Heaven is the shore of mortal dust

Chapter 153

The night was cool and still, the candlelight flickering. He Lu spread his outer robe beneath Wei Zijun. They lay face to face, and he stroked her face again and again, as if he could never get enough of it.

Volume 4, Chapter 142: Wedding

Wei Zijun looked at him, feeling both sorry for him and amused. "He Lu, you've made my face all dirty. It hurts so much."

He Lu gently brushed aside the stray strands of hair from her forehead. "Feng, tell me, will you die first or will I die first?"

Wei Zijun chuckled, "What do you mean 'you die, I die'? Of course, neither of us will die." Seeing his disapproving look, she added, "Then let's die together, let's die together, okay?"

"No, I want to die first, don't think about dying before me, don't leave me all alone in this world." He pressed his forehead against hers. "I can't bear the pain of losing you anymore, I can't. I must die before you, die in your arms, that would be the happiest thing."

"You're such a bad person. I don't want to see my loved ones die in front of me either." Wei Zijun frowned her beautiful eyebrows and glared at He Lu. Little did she know how heartbroken she had been when she thought he was dead. "I don't care, I want to die before you. So tell me, will you die first or will I?" He Lu asked stubbornly again.

"Fine, you die first, okay?" Wei Zijun replied helplessly.

"Mmm." He Lu chuckled, gently pecked Zi Jun's nose, and hugged her soft body tightly.

Wei Zijun nestled her head against He Lu's shoulder and neck to ward off the chilly night wind. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she slowly closed her eyes. She hadn't felt this sleepy in a long time. The long escape had finally ended with her falling off the cliff. She was gone. Miao Zhou would definitely return and take her second brother away. What about Die Yun and the others? Would they escape? And her second brother? Would he be heartbroken for her? She was truly worried about them. She needed to conserve her energy and climb back up quickly.

Volume 4, Chapter 143: Encountering Danger

The steep cliffs are covered with tangled trees, and a few herons fly over the mountain peaks. These birds are not found in the Central Plains of China, and are extremely rare even in Tibet.

Wei Zijun looked up, chose the sunny side with more trees, picked up He Lu, and with a few leaps, jumped onto the protruding rock of the cliff.

Because her body had not fully recovered and she was carrying a large man, she was slightly out of breath after a few jumps, so she leaned against the protruding rock to rest for a while.

The morning sun shone on the two of them, bringing a warm glow. Wei Zijun leaned against the wall and closed her eyes slightly. In the sunlight, she was as clear and translucent as a piece of beautiful jade. A gentle breeze blew by, making her eyelashes tremble slightly.

He Lu gazed at her, mesmerized, his fingers touching her eyelashes. "Feng, you are so beautiful." Wei Zijun's eyelashes trembled, but she remained silent.

He Lu's fingertips traced his eyebrows. "Feng, you love him, don't you?"

Wei Zijun's eyelashes fluttered slightly before closing again, as if she were already immune to the question. "Asking these questions again. It only makes me feel bad after asking them."

"Actually, I know, I've always known, but I just want to hear you admit it yourself."

Wei Zijun remained silent for a while before saying, "Yes." Although she was afraid of upsetting him, she didn't want to deceive him.

"And what about me? Do I love you? You said you loved me that day."

Wei Zijun slightly parted her eyelashes. "I think it's a different kind of love, more like family. It's about not wanting to hurt someone. You know I put family first." Then she frowned and muttered, "Actually, I don't really understand matters of the heart." She sounded somewhat dejected. After all, she had never been in love before, but it seemed that matters of the heart were too painful and not fun at all. Her second brother would cry whenever he saw her, which made her heart ache as well.

“Feng, I’ve always known, even if you don’t say it. I think even if you choose him, I will still stay by your side. He’s older than me, and his health isn’t good now. I’ll live longer than him. I will stay by your side, and I will definitely stay by your side for the rest of my life.”

“He Lu————” Qing Hede finally opened her eyes. She looked at him for a while, then lowered her eyes, took his hand, and gently stroked it. “That’s not fair to you. Besides, he is an emperor. He has many wives. I won’t choose any of them. That way, I can protect you for the rest of my life.”

He Lu looked at her, remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "He abolished the entire harem for you and made you empress. Didn't he say that?"

Wei Zijun suddenly looked up, her clear eyes filled with shock. An abandoned harem?! "I've only heard of... being crowned empress... just an empty title."

"The investiture of the empress has been announced to the world, and a general amnesty has been granted. The abolition of the harem is known only to the court officials." He Lu stared at her intently, watching her reaction.

Wei Zijun stared at him intently, then lowered her eyes, concealing her emotions. After a long while, she said, "We can't rest for too long." She gently got up.

He Lu grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "It's fair now." Because it was fair, he wanted her to choose. Now, that person was all alone.

Looking into his determined eyes, Wei Zijun said after a long while, "Perhaps you would be happier if you had never met me."

He Lu leaned against the cliff face, holding Wei Zijun's hand. He was an eccentric man, inherently averse to others and unable to tolerate their scents. Without her, he would have lived a lonely life anyway; with her, he felt his life had meaning, something to hold him back. How could he not get to know her? "Knowing you makes me happier. Being able to see you, to protect you, makes me happy." In truth, he had always known her feelings for him, and he knew she couldn't bear to hurt him.

Wei Zijun looked at He Lu and hugged him. "My happiness is protecting each and every one of you. Protecting you for a lifetime." She smiled brightly. "Am I being greedy? Hehe... I'm someone who craves family and warmth. How can you expect me to hurt my loved ones? I just can't bear it..."

She would rather suffer herself than hurt others, a fact that slightly annoyed He Lu. "Those days, ever since I thought you were gone, I thought, if you were here, I wouldn't ask for anything, just to have you, just to see you. What could be happier than seeing you? I even thought, as long as you're alive, even if I could never see you again, it would be enough to have you alive and healthy… At least, you're alive, that's enough." He understood; wasn't loving someone about making them happy? He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "Don't take so much from yourself, don't know how to take care of yourself, don't make yourself suffer anymore."

She was born for this world, destined to change it. Not for any one person.

“He Lu—” Wei Zijun hugged him tighter. She lowered her eyelashes to look at him, “I don’t feel bitter. For the people I love and the people I protect, I don’t feel bitter. I’m happy to do anything for you.”

Perhaps, he came here for them, for the sake of meeting these kindred spirits who could bring her warmth in this life. With them by her side, she was content; she no longer coveted any one more. She smiled at He Lu, "We have to go, to Supi. If Third Brother and the others escaped, they'll be waiting for us there."

"Supi?" Helu's face showed reluctance. "Can't we go directly to Xiangxiong?"

Wei Zijun curled her lips into a smile and leaned close to He Lu's ear, teasingly saying, "He Lu, are you afraid that the Queen will covet your good looks and sneak into your bed at night?"

He Lu snorted and distanced himself from Wei Zijun.

Wei Zijun chuckled softly.

The towering cliff forced Wei Zijun to rest three times, and she couldn't help but sigh at her own weakness after recovering from a serious illness. When the two finally reached the top of the cliff, they didn't feel the excitement they had expected; the scene before them chilled them to the bone.

Dozens of men in black stood on the steep cliff edge, each holding a longbow, drawn to its fullest extent, with dozens of sharp arrows aimed at the two. Songtsen Gampo's gaze was cold, his narrow eyes fixed on Wei Zijun. Beside him stood Ashina Buzhen, who had already submitted to Tibet.

Seeing this, Wei Zijun knew there was no way to escape. Even if she jumped off the cliff again at this moment, she would surely be pierced by ten thousand arrows before she hit the ground.

Wei Zijun bent down without making a sound, but her mind was racing. She calmly brushed the dust off the hem of her clothes, slowly straightened up, and then pretended to be surprised as if she had just seen them, saying, "Oh! I didn't expect the Zanpu to be here to greet me personally. Wei Feng is truly flattered. Does the Zanpu have something to discuss with Wei Feng?"

"Wei Feng, are you still not afraid even when death is imminent?" Songtsen Gampo stared straight at Wei Zijun, his gaze filled with a complex and unreadable pain.

"Dead?" Wei Zijun blinked. "Wei Feng just barely escaped with his life, how could he die again?"

“Wei Feng, do you know what I regret most in my life?” Songtsen Gampo took a step forward.

"You must know Wei Feng!" she said with great self-awareness.

Songtsen Gampo sighed deeply, “I regret sending troops to the Western Turks when you were the Khan of the Western Turks, I regret doing everything I could to save you, I regret trusting you, and I regret being unable to bear killing you, I regret that my Tibet was destroyed by your own hands, my hatred for you… is truly indescribable…” Songtsen Gampo became more and more agitated as he spoke, “You not only destroyed my Tibet… you also killed my only son!”

“Survival is a basic human instinct. I think even a Zanpu would retaliate against someone who tries to kill you. Moreover, Wei Feng did not want to kill anyone, but he did not regret killing the Zanpu’s son because he had to avenge his father’s death.”

"Wei Feng, I truly cannot bear to kill you. You are truly unique throughout history. There has never been another person like you, with such talent, wisdom, courage, and such brilliance. From this day forward, I will ensure that you are forever recorded in history. I will have you buried with my son, so that he can die in peace." He slowly retreated.

Having already taken precautions, Wei Zijun knew he was about to release the arrow. She quickly grabbed He Lu and leaped into the air. Like a silver arrow, she soared straight up, clearing the heads of the crowd and flying backward.

Knowing that these people were martial arts masters left behind by Nangong Que, each of whom was no less skilled than her, she knew she could not defeat them all alone, so her only option was to escape.

As she leaped, all the arrows turned sharply backward and shot towards her falling body.

With a flick of her long sleeves, Wei Zijun swept away countless arrows. Another wave of arrows shot towards her, but she touched the incoming arrows with her toes, used the momentum to leap upwards, and jumped several feet backwards. With a few leaps, she was out of the range of the arrows.

"Feng, put me down, and you run away quickly." He Lu tried to struggle off his embrace.

Wei Zijun ignored him and continued to leap forward using her lightness skill.

Strangely, those people didn't chase after her. Just as Wei Zijun sensed something was wrong, dozens of men in black appeared in front of her. Lu Dongzan calmly led his men to block her path.

Realizing the situation was dire, Wei Zijun spun around in mid-air, spreading her body out to throw He Lu forcefully to the side, shouting, "He Lu, run—"

"Want to leave? Not so easy!" Ashina Buzhen, who was chasing after them, laughed loudly. "Helu, today I will avenge the arrow wound I suffered that day!" He drew his longbow and shouted to his pursuers, "Shoot!"

Dozens of arrows shot towards He Lu. Seeing this, Wei Zijun was anxious. He Lu was injured and had not yet recovered. How could he withstand so many arrows? She leaped up, her long sleeves unfurling, and flipped in mid-air, flying horizontally towards He Lu.

Before Wei Zijun could arrive, He Lu was already no match for her and had been hit by two arrows.

"He Lu—" Wei Zijun exerted all her strength and unleashed a powerful palm strike, knocking down all the arrows that were still being shot at He Lu. The powerful palm strike also forced the black-clad men with bows to retreat several steps.

Just as she was falling exhausted, Ashina Buzhen's arrow shot at Helu again. Wei Zijun turned around to block it, but was unable to deflect the arrow. She leaned her body against Helu, taking the arrow for the weakened Helu.

"Wind—" The arrow that pierced Wei Zijun's chest made He Lu shout and burst into tears.

"Don't cry, it didn't go in deep." She smiled at him reassuringly. "Helu, maybe we really will die together." Wei Zijun resolutely pulled the arrow from her chest, and at the same time Ashina Buzhen raised his bow and aimed at Helu again, she threw the arrow at Ashina Buzhen with all her might.

No one expected that the man with an arrow in his chest would recklessly draw his sword. They also forgot that their prince had been struck by an arrow thrown by this man who had no bow.

Therefore, when the arrow pierced Ashina Buzhen's left chest, those people were still taken aback.

Ashina Buzhen clutched his chest and slowly knelt down. The scene became chaotic as dozens of men in black leaped over. Wei Zijun and He Lu fought and retreated, sometimes retreating to the edge of the cliff.

Blood stained a large area of her chest, and as time passed, her strength seemed to drain away with the blood. When the men in black attacked again, she lunged at He Lu. Despite her weakened state and slowed reaction, she still managed to protect He Lu tightly.

She once again embraced him tightly, her thin yet warm embrace, her frail yet powerful embrace, her fragrant embrace. That embrace, which had repeatedly opened for him, shielded him from those piercing, soul-crushing gusts of wind. Her slender body was sent flying by the force of the palm strike, plummeting towards the cliff.

She would rather fall to her death than die at the hands of Songtsen Gampo. However, before she could fall, her waist suddenly tightened, and Songtsen Gampo's long whip lifted her into the air, while Helu plummeted straight to the bottom of the cliff.

"He Lu—" In that instant, as the two were separated, Wei Zijun grabbed He Lu's chest. With a tearing sound, a piece of He Lu's shirt was ripped off, but he continued to fall. Wei Zijun somersaulted in the air, breaking free from the whip, and leaped towards He Lu. However, her weakened body was once again caught in Songtsen Gampo's whip, tracing an arc in the air before landing at his feet.

Wei Zijun felt dizzy, and Songtsen Gampo's face gradually blurred before her eyes. Helu... She struggled to lift the torn piece of cloth in her hand, looked at it carefully, and saw a handkerchief stained with several bloodstains under the cloth. She recognized the handkerchief; the bloodstains on it were hers. She slowly tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve.

She's going to die, isn't she? She's tried to die several times already, but failed each time. This time, she should die too.

She wasn't afraid of death, never had been. She could finally see her parents. But she felt a little reluctant, as if she had left something behind in this world—her heart, perhaps.

She was content with her life. She had been able to receive genuine treatment from these men and find pure and beautiful love here. That was enough for her.

She hadn't wanted to get involved in love in this other world, but unexpectedly, she couldn't escape it. She thought she could come and go freely, but she inadvertently fell in love.

Second brother... Ziju will have to owe you something in the end. I only hope that you will no longer be lonely in the future... Without Ziju, you will never feel pain again...

The autumn wind whistled past her ears, and she felt a little cold. Her blood-loss-laden body couldn't withstand the cold wind; it was much warmer down the cliff.

He curled up; his clothes were too thin, and the ground was too cold.

Her consciousness blurred, and before she drifted off to sleep, she seemed to hear a call. "Zijun—" It was Liu Yunde's voice, but it also sounded like her third brother's voice, and perhaps even Dieyun's voice. Was it a hallucination? Had they come? Had they not escaped, or had they come to rescue them?

She sensed some commotion at the scene. She tried to open her still clear eyes... She saw Songtsen Gampo raise his long sword high, aimed at her chest. He hesitated again and again, then finally plunged it down fiercely...

Volume 4 Where Does Love Belong? Chapter 144 Autumn Lament

It hurts so much... It feels like his body has been plunged into an ice cave. The icy river water is like countless sharp swords, piercing him awake.

This is an underground river hidden inside a cave. Ancient glaciers melted and flowed through the cave, silent yet extremely rapid.

He lay in the river, utterly exhausted, but he had to go back; otherwise, she would worry again—he always caused her trouble. He struggled to climb, trying to climb back up, to climb back to that person's side.

Was he too lucky, caught by a few trees as he fell? Was he too unlucky, falling into this hidden, dark river? Actually, he simply didn't want to die. When he thought he had lost her, he had no will to live, only the thought of following her in death. When he found her again, he didn't want to die, he really didn't want to die.

Yes, he can't die. If he dies, he will never be able to think of that person again, never remember what she looks like, never love her again, never again.

So he couldn't die. He would crawl back, even if it meant being with her. Even if he could only look at her, it didn't matter what their relationship was... as long as he could protect her. He didn't care about the method; he only wished to see her, to be with her, to walk together, to witness the evergreen willows, the spring sunshine, the floating clouds over the mountains, the boundless grasslands... He only wished to be with her, only with her...

He struggled to climb, trying to grab the rocks on the bank, but before he could reach them, a sudden surge swept over him, and he was swept into the turbulent whirlpool of the underground river…

...

The autumn wind howled incessantly as warhorses galloped across the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains. Days of relentless riding nearly caused the rider to sway precariously. His repeatedly wounded body was sustained only by the strength of his inner conviction, preventing him from collapsing.