Lava - Kapitel 147
"It's the princess. The princess had someone release my acupoints and told me that you actually left me alone." Mo Yan looked up at him angrily, but then suddenly remembered something, so she quickly let go and took out a small porcelain box from her bosom. "The princess said that this is the Nine-Turn Heart-Clearing Pill that her father gave her when he came. She said it is very rare and can cure many diseases, and maybe it can also detoxify. Big brother, you should take it and try it."
Once the poison enters the heart meridian, any medicine taken will be like scratching an itch through a boot. Zhan Zhao knew this in his heart, but fearing to hurt Mo Yan's feelings, he said nothing and obediently took the medicine.
Mo Yan wasn't sure either, so she simply poured out all the pills and handed them to Zhan Zhao: "Brother, take them all at once, maybe the effect will be better."
Zhan Zhao smiled slightly and took it all as instructed.
Mo Yan tossed the small porcelain box aside and stared blankly at Zhan Zhao, unsure of what else she could do.
"Let's go," Zhan Zhao said softly to her.
Where to?
Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Let's head west. There's a desert to the west, and I've heard that the sunset over the desert is extremely beautiful. I'd like to see it too."
"Alright, let's head west."
Mo Yan nodded, helped Zhan Zhao onto the horse, and led the way, holding the reins slowly.
Chapter Seventy-Nine
"Big brother, you're not allowed to use your sleep acupoints anymore."
"good."
Mo Yan glanced at him sideways, then turned back to roast the rabbit. The two of them slowly made their way west through the wilderness, not caring about anything. When they got tired, they would sit down to rest, and when they were hungry, they would catch a wild rabbit or a wild bird to eat.
The night breeze was cool. Zhan Zhao leaned wearily against the rock, looking at the starry sky and smelling the aroma of roasted meat. He chuckled softly, "When I was little, my brother and I stole sweet potatoes from someone's field, roasted them, and ate them. Thinking about it now, they tasted really delicious."
Mo Yan turned around and smiled, reaching out to pinch his cheek: "So even the Southern Hero steals things, and even food! Shameless, shameless!"
Zhan Zhao took her hand, straightened up, and smiled, "What did you steal when you were little?" He regretted asking as soon as the question left his mouth, afraid of reminding her of unpleasant things, so he changed his question and asked, "By the way, who exactly is your master? I see that your second brother's kung fu is very good, so your master's kung fu must be even more amazing."
Mo Yan shook her head and said, "Master is usually very lazy and never practices. Besides spending time with his wife, he likes to wander around. I don't really know if he's good at kung fu or not."
"So you have a master's wife? How come I've never heard you mention her before?"
“I’ve never seen Master’s wife either.” Mo Yan tore off a leg from the roasted rabbit and handed it to Zhan Zhao. “There’s a very quiet grove of trees behind where we live. I remember there was a small bamboo house there when I was little. Master often went there to brew tea and listen to the rain. He said that Master’s wife was inside, but no matter when we went there, we never saw her.”
Zhan Zhao was initially confused, but after a moment's thought, he asked, "So, your master's wife has already ascended to the immortal realm."
"Big brother, how did you know? You're so clever." Mo Yan laughed. "I always thought that Master's wife must have been a master of martial arts, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Once, I waited in the forest for three whole days, just to catch a glimpse of what Master's wife looked like. Later, my second brother scolded me for being stupid, saying that Master's wife died a long, long time ago, unless I could see ghosts."
When she said the word "ghost," she involuntarily shrank back. Zhan Zhao noticed this and sighed inwardly.
Mo Yan continued, "It turns out that Master's wife used to live in that bamboo house, so Master couldn't bear to leave and built another house next to it to live in. Later, the bamboo house couldn't withstand the wind and sun and started to rot. We often played in the house, and Master was afraid that the house would suddenly collapse and hurt us, so he simply demolished the bamboo house. At that time, I thought that Master would be very sad after the bamboo house was demolished, but he didn't look sad at all. He even went to the forest to play the zither and sing, saying that he was keeping Master's wife company."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao nodded and sighed, "Because your master's wife is in his heart, what does it matter whether the bamboo house is there or not?"
Mo Yan asked curiously, "Big brother, how do you know what my master is thinking? My second brother said the same thing and even scolded me for always being entangled in worldly matters and being incredibly foolish."
Zhan Zhao smiled slightly. In truth, he was simply putting himself in Zhan Zhao's shoes. If it were him, he would also keep the person he deeply loved in his heart and never forget them for the rest of his life.
“Your master’s wife has been gone for so long, but your master still thinks of her all the time. If she knew this in the afterlife, she would surely be happy.” He said calmly, as if he were talking about something very ordinary: “If you are as happy as your master after I am gone, I will be very happy too.”
Hearing him say this so suddenly, Mo Yan felt as if she had been hit hard by a sledgehammer. She was stunned and speechless for a long time before finally saying, "Big brother, don't you like me being with you?"
Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "Aren't you with me now? If we're both alive and well, I'll naturally like you to be with me, but I don't want you to die with me."
"I'm not afraid of death." Mo Yan stared straight at him.
“I know,” Zhan Zhao said softly, “but if you die, there will be no one in this world who will think of me and miss me like you do.”
Mo Yan was taken aback: "And there's Judge Bao, Mr. Gongsun, Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, the princess..."
“None of them are you,” Zhan Zhao interrupted her, speaking gently. “I only want you to remember me, that’s enough.”
Mo Yan stared at him blankly for a long time, tears welling up in her eyes. Zhan Zhao wiped them away with his sleeve, suppressing his bitterness, and said with a smile, "Don't cry, be good. Didn't you say before that everyone has to die? Even if you don't live for long, you should be happy every day you live longer?"
"I only now realize how painful it is when something like this happens to me," Mo Yan choked out. "Big brother, you took the medicine the princess gave you, you might not die, right?"
Zhan Zhao felt both amused and heartbroken, and could only say, "Yes, we may not die, but it's hard to say. That's why we have to live happily these days."
Mo Yan's eyes were still red, and she nodded forcefully with her lips pursed.
It had been three days since Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan left, and Zhao Yu had no news of them whatsoever, nor did she know where Yelü Pusa Nu was. Because her injuries had not yet healed, she could not leave her tent, and fearing suspicion, she dared not send anyone to inquire whether Yelü Pusa Nu had returned to the main camp.
That night, Zhao Yu was very troubled. He sent all the maids away and sat alone with a book in hand, but his eyes were fixed on the dripping candle wax, and his mind was elsewhere...
A very faint sound of tearing fabric came from not far beside her. She came to her senses and turned her head to look. She saw a dark figure quickly slip in through the gap in the tent. Just as she was about to cry for help, the person took off the cloak that was hanging low over his head and revealed his face.
"It's you!" Zhao Yu tried his best to calm his racing heart and keep his tone calm.
Yelü Pusa Nu, however, had no time to speak to her. He strode forward and blew out the candles, plunging the tent into darkness.
In the past, Zhao Yu would have screamed loudly to summon the guards outside the tent. But this time, she remained calmly reclining on the couch, showing no sign of panic, making Yelü Pusa Nu's action of covering her mouth seem utterly unnecessary.
He awkwardly released his grip and said in a low voice, "It was unavoidable, please forgive me, Princess."
"It's alright."
The warmth of his hand was still on her cheek, and Zhao Yu blushed slightly, thankful that he couldn't see it in the dark.
"Why isn't Zhan Zhao in the camp? Has something happened?" he asked immediately.
Zhao Yu took a deep breath and told him the whole story, then took out Zhan Zhao's letter from under his pillow in the dark and handed it to him.
"That guy! Why didn't he wait for me to come back?" Yelü Pusa Nu cursed under his breath after hearing this. He understood that Zhan Zhao had left the camp to avoid implicating him.