Четвертый кампус

Глава 26

I went to wash myself by the stream not far away, and as I turned away, a single, crystal-clear tear welled up in Xiaoyuan's tightly closed eyes...

"Phew..." I took off my shoes, rolled up my trouser legs, and gently dipped my feet into the water. Then I scooped up the clear stream water with both hands and splashed it on my face before it could escape through my fingers. So cool! The refreshing coolness made me feel refreshed. These water sprites, like me and Xiaoyuan, had just emerged from the darkness and were hoping that the sunshine of fate would give them the warmth of new life.

Where will our love flow to next? Just then, I suddenly felt something on my leg. I looked down and saw that a fallen petal was stuck to my leg. I used my fingers to brush away the petal that was clinging to me, letting it continue to flow away.

The rushing water sounded as complex and chaotic as my emotions. "Ouch!" Something hard hit me on the head. Looking up, I saw a little monkey chirping and laughing incessantly in a tree...

"You little rascal! You actually tricked me! You've got some nerve. You won't be so carefree once you evolve into a human!" I waved my fist at the little monkey. You beast! It actually shook its disgusting red butt at me, making me so angry I almost vomited bile.

Seeing my expression, it became even more smug. What a clever fellow! It must be a PhD among monkeys. It happily jumped around on the tree branch and kept chirping. What a flirtatious little thing!

Suddenly, a "crack" sounded! Ouch! The little monkey realized something was wrong, but it was too late. It looked at me pitifully and helplessly, then fell down with the broken branch. It tried to hook its tail onto other branches, but failed.

"Oh no!" I quickly lunged towards where it had fallen, and by sheer luck, I caught the little guy, but...

I felt something soft and squishy in my left hand. The little monkey and I stared at each other for a moment, then I looked at my left hand again, and there it was... right there, I was holding its little penis! How disgusting!

"Wow!" The little monkey and I shouted at the same time. It suddenly bit me, and I let go in pain. The little guy darted away in a flash.

"Ouch! You ungrateful bastard!" I yelled, clutching my shoulder. "Bastard!"

...

"Idiot!" Xiaoyuan scolded as she cleaned my wound, "You can't even handle a monkey, you're so useless!"

"Ouch! Apply it gently!"

"It's already very light!"

"I'll do it myself, you don't need to wipe it..."

"No! I must help you wipe it!"

I was so touched by what they said, but...

"It's fun to clean other people's wounds; hearing your screams makes me feel good!"

This...this terrifying woman!! No! Help!!

The little monkey seemed to feel guilty, watching me from a distance. Later I learned that without that little guy, I might never have met Xiaoyuan.

"It really hurts, I'm about to faint from the pain..." I said, aiming at Xiaoyuan's chest, then closed my eyes and collapsed... Haha! It feels so good! Ugh~~~~~~~~~~~~

---janeadam

Reply [78]: "Hey! Pervert!"

"Awooo... Awooo..." I howled like a wolf!

In the woods, a flock of birds scattered in fright...

Several days later, Chang'an, shrouded in mist in the distance, looked so ethereal and unreal, a stark contrast to the excitement he felt when he first saw it.

"Xiao Yuan... don't go back, come with me."

"With you? Where to?"

"A civilized world awaits in the future!"

“The future…” Xiaoyuan repeated, “I am a person without a future…”

"Why?"

"Whether I succeed in getting revenge or not, once that day comes, it may be the day I disappear..."

"Why do you want revenge? Have you thought about it?"

"..."

"By the time you were born, that incident had already passed. Why do people in this world always get caught in the vicious cycle of revenge? What does such hatred have to do with you? Are people born to seek revenge? As you said, your father gave birth to you so that you could avenge the Han family. Even if he succeeded, he would have been worthy of the Han family's ancestors, but would he have been worthy of you? A person who gives life only does so that the recipient can fulfill their selfish desires. Why would you want to fulfill the wishes of such a father? Is it worth it? To be honest, you didn't experience that hatred, and you don't actually feel any hatred you should have felt..."

"Stop talking!" Xiaoyuan shouted at me.

I know that she reacted so strongly because my words had an effect.

"Yes! I don't actually feel any hatred towards the Liu family, but I will still take revenge... There's no reason, I don't know what reason there could be. Maybe this is my fate. Now that things have come to this, there's no way to give up halfway. I can only keep going..."

"Then what about me? What about us?" My words pierced her heart, hoping she would change her mind, though I knew the chances were slim. "Is this it? Can you really bear to..."

"I'm sorry..." Her expression suddenly turned incredibly cold, just like before.

“I’m sorry… Ha!” I gave a bitter laugh. “What a wonderful ‘I’m sorry.’ This word is so well-intentioned. As long as someone does something wrong that hurts another, they can say ‘I’m sorry’ and then erase all the guilt caused by the other person’s pain in their own heart…”

"Do you think I'm any better off? Did I do it on purpose? Everything was out of necessity. Revenge was beyond my control, and falling in love with you was too... From now on, we'll go to Chang'an separately, and we'll remain strangers as before!"

---janeadam

Reply [79]: Chapter Thirty-Eight Ending...

"Your Majesty, I'm back!" I threw myself down in front of Emperor Wu, secretly wishing I could bite him hundreds of times. Damn it, he almost made me die on the grasslands.

"But Su Wu, he..."

"What happened to Su Wu?" Emperor Wu asked with concern.

“Su Wu…” I turned around, took out some mustard, and sneezed my eyes. “Su Wu failed to escape the Xiongnu’s pursuit and was…”

"Were they killed?"

"No, he was caught by the Hu people and left there to herd sheep."

"Tch~~~~~" Emperor Wu waved his hand in disappointment, "He's still alive? I was actually thinking of posthumously honoring him as a martyr and calling on all my ministers to learn from him!"

"But does one have to die to become a role model for learning?"

"Of course! If a living person does it, he'll be uncomfortable if he picks on you, and you'll feel unbalanced if he picks on him. Only the dead are not envied."

"Amazing..." I was speechless.

"Dongfang Shuo's mission to the Xiongnu was of high moral character and integrity; he fulfilled his mission without fail and worked very hard. I will host a banquet to reward you!"

"Thank you for your grace, my lord!" I kowtowed. "Noble character and integrity, fulfilling my mission"? These two words were truly chilling. When I arrived with the Xiongnu, I didn't convey a single message, and I was almost raped by an old woman. Aside from that, there was nothing else worth mentioning.

The Weiyang Palace at night is shrouded in a suffocating feeling. Is it just an illusion?

I followed the eunuch who led the way to the banquet venue, which was a medium-sized palace surrounded by curtains. Was it very windy? Why did I feel the curtains trembling slightly?

I sat down and waited for a while. "His Majesty has arrived!" I quickly stood up.

Emperor Wu was dressed casually, with Xiao Yuan following closely behind. Xiao Yuan, clad in magnificent palace attire, possessed a unique charm, but she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, seemingly unaware of my presence. Was that all? Two most familiar strangers…

"Sit down," Emperor Wu waved his hand.

"Zifu, perform a dance for my hero."

"Yes." Xiao Yuan glanced at me indifferently, her eyes devoid of any affection, as if it were a mere formality performed for Emperor Wu's benefit.

She swayed her graceful figure like a dazzling flame, igniting my gaze and my heart. But at that moment, she was a blazing fire that I could never get close to.

After finishing her dance, Xiao Yuan gathered her sleeves, called over a musician who was playing the zither, sat down at the instrument, and gently touched the strings with her fair and delicate fingers before beginning to play. A melodious song flowed from her red lips:

"A beautiful woman holds a lonely lamp, sighing with resentment, her longing leaves no trace but her tears remain, a sight to behold in the stunning city of Chang'an."

My body is weary, my heart is troubled, yet I can't help but close the door to my soul...

The candle weeps through the night, longing turns to ash. Sentimental yet heartless, is he human or ghost?

A fleeting dream of infatuation, like drifting clouds. Now the dream has ended, the clouds have dispersed, and where does my heart linger?

We met once, like fallen petals drifting in the wind; now our fate is over, our love has faded, and who is left to lament?

..."

I lowered my head and covered my face; I simply couldn't listen anymore.

"Dongfang Shuo, are you sighing?" Emperor Wu suddenly asked.

"...This humble citizen was simply moved by the sight of the scenery..."

"How poignant the sight of this scene is... I'll offer you some wine!"

Princess Pingyang appeared out of nowhere; I must have been too engrossed in my own thoughts. The princess approached, carrying two cups of wine.

"Your Majesty! Why are there two cups? I'm not late."

"There's another cup for Zifu. I'm bestowing wine upon both of you!" A cunning glint flashed in Emperor Wu's eyes.

Xiao Yuan also found it strange, why give wine to both of us at the same time?

Emperor Wu, Xiao Yuan and I drank the wine in one gulp.

"Where is General Li Ling?" Emperor Wu suddenly shouted. Dozens of axemen sprang out from behind the curtain, and the valiant Han Chinese leader bowed to Emperor Wu: "This humble general Li Ling is here."

"Capture the traitors Han Xiaoyuan and Dongfang Shuo!"

What?! Could it be that...?

---janeadam

Reply [80]: At this moment, a bloodied and mangled person was brought in from outside the door by soldiers.

I looked closely and cried out, "Father-in-law!" I realized that the old man's scheme had been exposed. Judging from his appearance, he must have confessed everything under torture. What a bastard! He's a coward!

"Han Xiaoyuan...the great-granddaughter of Han Xin..."

"You... you knew all along?" Xiao Yuan said. "In that case, kill me. It's just a pity I couldn't avenge myself..."

"There's no need," Emperor Wu sneered. "Because your wines are poisoned!"

What? That's really cruel. Emperors in feudal society felt no remorse for killing people.

"Ahhh!" Xiaoyuan coughed up bright red blood and collapsed to the ground. I rushed over without thinking and caught her in my arms…

"Xiao Yuan!"

Xiao Yuan smiled at me, a smile that looked painful and exhausting, but I could still tell it was a smile. "In my destined sorrowful life, meeting you is the only stroke of luck. It's so good to have loved someone wholeheartedly, though it's a pity, a regret, that we can't be together forever… Do you hate me? I was so mean to you. If, as you say, I could meet you again in the future, I'd be willing to become a wandering ghost, a soul waiting for love… I really thought about leaving everything behind and running away with you, but I never did it. Maybe I didn't have enough courage. Will we really meet again? You're not lying to me, are you?… I… I'm so scared. I've never been so afraid of death before. If I hadn't met you, I could say without a doubt that I'm not afraid of death, but… but now I have too many attachments, I can't bear to let go… I can't bear to lose you. The happiness I finally found is like a fish that slips through my fingers… There's a hidden heartache… What? Young Master Dongfang, so many fireflies are flying! So beautiful, can you see them?"

I looked around with teary eyes, but there were no fireflies. My grip on Xiaoyuan's hand tightened instantly, and a moment later, Xiaoyuan's hand suddenly loosened, releasing the happiness between us... Her neck drooped, and her beautiful lips remained slightly parted, never to close again.

"Xiaoyuan... Xiaoyuan..." I sobbed softly, afraid of waking her.