Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C315. The Tragedy of Zeng Xian.

Chapter 315: The Tragedy of Zeng Xian

"I'm happy," Zeng Xian grinned, his face alight with a grin so different from his usual dour expression. "I'm really happy. I want to see him— the one who butchered loyal men, shattered the nation. I want to watch him bring this land to ruin, see his worthless sons clawing at each other. I'm happy, I've been waiting for this day to come."

"But you still held back."

"I didn’t!" Zeng Xian snapped, "I did everything in my power. I poisoned Wu Yong, stirred those savages against each other, planted sabotage all over the place, even made deals with the tribes on the plains. But Hua Yizheng just pulled those damn nails out like they were nothing, and Wu Yong— didn’t you cure his poison? You and Hua Zhi came together last year. Who else but you could’ve saved him?"

"It was me," Gu Yanxi said, his voice smooth, unwavering. "But you still stopped."

"I didn’t!" Zeng Xian refused to face the truth, his pride crumbling as defeat crept into his gaze. His whole demeanor deflated. He stared at his son, his hand froze in midair, before falling uselessly onto the armrest of the wheelchair.

"In the Ministry, greed is mandatory—without it, you're nothing but an outsider, cast aside like trash. So yeah, I played the game too. But that money? Not mine. From the top to the bottom, everyone knew it wasn’t me, but they still pointed fingers at me. In just two days, I went from being falsely accused to exiled and under house arrest, all without so much as a chance to defend myself. The moment I was kicked out of the city, I saw my wife—pregnant, tied up, and waiting for me."

Zeng Xian let out a bitter laugh. “She was three months pregnant. After losing a child before, she clung to some superstition from her hometown, saying we shouldn’t speak of it before three months. She endured that silence, we even had red eggs ready. But what came next? A fucking nightmare. On the way out, I begged them—begged them to leave my wife alone. And you know what they told me? The higher-ups were in on it. They planned this all along, they wanted to destroy us. It was deliberate."

He looked up at the sky, laughing, but the laugh turned into a violent coughing fit, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His son, Zeng Han, watched in silence and, without a word, reached out to touch the blood, feeling the weight of it on his fingertips.

"Do you really think that was the end of it? No. They were ordered to get rid of the child. How? They tortured my wife, right in front of me. Tortured her. But my son, he was lucky. He didn’t miscarry. My wife, in a desperate attempt to save my bloodline, secretly bled herself, making them think she had lost the child. They believed she was unclean and stopped hurting her. That’s how Zeng Han made it. But even then, they didn’t let us go. Just when we thought it was over, they left me out in the cold. My legs froze to the bone. They thought I’d die. But I didn’t. My wife, though, she died. After giving birth to Zeng Han, she was already resigned to her fate, holding on just to bring him into this world. She died... She died!!"

Zeng Xian laughed, a rasp in his voice, tears streaming down his face. All the pain, all the despair, pouring out in those tears.

"I used to think Zeng Han had no future. I had already made up my mind to take him with me when I died, to save him from this corrupt world. But then that day came. Hua Zhi and Zeng Han made a promise to each other, to grow up well. She told him she wanted him to be okay..."

Zeng Xian’s laugh turned into a bitter, hollow sound as he bent over, "I never imagined Zeng Han could grow up well, not without a father, not without a mother. How the hell could he turn out fine?"

So, was it Hua Zhi’s “grow up well” that saved them?

Hua Yizheng didn’t know whether to pity Zeng Xian’s suffering or to be thankful for the sheer luck of the Hua family—thankful they’d dodged a bullet, and most importantly, thankful for the granddaughter he had.

"In any case, the Hua family..."

"Not necessary," Zeng Xian cut him off sharply, blood dripping from his lips, but he didn’t seem to care. No pain, no fear. "What I’m owed... is from Hua Zhi."

Hua Pingyu immediately disagreed, "We owe..."

"It’s Hua Zhi!" Zeng Xian snapped back. "Not the rest of the Hua family. Hua Zhi’s the one who made sure my son grew up right."

Gu Yanxi was about to protest when he saw a shift in Ah Zhi’s hands. His eyes darted to the bed—sure enough, she was awake.

Without a second thought, Gu Yanxi ignored everyone else, leaning in with a soft, urgent voice, "Awake? Feeling alright? Any pain?"

At this moment, Ah Zhi was drowning in discomfort, her body flooded with a numbing sensation. Yet, in her haze, fragments of sound cut through her fog. Despite Zeng Xian's long list of misdeeds, the fact remained: he’d sent his son to warn her, saving the Hua family from disaster. If she was to take on the burden of gratitude for that, so be it. She'd bear it silently, without hesitation.

Speech failed her, but her fingers stirred, brushing lightly against Gu Yanxi's, a subtle, almost desperate gesture.

Gu Yanxi was torn, guilt gnawing at him. Letting Zeng Xian show up had been a mistake—his refusal to leave Ah Zhi’s side now hung heavily on him.

With Hua Pingyu’s water in hand, he propped her against him, guiding her to drink, watching her slip back into sleep. His voice softened, "Rest, I’m here."

Ah Zhi blinked lazily, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Weakened and torn up inside, Gu Yanxi couldn't help but wish he had the power to make everything go his way. Staring down at Zeng Xian, clinging to life by a thread, he coldly stated, “Ah Zhi promised she’ll make sure your son turns out alright.”

Zeng Xian’s vision was already a haze, his ears ringing, yet those words cut through the fog. He could barely grasp the situation, but if it was this man… if it was really him, then he’d ensure someone paid for this. Maybe he'd even be the one to make them burn for eternity.

They thought he was clueless about who pocketed the money in the end, but he wasn’t fooled. He knew everything.

Zeng Xian, with all his strength drained, tried to catch a final glimpse of his son. But all he could make out was a ghostly figure. The child had his mother’s look—he didn’t need clarity to remember.

His trembling hand reached out, and it was grasped by a small, cold one. The child seemed to understand and guided his hand over his head, then down to his cheek, before the last of his strength drained away, and his hand fell limp.

The kid hesitated for a moment before grabbing his father's hand again, pressing it to his face. After a beat, it slid down, and without missing a step, he lifted it back up, repeating the motion several times.

Some people couldn’t handle it, turning their heads away, while even Wu Yong, once seething with anger, let out a heavy sigh. All the past resentment had nothing to do with the kid in front of him.

He crouched down, eyes softening as he spoke to the child. "Your father..."

"I know," Zeng Han interrupted, his wide eyes stripped of any innocence or emotion. "He's gone. Gone means gone. I know where to bury him."

Wu Yong paused, sensing something heavier in the air. "Did he leave any instructions?"

Zeng Han gave a sharp nod, pointing at Ah Zhi, lying motionless on the bed. "He said to bury him and follow her."

Wu Yong stood still for a moment, then realization hit him like a freight train. Zeng Xian had been right. This kid had seen too much, learned too quickly. Without someone to steer him right, he'd grow into a monster.

But Ah Zhi... she'd never let that happen. She wouldn’t let Zeng Xian’s son, the one he owed everything to, fall down that path.

———TN:
I'm wrapping up for the day—done translating, editing, and posting. My brain needs a reset. Hopefully, the translation does the story justice. Catch you later.