Midnight journey home

Chapter Sixty

"So, that lantern at the Lantern Festival was for me, right?" Zhou Yulin persisted. "And that night at the auction, the black mask was yours, wasn't it? What exactly do you mean by everything I've said?"

He avoided Zhou Yulin's gaze and remained silent.

"Why don't you say it? Is it because you're afraid to say it, or..."

Seeing that Chen Muyao was unwilling to speak, Zhou Yulin pressed her, "Is it that you dare not speak, or that you do not want to speak? What are you afraid of, Chen Muyao?"

He pursed his lips, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the woman who was questioning him.

Is this important?

"What!?" Zhou Yulin almost laughed out loud in anger.

"Would my answer even matter to you?" His words infuriated Zhou Yulin. "What's wrong with you? You're so open and honest behind my back, but why are you so timid and hesitant in front of me? Are you even a man?"

As soon as they finished speaking, the two seemed to remember something at the same time and looked away. "Ahem." Zhou Yulin spoke first, "What I mean is, I want to hear your answer with my own ears, Chen Muyao."

Unfortunately, the person involved did not appreciate it and simply said lightly, "I don't understand what Miss Zhou is saying. You should leave. I will let bygones be bygones for what happened earlier, but from now on..."

"What comes next?"

"From now on." He had only said two words when Zhou Yulin took a small step back and gave him a sly smile. "Okay, the past is past, now is now."

Chen Mu stared at the person. What was more terrifying than not being able to see the person's true feelings was that she couldn't see through the person's true feelings, and how much of it was genuine and how much was fake.

"I misunderstood you before, but we can still be good friends from now on."

He immediately retorted sarcastically, "A good friend burdened with the same-fate Gu?"

Zhou Yulin chuckled twice and muttered under her breath, "If you're not going to give in, then I'll settle for being your friend."

"I heard everything," Chen Mu said irritably.

"Oh." Zhou Yulin admitted quite frankly, "I was just telling you."

“I didn’t say what I wanted to hear.”

"Then you should cover your ears," Zhou Yulin suggested sincerely, as the man stretched his hand out from his sleeve. "Or I can help you cover your ears."

Chen Muyao took a deep breath and asked without changing her expression, "If I tell you, you'll leave?"

"Of course," Zhou Yulin said with a smile. "Would I lie to you?"

"Then," he paused, "let's have a fight."

Zhou Yulin: ? ? ?

No, this person would rather fight than say they like me?

Was the photo stone fake? Had I been deluding myself?

Zhou Yulin stared at this person, and the more she looked at him, the more unfamiliar he seemed.

In the end, she gave in first, reluctantly saying, "Fine."

The babbling brook meanders through the mountains, and purple and white wildflowers bloom on the autumn branches. Standing in this wildflower forest, Zhou Yulin even had the illusion that Chen Muyao was about to kill him to fertilize his mother's favorite flowers.

"Xuanming Lingyue Bow".

“…The Jade of Immortality.” Zhou Yulin hesitated for a moment before summoning the Jade of Immortality. There was no other reason than that in close combat, when the strength was about the same, she could not possibly lose to Chen Muyao, unless… she let Hai go.

The Glazed Spirit Sword was drawn, and the greenish-blue spiritual power, accompanied by a powerful sword aura, rushed towards her. In the blink of an eye, she strode up in front of Chen Muyao, but he showed no intention of fighting and just kept dodging.

So the two fought their way from outside the flower grove to inside. Before they knew it, Zhou Yulin's sword energy had already injured the man's clothes. But he persisted with his tactics. Just as Zhou Yulin was about to speak, he blocked the bow with his sword, drew the string, and the jade arrow slid past her ear, cutting off the strings he had previously laid.

There was a very faint tinkling sound in the air.

The spring blossoms fell from the trees, their cold fragrance carried by the bleak autumn wind that brushed against Zhou Yulin's stray hairs. Standing in the rain of blossoms, the figure of the young man opposite her seemed to blur, as if it were all an unreal dream.

"I like you, Zhou Yulin."

A clear voice, transmitted through spiritual energy, entered her ears, accompanied by falling petals, as the entire spring flower carefully landed in her palm.

He walked step by step to her, like someone from behind the scenes stepping into the spotlight.

The bystanders finally got into the act.

"I only say nice things once."

"Zhou Yulin".

Zhou Yulin looked at the man, smiled, and feigned surprise, "So you can say nice things too." She grabbed his hand, leaned close to his ear, and said, "Chen Anheng, there have been many misunderstandings between us, and we've wasted too much time. I think we should have a future together."

At that moment, the breeze pushed aside the dark clouds, and the hatred that had been suppressed in my heart for many years faded away. In this instant, accompanied by Qing Youning's words that night, the fate between people has already been written, and it is inescapable and inescapable. So let's break a new ending for you and me.

An ending that has nothing to do with anyone else, and belongs only to us.

She gently kissed the young man's flushed cheek.

*

Under the moonlit willow branches, a figure sat alone in a room, drinking. Gu Ling sipped his plain water in solitude, and surprisingly, he found himself reminiscing about the days when he and Zhou Yulin would lose a game of rock-paper-scissors and drink water endlessly.

After returning home, he practiced rock-paper-scissors diligently.

It's a pity... He figured this person probably wouldn't be coming today.

Just as Gu Ling got up from the ground and was about to leave, the door was pushed open by a travel-worn person, who brought the cool night air into the warm private room. Gu Ling stared blankly at the person who came in.

"You're dressed way too extravagantly," Gu Ling exclaimed, dumbfounded. "Are you... going on a date?"

Zhou Yulin took a breath and remained noncommittal, "Hmm."

Contrary to her usual behavior, Gu Ling didn't gossip or press for details. Instead, she patted her chest, looking relieved, and cried tears of joy, saying, "That's great! I'm relieved that you've found a partner, sister. If you hadn't, I would have suspected that you had a crush on me."

Zhou Yulin glanced at Gu Ling, who seemed quite self-satisfied, but decided not to expose him. "Speak, what do you want from me?"

Gu Ling gestured for Zhou Yulin to sit down first. After everyone was seated, he lit another candle with one of the candles and began to speak slowly, "I actually have an older brother at home, my biological brother."

“When I was little, everyone in my family thought my brother was very promising, and I thought so too. My brother learned everything very quickly, while I didn’t have much talent for studying, and I even awakened my spiritual power later than most people.”

“I don’t care about the power and status that others talk about, nor do I care about others praising my brother by stepping on me, because my brother has always spoiled me. He won’t take things from me that I want or like. If I’m bullied, he will stand up for me. He will always be the first to block out those unpleasant words for me.”

"I thought he would always be here."

"Until later—he disappeared." Gu Ling's tone was dejected as he spoke, his eyes lowered, and he no longer had the vitality he had just shown. "My father and mother searched for him like madmen, but all their efforts were in vain. Helpless, I was forced into a position that was not rightfully mine."

Gu Ling's temperament is too immature.

He might become a monarch, through painful growth and trials.

“My brother’s fiancée became my fiancée, and only then did I realize that my brother, who seemed so glamorous to me, was not happy at all. He had to eat in moderation, speak cautiously, and do and wear things as if they were all pre-arranged, like a doll without a temper. I lived like this for ten years.” He lowered his head in great pain as he said this, his voice sounding tired. “Later, I ran away.”

"With the help of a wise man, I had no idea where to go."

“I don’t even know where I can go.”

Gu Ling laughed sarcastically, "Without the title of Crown Prince, I am nothing. No one will fawn over me, and no one will care about me."

“But it makes me feel very free.” Gu Ling looked at Zhou Yulin, the candlelight between them crackling. “Meeting you was the most unexpected thing for me.”

He suppressed the stinging sensation in his nose, "It's also the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me."

These words came as abruptly as Zhou Yulin felt a sudden tightness in her chest, recalling Jiang Si's words, "Are you going back?"

"Well, don't worry, it's not because of you, nor because of Jiang Si. I was going back anyway. Luckily, I found the answer to the question that had been bothering me, and that's enough. I have no regrets about going back." He clenched his fist and comforted himself. "Actually, it was quite good to come out like this. We went through so much together, things I never imagined. I also owe a lot to you for being able to join the Qingyun Sect."

"So, Zhou Yulin, don't forget me, okay?"

He rarely calls himself by his own name.

Having grown accustomed to her unreliable manner, Zhou Yulin was taken aback by this sudden sentimental remark, her mouth responding faster than her brain: "I'm not so old that I'm forgetful."

"Yes, I will not give up looking for my brother."

Gu Ling smiled bitterly, "I will try even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance. I want to see him again in my lifetime."

"Let him come back as the crown prince?"

Gu Ling shook his head, very confidently, "Everyone has taken him as their role model since I was a child, and they have always compared themselves to me. I want to prove to him that he is no worse than him."

"Yes, you will." Zhou Yulin looked at the fighting spirit in the man's eyes and said softly, "You will meet him again."

"Or rather, you've already met him."

Zhou Yulin clenched the scroll in her hand, as if a ten-thousand-pound stone was pressing on her heart. She wanted to tell the truth, but in the end, she left the choice to the other party.

"It contains information about your brother's whereabouts."

Zhou Yulin placed the scroll on the table.

Gu Ling stared for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Yulin's voice still echoing in his ears, "You can choose to open it, or you can choose not to open it."

"The choice is yours."

For some reason, Gu Ling felt that the clue he had been longing for was right in front of him.

He felt a sense of trepidation, though he was nearing his hometown.

What would he do if he really found his brother?

He definitely wouldn't hold a grudge. He wanted to tell his brother, "I miss you so much. Look, Ah Jin has become such a great adult." He wanted to hug his brother and tell him, "You've worked so hard. I'll take care of you from now on." He wondered if his brother would smile and pat his head as before, teasingly saying, "My Ah Jin is the best."

The memory was interrupted by the extinguished candlelight.

Gu Ling did not open the scroll; instead, he placed it in his palm.

The spiritual fire burned out completely.

In truth, everything is irreversible.

If my brother is doing well, then all the suffering I've endured will have been worth it.

But... am I really willing to accept this?

Gu Ling clutched his chest, his breathing amplified in the darkness.

The candle flame, which had been extinguished, reignited as if in a final burst of light.

It illuminated the boy's somber profile.

The thick, long night obscured the dim stars and hid the moon that would never return.

*

In the Xuanling Sect's water prison, the man moved his fingers. It had been a long time since the last whipping punishment. For some reason, the Xuanling Sect had been preoccupied with other matters lately, seemingly unable to deal with his own affairs. He opened his eyes. For the past month, he had been having a dream that wasn't his own.

In this dream, there are endless steps and an ever-present mist. The further he walks, the more someone calls out to him from behind.

Wei Xi, her voice filled with longing, turned away, but the sound had vanished.

He didn't remember how long he had walked. At the end of the mist, a door appeared. Pushing it open, he found himself facing a bottomless cliff.

Uncontrollably, he stepped forward, and Xuan Qingxian was jolted awake from his dream.

This wasn't the first time he'd had this dream.

He knew perfectly well that this dream did not belong to him.

He belongs to a man named Weixi.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor, and someone carrying a lantern walked towards them.

He recognized the man. As the eldest disciple in the sect, Xuan Qingxian knew the names of every disciple in the sect by heart.

Zong Mingqing appeared at the end of the corridor, looking at the now-down-and-out Xuan Qingxian with a smug expression. He held up a lantern to illuminate Xuan Qingxian's face. "Senior brother, senior brother, did you ever think you would end up like this? The world says you are a gentleman and a beacon of righteousness, but now you are nothing but a prisoner, not even as good as my little disciple."

Xuan Qingxian calmly countered, "What do you want?"

"I will see you utterly disgraced and your body reduced to ashes."

Xuan Qingxian didn't see Zong Mingqing's face twisted with jealousy. She simply stated a fact: "Back then, even if I hadn't caught you when you became a disciple, someone else would have. You secretly took forbidden drugs and harmed your fellow disciples. It's laughable that you think you can become a disciple of the sect leader."

"If it weren't for you, I would have been his disciple long ago!" Zong Mingqing sneered. "But it doesn't matter, you're going to die anyway. So let me tell you one more thing."

"Back then, I orchestrated the killing of Zhou Yulin."

Xuan Qingxian's usually calm and unwavering eyes finally spared a glance at Zong Mingqing. Although his tone was not much different from before, it made one feel as if they were in a cold valley. "What did you say?"

"Hahaha, I do like her, but she doesn't know what's good for her, so don't blame me for being heartless." Zong Mingqing took out a small glass bottle from his waist. "That night, I was the one who told her that you were about to wake up."

“That night you had just been brought back to the Xuanling Sect by Chen Muyao, how could you have woken up?” Zong Mingqing admired the anger in Xuan Qingxian’s eyes, and said each sentence as if he were being slowly tortured. “She was very strong, but without all her spiritual power, she was nothing more than that. I killed her right in front of you, with your sword.”

Zong Mingqing finished speaking with a smile, "Senior Sister Min's shapeshifting technique is really useful. She thought you killed her until she died. Senior Brother, killing someone you love must be a bitter pill to swallow."

"Shut up!" Xuan Qingxian said coldly. "You are not worthy to mention her."

“How can that be? I love her so much. I told her I could spare her life as long as she knelt down and begged for mercy. At the critical moment of life and death, this stupid woman refused to kneel down to me even if she died. She just looked at me coldly and said, ‘Dream on.’”

"Senior brother, I've come today to send you on your way."

As soon as he finished speaking, blood spurted out, and the figure fell heavily to the ground.

Xuan Qingxian stared at the blood on his sword, as if realizing something. He glanced at the water prison, then cleaved the shackles with a single sword strike and sped towards the Qingyun Sect. It was said that the Qingyun Sect's Mirror of Destiny could rewind time.

Xuan Qingxian, who hadn't seen the light of day for a long time, covered his eyes with his hands just as he was about to step into the dungeon.

"Senior brother." He recognized the voice; he knew who it was without even looking up.

The man stood at the dungeon exit, his purple robes flowing gracefully, a purple ribbon loosely tying up the young man's black hair. He leaned against the wall, saying, "It's been so long. I thought you were dead."

Lingxing looked at Xuanqingxian, "Master sent me to guard this place, to prevent you from stepping out of the dungeon."

"I'm going out." Xuan Qingxian never explained much, leaving only four extremely brief words.

“Escape from the dungeon is a serious crime, as your senior brother surely knows,” Lingxing emphasized, but the man remained unmoved.

"I won't make things difficult for you." Xuan Qingxian had just finished speaking when Ling Xing opened her mouth to say something, only to be met with a pinkish-white soft tendon powder.

Lingxing raised her hand with difficulty towards the departing figure, but ultimately let it fall limply.

"Qingyun Sujing, farewell, Jinyang City."

[The Qingyun arc is complete]