novel
| ← Ch.217 | Ch.219 → |
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The voice seemed to fade into the distance as his body had long lost all temperature. It was as though all his blood had been drained as well, as his limbs were completely sapped of energy. Suddenly, a boom resounded. Lifting his head up, he saw that Yue Jiu was using all his strength to tackle the ice layer above with his head.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The sounds were like thunder, assaulting Zhuge Yue's heart. The blood flowed down from the young guard, quickly diffusing into the water around.
Right now, Yue Jiu's face was paler than snow, with not a tinge of color left in his lips. He was like a ghost that had just crawled out from the grave. With his remaining strength, Yue Jiu continued to swim. Even as his limbs started to go numb, he continued to repeat that motion. Once, twice, again... Suddenly, it was like a ray of light suddenly pierced through the clouds above into Zhuge Yue's heart. This man before him was his subordinate, and had followed him since he was four. All along, Zhuge Yue thought that it was only natural that they follow him. Yet, at this very moment, he was suddenly reminded of words that a certain girl had told him. In her cold beauty, she firmly declared without skipping a beat, "No one was born a slave."
No one was born a slave...
With another boom, another spurt of blood splashed in the water. Even in the frigid water, he could feel the boiling blood. His body was suddenly filled with energy again as he swam up. Pushing aside Yue Jiu's bloodied body, he started to dig at the ice layer with Chu Qiao's dagger.
"I must not die!" he told himself."I must not die yet! I still have lots of wishes that I want to accomplish." Even as his lungs felt as though they were about to explode from the lack of oxygen, and even as his body was frozen stiff, along with his wounds stinging with pain, he continued to fight to survival like a robot.
I cannot die! I cannot die! I cannot die!
Boom! The ice layer broke, as he floated up. The sunlight pierced his eyes, as the fresh air welcomed him. Breathing in big gasps, he desperately filled his lungs with air.
"Yue Jiu! We are safe!" he shouted. Staring around, he could not find Yue Jiu's figure any longer. Diving back down, he finally found Yue Jiu's body in the depths of the lake. The young swordsman was covered in wounds, with his face completely pale. Eyes staring wide open, his hair was in a mess filled with bloodstains.
With all his strength, Zhuge Yue pulled Yue Jiu up, and forcefully performed chest compression on this servant, and rubbed on Yue Jiu's hand and face hoping to warm him up. Loudly, Zhuge Yue shouted, "Wake up! I order you! Wake up!" In all his life, Zhuge Yue had never cried so hard. On that day, he cried for a slave. In the vast plains, he cried like a wolf howling to the moon.
Three days later, he found Yue Qi who had fortunately escaped death. This servant had gathered the remnants of the Yue Guards and had searched for Zhuge Yue for three full days. There were over twenty guards who had frozen to death because they had repeatedly dived into the frigid water to look for him. After which, they had brought him to the Wolong Mountain. Only after half a year later did he make a full recovery, yet he was faced with a broken future. On that fateful day, he stared at the intel that Yue Qi and the other Yue Guards had brought back, from sunrise to sunset.
His teacher walked in, and looked at the map of the West Meng Continent that was hung before Zhuge Yue, before calmly asking, "To where do you intend to go?"
Zhuge Yue felt a sense of lostness that he had never felt for years. Lifting up his head, he replied, "Teacher, I have nowhere to go."
The old man, whose hair had already turned into a beautiful silver, gently smiled before he stretched out his lanky palm. With one quick strike, he shattered the West Meng Continent that was on the map, turning that part of the map into a gigantic hole, leaving behind only the Quan Rong territory, the sea to the South East, and the barren lands to the West.
"My child, there is always someone better than you, and there will always be a world that lies beyond our own. Who said that the world is only as big as the map?"
The next day, he received more news. Meng Feng had been sentenced by the council, and had been released into exile to Qinghai. By now, she would have probably reached Cuiwei Pass by now.
In the passing time, the mist of the future seemed to turn bright. In those dark days, the blade in his hand swung out repeatedly, giving out gleaming reflections slashing into the jugular of an entity called fate as he struggled. With the boiling blood covering his eyes, he sensed the meaning of life in that thick hot liquid.
One day later, there was a messenger from Zhen Huang charging into the residence of Zhuge Yue in Xian Yang. That soldier's face looked dry from the dust that had continuously battered his skin for a few days, and his lips had cracked. Dusting his cape, one could see that it was filled with dust.
Everyone's face did not appear to be joyous, and Chu Qiao suddenly understood something as she quietly disappeared from the scene.
After one hour, Zhuge Yue seemed to be leaving. Chu Qiao followed him all the way until the main road leading out from the North Gates. The weather was rather cold, as Chu Qiao donned a thick blue cape. A round of white fur wrapped around her neat face that was free from makeup. In the simplicity, she exuded a plain sense of beauty. As they reached the pavilion that indicated that they were five kilometers away from the city already, Yue Qi and the other guards moved aside to give them some alone time. Zhuge Yue quietly dismounted his horse, as Chu Qiao obediently followed behind him. Around the pavilion, there was a huge patch of weeds, and the paint from the pillars of the structure had started to peel. It seemed like the entire scene was overwhelmingly desolate.
"I am going." Zhuge Yue turned around and quietly looked at her.
"Oh, be careful on your way." Chu Qiao nodded.
Zhuge Yue lightly frowned. This had seemed to become some kind of repetition, as their reunions always seemed to be so full of excitement, yet they distanced themselves the longer they stayed with each other. It was as though eventually they did not even know how to interact with each other, and could only exchange some trivial greetings.
"After I leave, where will you head to?"
"Me? Perhaps I will head to the Tang Empire first."
"After that?"
"After that?" Chu Qiao frowned and sank into contemplation. She chuckled."I do not know either. Perhaps I will walk around and travel. Enjoy the food all over the world, marvel at the scenery, drift around. Who knows?"
With a breeze sweeping past, there was a crisp chime. The duo looked up at the same time, only to see that there was a bell hanging at this dilapidated pavilion. Even though the color had faded from the weathering, the sound was still crisp and clear, sounding off each time the wind blew past.
"Will you head to Yan Bei?"
With a silent smile, Chu Qiao replied, "I lived there for many years. What scenery there is, I have seen enough. In the first place, my health is not exactly good, and I could not stand the coldness in the North. Perhaps, I will not be able to head to Zhen Huang City at this rate."
Zhuge Yue nodded as though he understood something. With his emotions a little numb, words that had been stuck in his heart were ultimately still suppressed within his mind. Those days of happiness were ultimately a mere mirage. After time had passed, the dream would be destined to shatter. Things must take place with the right people at the right time, yet even standing here was them trying to bend fate to their whims. Many things in life are already predetermined, and like the fine sand that one grabs at the beach, the harder one wishes to hold onto something, the quicker it slips from one's fingers.
As he lifted his foot up, ready to head out, his face was cold and seemed arrogant as usual. In the same old fashion, he seemed as though he did not want to speak a single extra word.
"Zhuge Yue!" A hurried voice resounded from behind him. Her hand was so small, so cold, yet she pulled on his clothes with all her strength, revealing her innate stubbornness.
"Thank you, " quietly, she whispered. In her voice, one could tell that she was suppressing a sob, as she continued, "I thought that I would never be able to tell that to you personally in this life. Yet, with the blessings from heaven, you are safe and sound." With a light smile on her face, she kept talking, "Zhuge Yue, I have been tied down by all kinds of bonds in my life, and have not led an easy life. I have done a lot of things, and gone through many ups and downs. Some things I did were right, some were wrong, yet I never regret anything. I am fully aware of my thoughts and emotions, and will never be indebted to anyone. Yet, to you alone, I owe too much that I can never repay. With your safe return, it would only be right for me to follow behind you and repay you with the rest of my life. Yet, I am already not the same person as before. After going through so much, I no longer have the courage to step into this mess. After the battle in Yan Bei, the General of Xiuli died. What remained was merely a normal woman who had lost her ambitions and dreams. I no longer have the capability to stand beside you."
The wind bell continued to chime, yet time seemed to come to a standstill at this very moment. Karma seemed to flash a mocking smile at them as it looked upon the helplessness of the people.
Chu Qiao spread open her arms, and approached him from behind. With her hands passing through between his arm and waist, her pristine white skin brushed against the soft silk on his body as the golden embroideries rubbed against her white wrist. In the quiet breeze, her hands clasped together and tightened before his body, before walking up in small steps and burying her face into his back. A teardrop fell from the corner of her eye. Dripping onto his green clothes, it made a pattern.
"Zhuge Yue, I am sorry." Her voice seemed so sad, like a child left out alone in a raging snowstorm.
Snow started falling. It was very light, and in fact, before it landed on the ground, the snowflakes had already melted. Yet they piled up and formed a small layer on their shoulders. With their skin against each other, they would even feel each other's breath. This was the first time that she had voluntarily embraced him. The river of time seemed to flow before their minds, as the scenes from their memories flashed past and quickly vanished. It seemed like fate had made a fool of them right from the start. After so many twists and turns, they finally arrived at this stage, yet even as the dust settled and they distanced themselves from the battlefield, they were still weighed down heavily by fate.
A row of birds flew past them in the sky above. Lining up in one straight line, they soared to the South. Gradually, they got further, and slowly vanished from sight. She finally let go of the embrace. Chu Qiao withdrew her hands. His shirt was exceedingly cold, such that her fingers were numbed by the frigidness. His back was still upright, as though nothing in this world could ever defeat him. He was ever so handsome, with the freezing aura exuding from his figure, as though he wanted to freeze up all of his surroundings.
With nothing except empty air between her arms, Chu Qiao bit her lip before forcing a smile."Take care."
With a whoosh, there was a wave of wind from afar. The wind bell erupted into a flurry of ringing that suddenly seemed to imbue the atmosphere with life.
Zhuge Yue walked out of the pavilion. With his expensive boots stepping onto the weed that had already wilted, the plant was bent and lied on the ground lifelessly. With another blow of the wind, it broke from its roots and was blown far into the
Mounting his horse, along with the Guards of Yue, they whipped their horses and the sound of warhorses galloping could be heard in the distance. With the flurry of galloping, the quietness of the main road was shattered as the capes fluttered in the wind, and the war flags waved towards the north. Ultimately, he did not turn around to even steal one more glance at her. He was still the same handsome and proud person he was, with his unbending back that sat on the horse, along with his high-class coat and jet black hair, dashing off in the cold winds and gradually disappearing into the distance among the flying dust. Before long, even his figure vanished.
The morning fog had still not dispersed as the road ahead seemed to be clouded with a veil. As the weed was blown up by the wind around, it spun circles, not knowing where to go. Chu Qiao was suddenly reminded of the Yan Bei Highlands when she had been sabotaged by Cheng Yuan and sunk into a trap by the Xia army. That night, she had quietly looked upon his figure in the same way as he vanished into the vast snowy plains. That time, he had too not turned back, yet he was exceedingly fast as he walked while leading his horse in his thick coat. That day, there was heavy snow floating down from the heavens, and as the snowflakes landed on her eyelashes, she felt so cold that she wanted to cry. Yet, with just a blink of her eye, so many years had passed.
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