Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
At the moment, the entire room was silent with only the coarse breathing of the people in it. However, Zong Yue seemed to become gradually calmer and even cracked a smile after a while. “Yes, Zhangsun Wuji, I admit that you’ve asked the right question, but then again, how do you know that I would definitely not have a solution?”
“I know Sir Zong is fearless and that you probably already have an idea in your mind. I also know that you have never had the intention to harm Fuyao, which was why I never mentioned it.” Zhangsun Wuji gazed outside the window at the flowers swaying in the wind with a gentle expression and softly continued, “Just that, Sir Zong, no matter what, this idea is dangerous. What should we do if Fuyao encounters something unexpected and you’re not there? With regards to Fuyao’s safety, I’m not assured.”
“It would make one even more anxious if Fuyao wasn’t skilled enough!” Zong Yue immediately lashed back, “That personality of hers makes her get into trouble all the time, endangering herself and getting injured. If you wait for her to actually sit down and obediently meditate without stopping, how would she ever get enough power to face the countless obstacles coming her way? Furthermore, up till now, she’s been controlling very well without any problems. I didn’t even have to use the ideas I prepared— ” He suddenly paused and widened his eyes. This was the first time the calm, sharp-tongued doctor let out a look of shock as he stuttered, “It’s you— It’s you—”
Zhangsun Wuji immediately cut his words short and got up. Walking past him, he suddenly turned back and said, “I just don’t understand, Sir, you’ve always been slow and steady, why are you being so hasty about this?”
His tone was light, but Zong Yue looked as if a powerful streak of lightning had suddenly struck his head and he just stood there, dumbstruck. Even if the entire room caught fire, his expression would probably not change. Finally, his face turned a terrible shade of green, followed by white as a layer of frost appeared on his face. Under the dim candlelight, he looked like a paper figure which had been blown frozen by the wind.
The entire room fell silent again. The rest did not know which of Zong Yue’s nerve Zhangsun Wuji’s words struck, actually making this elegant and cool person suddenly react as such.
Meng Fuyao was shocked motionless as well until Ya Lanzhu tugged at her sleeve and she came back to her senses—no matter what, this fight started because of her, so she had the responsibility of ending it.
Meng Fuyao walked over quietly and nudged Zong Yue, muttering, “I know you meant well…”
Zong Yue suddenly retracted his sleeve and pushed Meng Fuyao away forcefully. He had used considerable force, and Meng Fuyao stumbled back three steps. Immediately, Yun Hen and Ya Lanzhu rushed forward to support her as Yun Hen snapped angrily, “Sir Zong, why are you venting your anger on Fuyao!?”
Tie Cheng, who had been standing guard outside the window, jumped inside in a flash with his sword raised.
Meng Fuyao quickly shouted, “Stop it, stop it—” However, Zong Yue had already lunged forward and flipped Tie Cheng to the ground, his sword flying out of his hand and lodging itself in a bench, nearly hitting Ya Lanzhu, who shrank back in fright.
Yet, Zong Yue had already flown out of the window, his snow-white robes looking like a leaf covered in frost as he disappeared into the night.
Meng Fuyao quickly gave chase, but his shadow was already gone. Stopping, she wondered how the dinner had suddenly turned sour like this and turned around to see that Lord Yuan Bao had not left, but was squatting on the ground staring at her.
Meng Fuyao stared at it, while it stared back at Meng Fuyao. Meng Fuyao walked several steps to the left in an attempt to go around it, but Lord Yuan Bao immediately moved to the left as well. When Meng Fuyao moved to the right, Lord Yuan Bao instantly mirrored her actions.
In short, it was determined to stand in Meng Fuyao’s way, determined to make Meng Fuyao acknowledge its existence, determined to make Meng Fuyao notice its pure and innocent gaze and evoke guilt for its master. It wanted Meng Fuyao to know that she was a despicable creature that didn’t know how to feel bad until she was reminded.
Finally, Meng Fuyao couldn’t stand it any longer and leaped into the air.
Thereafter, she strode towards Zhangsun Wuji’s room—in a courtyard accessible through a tunnel from another room of the third courtyard.
True warriors must bravely admit their mistakes, and she, Meng Fuyao, had always been a female warrior.
Without knocking, she dashed into the room where Zhangsun Wuji seemed to already be sleeping. There was no light in the room, and in the inky darkness, she could see the faint outline of a person lying on the bed, seemingly asleep, breathing peacefully. The entire room was filled with soft breathing, and Meng Fuyao quietened down as well as she listened to the person’s breathing in the darkness. She felt an inexplicable tranquility and calm.
She suddenly smiled, thinking that whether she explained or not, whether she apologized or not, really wasn’t that important anymore. No matter what, Zhangsun Wuji knew her, and she too, knew Zhangsun Wuji, so what was there to say?
She turned around softly to leave.
However, a lazy voice traveled from behind her as it said amusedly, “Creeping into other people’s rooms in the middle of the night, are you not going to do anything and just leave?”
Meng Fuyao turned back and smiled. “Beauty, I have no intention of taking anyone’s dignity.” With that, she patted her behind and prepared to leave, but the person’s tone suddenly turned melancholic as he sighed softly.
That single sigh stopped Meng Fuyao in her tracks as she stood there with her hand on against the door frame, one foot in and one foot out of the room.
Zhangsun Wuji flipped on the mattress and raised a hand towards her, saying, “Come, come hug me.”
Meng Fuyao immediately shifted away.
“Can’t a person who was wronged by you get a consolation hug?”
Meng Fuyao shuddered…’Why are there people who are so adept at guilt-tripping others? Furthermore, Meng Fuyao, why must you have a conscience?’
Zhangsun Wuji beckoned her with a hand, and a rush of warm energy sent the guilty party to his front where he proceeded to wrap an arm around her and pulling off her hairpin with the other as her hair fell in waves around the bed.
Zhangsun Wuji buried his head in her hair and lay there contentedly for a moment before speaking softly, “How did you think of coming here?”
Struggling, Meng Fuyao mumbled, “Yuan Bao forced me to come here.”
“Oh? You didn’t want to come here at all?” Zhangsun Wuji smiled, his expression as warm as a flower yet to bloom in the darkness.
“I just wanted to ask you,” Meng Fuyao finally found the opportunity to breathe and took a huge breath before continuing, “When I didn’t face any problems earlier, was it because you had been adjusting my meridians?”
Zhangsun Wuji smiled without replying, instead brushing his fingers through her hair and untangling a small knot. Finally, he said, “I’m begging you, please comb your hair before you tie it up, look at you, your hair is full of knots after it’s untied.”
Meng Fuyao bit her lip as she stared at the person who refused to admit everything that he had done for her and her eyes felt slightly hot—recently, he did not look very well and his face constantly held some fatigue and vulnerability to it. She had thought it was because he was tired out by affairs of the country, yet it was actually because of her.
Just that, why would simply adjusting meridians make this invincible human so exhausted?
Meng Fuyao eyebrows scrounged together, and she was about to ask a question when suddenly, the heavy and melancholic sound of music drifted over from a distance.
The song was old and sad, its notes heavy with a kind of innocent, pure, beauty like snow drifting over an ancient road in the dark of night.
The melody was neither xiao nor flute, differing from the xiao and clearer than the flute, yet carrying a kind of aftertaste as though drinking a bitter tea and reaching straight through one’s heart. It made one remember the bittersweet taste of fate and life.
Still in embrace, the two of them listened quietly. When the song ended, Meng Fuyao’s eyes had already become moist.
She murmured, “Ocarina… I actually got to listen to an ocarina piece with my own ears…”
Zhangsun Wuji seemed to have thought of something and suddenly pushed her gently, saying, “You should go.”
Meng Fuyao got up and smiled at him before turning to go outside. After crossing the courtyard, she reached a garden. In the garden was a pavilion, and standing on the roof of the pavilion, decked in snow-white robes, a man was facing the moon as he blew on the ocarina, a golden-red artifact with dragon and cloud designs. The melody was beautiful yet melancholic, carrying the feelings that had been accumulated over a long period of time.
His white robes swayed silently in the wind, and he looked as if there were some things long buried in his heart that he couldn’t bring himself to say but was instead trying to express it with his actions.
Meng Fuyao stepped onto the roof as well, sitting down silently beside him. Unintentionally, she glanced at him only to see Zong Yue immediately turn away as well, but in that instance, she caught several drops reflecting the moonlight on his face.
Those were… tears?
Meng Fuyao’s heart jumped! Zong Yue was actually, crying?
She had never thought that she would ever see this warm yet proud man shed tears in her lifetime.
But Zong Yue had already silently opened his mouth.
He said, “Today is Ru Han’s death anniversary… She has been gone for seven years.”
Meng Fuyao’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Who is Ru Han? His… sister? Lover?’
She remained silent, not wanting to ask. Since Zong Yue raised the matter himself, then he should be the one to initiate conversation, and she was only responsible for listening.
“She was my fiancée. We had been engaged since young. Back then, I didn’t like her at all; such an oddball, preferring to play with spears and sticks despite being an aristocrat’s daughter. It seemed like she didn’t like me either, publicly declaring that I was weak and completely useless. We had a huge fight and parted, swearing that we would never marry each other.”
He smiled drily as he fiddled with the ancient ocarina in his hands. His eyes were gazing expressionlessly into the far horizon. It was as though his feelings were a leaf which had already been pressed between an old book and withered over the years, and taking it out would cause it to disintegrate into fine powder.
“After that, that same year, my family… had a tragedy, those that died, died, and those that escaped, escaped. Under the protection of the family guards, I was able to escape death countless times as I ran for my life for 3,000 miles. Back then, our enemy was powerful, and nobody dared to vouch for the innocence of my family. Actually, that was also very normal, everyone lives for themselves in this world, so where’s the wrong in that?
“Much, much later, I finally heard that, after my family was obliterated, someone did stand up to speak, and that person was her. She had gone to the ruins of my house, found the broken shards of my ancestral plaque of merit and gone to the enemy’s house, throwing the pieces on the ground in front of him and cursing for all to hear, ‘Just three generations ago, your family swore an oath of brotherhood before the ancestors, never to betray each other, yet now you raise your sword! Justice demands retribution for your lack of loyalty!’ Back then, everyone’s expressions changed when they heard her, but she remained resolute as she said again, ‘I am also one of the survivors of the Yue family who should have been killed, so please kill me!’ When the enemy refused, she did not back down, circling the city three times carrying the ancestral plaque as she berated the enemy. Everyone mocked her and declared, ‘Nie Ru Han must be killed!”
