“She…”
Wei Fu opened his mouth blankly. A short, faint syllable escaped him before abruptly catching in his throat, as though he had suddenly forgotten how to speak all over again.
His lips opened and closed uselessly, yet not a ripple stirred the air. Wei Fu subconsciously raised a hand to touch his throat.
At once, both Yugong Zhaoye’s and Xie Youlan’s expressions changed.
“Shuchen!”
“‘Guan-lang’ was the name your mother gave you…”
Jiang Fengxun was his mother.
His mother—the woman he had waited for more than ten years in that old residence on Liuzhi Alley in Fengdu, Xiling.
Even though he had never received a single piece of news from either of his parents, Wei Fu had always clung to unrealistic hopes and fantasies, stubbornly believing that they were living well somewhere far away and had merely been held back by the hardships of the jianghu. Someday, surely, they would suddenly appear covered in the dust of a long journey, and then he could finally go home with them.
Then he could finally prove to everyone that he had merely been fostered in the household of the Duke Who Stabilizes the Nation, that he was not a mute child abandoned by his parents.
But now Xie Youlan was saying that everyone who had possessed that ring had met a violent death…
Then what about her?
And what about Wei Huaijun, who had wandered the jianghu alongside her?
Wei Fu had stood at death’s door before, yet what gripped his throat now was more than fear of death. Ten thousand words crowded together inside that narrow passage, but he was like a sack tied tightly at the mouth, unable to squeeze out even one.
Am I going to be left behind again?
“Xiao Guan!”
A rush of warmth suddenly poured into him through his back. Sensation returned to his nearly frozen hand beneath a firm grip, that warmth gentle yet unquestionable as it spread through his rigid limbs and bones like an invisible net cast wide, steadily catching his crumbling consciousness before it could fall.
Yugong Zhaoye clasped Wei Fu’s icy hand tightly, pressing his other palm against Wei Fu’s back and circulating true qi to protect his heart meridian, lest the violent upheaval of his emotions injure him further.
In a low voice, he reminded him, “Calm your mind and steady your spirit. Don’t rush. Speak slowly.”
Again and again, the person who had always pulled him back had reached out his hand to him once more.
Wei Fu’s eyes trembled as he stared dazedly at Yugong Zhaoye, just as he had countless times years ago—in the darkness underground, in stone caves and mountain wildernesses, beneath clear skies and rain, in brightness and shadow—secretly watching the silent young man sitting with his eyes closed.
This is my moon.
His fingers, stiff to the point of numbness, slowly curled as feeling returned. He tried hard to clasp Yugong Zhaoye’s hand in return, though in truth it looked more like someone utterly exhausted weakly closing his palm around him.
Cough! Cough, cough, cough—!
The breath trapped inside his chest finally burst through his throat. Wei Fu barely managed to cover his mouth before a violent fit of coughing erupted from him, so severe it felt as though all his internal organs might come spilling out.
Such a tall man bent over until hardly anything remained visible but the curve of his back. In the end, he collapsed half-dead into Yugong Zhaoye’s arms and spent a long while gasping for breath, clear tear tracks staining the corners of his eyes. Anyone unaware of what had happened might have thought he had suffered some earth-shattering grievance.
Even Ying Yue was frightened and thoughtfully handed him a handkerchief embroidered with tiny blue flowers.
Only Xie Youlan never rose from his seat. His expression unreadable, he watched the complete chaos opposite him with a somewhat sullen look, as though someone had stepped on his tail. Yet because he was partly responsible, he could hardly lose his temper outright.
What sort of useless fools did this broken-down Yeguang produce? Why was every last one of them so weak?
Those who felt too deeply were destined to be wounded by their own feelings. If they were going to be this softhearted, they might as well work at a charitable orphanage and raise children. Why become assassins and killers? These people had more feelings than poets and singers, practically terrified someone might fail to notice exactly where all their weaknesses lay.
And Wei Fu—no sheltered young lady from a noble house was as delicate as he was. Was coughing a few times really enough reason to collapse into Yugong Zhaoye’s arms? Yugong Zhaoye was no better. The man had merely choked; his lungs and heart were perfectly intact. How had he managed to behave as though Wei Fu were about to cough himself to death?
At long last, Wei Fu finally stopped coughing. After downing two cups of warm water, his voice was as hoarse as a braying donkey, yet he was still mumbling at Yugong Zhaoye. Xie Youlan finally reached the end of his patience. “If you can’t withstand the slightest fright, I may as well knock you unconscious and send you out right now, before you end up mute for another ten years.”
“I’m fine. I just choked a little. How could I possibly cough myself to death?” Wei Fu rasped. “You absolutely mustn’t feel guilty. You went to that island to look for her? I… cough… I’ve never seen this ring before. Are you certain?”
Xie Youlan: “…”
He composed himself as though a stray fart had merely drifted through the room. “She had a Broken-Blade Sword forged from meteoric iron. It was extraordinarily hard and sharp, capable of breaking any ordinary blade. This ring was made from the same material, which is exceedingly rare. There is no doubt that it came from her.”
Wei Fu fell silent. Lost in thought, he absentmindedly traced patterns back and forth across Yugong Zhaoye’s palm.
Xie Youlan might be an awful person, but he had indeed shown some foresight. The moment they first entered, they really should have hardened their hearts and thrown this easily startled fox straight out. Excessive indulgence inevitably caused trouble.
Yugong Zhaoye saw that Wei Fu had coughed so violently that even his hair had come loose, stray strands falling beside his temples and making him look all the more pitiful. It was difficult to scold him now. Enduring the faint tickle against his palm, he skipped over the question Xie Youlan would certainly refuse to answer—Why are you looking for Jiang Fengxun?—and went straight to the point. “Palace Master Xie still hasn’t answered my earlier question. Even if you refuse to use Beizhu Palace’s people, there are countless others outside willing to work for you. What exactly is it about Yeguang that interests you enough to insist on dragging us along?”
“Didn’t I already tell you? The woman who came off that island was the source of the strange disease.”
Faced with someone as proper as Yugong Zhaoye, Xie Youlan rediscovered the familiar pleasure of being wicked. “I’ve heard that during the war between Longsha and Yanyuan, Yanyuan once poisoned Zhoujin City’s water supply to spread an epidemic. Later, during their retreat, they intended to repeat the same massacre in every city they occupied along the way, only for Yeguang—no, it was still called Bihua then—for Bihua to stop them in time.”
Yugong Zhaoye’s expression did not change. In fact, while soothing the dispirited fox spirit beside him, his hand beneath his sleeve continued gently stroking the web between Wei Fu’s thumb and forefinger. Yet at Xie Youlan’s casual “I’ve heard,” he merely raised his eyes, pale irises settling squarely upon him.
Wei Fu was energetic and socially adept, happy to test the waters with almost anyone whether he knew them or not. Yugong Zhaoye was his complete opposite. He loved peace and quiet, possessed almost no worldly desires, and unless he was out on a mission, generally kept to himself. He would rather shut himself away in the mountains than bother socializing.
But he was like a beast forever asleep. Once it opened its eyes and truly began calculating, it did so with the intention of tearing its prey apart.
Back in Fengdu, when discussing the Ten Aspects Sect with Mu Heng, Yugong Zhaoye had spoken only of Yanyuan’s ambitions and actions. He had never revealed Longsha’s internal countermeasures, precisely because those were lifesaving methods kept hidden at the very bottom of the chest. Yet now Xie Youlan had casually lifted the lid with nothing more than “I’ve heard.”
No matter how powerful Beizhu Palace was, it was still, ultimately, a jianghu sect. It was hardly surprising that Xie Youlan could guess Yugong Zhaoye’s identity or know that Bihua had become Yeguang. But the fact that Longsha had once narrowly avoided a massive epidemic had been handled with extreme secrecy. Kui Yue had still been back home gnawing on radish leaves at the time, so she could not have confessed it. Nor had Xie Youlan had enough time to investigate after capturing her.
Which meant he had known the full story years ago.
Why would a jianghu sect in Dongyu have been paying such close attention to Longsha?
Xie Youlan’s tendency to go wild in front of an audience differed from his younger brother’s. With him, the emphasis was mostly on wild. Beneath Yugong Zhaoye’s murderous stare, his smile only deepened. “Don’t forget—the opposite shore of that lake belongs to Yanyuan. I assume you people haven’t stopped researching ways to deal with Yanyuan over the years. Other than Yeguang, who could guarantee I make it off that island with all my limbs intact?”
“It’s rare for me to answer every question so honestly. I’ve shown more than enough sincerity. Whether this succeeds or fails, Your Highness had best give me a clear answer quickly.”
Having scattered enough bait, he leisurely rose to his feet. “Three days from now, same place. If Your Highness is willing to help wholeheartedly, we leave immediately. But if Your Highness refuses…”
Xie Youlan glanced at Wei Fu and gave an ambiguous sneer before pushing open the door and leaving.
Ying Yue: “?”
Wei Fu: “?”
Yugong Zhaoye: “Who exactly was he threatening just now?”
By the time they left Yinhe Tower, night had completely fallen. Seeing that the two still had matters to discuss, Ying Yue tactfully withdrew first and went to wait beside the carriage.
Yugong Zhaoye had many suspicions, but there was no time to ask them now. He gave Wei Fu a few brief instructions instead. “I’m returning to Yeguang Hall to discuss our response. This matter is too important; it has to receive His Majesty’s approval. I can’t stay with you tonight. Put tonight on my tab. I’ll make it up to you later. I—”
“I’m coming with you.”
Yugong Zhaoye assumed he was simply being clingy again. “Even as Minister-Regent, you can’t be this blatant. If His Majesty catches us, we’re both finished. Understand? Go back early and rest.”
“Your Highness,” Wei Fu said seriously, “I mean I’m going with all of you to that island.”
Yugong Zhaoye: “…”
He drew a deep breath, but before he could start scolding him, Wei Fu hurriedly continued, “Your Highness, my parents have been missing for nearly twenty years. I’ve finally found a clue. Even if it means crossing mountains of blades and seas of fire, I have to go. Whether they’re alive or dead… there has to be an answer.”
“Xie Youlan can’t even produce the original sword as evidence. Based on nothing but a ring of uncertain origin, he concludes that it belonged to your mother. Don’t you think that’s far too flimsy?” Yugong Zhaoye suppressed his temper and patiently reasoned it through with him. “And meteoric iron may be rare, but there isn’t only one piece in the entire world. You’re willing to risk your life over such an ambiguous clue? If something happens to you, your emperor’s army will be at the gates of Bihan City before I can blink. How exactly am I supposed to explain that to him?”
“I can’t just sit somewhere safe and wait…” Wei Fu pleaded stubbornly, forcing down the turbulent emotions inside him. “Your Highness, I’ve already waited for so many years. And I got nothing.”
Carriages sped past them, wavering lantern light flashing through his eyes like falling meteors.
Seeing that reasoning would not work, Wei Fu changed tactics and pleaded insistently, “Xie Youlan may be awful, but he’s still my brother. My biological elder brother. He’s going somewhere that dangerous. I can’t be at ease…”
“What about me?”
Wei Fu stared blankly.
“Huh?”
The lamps around them shone almost as brightly as day, both floors of the tower blazing with light, yet Yugong Zhaoye had somehow positioned himself precisely inside the small patch of shadow cast between the eaves and corridor pillars.
“He’s your elder brother. Then what am I to you?”
Even the night wind seemed to skirt around him. Faint light from the flower lanterns fell over the long dark hair winding across his shoulders. Amid the warmth of the spring night, only this small corner seemed cold as frost.
Yet even with such a chilly expression, he was beautiful enough to make someone want to pull him straight into their arms.
Wei Fu resembled a fox staring stupidly at its own reflection in the water, utterly bewitched and even tempted to reach out a paw to fish it up. “Huh? Mm… does this really have to be a competition?”
“You care whether he lives or dies. I care whether you live or die,” Yugong Zhaoye said calmly. “I don’t care what your biological brother thinks. If you still acknowledge me as this elder brother you picked up along the way, then this time you’ll listen to me obediently.”
“…”
A moment ago, Wei Fu’s heart had still been pounding like a herd of deer. The next instant, it nearly stopped altogether, plummeting straight from romantic fantasy into sworn brotherhood beneath the peach blossoms.
He sucked in a long, incredulous breath.
“What am I to you?!”
Yugong Zhaoye frowned slightly, feeling that everything he had said had gone in one of Wei Fu’s ears and straight out the other. “In any case, you can’t go. This isn’t open for discussion. Forget your biological brother—even if the King of Heaven himself came, it still wouldn’t be allowed.”
“Forget the King of Heaven!” Wei Fu broke down and grabbed him. “You’re not allowed to leave! Explain yourself properly!”
Leave a Reply