The moon hangs in the corridor, a crescent moon

Chapter 38

Did he say something wrong?

After those two men left in anger, Lengyu didn't have a moment of peace. The next morning, two groups of people carrying large and small boxes entered Lengjiazhuang in a grand procession.

"What—what is this going on!?"

"What are you doing?" Old Master Leng walked over with a dark face—"I was about to ask you what you've done! This is [the betrothal ceremony]! The You and Zhuang families have come to present their betrothal gifts!"

...A betrothal? Completely bewildered, Leng Yu racked his brains for a moment, then asked, "Father, you have a daughter? How come I didn't know? When was she born?"

"What daughter?! She's here to propose marriage!!"

Leng Yu pointed to his nose, "I am—a man."

"Tell them yourself!"

Old Man Leng grabbed him and threw him in front of the two team leaders.

"Young Master Leng, these are the betrothal gifts from the Zhuang family. Here is the betrothal gift list. Please take a look—"

"Young Master Leng, this is the betrothal gift from our eldest daughter. Please accept it."

—Did those two plan this? Are they forcing him to choose, or forcing him to marry into their family? —Never mind, let's run!

If he gets the cold shoulder, he turns and runs away, leaving behind a mess before hiding in the backyard and refusing to come out.

"You're really something, always running away or hiding when something happens. Is this what a man does? You might as well marry into the family."

Leng Yu looked up abruptly and saw the two people in red and white standing in his room. "What are you doing here?!"

"Come and present your betrothal gifts! It shows your sincerity to come in person. Alright, enough talk, hurry up and choose. Which betrothal gift will you accept?"

...So it really was because of his comment yesterday, "I want both, I want both of them"? He genuinely meant it, that's why he said it, isn't that good? At least he won't have to fight or argue anymore, and he'll be spared the danger of being beaten to death by the other if he chooses one—moreover, with both of them around, he won't have as much time to think about sad things.

However, this was a betrothal gift, and they wanted to force him to marry into their family, so of course he couldn't possibly "marry into" both families.

Seeing the two arguing back and forth, Leng Yu sighed, "Why do you both insist on marrying me?" He hadn't done anything that demanded responsibility; he was just an outgoing person, and his womanizing... well, a little bit. He couldn't help but befriend girls he admired, but he could distinguish between those he could drink and wander with, and those he couldn't afford to offend—he was always very discerning and would never overstep his bounds. Other young men in the martial world also befriended women so freely and without restraint, so why was he the only one burdened with so many romantic entanglements?

To his question, Jingfeng answered without reservation: "Because you are more worthy of marriage than most men." There are many good men, but not many. He may not be the best, but he is very suitable to marry.

"Besides, marrying you won't be too boring," Yingxue added. There are many men in this world worth marrying, but not many who are worth marrying yet won't be boring.

"..."

On the night he got the answer he wanted, Leng Yu ran away again. But this time, the Pink Rakshasa did not chase after him, because he left a letter asking for three months. He promised to come back and give them an answer after three months.

Gazing at the surging river flowing towards the horizon, he sighed repeatedly, but before he could fully experience his loneliness, he was interrupted by a noisy group of people.

"Brother Leng, we all gathered here as soon as we heard you were here. So, how long do you plan to stay this time?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for long before those pink demons find me again."

"Wow, really? Those pink demons haven't given up yet? Brother Leng, you didn't only remember us this time because you were chased to the point of no return, did you?"

They kept talking back and forth, leaving Leng Yu speechless and exasperated. Don't these people know how to save face for others?

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Since he's being given the cold shoulder, let's welcome him back according to the old tradition—by eating our way through the whole city!"

From the east to the west of the city, they would eat and drink at every upscale restaurant they could find. This was their old custom to welcome Leng Yu and calm his nerves—although Leng Yu always felt that this was just an excuse for them to eat, drink, and have fun.

Day after day, I drank and made merry. Although I was happy, I also felt empty inside.

That day, at a riverside restaurant, he glanced at the boat and was immediately captivated—the rolling river, the vast sky, and a handsome young man in white standing gracefully at the bow.

At that moment, no one knew that sometimes a single glance could lead to utter ruin.

Go down to the afterlife

Qingzun Tower, Cangming Water Pavilion, Dark Pavilion—when that battle was still brewing, no one knew that Leng Yu was among them. But when the battle shook the martial world, Leng Yu's name was no longer mentioned.

A carriage stopped outside Qingzun Tower, and two figures, one in red and one in white, stepped out and entered the gate.

The corridors and pavilions turned, the small garden exuded a delicate fragrance. They were guests, but were not greeted at the usual reception area; instead, they were welcomed in the back courtyard. The person who greeted them was a slender woman, her features gentle and serene, like ripples on a misty lake. She answered every question with a few concise and clear words, saying nothing more.

Zhuang Yingxue's gaze lingered on the woman for a moment with a hint of inquiry. She listened quietly to each of the woman's answers, her expression, though not as sorrowful as that of You Jingfeng beside her, remained calm and unreadable.

"We heard that Leng Yu was buried here and was not moved back to Leng Family Village. We came here just to see him."

"Yes, let them rest in peace. The people from Lengjiazhuang came, but they didn't want to disturb the deceased any further, so they didn't move the grave," the host said calmly. "I'll have someone lead you two there now." She called a servant and was about to lead them away. Zhuang Yingxue took two steps, then paused slightly, turning her head slightly but not looking at her, and said softly, "He was never a hero. He wouldn't risk his life for any great cause. But for those around him, for those he cared about, he would act without hesitation. I've always wondered, what kind of person could make him willingly die?"

The woman remained silent, and Zhuang Yingxue seemed to be talking to herself, needing no answer.

She nodded slightly in farewell and followed the two people ahead of her.

Turning out of the back door of Qingzunlou, one enters the mountains in the distance. Apart from the cemetery of the Jun family ancestors, there are several separate graves, all of which are for people closely related to Qingzunlou.

The new grave is here, lonely and quiet.

—The grave of a dear friend, neglected by his family.

The characters on the tombstone are delicate and slender, and although they are difficult to decipher, they vaguely seem to be from a woman's hand.

The servant withdrew at the opportune moment, and Zhuang Yingxue walked to the grave. She did not bow, but simply gazed at it quietly for a moment, then asked as if to herself, "Just a 'close friend,' are you satisfied? Did you get what you wanted...?"

"Yingxue...are you alright?"

Sometimes You Jingfeng couldn't understand Zhuang Yingxue. It seemed that she always saw and felt things that she herself and others couldn't see, especially regarding being treated coldly.

She never imagined that being neglected would lead to her death.

Even her own grief felt unreal; from the moment she heard the news of his death, everything around her felt like a dream, fake, completely fake.

"He still owes us an answer, how can he not come back?"

It was all clearly stated in black and white that he would give them an answer when he returned. Three months, at most three months. But three months later, he didn't return, and instead, they came.

Zhuang Yingxue slowly turned around, seemingly not understanding what Jingfeng was talking about. "Answer?" She chuckled softly, but her laughter was tinged with sadness. "From the very beginning, there was no answer."

Or perhaps, the tombstones in front of them are the answer.

—A "best friend" from beginning to end—no, only after death. Was the cold treatment worth it?

Her delicate hand touched the tombstone, its surface rough and cold. Her fingers moved with such tenderness and care, yet her face remained expressionless—neither sad nor resentful.

You Jingfeng stared at her for a long time, so long that she forgot her own sorrow.

When she returned, she was indeed sad. After all, she had truly wanted to marry Leng Yu; he was the right person to marry, and she would surely have a worry-free life and be happy every day. Now that he was gone, of course she was heartbroken. But this unreal sadness, she didn't know how to sustain. She always felt that perhaps one day, Leng Yu would suddenly reappear, just like before, and she would be chased around by them.

She let out a long sigh, looked up at the gray sky, and asked, "Yingxue... what are you going to do in the future?"

"...What should I do? Find someone to marry, be a good wife and mother, and continue living my life."

"That's all?"

What else can be done?

She hesitated for a moment, unsure how to speak, "I always thought... you were different with Leng Yu." Different from other women, even different from herself. Only Yingxue understood Leng Yu so well, as if she could see through everything about him.

"So what? Same or different, he's already dead, and in the future he'll just be a pile of dust. The living must continue to live, continue to live. No matter who dies, life goes on the same way, there's no difference." This was true for them, and it was also true for the person in Leng Yu's heart.

She once thought she was different to him. So, she believed that one day, Leng Yu would come back. But the truth was, he chased after a shadow in his heart until his death, abandoning her and the others.

"Since you show no attachment and have forgotten your promise, then I will forget you too." His fingers slowly withdrew from the cold tombstone, the rough touch seeming to solidify on his delicate skin. "I will never come to see you again."

"Jingfeng, I'm taking my leave now. Don't stay too long. From now on, I'm afraid we won't have many chances to meet again. Take care."

"Yingxue?"

Her snow-white dress fluttered and scattered in the wind as she gradually disappeared from Jingfeng's sight.

They chased each other for a long time, fought for a long time, and argued for a long time. They were both on the same side and enemies; all their entanglements stemmed from indifference. Now that the person is dead, the two of them no longer need to see each other.

It turns out that a person's death does not mean that nothing will change.

A year later, You Jingfeng got married, and all the other former "pink demons" who had also started their own families came to congratulate her, but Zhuang Yingxue was nowhere to be seen. Several years later, someone said that Zhuang Yingxue had married far away in the northern desert.

"Find someone to marry, be a good wife and mother, and continue living."

"That's all?"

What else can be done?

— That's what it means for a person to die.

END