Luzhou Moon - Chapter 81
"That's enough." Lian Junchu broke the silence first, speaking very softly. Then, he moved his sleeve, tightening the silver chain in Yue Ruzheng's hand. Yue Ruzheng was startled, then loosened his grip, and the silver chain suddenly retracted, disappearing along with the short sword into his lowered sleeve.
Sunlight shone on his eyebrows and eyes, making him appear cool and deep.
Yue Ruzheng stared at his sleeve, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
"What?" He raised his eyes and quickly glanced at her.
"I mean, that sword..." She was feeling depressed, and her voice was low and hesitant.
Lian Junchu remained silent, turning his head to gaze unconsciously into the distance. Yue Ruzheng felt the silence was almost suffocating her; she held her breath and reached out to tug at his sleeve.
Lian Junchu, however, seemed to have been greatly shocked and suddenly stepped back, staring straight at her.
"What do you want?" His dark eyes were filled with hostility.
"I just wanted to see what you look like now." Yue Ruzheng looked into his eyes, trying her best to appear calm.
"There's nothing to see," he said coldly, his body still pressed tightly against the ancient tree behind him, as if afraid she would approach again. After a while, he lowered his eyes and added, "It's none of your business."
Yue Ruzheng was already exhausted, and when she heard him say these words so calmly and indifferently, she felt as if she was about to sink, and she barely managed to stand up.
"Did you practice it yourself?" Ever since Yue Ruzheng saw him again at Tingyu Manor, her mind has been filled with a multitude of questions.
He had been silent, his eyes fixed on the shadows of the trees on the ground. Hearing her ask again, still unwilling to give up, he paused for a moment before raising his face and staring intently into the distance; "If I didn't practice on my own, what else could it be?"
His tone remained cold and sharp. Yue Ruzheng paused, then whispered, "Isn't it your father...?"
Lian Junchu suddenly turned to look at her, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"He's dead."
Yue Ruzheng hadn't expected him to reply so calmly and bluntly, and for a moment she couldn't think of anything to say, so she could only say, "I've heard...it seems quite unexpected..."
Lian Junchu's eyes seemed to darken for a moment, then a thin layer of frost appeared on them: "Everyone dies."
Yue Ruzheng bit her lower lip, her mind racing. Seeing him turn away, she assumed he was leaving and blurted out in a moment of panic, "Was his death related to what I did?"
Lian Junchu, with her back to her, gave a faint, mocking laugh: "Do you think everything will be affected by you?"
Yue Ruzheng watched his retreating figure, her vision blurring, and the heart that had hardened earlier began to ache again. She took a step forward, getting very close to him.
She struggled to hold back her tears, and said slowly and in a low voice, "If you're feeling down, you can vent to me. I just don't want you to feel like this."
He slightly raised his head, looking ahead. The blinding sunlight fell into his eyes.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with it."
"But do you still look even a little bit like you did before?" Yue Ruzheng said sadly.
Lian Jun paused for a moment. Pale golden sunlight filtered through the pine needles and fell on his dark blue robe. His sleeves hung silently at his sides, appearing somewhat empty without the support of his short sword.
He looked up at her and coldly retorted, "Why does it have to be the same as before?"
"Do you feel that I've been lying to you from the beginning?" Yue Ruzheng tried to keep her tone calm, but she couldn't suppress the slight tremor in her voice.
Lian Junchu continued to gaze at her, but Yue Ruzheng couldn't detect any change in his expression. His eyes remained dark and cold, but his emotions were even more suppressed, as if they were buried deep at the bottom of a lake. Yue Ruzheng almost dared not look directly into his eyes, a chill creeping into her heart.
"I don't care about any of that anymore."
He spoke softly, tilting his head slightly upwards, his eyes gleaming clearly in the sunlight.
The man before her was handsome, dressed in brocade robes and a jade belt, yet looking at him, Yue Ruzheng felt a chill run through her. She choked back tears as she gazed at him: "There's no past, is there?"
He pressed his lips tightly together, and after a moment answered with only one word: "Yes."
"No explanation will do any good?" She felt like a fish about to die on the beach.
Lian Junchu turned her face away, not even giving a reply.
"Then why did you come back just now?!" She lost her mind, swaying unsteadily, almost unable to stand. "Why have you come to save me time and time again?! Just to make me suffer more so I can end my own life?! I can't accept your kindness anymore!"
She screamed, almost as if venting her frustration, but Lian Junchu stood silently. He stared at the ground for a long time before finally saying, "If I don't appear, you say it's tormenting you, but if I do appear, you say it's even more painful... In the end, do you think my existence is a mistake?"
Yue Ruzheng was still crying when he continued, "Or rather, do you regret ever having met me?"
"I never thought of that!" she cried out.
But he seemed not to hear her at all, only muttering to himself, "Three years ago, I shouldn't have saved you at the foot of that hill, should I?"
"Stop talking! Stop talking!" Yue Ruzheng staggered back a few steps, heartbroken, and leaned against the ancient tree behind her. "Do you really believe that I've always been acting?! Would you rather we'd never met?! Xiao Tang!"
Lian Junchu slowly raised her head and looked at her deeply, her face somewhat pale, as if she had suddenly awakened from the series of questions she had just been pondering.
He listened to her sobs, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "I won't come again."
Through Yue Ruzheng's tear-blurred eyes, he turned around. He walked away from her slowly but resolutely.
56. I see no sign of her on the road ahead.
Author's Note: Points have been awarded to those who wrote long reviews before. I'll check on the rest one by one next week! Comments must be at least 25 characters long to automatically receive points. The morning sun gradually rose, and the forest was no longer gloomy and dark, but Yue Ruzheng felt no warmth whatsoever.
Lian Junchu had gradually walked away, and she forced herself not to look at him again, even suppressing her sobs. In front of Lian Junchu now, she felt like a pale, powerless rag doll, devoid of her original life.
All the explanations and apologies she had accumulated over the years seemed utterly superfluous. He was cold and arrogant, needing absolutely no explanation from her. She could only watch helplessly as he left, without leaving a trace.
Perhaps this reunion, this repeated entanglement, is only to bring things to a final conclusion.
She leaned against an ancient tree beside her and stumbled as she walked in the opposite direction from him.