Chapter 62 He is not a substitute. If he were to die, would she...?

Lu Ya was startled, a mix of bitterness and relief welling up inside him, a complex feeling.

She's so good to Qi Baitong; he was right after all.

When he said this to Qi Baitong, he was very confident, but when he truly realized it, he still felt a sense of unease.

That's all.

Lu Ya shook his head, shaking off all his emotions: "I'll give the order right away to treat Young Master Qi's external injuries first, and then you can set off. Do you need someone to escort you?"

"No need."

Gu Shanyue waved and paced back and forth inside the room.

A person who is usually carefree and indifferent to worldly affairs is so anxious that he can't even stand still.

Lu Ya acted quickly, cleaning and applying medicine to Qi Baitong's external wounds. With the horses ready, Gu Shanyue didn't linger. He helped Qi Baitong up and walked outside, where a simple and unassuming carriage was parked in the center of the courtyard.

Gu Shanyue helped the lacquered white tung tree into the carriage, sat on the shaft, and was about to crack the whip when a low, weak voice rang out: "Sister..."

He only managed to utter two words before he started coughing uncontrollably.

Gu Shanyue looked up and saw Li Yuheng, dressed in a disheveled state with his hair ornament askew, being supported by Bai Yan, who was covered in dust, standing at the courtyard gate.

He hadn't changed into clean clothes, nor had he wiped away the bloodstains he'd vomited; his face was splattered with blood, and his chest was covered in blood.

He was telling Gu Shanyue that he had vomited blood.

Gu Shanyue's brows furrowed slowly: "Get out of the way."

Li Yuheng could hardly believe his ears, his face growing increasingly pale: "Sister, where are you going with him again?"

“This is none of your business,” Gu Shanyue said coldly. “Get out of the way.”

"Sister! He's just a fake. I'm standing right here. Why are you being so nice to a substitute!" Li Yuheng looked up, staggered forward a step, and looked at her sadly. "This is Zhuoguang Mountain, my Zhuoguang Mountain with you. Have you forgotten the past ten years we've shared? I am your Yu'er!"

His words were filled with anger, and he coughed heavily after speaking them, with faint traces of blood visible on his lips.

Gu Shanyue snorted coldly, showing no agreement whatsoever: "He is not a fake, much less a substitute for you. Zhuoguang Mountain will always be Zhuoguang Mountain, and I will always be me. It is you who have changed."

Li Yuheng was still coughing, his throat making a hoarse, strained sound, and he shook his head as he looked at her.

When they were young, they lived, played, made fires and caught fish together on the mountain. She taught him swordsmanship and cared for him more than anyone else, only him.

For ten years, she was truly his sister, his everything.

"Sister, I will not be the crown prince anymore. I will stay in Zhuoguang Mountain and stay by your side forever. No one can interfere with us. We can still be like before, okay?"

Li Yuheng spoke urgently amidst his drawn-out breaths, rushing to the carriage and tightly gripping Gu Shanyue's skirt as if grasping at his last hope.

Gu Shanyue looked down at him, and he forced a smile, revealing his tiger teeth.

Li Yuheng was always arrogant and haughty. Even if he tried to hide it in front of Gu Shanyue, he would always leave some clues.

But now he looks so disheveled and pitiful, his clothes and hair are all messed up, he doesn't look like a high and mighty prince at all.

"Sister, please say yes, okay..."

Gu Shanyue should be soft-hearted. Every time this happens, she softens her heart towards him and compromises for him without exception.

I think it will happen this time too.

But Gu Shanyue just looked at him quietly, her gaze as clear as a mirror, illuminating all his unbearable flaws.

Li Yuheng's lips trembled, and he crumbled completely under her gaze.

He wanted her to remain the same as before, to linger in the past, but he had already changed.

She was still Gu Shanyue, but he was no longer Yu'er.

He can't go back to the past, and Gu Shanyue won't stay for him.

"Why...why..."

A surge of intense resentment overwhelmed him, drowning out all his emotions and causing him to lose his pitiful smile, his handsome face contorted into a grotesque demon.

She was clearly his, he was the only one in her eyes, he was the only one she cared about and cared about in this world, so how could Gu Shanyue suddenly abandon him and be with someone else?

Gu Shanyue would rather swear a poisonous oath than accept him, yet she embraced and kissed another man. He thought she was naive and inexperienced in love, but it turned out she simply didn't love him...

How could she not love him?

They are the most important and intimate people to each other. They have countless memories that no outsider can intrude upon, and they have the most unbreakable relationship in the world. Why did things come to this?

"You said you would always choose me, you said you would never choose Qi Baitong!"

Li Yuheng placed his hand on Gu Shanyue's knee, tears streaming down his face. His questioning was almost a roar, like a trapped beast screaming in despair.

Gu Shanyue watched him go mad, her eyes calm to the point of being almost pitying.

"If only one of you and him can live, I choose you. Your senior sister has entrusted you to me; your life is more important than anyone else's in this world."

A strong hope shone in Li Yuheng's eyes as he nodded vigorously: "Yes, I am Yu'er. You can't abandon me, right?"

Gu Shanyue brushed away his outstretched hand, withdrew her gaze from him, and spoke in a cold and indifferent tone.

“Apart from that, I choose him.”

Li Yuheng was struck dumb, and for a moment he could hardly comprehend the meaning of those words.

Gu Shanyue cracked his whip, and the horse galloped forward, nearly causing Li Yuheng to fall, but Bai Yan caught him in time.

Li Yuheng stared blankly at the departing carriage, the dust rising and stinging his eyes.

But nobody cared whether he was in pain or not.

The only person who cared about him was now protecting others.

If only one of him and Qi Baitong could survive, Gu Shanyue would choose him, but there are no such life-or-death situations.

As long as he is still alive and well, she will always choose Qi Baitong.

It was only at this moment that Li Yuheng suddenly realized that Gu Shanyue wasn't incapable of love; she simply didn't love him.

She was very, very good to him, but she never loved him.

What Qi Baitong received was her true love.

It turns out that he had been deluding himself all along.

He was so confident, so certain, so easily squandering her tolerance and affection for him. But today, with all pretenses removed, he is the most ridiculous buffoon on stage.

Countless thoughts raced wildly through his mind. Li Yuheng clutched his chest, spat out a mouthful of blood, and collapsed backward.

Before everything went completely dark, his last thought was: if he died now, would she regret it?

As night fell, Gu Shanyue drove the carriage across the plains. Traveling on mountain roads was inconvenient, and the journey to Wanhua Die Valley would require a detour, making the trip much longer than usual.

The carriage was fully stocked with food, drink, and medicine. Qi Baitong was still unconscious, but Gu Shanyue showed no signs of fatigue and had no intention of stopping to rest.

Qi Baitong was unconscious for two days. Apart from feeding him and giving him medicine, and changing horses at the post station, Gu Shanyue did not stop to rest once. He only filled his stomach with dry biscuits along the way, holding the reins while eating the biscuits. When he choked badly, he would drink some wine.

We covered four days' worth of travel time in just two days.

The wind howled, and although Gu Shanyue's eyes were bloodshot, they remained bright and piercing.

The fame of the twin swordsmen of Zhuoguang Mountain stems not only from their talent, but also from their unwavering determination and relentless daily practice.

For Gu Shanyue, fatigue was an old friend.

"Moon... Ah Yue..."

Amidst the rustling wind, Qi Baitong's hoarse voice rang out softly.

Gu Shanyue's ears twitched, catching the commotion. She reined in her horse, stopped the carriage, and lifted the curtain to go inside.

As Qi Baitong was trying to sit up on the soft couch, Gu Shanyue quickly went over and pressed him down, placing her palm on his forehead.

"The fever has gone down, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Qi Baitong said hoarsely, "Where are we going?"

Gu Shanyue removed the stopper from the water bag and put it in his mouth: "Drink water first, drink more."

Qi Baitong gulped down half a bag of the drink quickly, and his thin lips regained some color.

"The needle-threading gu in your body has been triggered and cannot be completely quelled. We will go to the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers and Butterflies to find a way to remove the gu worm."

As Gu Shanyue spoke, he tilted his head back and gulped down two mouthfuls of water from the water bag that Qi Baitong had drunk from.

Qi Baitong blinked, the pain in his body coming and going, making it difficult for him to move freely.

After not seeing her for two days, he stared greedily at Gu Shanyue's face.

"I thought I would never see you again."

He reached out his hand, and Gu Shanyue immediately gripped it tightly: "Don't talk nonsense. With me here, you won't die."

She spoke domineeringly, but she was very serious.

Qi Baitong chuckled softly: "Okay."

The carriage curtains fluttered in the evening breeze, and the moonlight poured in like water, illuminating Gu Shanyue's face, which could not hide her weariness. Qi Baitong's expression changed slightly, and he raised his hand to gently stroke her face, his fingers carefully touching her red eyes.

"Have you not rested properly these past few days? Why are your eyes so red?"

Gu Shanyue rubbed his eyes nonchalantly: "What's this? Back when we were ambushing the Blood Mirage, I didn't get a full night's sleep for five days."

She seemed genuinely indifferent, but Qi Baitong felt only heartache upon seeing her, and beneath that heartache lay a sly, secret joy.

He also held significant importance for her.

"I'm fine. It's okay to drive slowly. You get a good rest tonight, and I'll drive."

Qi Baitong tried to sit up, but Gu Shanyue pressed her back down.

“No,” she refused decisively, “we’ll talk about everything when we get to the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers and Butterflies.”

After saying that, Gu Shanyue turned and left, then whipped his horse and galloped away into the distance.

Qi Baitong swayed in the carriage and then fell back onto the couch.

He could sense that the Gu worms inside his body were stirring restlessly and had not subsided, and every now and then a sharp pain would come from deep within his muscles and tendons.

But when he thought of Gu Shanyue protecting him on Zhuoguang Mountain, he felt it was all worth it.

For his sake, Gu Shanyue and Li Yuheng turned against each other.

This thought excited him. He wasn't completely unconscious while he was in a coma; sometimes he was drowsy, sometimes he was briefly awake and could hear the sounds around him, but he wasn't sure if it was a dream or if it was all real.

He vaguely remembered Li Yuheng's plea and Gu Shanyue's indifference. If it was true, if everything was as he imagined... Gu Shanyue said he was not a substitute.

Qi Baitong simply couldn't bear to think about it anymore. He was so excited that his blood was boiling, and the Gu worms inside his body began to emerge, bringing waves of pain.

He lay down, calmed his breathing, and tried to clear his mind.

If that were truly the case, he would be even more determined to keep his life and stay by Gu Shanyue's side.

Amidst the swaying and staggering, the night passed. Qi Baitong slept and woke repeatedly in pain. As dawn broke, Gu Shanyue stopped the carriage, came in, and fed him some dry biscuits.

"Eat."

Gu Shanyue handed the cake to Qi Baitong. He was in good condition at the moment and didn't need her to feed him. She took a cake herself and ate it while drinking.

For a long time, Qi Baitong didn't make a move. Gu Shanyue looked over and saw that Qi Baitong had only taken one bite before staring at the cake in a daze.

Gu Shanyue thought he was disgusted and explained, "It's just something to eat on the way. You can make do with this."

Qi Baitong raised her eyes, her dark pupils moist: "Is this all you've been eating these past few days?"

Author's Note: Another surprise double update!