Luzhou Moon - Chapter 95
Yue Ruzheng's heart skipped a beat. She hesitated for a moment, then looked away: "She just asked me about my experiences over the years."
Lian Junchu slowly turned his face. His eyes were no longer as clear as before, but rather dark and gloomy.
"In her final moments... she asked me to apologize to you on her behalf..." He gazed at her coldly, "And why?"
Yue Ruzheng truly didn't know how to begin; she almost dared not look Lian Junchu in the eye. A gust of wind blew, causing the lake water to churn and splash around them. Yue Ruzheng gritted her teeth, pushed herself up, and said, "Could we talk about this later?"
"Why did you wait until later to tell me?" Lian Junchu looked up, her voice filled with sorrow. "What have you been hiding from me again?!"
"Her body is barely cold, I don't want to talk about those things at this time!" Yue Ruzheng raised her voice, but she couldn't hide her weakness.
Lian Junchu slowly stood up and faced her, her eyes surprisingly unfocused.
"Is it related to what happened before?" he asked weakly.
Yue Ruzheng breathed in the cold air, remained silent for a long time, and then nodded.
"I need to know." Lian Junchu suppressed all her emotions and said slowly and coldly.
The Lonely Fragrance Sword that Yue Ruzheng used to support her body trembled slightly in her hand; her knuckles protruded, and her face was ashen. The cold wind kept blowing against her clothes, as if trying to steal away the last bit of warmth she had.
"If I told you that three years ago, she deliberately arranged everything, luring my senior brother to the island and then specifically leading me to the Forgetfulness Pavilion to retrieve the Divine Pearl... would you believe me?"
She had always felt she wouldn't have the courage to tell him about it, but once the words left her lips, Yue Ruzheng felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She took a step forward, getting very close to him, and looked into his eyes, which had initially been feigned calmness, slowly becoming fragmented, like glass that had been violently shattered.
Yue Ruzheng stood close to him, and for a moment, it seemed as if his breathing had stopped.
She couldn't help but reach out to hug him, but just as her hand touched his clothes, Lian Junchu swayed, took a step back, and said with a desolate smile, "This time, what you said is true..."
"That's why I didn't want to tell you at this time." She wanted to smile at him to ease his sadness, but she only felt her face numb and her lips forced.
Lian Junchu stared blankly at the white, fluffy reeds in front of him. For some reason, he was not furious or refused to accept it as Yue Ruzheng had worried.
This silence came quite unexpectedly.
The more this happened, the more uneasy Yue Ruzheng felt. Just as she was about to speak, Yinglong's voice came from behind the reeds not far away: "Young Master, Bifang has already set off for Luzhou. Should we return to Chaoxian to wait for the Second Miss?"
Yue Ruzheng was taken aback. Lian Junchu was silent for a moment, then whispered to her, "Bifang is going to find your master." After saying that, she slowly walked towards the reeds.
Yue Ruzheng followed him to the roadside, where Ying Long and the others had already placed Lian Junqiu's body inside the carriage. Lian Junchu seemed to have regained his former composure. He bowed his head and turned to Ying Long, instructing, "Take Miss Yue back to the county town and find a place to stay. Don't leave her here in the middle of nowhere..."
Before Ying Long could agree, Yue Ruzheng protested, "I'm not leaving."
Lian Junchu seemed not to have heard anything, and continued expressionlessly to one of Yinglong's subordinates, "Go and fetch Danfeng and Chongming. Once Lian Junxin arrives, we'll set off together."
"Yes, sir." The subordinate replied and immediately mounted his horse and galloped away.
Yue Ruzheng watched the departing figure, biting her lip tightly. Lian Junchu seemed to be dealing with this sudden change with extreme calm, having already arranged everything. Ying Long said to Yue Ruzheng, "Miss Yue, please mount your horse. Fortunately, we're not far from the county town. I'll take you to rest for a while."
Yue Ruzheng suppressed her emotions and resolutely shook her head.
Yinglong glanced at Lian Junchu furtively, noticing that he had been standing motionless as if in a meditative state ever since he had finished arranging everything. Yinglong didn't dare say anything more, pointed at Lian Junchu to Yue Ruzheng, and then stepped aside.
Yue Ruzheng swayed slightly as she walked up to Lian Junchu, looked up at him, and asked, "Are you leaving?"
Lian Junchu did not speak, but responded with silence.
"Why?" Yue Ruzheng surprisingly didn't cry again; she even had a smile on her face. "I thought you had gradually forgiven me, Xiao Tang."
Lian Junchu still didn't look at her. She didn't even know if he had heard a single word she said.
"Is it because of my eldest sister's death?" Yue Ruzheng pressed on, trying to get him to look at her one more time.
But he stubbornly turned towards Yinglong's direction and whispered, "Take her away."
"Even if you have to leave, I just want to stay a little longer, is that not even possible?" she said in near despair.
"I'm so tired."
Lian Junchu stared blankly at the sky, as if talking to herself, and only said these three words.
[Bonus Chapter 1] The Trajectory of Life
Since she could remember, Lian Junqiu had lived under that blue sea and sky, where the vast and boundless waves washed over the shore, leaving behind countless seashells and conches, like stars in the sky.
At such times, Junxin would lead a large group of servants to play at the beach. She would wear gorgeous dresses and adorned with sparkling pearl flowers, collecting the most beautiful seashells for herself. Lian Junqiu looked at herself, always dressed in dark training clothes with two swords at her waist. She had never had the time or the inclination to experience any of that before her.
That year, she was only fourteen years old. During her youthful fourteen years, she continued to diligently practice martial arts every day, busy helping her father with chores and taking care of her bedridden mother.
Although they were not her biological parents, as an adopted daughter, she knew that without them, she might still be homeless on the streets or already dead.
But even these seemingly ordinary and monotonous days did not last long.
That birthday banquet in May, that blood-stained brocade box, shattered the tranquility of Seven Star Island. Lian Junqiu still remembers her father's expression at that time; a man accustomed to life and death, his hands trembled and his breath caught in his throat. She wanted to step forward to take a look at the brocade box, but her father rudely pushed her away. So all she saw were three words written on the box in bright red ink: Lian Junchu.
This was the first time the young girl, Lian Junqiu, had seen his name. She had never heard of him before; it turned out that there was a younger brother in this world.
Later, her father led a search party and found her younger brother, who had lost both arms. Later still, she stood atop a high hill, watching her father, his back hunched, bury the brocade box in the island's cemetery. Later still, her mother, always frail and sickly, was haunted by Jun Chu's arrival. After days of weeping through the night, she passed away, leaving behind only a hysterical Lian Junxin…
Xiao Junchu only stayed on Qixing Island for three months.
From his initial furious rage to his later utter despair, it only took a little over ten days. Lian Junqiu often accompanied the renowned doctor her father had hired at great expense to change his dressings. She was amazed that this seemingly thin and frail boy could endure such excruciating pain without uttering a sound. Even Lian Junqiu, who was prone to injuries, dared not look at the wound on his severed arm, but he would only grit his teeth, sweating profusely from the pain, but he would never cry out.
Only after each dressing change, when Xiao Junchu lay in bed, could Lian Junqiu catch a glimpse of deep despair in his vacant eyes. He was only nine years old, yet it seemed as if he had already endured countless tribulations and no longer had any expectations for life.
Lian Junqiu tried to talk to him, but no matter how she asked, the boy just pursed his lips and stared straight out the window.
There was nothing outside the window.