Lan Yin Bi Yue

Chapter 75

"Yinyin..." he called out.

"Yinyin...Yinyin...Yinyin..."

He kept shouting; that was all he could do. He had no other thoughts.

These calls brought Lan Qi back to her senses. She looked at him, her green eyes blinking, as if she had regained her senses. Then she let go of him, turned her head, looked up, but covered her eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Ning Lang stared at her intently, a look of pain slowly rising on his face, and tears silently rolled down his cheeks.

He had lived on Mount Qianbi for over ten years, and in those nineteen years, all he had done was practice martial arts. His senior brothers said he was naive and ignorant of the ways of the world, and his sworn brother said he was simple-minded and didn't understand people. But at this moment, the feeling in his heart made him understand more clearly than ever before. He understood what Rongyue meant by "eternal damnation," he understood what his senior brother had solemnly warned him about as "sinking into ruin"... He knew that Lan Qi was the center of attention, he knew that he was an insignificant person, he knew that Lan Qi liked to tease him, he knew... But he also knew what the pain in his heart was at this moment.

He looked at her, tears welling in his eyes, yet he didn't blink. Softly, slowly, but firmly, he said, "If you are a man, I will swear brotherhood with you until death. If you are a woman, I will tie the knot with you until death. If you are nothing, as long as you are you, we will stay together through life and death. If you don't consider me..." A sharp pain shot through his chest, as if his heart were being torn apart. He couldn't finish the sentence, only gazing at her intently, letting his tears flow like a river, letting the heavens witness, letting the mountains bear witness.

Lan Qi turned her head, staring at him with wide eyes, looking at him with such fear and disbelief.

Then, she suddenly jumped up and flew away, her hurried and flustered posture as if she feared a natural enemy.

Lan Qi, who could remain unmoved even if a mountain collapsed before him and could kill hundreds or thousands with a laugh, fled in panic at that moment.

30. The First Cry of a Young Phoenix (Part 1)

"You look like you're fleeing in panic."

Lan Qi plunged into the dense forest and before she could catch her breath, she heard a teasing remark. Looking up, she saw Ming Er sitting leisurely and elegantly on a tree.

"Fake fairy!"

The words just slipped out, and then my wildly beating heart suddenly calmed down.

Ming Er raised an eyebrow and looked down at her with some surprise. "Judging from Seventh Young Master's appearance, is there some ferocious beast chasing after you?"

“It’s even more terrifying than that,” Lan Qi murmured, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead before leaping up the tree and sitting down next to Ming Er.

Ming Er glanced at her, then continued to leisurely gaze at the sky.

After resting for a while, Lan Qi returned to normal and leaned against the tree trunk with ease, saying, "How come you're so free, Second Young Master?"

"Doesn't Seventh Young Master sleep every day too?" Ming Er said casually.

“How could I compare to the Second Young Master?” Lan Qi’s green eyes flashed at him. “The Second Young Master is not going to visit his fellow practitioners. This is a great opportunity to win people’s hearts.”

"Do I need to do such a thing?" Ming Er asked rhetorically, his hazy eyes turning to Lan Qi. "Does Young Master Ming Er still need to win people's hearts?" At that moment, a confident and awe-inspiring aura emanated from his elegant and serene face.

Lan Qi pouted and turned her head away from him.

"It's more surprising that Seventh Young Master's breathing is disordered and his heart rhythm is abnormal," Ming Er said. "I wonder which other master in this world could force Seventh Young Master to this point?"

Lan Qi was stunned and didn't say anything.

Ming Er didn't ask any further questions and continued gazing at the sky.

After a long silence, Lan Qi suddenly said quietly, "How could there be someone like him in the world?"

"Oh?" Ming Er said indifferently.

"It seems I've done something wrong," Lan Qi sighed. "My goal wasn't achieved; instead, it had the opposite effect."

"Oh?" Ming Er said indifferently again.

“You said…” Lan Qi turned to look at Ming Er, “We all believe that ‘human nature is inherently evil,’ but Ning Lang seems to have been born to refute us. Looking at him, even I have to believe that there are people in this world who are ‘human nature is inherently good.’”

Ming Er thought for a moment, understood, and smiled slightly, saying, "Can't bear to tease him anymore?"

"Sigh." Lan Qi sighed again, "I may be heartless, but I really can't bear to look at him."

"What a pity, he has the Qianbi Sect and the Ning family behind him." Ming Er smiled, seemingly regretful.

Lan Qi glared at him, annoyed. "Likewise."

Upon hearing this, Ming Er remained gentle and refined, saying, "Ning Lang is an anomaly in this world." As he spoke, he looked at her, and the smile on his lips took on a somewhat meaningful tone. "If you entangle yourself with him for too long, perhaps he will become your calamity."

"Heh..." Lan Qi chuckled, but his expression was one of emptiness and indifference. "So-called sincerity, so-called kindness, so-called promises, so-called marriage, so-called love, so-called offspring... There are many things in this world that I don't need. So... I won't drag him down to hell with me."

"Oh?" Ming Eryi simply smiled. Suddenly, she recalled Lan Qi's words in the cave that day: "We are all alone, each of us is our own person." A thought struck her, and after a long silence, she slowly and softly spoke: "We... are like enemies and friends, and in the future, we will inevitably fight and contend. If we live like this for decades, until we are both old and frail, wouldn't that be a kind of unchanging, a kind of forever?" Wouldn't that be a kind of companionship? Wouldn't that... mean we wouldn't be alone? Wouldn't that... mean we wouldn't be so lonely?

"Hmm?" Lan Qi stared at him intently.

Ming Erya greeted each other with a smile.

They stared at each other for a long time.

Lan Qi said, "You are not allowed to steal my 'Lan Yin Bi Yue'!"

"Why is it yours?" Ming Er asked, puzzled.

"Because I've taken a liking to it." Lan Qi said with an air of self-righteousness.

“Unfortunately, I like it very much as well,” said the Second Young Master Ming.

"Hmph, then I'll take your life too!" Lan Qi Shao said arrogantly.

"It's also possible that you and 'Lan Yin Bi Yue' ended up in my hands together." The Second Young Master Ming was no ordinary person either.

"We'll see." Lan Qi raised his chin.

"We'll see." Ming Er raised his long eyebrows.

“But…” Lan Qi became troubled again, “Your Qiu Meiren is so smart and sensible, but Ning Lang, that silly boy, is so stubborn. Sigh! It’s rare for me to be kind, but will this kindness end up harming someone?”

"You only have yourself to blame." The Second Young Master Ming glanced at the sky, stood up, and decided not to keep her company in the cold wind.

"Hey, don't go!" Lan Qi reached out and grabbed Ming Er's arm. "I'm not feeling well, how can you be so relaxed and comfortable!"

Young Master Ming raised an eyebrow, looking at Lan Qi with utter confusion, "Why should I accompany you in something like this?"

“Because…” Lan Qi’s green eyes flickered, then a wicked smile bloomed on her face. She leaned towards Ming Er and called out softly, “Ming Lang, have you forgotten the times we shared joys and sorrows, life and death together? How can you be so heartless?”

As Ming Er gazed at the approaching spring scenery, he felt a sudden unease, then a gentle, lotus-like smile bloomed on his face. He reached out and embraced Lan Qi's waist, saying softly, "If we go to Ning Lang like this, you will have no more worries."

"Huh?" Lan Qi blinked. A faint scent of lotus blossoms mingled with a warm breath, and she realized how close she was to Ming Er. His handsome, refined face was right in front of her, his misty eyes gazing at her with deep tenderness, a faint smile playing on his lips. Suddenly, a panic gripped her. Something flashed through her mind, instantly throwing her into disarray. She jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, forgetting she was in a tree, and fell to the ground. Fortunately, Lan Qi was skilled in martial arts. In her haste, she slapped the tree trunk, using the momentum to steady herself, and with another jump, she landed safely.

Ming Er landed lightly, looking at Lan Qi with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong, Seventh Young Master?"

"Fake immortals only know some underhanded tricks!" Lan Qi spat, feeling his ears burning. He took off running again.

Behind him, Ming Er watched Lan Qi's retreating figure, a meaningful smile once again appearing on his face.

"So even Young Master Lan can do this?" He chuckled softly and strolled leisurely out of the dense forest.

To contend and to accompany? With this person?

Isn't that interesting?

That night, the second young master of the Ming family heard a story.

After leaving the room in the shadows, the second young master sat there for a long time, alone with the flickering candle.

"Ning Lang, why are you crying?" Yuwen Luo had been looking for Ning Lang for a long time, but unexpectedly found him sitting alone on the grassy slope crying. Seeing his pained expression, he couldn't help but worry, "What happened? Why are you crying so sadly?"

“Yinyin…” Ning Lang only uttered these two words.

"Ah! You can finally call Seventh Young Master by his name!" Yuwen Luo exclaimed in surprise. "But why are you crying?"

“She…” Ning Lang choked up, raising his hand to wipe away his tears, “So there were so many sad things in the past.”

“Him?” Yuwen Luo’s eyes darted around. “Seventh Young Master? Before?” He immediately pulled out a pen and paper from his pocket, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Ning Lang. “What happened before? Did Seventh Young Master tell you everything? Then tell me quickly, which member of the Lan family was his father? Who was his mother? How did he become the head of the Lan family? The Lan family has been dying out in recent years, were they really all killed by him…”

This series of questions stumped Ning Lang. He stared blankly at the enthusiastic Yuwen Luo, speechless for a long time, and of course, he stopped sobbing.

"Ah, no rush, no rush, tell me one by one slowly." Yuwen Luo carefully reassured him, afraid that he would forget everything if he panicked.

Ning Lang's lips moved slightly.

Yuwen Luo strained his ears and stared intently at him.

“She said I couldn’t tell anyone,” Ning Lang said.

"What?!" Yuwen Luo screamed.

"Seventh Young Master said that I can't tell a second person," Ning Lang said clearly.

Yuwen Luo stared wide-eyed at Ning Lang.

"Seventh Master said I was the last person to hear that story, so I can't tell it to anyone else," Ning Lang reiterated.

Yuwen Luo opened his mouth, revealing sharp canine teeth, as if he wanted to bite Ning Lang, but in the blink of an eye, he put on a smiling face.

“Ning Lang, my good brother, it’s okay if you talk to me. I’ll listen and I promise I won’t tell anyone else.”

Ning Lang shook his head. "Write it down on paper. Someone will definitely find out later. Besides, I promised her, and I have to keep my promise."

Yuwen Luo gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and glared fiercely at Ning Lang, "Will you talk or not?"

"I won't tell." Ning Lang shook his head again.

Yuwen Luo rolled his eyes, sat down next to Ning Lang, softened his tone, and pleaded, "Ning Lang, just tell me. If you don't tell me, I won't be able to sleep tonight, no, I won't be able to sleep at all from now on."

"No." Ning Lang shook his head firmly.

“Ning Lang…”

"I won't say."

“Ning Lang…”

"no."

…………

No matter how Yuwen Luo questioned or threatened him, Ning Lang kept his promise to Lan Qi and did not tell him. And throughout his life, he truly never told a second person.

If he had told Yuwen Luo the whole truth that day, with Yuwen Luo's shrewdness, he would surely have seen through Lan Qi's intentions and given her good advice. But he didn't speak, nor did he see Lan Qi's true intentions. Lan Qi's unfinished words were cut short by her fear of the sincerity laid bare before her. By the time Ning Lang finally understood, many years had passed, and it was too late.

As the days went by, the heroes' injuries healed day by day.

The Second Young Master Ming spends his days reading, playing the flute, or chatting with visiting heroes about everyday matters of the martial world, living a very leisurely life.

Lan Qishao would spend his free time, between eating and sleeping, teasing and joking with the heroes in the valley, which was quite carefree and fun.