Luzhou Moon - Chapter 57
"I really want to be with you..." Yue Ruzheng burst into tears, kneeling at his feet, only managing to utter these words through sobs, yet she felt that her explanations were now completely pale and powerless.
He listened to her crying, but still didn't turn around to look at her.
"Having kept me company for so long, you must have been quite bored. Consider this bead your reward." He lowered his head, speaking almost to himself, before walking step by step toward the door.
Yue Ruzheng knelt on the ground, reached for the small box, and opened it with trembling hands. The cold light of the divine pearl instantly swallowed the darkness, shining with a dazzling, multicolored brilliance. Looking at the divine pearl, she knew she had completely lost her dignity, but for her master's sake, she had no choice but to do this pathetic thing.
When she propped herself up and raised her head, Tang Yanchu had already walked out of the Forget-Love Pavilion alone. Yue Ruzheng clutched the box tightly and stumbled after him.
Unexpectedly, after taking only a few steps, they heard footsteps and in an instant, countless torches illuminated the sky and earth, and numerous guards surrounded the Forget-Love Pavilion.
"You brat, you really have ulterior motives!" Dressed in fine clothes, Lian Junxin pushed aside the people at the front, and in a flash, she stood in front of Yue Ruzheng. With a flick of her sleeves, her twin swords drew two crescent-shaped streaks of light, jingling as they were held horizontally at Yue Ruzheng's neck.
"Hurry up and bring the things over!" she snapped at the person behind her, her phoenix eyes flashing.
Her subordinates rushed forward to seize the divine pearl, but heard Tang Yanchu's cold voice: "Don't touch her."
Yue Ruzheng gritted her teeth and looked to her side. He hadn't gone far and was still standing under the flower corridor next to her.
Lian Junxin raised an eyebrow and said, "Tang Yanchu, do you know what you're doing?! Since you don't acknowledge yourself as a member of the Lian family, what right do you have to let her take the Divine Pearl?!"
Tang Yanchu slowly walked from the shadows to Yue Ruzheng's side, stared at Lian Junxin, and said, "You don't need to worry about it. I'll bear all the consequences myself."
"What responsibility can you possibly bear? You're only acting this way because your father pities and sympathizes with you, aren't you?!" Lian Junxin tightened her grip on her twin swords, slashing Yue Ruzheng's neck twice, drawing blood. She then glared hatefully at Tang Yanchu, saying, "You really think you're the young master of Seven Star Island? That you can decide everything? Let me tell you, don't dream! Not only will she not be leaving today, but you won't escape responsibility either!"
Tang Yanchu pursed her lips, her face pale, and said, "Go and call Lian Haichao. I'll talk to him myself."
"What right do you have?!" Lian Junxin suddenly thrust her sword towards his chest. He dodged to the side, simultaneously kicking out diagonally towards Lian Junxin's waist. Lian Junxin lowered her sword with her left hand to protect her waist, slashing towards his ankle. He forcefully pushed off the ground with his left foot, using the momentum to leap into the air, unleashing a series of kicks towards her in mid-air.
Lian Junxin hastily shielded her face with her twin swords. Seeing him about to fall, she swiftly swept her leg across his lower body. Tang Yanchu flipped over and stomped on her knee, pressing down forcefully. She gritted her teeth, fell to the ground, and thrust her sword straight at his waist. He suddenly leaned back, taking advantage of the momentum to kick her wrist, sending her right-hand short sword flying. At this moment, Tang Yanchu did a backflip, and Lian Junxin spread her legs, drawing her sword upwards along the ground, aiming for his lower back.
He was about to strike her sword, but with lightning speed, he twisted his waist and reversed in mid-air. At the same time, his right leg slashed down from above. Although Lian Junxin's left-hand sword was already thrust out, his downward strike was so powerful that it knocked the sword from her hand to the ground. Lian Junxin's wrist was jolted painfully, and her face turned deathly pale.
"All of you, get him!" she shouted to her subordinates, but apart from the few who had surrounded Yue Ruzheng, the others looked at each other and dared not make a move against Tang Yanchu.
"Junxin! What do you think you're doing?!" A shout suddenly came from behind the crowd.
Lian Junxin, clutching her wrist, staggered to her feet, turned around, and cried out, her voice trembling with tears, "Why didn't you ask him what he wanted to do?!"
At this moment, the crowd quickly parted to both sides, making way for a passage.
Lian Haichao strode forward, his face contorted with anger, followed by a solemn-looking Lian Junqiu. Behind them, a group of guards shoved a young man in black. The young man, covered in bloodstains, was none other than Yue Ruzheng's senior brother, Shao Yang.
Tang Yanchu turned her face to look at the ground. Lian Haichao glanced around, his gaze finally settling on Tang Yanchu, and said, "Junchu, did you give this Miss Yue the thing in her hand?"
Tang Yanchu was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes."
"Do you know what's in this box?" Lian Haichao asked in a deep voice.
Tang Yanchu replied without changing her expression, "I know."
"Then let me ask you, what reason do you have to give it to Miss Yue?" Lian Haichao looked at him calmly.
"No reason," Tang Yanchu said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Lian Junxin sneered several times, Lian Haichao frowned, and even the usually calm Lian Junqiu couldn't help but whisper, "Junchu, don't be so willful."
"I have no reason, because I won't make excuses or bluff." Tang Yanchu turned to Lian Haichao, her expression indifferent yet resolute. "But I can accept any condition you propose in exchange. Even if you want me to find another divine pearl, I won't refuse."
Lian Junxin scoffed, "That's wishful thinking. You really overestimate your own worth."
Tang Yanchu ignored her and simply watched Lian Haichao quietly.
Lian Haichao was silent for a moment, then gave a cold laugh: "At least you still seem like my son, able to remain so proud and composed even at a time like this."
"No need for nonsense, do you agree or not?" Tang Yanchu stared directly at the cold-faced man in front of her.
Lian Junqiu frowned as she looked at her father, Lian Haichao, who then waved his wide sleeves and called out to those behind him, "Bring me paper and pen!"
Seeing this, Lian Junxin stepped forward angrily and said, "You really want to believe this scoundrel's words?!"
"Don't say hurtful things! He's your brother too!" Lian Haichao scolded.
Lian Junxin gritted her teeth, turned her face away, and stood aside, suppressing her anger.
At this moment, Yue Ruzheng was surrounded by the people of Wangqing Pavilion, with swords at her neck. Looking at Tang Yanchu, who had no expression, she felt that he seemed to have become a different person since he started talking to Lian Haichao.
A person as cold, calm, arrogant and unruly as Lian Haichao.
Someone brought paper and pen and handed them to Lian Haichao. He held both ends of the paper in his hands, spread his arms, and unfurled the Xuan paper, saying, "Words are no proof. Junchu, you will make a contract here in public, so you won't say I'm making things difficult for you later."
Tang Yanchu sneered and stepped forward. Lian Haichao gestured with his eyes, and a subordinate handed Tang Yanchu a wolf-hair brush. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Tang Yanchu lowered his head, bit the brush, and quickly wrote several lines of small characters on the paper. After the person took the brush away from him, he stepped back, raised an eyebrow at Lian Haichao, and said, "Take it."
"Now, because I have arbitrarily handed over the Divine Pearl of the Forgetfulness Pavilion to another person, I am willing to accept any conditions imposed by the owner of the Divine Pearl, Lian Haichao, without the slightest refusal. Tang Yanchu." Lian Haichao read out each word clearly, and everyone heard it clearly.
As Yue Ruzheng listened to the contract, her heart ached as if it were being torn apart, and she was almost exhausted.
Lian Haichao flicked the paper, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Junchu, you didn't even sign your name with your real name. Can I assume you're playing tricks on me?"
Tang Yanchu's face flushed with anger, then she sneered, "If you want me to change my name and signature, does that mean you've already made a condition? Do you think I just have to do as you say and then I don't have to listen to you anymore?"
Lian Haichao stroked his beard and laughed, patting the paper as he said, "You really are like me! But let me tell you, as long as you refuse to write Lian Junchu's name on it, I won't negotiate any more terms with you right now. I'll tie Yue Ruzheng and her senior brother up and throw them into the sea!"
Tang Yanchu stared at him fiercely, gritted her teeth, and took the wolf-hair brush again. She bent down in front of him, crossed out the previous name, and rewrote the three characters "Lian Junchu".
Lian Haichao then raised an eyebrow and smiled, tucking the paper into his sleeve. With his hands behind his back, he looked at Tang Yanchu and said, "Junchu, from now on, you can no longer act as recklessly as before."
Tang Yanchu spat the wolf-hair brush in her mouth onto the ground, turned around coldly, and said, "After rambling on for so long, can we stop now?"