Flowers Bloom from Battlefield

Jun Hua stayed in her room listening to the news Xia told her. Yamin had returned from the Lin family residence. She was still dressed as Jun Min because there was something she needed to do in the afternoon.

"Finish the rest of the work, Xia. I need to go now."

"Miss, isn't there still some time before they should make the next move?" Xia was at a loss.

"I will visit Lin Hong first. At least, he needs to know how it happened to him," Jun Hua said as she rearranged her makeup. In mere minutes, she had transformed completely.

The journey to the prison didn't take a long time. Jun Hua could see that Lin Hong was still curled up within his cell. He was still confused as to what had actually happened to him. Seeing Jun Hua in Jun Min's appearance arrive in front of him, he trembled in fear.

Jun Hua stared at Lin Hong coldly. "Are you an assassin or a killer, Lin Hong?"

He knew! Lin Hong felt that his life will soon end because of what he did just now. The word 'assassin' referring to him pierced like an arrow in his heart. At that time, he did it sneakily, just like what an assassin would do. On the other hand, the second time referred to the accident near the cliff where his brother slipped off and he was the one suspected as the murderer.

Jun Hua stared at the scared boy's eyes deeply. This Lin Hong always thought of himself above others, but he never once saw nor experienced the real world. When the reality of the world was presented before him, he could not come into terms with it and became highly frightened. He thought he can become someone high above, but in fact he gets too scared for that.

For every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction [1]. He thought that he had planned things out carefully, but there were too many loopholes in his plans. He was not someone who was proficient in handling things like these, unlike Jun Hua who had experienced all types of killings many times in the battlefield.

Looking at the pair of eyes that emitted fear, Jun Hua remembered the first time she came to the battlefield. She stood frozen on the spot, but she had to force herself to move. She was terrified, but she had to suppress fear over and over again to be able to reach where she stands now. There is nothing that can be achieved instantly.

"I…" Lin Hong could not utter any words out.

Jun Hua continued to stare at him. "Do you think I can't kill you right now?"

Jun Hua could simply take her sword out and kill the boy. She could tell the emperor the truth that this boy had tried to kill a general. The crime of attempting to murder a general in this kingdom could grant the boy the punishment of dying countless times. And it would even implicate his family as they could possibly be accused of conspiring simply by having a member of their family plotting to kill a general of their kingdom.

Lin Hong's face fell. Jun Hua was right. What could he say or even do if Jun Hua told the emperor of the truth? His name would be completely tarnished being branded as a murderer, and he won't have any means to get out anymore. Execution would be the only choice for the emperor to give reason to Jun Min.

"Will you kill me, then?" Lin Hong raised his head, trembling.

"I won't."

"Really?" Lin Hong stared unbelieving.

"You're not worth it for me to stain my hand," Jun Hua said simply.

Another reason for her to let him go was because he's still too young, only a mere 14 years old, same age as her. Jun Hua berated herself. It seemed that living in peace has made her heart go soft. However, killing the person before her, she didn't have any interest in doing it.

"What do you want to do?" Lin Hong raised his head.

"You will still need to pay for what you did. Because you're still underage, they will take you to the children's institution and teach you how to behave better."

Lin Hong felt chills run up his spine. Did it mean that he is going to live with those rough and crude youths for two years? The age for male adults in Ming Kingdom was 16, but they still won't be able to get married until one reached eighteen. Sixteen was the age for them to start working.

There were many other problematic children in the institution and he would surely experience how it was to live alongside with crude people and all. Lin Hong himself knew that, but for Jun Hua to allow him to live, wasn't she afraid of his retaliation?

"Aren't you worried that I might attack you back once I'm out?"

Jun Hua smiled coldly. That smile made Lin Hong understand; she knew that he might retaliate, but she didn't care. With the limited power he had, what damage could he do towards the general? And if he did that, she would surely make him taste a fate worse than death.

"You can try it if you want, but don't blame me for retaliating."

Jun Hua still gave him a chance because of his young age, and his scheme was not really directed towards her. She did give him another chance, but it didn't mean he can live freely. He had to experience how hard it was to live in confinement for some time.

If he were to scheme against her, at that time, she would show him what the phrase: 'Death is better than living' meant. Sometimes being alive can be harder than dying.