Blind and Bereft

[FULL] Chapter 81 | Full Moon Banquet

FULL | 无色郁金 Discoloured Tulip Arc

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Jingrui woke up with pressure pulsing through her head. Her eyes seared with pain as she pried them open.

Black and white.

Her chest tightened as she glared at the colourless ceiling above her. Blinking several times, she realised she was in her room at the outer courtyard. She sat up, grunting at the pain in her head.

As she scanned around, the furniture was like blobs of intangible objects. Jingrui held in the suffocation of her waning sight. If her eyes were that blurry, it could only mean she was out cold for more than a day.

Hitting her head, she distinctly remembered sobbing against Prince Zhanying's floor. She must have passed out, but she couldn't remember how she came to this room. As she ran her hand over her body, she noticed that her stab wounds were all healed.

Despite the confusion, she didn't have time to ponder over it. All of her pain and worries diverted in a different direction as she remembered that Prince Zhanying had refused to take her antidote. Her heart raced as she ran to the door. Who knows how much longer he would last with the poison consuming him.

When she tried to slide the door open, something jammed it tight. Jingrui raised her brows and pulled harder.

Locked.

She banged her fists as she tried to jerk the door open, but no matter how hard she pulled, it was stuck. Soon, her strength was drained, and she plopped against the door.

She was caged. Like a prisoner, she was confined in the cold room, where her days in hell had started.

As she sat in devastation, voices drifted in from the outside, and her ears perked up.

"It's the former Heavenly Emperor Yunyin's birth anniversary today," a female voice spoke. "I heard our God of War is attending with the best presents prepared for his father. Rare, isn't it? I've always thought Prince Zhanying didn't care for anniversaries."

Jingrui listened until their voices receded into the distance. Prince Zhanying was dying, and it was without a doubt that he planned to put an end to everything before the last ounce of life left him. The full moon banquet, where every official would gather, would be the perfect time for it.

If she had figured right, he must have received her letter. Then his plans would run smoothly, and for that, she felt relief. But no matter how relieved she was, the back of her mind screamed at her. If her sister and master's culprits were to be revealed to the world today, she was entitled to be there; to see the evil suffer their worst retribution.

She stood up, determination coursing through her veins. Closing her eyes, she focused her Qi energy towards her fingertips. Just like Yuansong had taught her, she opened the roots and forced her power to release. Light blast against the door, tearing it down with a loud bang. Jingrui waved the air to clear the dust and adjusted her eyes to the light.

She glanced at the sun, it had just passed the short shadow hour, and the banquet would be starting soon. If she did not hurry, it would be hard to sneak in once the gate was closed. With that, she leapt out of the Palace and towards the Heavenly Throne Hall.