She gazed wistfully at the fire, a bitter smile creeping onto her face as she recalled her complicated relationship with Tang Ye. Life seemed to be a series of cycles, one that, once solved, would trap her in another. A sense of melancholy washed over her, and she suddenly thought of Gongzi Yi. A surge of tenderness filled her heart. She wondered if he was safe now. He owed her another life, a debt he could never repay in this lifetime. Since he could never repay it, she decided to let him settle it in the next life. A smile played on her lips.
Suddenly, the sound of clattering hooves came from afar.
Hua Wuduo looked up at the sound and saw a person approaching from afar. Only when he got closer did he realize that it was Gongzi Yu. Although Wen Yu was very close to Wu Yi back then, he ultimately sided with Liu Xiu because of his father.
It was so late at night, in the middle of nowhere, when they suddenly saw Wen Yu traveling alone. Hua Wuduo was very puzzled.
Wen Yu approached by the firelight, and upon getting closer, he immediately saw Hua Wuduo without his mask. He was startled at first, then stunned, his mind momentarily dazed.
He rode up to her and dismounted. Looking at Hua Wuduo, he seemed to have a thousand words to say, but in the end he only called out in a deep voice, "Wuduo." He still preferred to call her Hua Wuduo, rather than the unfamiliar name Fang Ruoxi.
Hua Wuduo naturally understood the implication. Gongzi Yu still considered her a classmate, and while she felt a pang of emotion, her heart was warmed. She smiled and asked, "Yu, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Yu's gaze darkened. She glanced at Tang Ye beside her, who bowed deeply. Back when they were studying at Nan Shu Academy, everyone admired Tang Ye greatly, and even though they were all the same age, they held him in high esteem. Now, Wen Yu felt the same way about Tang Ye; the "Poison King" Tang Ye was a legendary figure in their eyes.
Tang Ye simply nodded without saying a word.
The group sat around the fire for warmth, and a silence gradually spread, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere. Hua Wuduo was lost in thought and didn't utter a sound.
After a long silence, Wen Yu suddenly said, "Yi is dead."
Hua Wuduo, who was gathering firewood, suddenly paused, as if he thought he was hallucinating.
Wen Yu continued, "Before he died, he told me..."
Hua Wuduo sat numbly by the fire, staring blankly at Wen Yu, as if it wasn't him speaking, but her illusion.
Tears welled up in Wen Yu's eyes. He swallowed a pang of pain and said calmly, "Yi said that the most beautiful time in my memory was when I was with you."
"What did you say?" Hua Wuduo laughed.
Wen Yu choked up, then shouted, "I said Yi is dead!"
Hua Wuduo shuddered, then shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Yu, even if you hate Yi and follow Xiu, you can't lie to me and say he's dead." Hua Wuduo laughed, "Yu, even though we weren't classmates for long, you can't lie to me like that!"
"No, I didn't! Yi is indeed dead, he really is dead! I saw it with my own eyes, he died!" Wen Yu suddenly stood up, her expression extremely agitated.
"Yu!" Hua Wuduo suddenly shouted, startling Wen Yu. Her face stiffened as she stared sharply at him. After a moment, she suddenly changed to a smile, as if afraid that her loud voice would startle Wen Yu, and whispered coaxingly, "Yu, I know you're joking, Yu, stop joking. As long as you tell the truth, I won't blame you for lying to me. Of all our former classmates, I liked your straightforwardness the most. Yu, as long as you say you're joking now, that you're just teasing me, I won't blame you, really."
Wen Yu was taken aback, a look of grief flashing in his eyes. He slowly said, "Wu Duo, he's dead. He's really dead. His body is hanging on the city wall of Wei City right now, and it's been there for two days." As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, which he wiped away with his long sleeve.
“Impossible, he clearly walked away that day.” Hua Wuduo shook his head in denial.
"He came back. He came back for you. He was afraid you would die, afraid of losing you. He said he couldn't break his promise, he couldn't abandon you again, he said he'd rather die with you." At this point, Wen Yu cried as if he could truly empathize. He continued, "That day he returned to find you, only to encounter Liu Jing's army. He was surrounded, and Liu Jing immediately ordered archers to shoot him dead, regardless of whether he lived or died. Afterwards, he was transported to Wei County and handed over to Prince Che. When I saw him, he was already on his deathbed. He told me that the happiest days of his life were the time he spent with you. He said that if he couldn't grow old with you in this life, he would definitely be with you in the next. He died with a smile on his face, murmuring, 'This land is only beautiful with you.' Before he died, he tightly clutched this painting in his hand." Wen Yu took something from his robes and handed it to Hua Wuduo—a painting stained with blood. Wen Yu said, "I took a look. This painting depicts you and him at the academy. I was afraid Liu Jing would take it, so I secretly kept it as a souvenir. Now that I've seen you here, I'll return it to you."
The air seemed to freeze, the night grew silent except for the crackling of the fire. Time slipped by quietly. Wen Yu wiped away her tears, and seeing that Hua Wuduo still wouldn't take the painting, she looked up at him. She saw that his gaze was blank and unfocused, seemingly looking at the painting in his hands, yet also seemingly not at anything. He called softly, but there was no response. He shouted loudly, but there was still no response. She remained there, staring blankly at the painting in his hands, unresponsive to Wen Yu's calls.
Just as Wen Yu was at a loss, feeling lost and worried, she suddenly saw Hua Wuduo smile slightly, blood slowly oozing from the corner of his mouth, and he closed his eyes and silently collapsed to the ground.
Tang Ye picked her up and checked her pulse, ignoring Gongzi Yu's anxious questions and Fang Yuan's complicated expression as she looked at him.
In the darkness, the unconscious Hua Wuduo suddenly awoke. Her whole body trembled, she staggered to her feet, rushed out of the tent, leaped onto her horse, and galloped away.
Fang Yuan, who had caught up with them, looked at Tang Ye and said, "Young Master, we..."
Tang Ye said, "Let's go."
Hearing the fading sound of horses' hooves, Wen Yu, who hadn't been asleep at all, painfully closed her eyes and whispered, "Yi, we were classmates, and this is all I can do for you."
Two days ago, he learned that Liu Jing had captured Wu Yi and brought him to Weicheng. He secretly took the opportunity to visit him in prison, until he saw Wu Yi close his eyes and die with a smile in front of him.
He reported the matter to Prince Liu Xiu with a heavy heart. When Liu Xiu heard the news of Wu Yi's death, he trembled slightly. At this moment, the strategist Zhang Xuan, who was standing by, excitedly suggested that Wu Yi's body be hung on the city wall of Wei City to intimidate the three armies, deter Wu Qi's army, and defeat the Marquis of Xijing.
Upon hearing this suggestion, he vehemently opposed it, arguing that Wu Yi was, after all, a member of the royal family, and even though he was dead, Prince Che could not commit such an unfilial and disrespectful act as to insult the royal family. Zhang Xuan, however, met with a highly suspicious and sarcastic remark, saying that Wu Yi was the last person he saw before his death.
He was shocked and furious upon hearing this, saying that Wu Yi was his classmate and there was nothing wrong with seeing him before he died.
Zhang Xuan, as if he had caught him red-handed, said, "I heard that you were very close to Wu Yi when you were at the academy."
What Zhang Xuan said was an undeniable fact; if it weren't for his father, he would definitely have followed Wu Yi. Just as he was about to utter a few words, he saw Liu Xiu's suspicious gaze, and he suddenly realized that any rebuttal was pointless. This wasn't the first time Liu Xiu had given him this look.
Two months ago, he suddenly received a letter from home informing him that his father was seriously ill. Anxious, he asked Prince Che for leave to return home and visit his father, attending to him day and night without rest. A few days later, his father passed away, and he busied himself with the funeral arrangements, keeping vigil at his father's mourning hall for seven whole days. After burying his father, while drinking with friends, he inadvertently remarked in his drunken state that if it weren't for his father, he wouldn't have remained so frustrated and unsuccessful.
These words were overheard by someone with a keen eye, and eventually reached Liu Xiu's ears. At that time, Liu Xiu was looking at him with that same gaze.
Zhang Xuan repeatedly humiliated him to his face and secretly spoke ill of him behind his back, all because Zhang Xuan had learned of his work, "The Chronicles of Handsome Men of the Land," and had gone to great lengths to curry favor with him, offering him meals and gifts, hoping to have his name included in the book. Zhang Xuan, being of unremarkable appearance, refused to do something against his conscience that would diminish the authority of his painstakingly written work, and thus Zhang Xuan began to resent him.
He sighed deeply, suddenly opened his eyes, got up to pack his belongings, and mounted his horse without looking back. He had seen clearly and understood that he was ultimately not suited for the chaos of this world; he should find a quiet place to spend the rest of his days in peace.
Gongzi Yi's body swayed helplessly in the strong wind like a puppet with broken strings; his pale face and closed eyes showed no trace of his former glory.
Beneath the walls of Wei City, a cold wind howled, and as it blew, grains of sand stung people's faces.
Liu Jun stood tall against the wind on the city wall, his defense of Wei City as solid as a rock.
Now that King Cheng's body is on the city wall, their confidence in victory has been further strengthened.
At that moment, the soldiers simultaneously heard a piercing cry in the wind. The heart-wrenching sound was terrifying even in broad daylight.
They looked up and saw a woman in white with disheveled hair, rushing towards them like a madwoman. In the blink of an eye, she was at the foot of the city wall, but stopped abruptly just as she approached it. She held her head high, staring blankly at the corpses on the wall, and remained motionless for a long time.
Her face was pale, her expression was stern, her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were billowing wildly in the wind. The wind blew her hair aside, revealing a face that was stunningly beautiful!
At that moment, all the soldiers on the city wall were stunned.
Standing ramrod straight in the wind, her eyes were fixed on the corpse hanging limply from the city wall, swaying helplessly in the breeze. Was it him? Why couldn't she see clearly? She couldn't believe it. He had said that evil deeds live on for a thousand years; he had said that if he were to die, he would die after her, so that he could see her die first; he had said that even in death, he would die dashingly and debonairly. How could it be so tragic? She couldn't believe it; she had to go forward and see for herself.
Li Wei, the city's garrison commander, who had been stunned for a while, suddenly saw the woman leap across the moat and fly towards the city wall like an arrow. His head throbbed, and he frantically pointed at the woman, shouting, "Fire!"
The archers were jolted awake by the shout and hurriedly raised their arrows to shoot at the woman. A volley of arrows forced her to fall to the ground below the city walls.
Below the city wall, the woman looked up at the corpses on the wall. She swayed, seemingly unable to stand steadily even though she hadn't been hit by an arrow.
She saw it clearly; it really was him, it really was him. In that instant, it felt as if a hole had been torn in her chest, leaving an emptiness that could never be filled again.
Once again, she leaped forward recklessly, only to be met with a dense volley of arrows that blocked her path and forced her back. Her arm was grazed by arrows and bled, but she seemed oblivious. She looked up and charged towards the city wall again.
The city's garrison commander was taken aback by the woman's frenzied appearance below the city walls and dispatched more archers to the walls. In a short while, a hundred arrows were aimed at the woman below the city.
She fell off the city wall again, an arrow lodged in her shoulder, but she ignored it, staring at the corpses on the wall and the countless glaring arrows aimed at her, and suddenly cried out to the sky: "Liu—Xiu—!"
Just then, upon receiving the report, Prince Liu Xiu strode up the city wall. His steps were somewhat unsteady. Li Wei, the garrison commander, saw him and was about to bow in respect when he was pushed aside. He immediately recognized the woman below the wall, seemed to shudder, and waved his hand, shouting, "Stop!"
The archers on the city wall obeyed the order and lowered the arrows they were pointing at the woman.
The woman stood in the wind below the city wall, her frail body swaying unsteadily, as if she could no longer stand. Blood from her shoulders and arms stained her white dress, a stark and glaring sight. She spoke with a mixture of accusation, resentment, and hatred, pointing at Liu Xiu on the city wall, each word distinct and clear: "He's dead. Why humiliate him like this? Though he was your enemy, he was also our classmate! He was such a proud man, even in death, even in death..." Her voice trailed off, hoarse and incoherent. Even in death... He's dead... He's really dead...
She suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Liu Xiu. He heard her hoarse voice, "Liu Xiu, give me his body! Liu Xiu, I beg you, I beg you!" She kowtowed once for each "beg" and said "beg" once for each kowtow.
Something seemed to crumble in that instant. She had never begged him before, nor had she ever begged anyone like this. Her pride hadn't yielded a single tear, even when he married another. He knew how proud she was, yet now she was pleading with him like this for Wu Yi. So, the one she cared about most was Wu Yi, Wu Yi! The thought gnawed at his heart, inch by inch, driving him to the brink of madness.
Liu Shun had already recognized the person below the city. Seeing Liu Xiu's bewildered expression, his gaze instantly turned cold.
The woman below the city walls pleaded repeatedly, begging for the corpse of the enemy king, but wanting to destroy the king who had been tormenting her all along. At this moment, Liu Shun's hatred reached its peak. He turned around and shouted at the woman below the city walls, "You vixen below the city walls, King Cheng is already dead at the hands of my king. You have only come here to seek your own death. You want King Cheng's corpse..." Before he could finish speaking, he was sent flying by Liu Xiu's palm, crashing into the city wall behind him, coughing up blood.
A flurry of panic erupted on the city wall. Liu Xiu glared fiercely at Liu Shun, only to find Liu Shun smiling. Liu Shun struggled to his feet, his voice a mixture of laughter and tears, "Your Majesty, for the sake of the Liu family, for the sake of these brothers who have risked their lives for you, you cannot be soft-hearted now. Please reconsider, Your Majesty! Even if you kill me now, I will not allow Your Majesty to be swayed by her momentary weakness and ruin Your Majesty's great cause!" Liu Shun lay prostrate on the ground, coughing up blood and convulsing from his severe injuries, yet he still managed to crawl inch by inch to Liu Xiu's feet, clinging to him tightly, having long since disregarded his own life.
Li Wei, the garrison commander, knelt down on one knee and said heavily, "Your Majesty is wise. The body of King Cheng must not be returned at this time."
The soldiers on the city wall knelt down instantly and said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."
At this moment, Princess Qi Xin and the other generals who had rushed to the scene also climbed the city wall. Qi Xin glanced at the woman below the wall, then knelt down and earnestly said, "Your Majesty, Wu Yi's corpse is the most effective weapon against the Wu family army. Now, the Wu family army of 100,000 is about to besiege the city. For Your Majesty's great cause, for the Liu family, and for all the soldiers who fought for Your Majesty on the battlefield, I beg Your Majesty to prioritize the overall situation and absolutely not give the corpse to that person!"
The other generals also knelt down to plead for orders, including Prince Ziyang and Prince Kuang.
Qi Xin continued, "Over the past year, she and Wu Yi have been together day and night. They must have already pledged their hearts to each other for three lifetimes. Now, she is willing to risk her life to get Wu Yi's body back. She no longer has any feelings for Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not disregard the overall situation for the sake of past feelings. I urge Your Majesty to think twice!"
The madness in Liu Xiu's eyes gradually dimmed until it became a stagnant pool, its depths sealed by Qi Xin's vow of eternal love.
Below the city, a cry of a vixen had already awakened Hua Wuduo.
She slowly raised her head, straightened her body, and stood tall in the wind, yet she still appeared so frail and helpless.
Having heard everyone's words on the city wall, she suddenly burst into wild laughter, shouting, "Liu Xiu, do you remember? By the Daming Lake, we made a promise to remember that sunrise. If anyone died, the living would remember it for the dead. Liu Xiu, Liu Xiu! Listen to me, Yi is dead, I am dead, and you must remember it for us. That was a vow, one that can never be broken!" With that, she charged towards the corpses on the city wall again, determined to fight to the death.
Watching her fly towards the city wall again, Liu Xiu's eyes gleamed with pain. He grabbed his black and white feathered arrows, broke off the arrowheads, nocked them, drew the bowstring taut, and fired three headless arrows simultaneously in her direction. The first arrow, the second arrow, the third arrow—she didn't dodge a single one. The three arrows, carrying immense force, mercilessly pierced her body.
She still remembered the excitement he felt when he could shoot three arrows simultaneously in front of the little house they built together in the bamboo forest of Luzhou, and her exuberant dancing. At that time, in her eyes, he was a unique cultivator in the world. She was proud of him and felt happy for him. He said: If the competition at the academy were to happen again, he would definitely win. Hearing this, she was not angry but happy for him, secretly feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction, because he was her cultivator. Because he said that he trained hard for her, so that he could protect her.
Seeing that she didn't dodge a single arrow, but instead took all three of his arrows, falling heavily to the ground and leaving a trail of blood several feet long, until she crashed into a boulder and came to a stop, no longer able to fly up the city wall. He closed his eyes, and with a snap, broke the bow in his hand and all the black and white feathered arrows in his quiver. The arrowheads pierced his palm, and he felt no pain despite his hands full of blood, until they were all broken and he threw them on the ground.
From then on, he never used arrows again.
She lay on her back on the boulder, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. The arrow wounds on her body were so painful that all she could see was a blinding red.
She tried to sit up straight, but each time she collapsed from exhaustion. She wanted to laugh, but what came out was a cough. She raised her arm, grasped the fletching of the black and white feathered arrow in her chest, and pulled it out violently. The gushing blood stained her clothes, painting an indelible mark of hatred.
He closed his eyes, suppressed the taste of blood in his mouth, turned around, and staggered down the city wall.
If it's not the one you love most, then hate them. He told himself this, but then everything went black, he lost his footing, and stumbled against the city wall. Someone came to help him up, but he pushed them away violently, unable to suppress the taste of blood in his mouth any longer, and coughed up blood.
Someone nearby cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty!"
He looked up at Gongzi Ziyang and said, "It's alright." He pushed him aside and was about to start walking.
Just then, he suddenly heard Liu Xin shout from the city wall, "Archers, prepare!" He was startled, a fear he had never felt before suddenly washing over him. Before he could react, he heard Qi Xin shout with all his might, "Fire!"
In an instant, his heart stopped beating. The word "no" trembled as it escaped his lips, powerless and terrified, but it was easily swallowed up by the sound of the arrow leaving the bow.
He leaped onto the city wall like a madman, pushed through the crowd, and looked down at the city, only to see a person always dressed in black standing protectively in front of her.
It was Tang Ye.
In a daze, she saw countless gleaming arrows flying towards her. She couldn't dodge, nor did she want to. The arrows whistled through the air with a sharp, ringing sound, but she felt no fear. Gazing at the corpses on the city wall, no longer displaying their former vigor, memories flooded back. She closed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips, as if she had returned to that day, amidst the blooming chrysanthemums, he sat leisurely under the pavilion reading a book, turning to look at her upon hearing footsteps.
She reached out her hand and called out emotionally, "Yi."
Tang Ye and Fang Yuan arrived at almost the same time as Hua Wuduo.
Tang Ye thought Liu Xiu wouldn't hurt her, but he was wrong.
He saw Hua Wuduo kneel down, humbly begging Liu Xiu; he heard the sorrowful smile on Hua Wuduo's face as she recounted the events by Daming Lake; he also saw Liu Xiu shoot three arrows at her, which she not only didn't dodge but met head-on. When hundreds of arrows struck her simultaneously, he even saw her satisfied smile. Without thinking, he leaped forward. Fang Yuan's outstretched hand only managed to grab a corner of his clothes.
Faced with Hua Wuduo's incredulous and stunned expression, he gently raised the corners of his mouth.
A gentle light flashed in his eyes, a tenderness he had never shown to anyone in the world, yet it bloomed only for her in that instant.
He closed his eyes, his relaxed body resting on her stiff shoulder. This was the third time he had saved her. And the last.
once……
Every night, he would leap onto the roof and play the flute. His flute music served as a signal, letting the people of Tangdi know his location. From the very first time, accompanying him and listening to him play the flute had become a habit. Every night he would play the flute, and every night she would sit behind him, listening to him play, and then fall asleep.
Unfortunately, an uninvited guest arrived that night, and even so, she didn't last long. Hearing a soft exhale behind him, he put down the long flute he was playing, turned around, glanced at her, and then turned away. After a moment's hesitation, he silently got up and went back to his room to rest.
That night, the moon was exceptionally bright and beautiful, right before his eyes. Unable to sleep, he sat inside wiping his long flute. Suddenly, he heard a strange noise in the courtyard. Judging from the sound, it must have woken her on the roof. Peering through the half-open window, he inadvertently saw her playing with the fallen leaves he had intentionally left unswept. The autumn leaves had accumulated to a thick layer. In the darkness, she, dressed in red and wearing deerskin boots, performed a series of light movements, spinning and shifting. The fallen leaves gathered at her feet and then scattered, spreading out on the ground as if forming characters. She stood in the center, the moon above her head, hands on her hips, laughing wildly, her expression so arrogant and triumphant, yet strangely silent… That sight… gave him an indescribable feeling. After a while, he saw her enter the room, and all was quiet. After a long silence, he finally pushed open the door and went out. Standing where she had been laughing silently, looking down at the ground, one could see that the orderly fallen leaves had been scattered by the autumn wind, but one could still vaguely make out the words written on the scattered leaves.
happiness.