Bone Painting Coroner

Chapter 96 - A Kiss of Whirling Thoughts

Jing Rong's voice was barely audible through the clamour of the crowd, yet Ji Yunshu did not miss a single word.

"How I feel... Do you really not know?" These two sentences sank into her heart like a cauldron of boiling oil.

Ji Yunshu trembled nervously. The only answer she had was a long silence.

The anger dimmed in Jing Rong's eyes, replaced by a deep look of affection as he started to speak again, "Did you know, the first time I saw you, I guessed that you were actually a girl. I goaded you time and time again, but in the end, what I did only pricked deeper and deeper into my own heart. You tugged my heartstrings until they became an unsortable mess. I couldn't find solace in the sweet embrace of sleep, and even the most delicate food became tasteless. On several occasions, I had to control my burning desire to remove that crown from your head and ascertain my guess. Even after I found out about your true identity, I felt a confusion, a hesitation I've never experienced before. Now I am certain that you and you alone can impart this upon me."

This time, Ji Yunshu heard each and every word clearly. Oh, he... he's confessing to me, isn't he? Wait, wait. Wake up, Your Highness! Do you not understand that it's simply not possible between us?

"Your Highness, I... I don't understand what you are saying... Let me go..." Ji Yunshu fought against Jing Rong's grip and dove sideways in an attempt to escape, but Jing Rong blocked her firmly.

Jing Rong repeated again, this time with more emphasis, "You claim to not understand what I mean. Very well, I shall repeat it again. Is the pleasure from whirling in water not only known to two fish who can chase one another? A solitary mandarin duck does not fly far. And you... you are not just a fleeting dream. I know it. You are real, as real as the stone upon which I walk."

Boom!

The blossoms of the fireworks accompanied Jing Rong's last word. The multi-coloured flare gradually faded in the sky, leaving nothing but a vivid mark in the eyes and the minds of those who saw it. A loud cheer was heard coming from the crowd, but Jing Rong's eyes did not budge in the slightest.

Ji Yunshu looked at his eyes and stopped struggling. They stared at the other party, unable to detach their eyes from each other. She puckered her lips and lowered her brows. "Your Highness, the joy of fish matters little against the drought that will dry the stream in which they swim; and there are certain tempests even the closest pair of mandarin ducks cannot brave. Your Highness's feelings... I simply cannot reciprocate them," said Ji Yunshu in a tone that softened her refusal.

The noise from the exploding fireworks completed eclipsed Ji Yunshu's soft voice, but Jing Rong heard her reply quite clearly. The affection between his brows quietly retracted into his thin and long eyes, replaced by a despair which climbed up his countenance. He dropped his hands down, as threads do when their hold onto a button is cut loose, "Very well, I understand."

After being freed from her cage, Ji Yunshu took two steps back from Jing Rong's embrace. She held her own arms and had an expression of panic mixed with something she herself couldn't quite grasp. The two stood with their backs against each other, one with his mood sinking like dust slowly settling, whereas the other was stricken by a nervousness that brought sweat to her palms.

Ji Yunshu raised her head and suddenly noticed Ji Muqing amidst the crowd, walking seemingly towards her. She was dressed in a scarlet robe, and her shoulders were covered with a blue and snow white cape. Her hair was neatly arranged into tresses shaped like bamboo sprouts. A golden hairpin pierced the hair knot over her head, the first of a shower of silver and golden ornaments. She carried a four-sided lantern which was sewn together using gold-laminated thread. Red bamboo made up the frame of the lantern, and a single string of silver beads, threaded the center and hung from the base. Four maids followed behind.