Chapter 121

How long have I been standing quietly beneath this increasingly dense drizzle? I twitched my ice‑cold, soaked fingers, and the stiffness alone clearly testified the present tranquility and deathly silence.

After all, it was Xiao Yifei, a generation's overlord, the King of Ice Crystals, and also Qiran's and Wei Lingfeng's father‑emperor. So we all remained silent, mourning the deceased hero in this strange way, disturbing no one, uttering no sound, until…

"Wuu—" A woman's low moan suddenly pierced the abrupt silence.

Like startled birds, we who were gathered around Xiao Yifei's corpse suddenly turned our heads. Seeing the scene before us, my pupils involuntarily contracted; we had been so careless as to forget the presence of Ao Tianjun.

At this moment, he held a dagger seeping blue light, its blade clearly coated with deadly poison, firmly pressed against Lan Yingruo's throat, and gave us a faint cold smile. Lan Yingruo frowned slightly; the scar‑lined face showed pain, yet their gaze was unusually stubborn, refusing to beg for mercy.

"Big brother Ao?" Qiran stepped forward slowly and spoke first.

A fleeting expression flickered in Ao Tianjun's eyes, then a bitter smile: "Young Master, would you still accept me as your big brother?"

Qiran remained silent, prompting Ao Tianjun's slightly self‑mocking laugh: "Young Master need not be hard on yourself; in your heart I'm merely a person from your childhood who was once kind to you, nothing more. Rest assured, today I have no intention of opposing you, not…"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Qiran, Bu Sha, and Wei Lingfeng, frowning: "In this lifetime I never wish to be your enemy. I only want to live peacefully…"

"So you were looking for me?" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's hoarse voice rang in the ear, grating like nails on stone, yet his expression remained unruffled, his only remaining spark of spirit in his eyes blazing as they fixed on Ao Tianjun and the dagger in his hand.

"Sect Leader…" Ao Tianjun gave a wry smile, but did not deny it. After a while he tugged at Lan Yingruo's hair, drawing a look of pain from her, then continued, "After all, people like Qi Ran who can cure blood gu and are willing to draw the blood gu onto themselves are exceedingly rare. The Sect Leader's life hangs by a thread now; I have no choice but to act this way!"

I was startled and involuntarily scanned Ao Tianjun from head to toe; of course I could see no obvious signs, yet I was still surprised that he too was afflicted with blood gu.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng gave a cold smile and said, "So what do you intend to do?"

Ao Tianjun wore an innocently lazy grin, but the hand gripping the dagger's hilt was anything but casual. In a deep voice he said, "Please, Sect Leader, hand over the Cold Moon Command, the blood gu insects, and the secret formula for the medicine guide, or else my blade might accidentally cut this girl's skin…"

In an instant I sensed the murderous aura of Qi Ran swirling chaotically around us, and I understood that Ao Tianjun's intention was most likely to seize the Cold Moon Sect's power from Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze already filled with murderous intent, and said, "You think I would agree? Whether you kill her or not is none of my business."

I saw a fleeting flash of pain in Lan Yingruo's eyes, and my heart stirred—could it be… that Lan Yingruo actually liked Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng? Before I could fully process it, a cold blade glinted before me; my mouth half‑open, I stared in horror as the poison‑coated dagger sliced across Lan Yingruo's neck.

The blade halted at the skin, missing the carotid artery. Lan Yingruo breathed shallowly, her pallid complexion shifting from white to red, red to blue, then gradually taking on a violet hue. Her breathing grew rapid, tears welling in her eyes, yet she clenched her lips and refused to let them fall, her stubborn expression hardening even more.

"Bang—" a sharp, brief muffled thud, the sound of something crashing to the ground. I saw a fleeting flash of pain in Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's eyes, accompanied by a bone‑deep murderous intent.

Ao Tianjun laughed up at the sky, holding Lan Yingruo as he stepped toward the iron plaque and lifted it, saying proudly, "Sect Leader, I've followed you for over three years; whether you care about a person or not, I can still see clearly."

Hearing the words, Lan Yingruo's restrained body jolted violently, and the tears she had held back for so long finally streamed down.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng remained grim and silent, not looking at her, his eyes fixed on Ao Tianjun. After a while he said coldly, "The prescription is hidden in the middle layer of the Cold Moon Command. Release her now!"

Ao Tianjun sneered, his gaze sweeping over Qi Ran and Wei Lingfeng, and said in a deep voice, "Please, two young masters, agree not to pursue me today."

Qi Ran sighed, his eyes a bit dim, yet he still nodded. Watching Ao Tianjun's hand grip the dagger tremble, he quickly steadied his mind, looked toward Wei Lingfeng, and patiently awaited his answer.

Only, he had all the time to wait, but how could Lan Yingruo, with the toxin seeping into her five organs and six bowels, wait?

"On what grounds should I agree…" Wei Lingfeng's originally mocking, sarcastic tone paused when he saw the crisscrossed knife scars and the agonized little face of Lan Yingruo; his peripheral glance lingered on me for a moment, and, unprecedentedly, he said, "I agree to you."

Ao Tianjun finally showed a satisfied smile, though his vigilance remained unwavering. Holding Lan Yingruo, he stepped forward to pick up the token. This brief process, lasting less than half a minute, made everyone present hold their breath, unwilling to move a fraction for fear of any misstep.

Although we all hoped this could end peacefully—after all, there would be plenty of chances to capture or kill Ao Tianjun later—an accident still occurred.

In a flash of lightning, I saw that slender, delicate cyan‑blue figure suddenly imbued with a resolute, heroic aura, her whole body radiating an indescribable brilliant light. Her slender hands clutched the blade tightly, ignoring the drops of dark‑red, bluish blood seeping from her fingers.

She twirled, her garments billowing in the fine rain, floating like a fairy, fluttering like a dancing butterfly. The raindrops continued to fall on her, yet an uncanny silence prevailed, as if even the endless rain feared to disturb or desecrate her.

I couldn't tell what expression I wore, but I saw the terror on Ao Tianjun's face, the sudden blank in Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's eyes, a deathly stillness as if the sky had collapsed, and even Qi Ran and Wei Lingfeng showed slight emotion.

Lan Yingruo still held the blade in one hand, while with the other she resolutely snatched the Cold Moon Command that Ao Tianjun hadn't yet secured and flung it hard. The black token traced a brilliant arc in the air, following the sticky rain, and landed before Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng.

All of this, undeniably thrilling, unfolded only within an air so still it was suffocating. Apart from the muffled thud of the iron plaque hitting the ground, there was nothing else.

Finally, a twisted madness flashed in Ao Tianjun's eyes; he yanked his right hand on the dagger's hilt, drawing a strangely tragic, heroic crimson cloud. With a wrist twist, the dagger—still glowing with a cold blue light but now completely obscured by blood—was driven deep into Lan Yingruo's abdomen, all the way to the hilt.

Time seemed to freeze at the moment her frail, blood‑stained body slowly collapsed to the ground. No longer dazzling, no longer swirling brilliantly, she lay unusually still, as if asleep, within the rain curtain. Yet the smile at the corner of her mouth felt both comforting and heartbreaking.

"Yingruo—" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's scream rang through the heavens, a pain that pierced to the bone. Hoarse? Harsh? It no longer mattered; I forgot to distinguish, because listening to his voice, I could feel nothing else but heartache.

Ao Tianjun fled in panic. Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng did not pursue; his body, which had been on the verge of collapse, somehow found strength and rushed like the wind to Lan Yingruo's side, gently lifting her and resting her on his lap.

I hurriedly grabbed Qi Ran and followed. The dagger pierced her abdomen, blood still gushing out, turning ever darker red with a bluish tint, clearly the toxin infiltrating her lungs—perhaps even an immortal could not save her.

I looked up at Qi Ran; though I had pulled him over, he showed no intention of helping. I knew he still harbored resentment toward Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng for causing our separation and did not wish to intervene.

I sighed, crouched, and drew a silver needle, inserting it into several points on Lan Yingruo's chest to temporarily stem her blood loss and the spread of toxin. I thought that, at least, letting her finish her final words would be a good thing.

When I looked up, I saw Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's eyes and couldn't help but shudder. Is this person really Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng? The one whose eyes are filled with astonishment, remorse, fear, loneliness, and yearning—are they truly Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng?

"Can... you save... me?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

I couldn't help the pain in my heart; Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng is also a pitiful soul. Though I had once hated him fiercely, after all, he, Xin Hui, Xin Luo, and Xiao Yin kept me company during my loneliest year! After such difficulty… after such difficulty, he finally had someone he cared for, someone who loved him so deeply, yet the ending is still separation by life and death?

I shook my head, sorrowfully saying, "I'm sorry, I…"

"Young… Master…" Lan Yingruo's weak voice sounded in my ear. Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng trembled all over, clutching her tightly, yet he was as panicked as a child, not knowing what to do.

"Young Master…" she persistently called Qi Ran, and only after he gave a low reply did she continue in a feeble voice, "\"Young Master… please… forgive Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng. Please… he only… envied your happiness, suffered… his own suffering; he is merely a… longing‑for‑warmth… pitiful person. Young Master… Young Master… you are already… happy enough now, please… please pardon him! \""

My sweat‑soaked hand clutched the hem of Qi Ran's robe, pleading repeatedly in my mind: Qi Ran, agree to her! Agree to her! Yet I never voiced it, for this decision was Qi Ran's to make, and even I had no right to intervene.

Though Qi Ran's reply was delayed for a long while, his voice remained calm and composed, yet his brief, decisive answer was reassuring. He said, "Fine. I will give him an antidote."

Lan Yingruo seemed to finally exhale, the hard‑won sparkle in her eyes gradually dimming. She turned back, staring firmly at Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng, watching him closely second by second, even as her pupils slowly lost focus, she still refused to give up. She knew, perhaps, this was her last glimpse of the one she deeply loved.

"Sect Leader… Lu… Feng…" her voice was very faint, almost inaudible. Unless each of us summoned our inner breath and focused our minds, we could not discern her words.

"Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng… do you know… since… Ling Yan sold me to a brothel… at that moment I swore… never to trust anyone again… nor to fall in love with anyone. You… rescued me from the fire pit… yet I know… you… you only treated me as… a pawn. I could never… fall in love with someone… who uses me, even… has another woman in his heart, right?"

"Yingruo… Yingruo…" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng clutched her tightly, his face showing only pain and bewilderment; he didn't know what to do, merely repeating the girl's name over and over.

Tears slipped from Lan Yingruo's eyes; she strained to raise her hand, pressing it before Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's face, and said, "\"But… seeing your sorrow, seeing your… obsession… my heart still… hurts. What… should I do? Knowing… I shouldn't love, yet I still… did. Clearly… I don't want my heart to fall, yet you still… fill it… Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng… I want to say… don't be sad… whether you're a… monster or not, whether you're a god or a demon… I will stay with you… never abandon you. So… please don't be so… lonely. But… can't… can't… you don't…\""

"Yingruo, stop speaking, stop speaking!" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng clutched her tightly, crying out like a child; his voice, still hoarse and harsh, grew ever more heartbreaking, "I love you! I truly love you! It's just… it's just that I don't even know how I came to love you. Why didn't I realize I loved you!!"

Starlight flickered in Lan Yingruo's eyes, and a smile like the morning sunrise of spring blossomed at the corner of her mouth—bright yet clear and pure, without any blemish. Suddenly, with a hint of regret, she whispered, "\"If… I could… have known earlier… how wonderful it would be…\""

Her hand drooped down, resting quietly on her chest. Long lashes, wet with droplets—rain or tears—covered her amber‑shimmering eyes. Heaven and earth, together in silence.

"Ah—" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng let out a long howl, its load of remorse, pain, and sorrow countless and indescribable. Listening to that hoarse wail, watching the terrifying face streaming with tears, my heart ached repeatedly, and I couldn't help my cheeks wet with tears.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng never imagined that the person he had been desperately searching for, regardless of whether they were a monster or possessed golden‑silver eyes, had actually been by his side all along.

Because we were so close, we forgot her goodness; because it seemed so natural to obtain, we forgot the hardship of the other's love. Why must people only understand appreciation after loss?

"This is the antidote for 'Corrosion Poison.'" Qi Ran suddenly tossed a vial beside the near‑mad Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng, his expression indifferent as if he saw nothing of what lay before him.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly burst into hysterical laughter: "Haha... antidote?! She's already dead, what use is this antidote to me? What use?!"

Qiran raised his eyebrows slightly, squatted down, and examined Lan Yingruo's "corpse" for a while. Then he shrugged and said, "I was going to say I could use golden needles to sustain her life for a year, but since you say it's useless, I'll forget it."

"What?!" I and Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng exclaimed in unison, looking up at him as if staring at a devil.

"Shock... isn't that what you taught me medically?" Qiran glanced at me, helplessly patted my head, a smile flickering in his eyes, "She's just in temporary shock; stimulating her heart meridian with golden needles can revive her. However, the toxin may have already invaded part of her heart meridian. At most I can suppress it for a year; whether we can find a cure within that year, whether she can survive, depends on her own will."

"Qiran——" I exclaimed, jumped up and hugged him. For some reason, my heart filled with an indescribable joy and pride; I cried and laughed as I said, "I've never felt this grateful before—that you're a genius!"

"Bingyi..." Qiran said with a smile, half-embracing me, "If you don't let me treat her, she really will be beyond saving."

I was startled, hastily let go, gave an awkward laugh, and pushed him forward.

I saw Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's ugly, grotesque face; his eyes had turned gold and silver when he just let out a long whistle, and now they shone with eager hope, fixed firmly on Qiran.

Qiran gave a cold smile and said, "I don't want to help you, so don't expect me to save her again in a year. I just don't want Bingyi to be upset."

A complex expression flashed in Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's eyes; after a long while he released his tight grip on Lan Yingruo's hand, grabbed the antidote nearby and poured it into his mouth. He then calmly looked at Qiran and said, "One year is enough. I will naturally find a way to save her."

I couldn't help but laugh at these two stubborn guys. I know that Qiran isn't as cold-hearted as he imagines himself to be. After all, we've personally experienced so many pains of separation and death; seeing others repeat our mistakes, how could he remain unmoved?

"Just... now..." Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's voice paused, his eyes flashing with grateful pleading, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Our lives are in your hands. And... thank you!"

That final thank-you was barely audible, almost like a child who knows he's done wrong but refuses to admit it frankly; his candid confession even made Qiran unable to keep from smiling.

Supporting Lan Yingruo's blood-stained, slightly warm body, Qiran's eyes flashed with blue light, concentrating at a point; suddenly his ten fingers rose like picking up a flower. One hand held the needle, the other formed various hand seals as if a lotus were blooming. Silver needles pierced the rain threads, one by one inserting into Lan Yingruo's body...

By the time Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng lifted Lan Yingruo, whose breathing was weak but steady, and prepared to leave, the sky was already growing dark.

I called out to him, asking, "Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng, where is Wuye's burial?"

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's body visibly stiffened; he lowered his head and, after a long while, said, "It's right beside the mountain cave where you met him. I merely collapsed a corner of the mountain and buried him."

"Just... buried him?" My heart ached, but I nodded and said nothing more. After all, he's already dead; what difference does the burial method make?

After a long while, Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's voice came, low and crystal clear. He said, "I'm sorry." Then he held Lan Yingruo and left, never looking back.

"Wuye..." I knelt before that pile of earth and stone that had solidified into a hill, bowed my head deeply, and whispered, "Wuye, I'm sorry."

I pressed my lips together, struggling to hold back the tears about to fall. A pair of warm, moist hands rested on my head, then squatted gently beside me, speaking softly, "Bingyi, he'll understand. The rain's pouring down; let's head back."

I nodded, then with my backhand took off the cross necklace that already showed a crack around my neck. My slender, pale fingers, wet with rain, dug inch by inch into the rock and mud, then buried the dim, lusterless cross together with the falling tears, deep into the ground.

Sorry, Wuye. I clearly promised to give you hope of life, yet I failed to fulfill it. Not only did I fail, I never even realized you had already left my side.

When you died because of me, what were you feeling? Hatred? Resentment? Or relief? No, perhaps none of those! You fool, maybe you were just thinking, 'Thank goodness it wasn't the master who died.'

Wuye, in this world I've known you for only a short dozen days, yet I still want to say: Wuye, rest assured, I will live happily, sharing your portion of happiness as well.

(End of chapter)