Blooming of the Red Spider Lily: The Enchanting Pavilion Master - Chapter 54 - Testing

“Lansheng.” A voice filled with tears gently echoed by Lansheng’s ear. Upon hearing it, he subtly frowned but still did his best to wrap Hongxiao in his arms, pulling her close for comfort. After a few gentle words of reassurance, Lansheng lifted his head and directed his gaze to the door, a hint of mockery gleaming in his eyes.

Li Bai woke up to the sound of her aunts crying, yet she remained still, lying on Le Zimu’s chest without saying a word. She could no longer hear the heartbeat of Le Zimu, but she pressed her ear against his heart, desperately trying to listen.

She remembered Le Zimu had said: this heart beats for her. As long as she was there, his heart couldn’t possibly stop beating. If she listened carefully, she would surely hear the faint sound of his heartbeat. Zimu had promised her!

She lay there for almost a quarter of an hour, but Li Bai still didn’t hear any heartbeat. Confused, she lifted her head, extending her stiff hand to gently place it on Le Zimu’s heart. The warmth of his skin was still there, but suddenly, Li Bai’s expression changed drastically.

She had just used a spell to probe Le Zimu’s heart, but why was it empty inside?

Quickly removing the hairpin that held her hair in place, Li Bai raised her hand and swiftly aimed it at Le Zimu’s heart. Just as her hand made contact with his skin, someone firmly grabbed her wrist.

Turning her head impatiently, she saw a cold face. Li Bai glared at him, yet she refused to stop struggling.

“What are you doing? Even if he wronged you in the past, once a person is dead, everything ends. Why would you resort to such cruelty?” It was Lansheng who held Li Bai’s wrist, and Le Zimu’s father had already been taken to another room by several aunts and servants. Only guilt-ridden Hongxiao and coldly observing Lansheng remained. He had initially wanted to see what was happening here when he noticed this woman was attempting to stab Le Zimu’s heart. No, it was more like she was trying to rip open his chest.

“Where is Zimu’s heart? Where is his heart?” Li Bai struggled wildly, her hairpin slipping from her hand and grazing Lansheng’s brow. Fortunately, he closed his eyes quickly; if her strength had been greater, he might have lost the sight in that eye.

“How should I know about Le Zimu’s situation! If it weren’t for Hongxiao, I wouldn’t even know this guy! If you want the truth, find the right person. Running around like this will only lead to more death!” Lansheng’s injured eye was still bleeding, forcing him to rely on one good eye to focus on Li Bai while quickly voicing his thoughts.

Seeing that Li Bai seemed to take his words to heart and began to calm down, Lansheng finally released her wrist, rubbed his eyes in frustration, and walked towards the door, intending to check on the physician. However, until he stepped out of Le Zimu’s room, he did not look back at Hongxiao, leaving her alone in an endless sea of guilt.

Meanwhile, Li Bai hesitated for a moment before quickly crashing into the wall. She didn’t have time to go through the front door to the Pavilion of Rebirth; she had to rely on her demonic abilities.

The scene of Li Bai crashing into the wall and passing through it fell right into Hongxiao’s sight. Already unstable, Hongxiao became more frantic, screaming that there was a ghost, and ran out of Le Mansion. As she exited, she was caught by a Red Family servant who did not want to disturb the Le Family and was brought back to the Red Family.

Inside the Pavilion of Rebirth, Feng Mojin and Hua Ning sat silently on one side, holding each other’s hands in silent comfort. Watching Le Zimu die before their eyes was not an easy experience, especially for Feng Mojin. Li Bai and Le Zimu had been her first friends from the common folk, and although she had once harbored disdain for Le Zimu due to Li Bai’s feelings for him, witnessing the separation of the two lovers still weighed heavily on her heart. What made it worse was that Bi’an now held Le Zimu’s heart-the one he intended to give to Li Bai.

After returning from Le Mansion, Bi’an had acquired a blue glass orb. Previously, due to the color and light reflecting on the orb’s surface, Feng Mojin and Hua Ning had not realized what it contained. However, once they returned to the Pavilion of Rebirth, the light dimmed significantly.

Feng Moqing, who had been curiously staring at the glass orb, instantly sensed something unusual. When the group gathered closer to inspect, they discovered that the object inside the orb was still pulsating. They asked Bi’an in surprise and learned that it contained Le Zimu’s heart, along with his final wish.

However, would Li Bai truly accept this heart? The heart of the person she loved the most. Although Li Bai wanted the heart to be with Le Zimu, now that she possessed it, Le Zimu was gone. Would Li Bai’s wish indeed be fulfilled?

“Brother, is this truly the best outcome?” Feng Mojin turned her head to look at Feng Moqing morosely, leaning against him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Feng Moqing sighed softly, instinctively glancing at the quietly reclining Bi’an, only to be surprised to find that he too was looking at Feng Mojin and Hua Ning, evidently worried about them.

With a faint smile, Feng Moqing instinctively patted Feng Mojin’s head, softly saying, “Xiao Jin, this is Le Zimu’s own choice. We should respect it. We cannot make choices for others; we can only honor their decisions. This must have been a resolution he came to after much thought.”

Feng Mojin nodded, though her understanding was limited, and the aura of sadness surrounding her faded considerably. She clasped Hua Ning’s hand, turned her head, and offered a small smile. Upon seeing this, Hua Ning was momentarily stunned, but after a moment, she returned the smile with a similar one.

Feng Moqing felt a sense of pride and turned to Bi’an, ready to seek approval, but found her gazing back at him with a subtle smile while watching Feng Mojin and Hua Ning. Sensing his gaze upon her, Bi’an slowly shifted her attention to Feng Moqing, her smile still glowing in her eyes. Upon seeing it, Feng Moqing felt as if something within him had softened unexpectedly.

Just as he was about to approach Bi’an and say something, the sudden sound of wind chimes at the door interrupted the moment. The group paused for a moment before seeing Li Bai rush in anxiously, hurrying straight to Bi’an and gripping her shoulders as she exclaimed, “Where’s Zimu’s heart? You know where it is, right?”

“Li Bai, please calm down. Le Zimu is here; don’t rush.” Both Feng Mojin and Hua Ning quickly rushed forward to grab one of Li Bai’s arms, gently urging her to step away from Bi’an. However, much to their surprise, Li Bai shook off their grips and lunged for the glass orb in Bi’an’s hands.

“Zimu, Zimu…” Cradling the glass orb in her hands, Li Bai pressed her face as close as she could to the heart, repeatedly calling out Le Zimu’s name.

Feng Mojin and Hua Ning couldn’t help but gasp in amazement: Could it be that Li Bai had such a deep connection that she could so quickly find Le Zimu’s heart?

Yet, amid their astonishment, seeing Li Bai in that moment filled them with a mild sadness. If they had never grown close to her, they might have been able to distance themselves from this grief.

“Li Bai, that is the last gift Le Zimu has for you.” Bi’an spoke calmly as she rose from her reclining chair and stood in front of Li Bai. She took the glass orb from Li Bai’s hands, who was lost in her joy of finding it again. With a gentle pressure, cracks appeared on the surface of the orb, spreading rapidly; before long, the entire orb shattered before everyone’s eyes, leaving only a vibrant heart that beat continuously.

Bi’an discreetly signaled for Feng Mojin and Hua Ning to hold onto Li Bai, while she herself placed the heart against Li Bai’s chest.

As if there was an invisible force drawing it in, the heart slowly moved from Bi’an’s hand and ultimately entered Li Bai’s body.

Seeing this, Feng Mojin and Hua Ning timely released their hold on Li Bai, one leaning against Jiang Qing while the other held onto Feng Moqing. They all watched Li Bai with a hint of unease.

To their surprise, Li Bai simply reached out to touch her chest, seemingly feeling the heartbeat inside her. After a long moment, they observed her smile softly as she murmured to herself, “So, that’s how it is. No wonder he said this heart beats for me; it really does.”

“Thank you, Pavilion Master, and thank you to the Third Princess and Hua Ning.” Li Bai tilted her head back, revealing a gentle smile. The last tear slowly fell from her cheek, transforming into a pure pear blossom on the ground.

“I must go now. If fate allows, we shall meet again.” Li Bai spoke reassuringly to her heart, then turned and began to walk step by step toward the door, determined to live on with Le Zimu’s spirit, as a human being.

“Li Bai, if one day you have nowhere to go, just come back here. Xiao Ning and I will take care of you.” Feng Mojin suddenly called out loudly to Li Bai’s retreating figure, and Hua Ning stood by her side, repeating the words.

“Okay.” Looking back with a smile at the two of them, Li Bai’s figure gradually faded into the final rays of the sunset.

Bi’an crouched down, picking up the petal formed from Li Bai’s tear. She spoke coolly, “I’ve received the price,” and turned to take the flower into the house in the backyard.

My final wish is to be with you forever, even if it’s just with one heart. – Le Zimu

If one day we meet again, but it’s at one of our funerals, will you regret having left my side so decisively?

It wasn’t long after Li Bai left the Pavilion of Rebirth that Le Mansion organized the funeral for Le Zimu. The ceremony was not grand; after all, it’s a painful scene for a parent to send off a child, and not many wanted to dwell on such sorrow. Thus, the Mansion invited only a few relatives and friends of Le Zimu to attend.

A wedding turned into a funeral-how many people have ever experienced something so dramatic? On the day of the wedding, the bride was abducted by someone else, and in broad daylight, she, together with another man, harmed her fiancé, causing the wedding to become a funeral. This incident turned into several different versions discussed privately among the people of Fengli City. Despite the rampant gossip, mindful of the reputations of both Le Mansion and Hong Mansion, nobody dared to speak too freely about those involved.

Hongxiao was greatly affected by Le Zimu’s death, and after regaining consciousness, she found herself without Lansheng’s presence as well, which only added to her sense of grievance and sorrow. She had sacrificed so much for Lansheng and harmed so many others, yet in the end, he had cast her, who was now suffering, into this cold room, leaving her all alone.

Moreover, that room had a ghost! She had even seen Li Bai pass through the wall and then vanish! Just the thought of Li Bai’s unclear origins sent chills down her spine.

Feeling scared and heartbroken, she sought warmth from Lansheng but was seized by her own servant stationed at the entrance of Le Mansion. Ignoring her resistance and orders, they forcibly locked her in her room. Meals were brought to her every day, but they refused to let her out. Frustrated, Hongxiao smashed things in the room daily, throwing the food at the maidservants who delivered them.