her eyes, Feng Mojin was stunned by the scene before her: soft sunlight, a quaint bridge over flowing water, falling blossoms, and vibrant butterflies flitting about. It was nothing short of a paradise, far surpassing anything crafted by artisans in the palace.

“Li Bai, a familiar face has come to visit. Why not come out and greet them?” Compared to Feng Mojin’s astonishment, Bi’an remained composed, speaking casually in the direction ahead, even though from Feng Mojin’s perspective, there was no one there- it was eerily as if she were conversing with the air.

But Feng Mojin knew that Bi’an’s actions were always justified, and she had an inexplicable trust in this person she had only known for a short time. Sure enough, just as Feng Mojin was lost in thought, a figure slowly materialized from the void of air.

With two buns atop her head, dressed in pear-colored garments, possessing almond-shaped eyes and a slightly upturned smile- it was none other than Li Bai.

However, the warmth in Li Bai’s expression vanished as she recognized them. An aura of coldness enveloped her, giving the impression of rejection, as if they were nothing more than strangers to her.

“Li Bai, Young Master Le wants to see you.” The first words came from Feng Mojin, who wasn’t fazed by Li Bai’s chill. Eagerly stepping forward, she took Li Bai’s hand and spoke excitedly. As innocent as she was, she believed that if Li Bai still held feelings for Young Master Le, she would undoubtedly be delighted to see him.

Just thinking about Young Master Le lying in bed, uncertain of life or death, made Feng Mojin cast aside any notions of petty revenge.

But who would have imagined that Li Bai would coldly glance at Feng Mojin, shaking off her hand? With a faint and superficial smile, she said, “The Third Princess must be joking. Isn’t Young Master Le currently enjoying a sweet marriage with Miss Hongxiao? I, Li Bai, was once foolish and loved the wrong person. Having finally moved on today, why must the Third Princess stir up past wounds? Could it be that because I hurt you last time, you wish to get revenge on me?”

The cold, cutting voice left Feng Mojin momentarily speechless, and what shocked her even more was that Li Bai remembered the events from that day!

Only in the final moments do people truly understand what they desire most.

Feng Mojin instinctively reached up to touch her chest, where the scar from that day had gradually faded, yet it still left a faint mark as a reminder that her experience had indeed been real- she had nearly lost her life.