Lurk

"Brother?" Li You saw Li Yu coming with a faint smile on his face. He noticed the thing in his hand and asked with some confusion: "What is this?"

Li Yu's eyes were a little evasive, and he, who was always steady, began to stammer: "This is given to you by your adoptive father."

"My father gave it to me?" Li You's expression remained unchanged. She gently opened the lid of the wooden box. After she understood what was inside, her smile faded and she pushed the item back to Li Yu, "Give it back to your father."

"You'er," Li Yu didn't retreat. She unconsciously took a step forward, wanting to fight for something: "This will help you..."

"That shouldn't be given to me."

Li Yu couldn't see any emotion on Li You's face. He was filled with regret and suppressed his uneasiness. He said anxiously, "You'er, forget about that. Just think of it as a dream. Okay?"

Li You lowered her head, her expression unclear: "Brother, what has happened cannot be treated as if it didn't exist." She pushed Li Yu's hand away and went into the house.

"You'er!"

Li Yu couldn't do anything about Li You, so he stood there for a long time, put down the box, and left helplessly.

Outside the house, Lin Wanfeng saw him come out and sighed: "Leave her alone."

Li Yu wanted to say something but hesitated, but he also knew that he couldn't push too hard.

"Let's go." Lin Wanfeng came to talk to Li Yu about Li Ze's affairs.

Inside the house, Li You watched Li Yu leave, looking back every few steps, and the snow in his eyes would not melt away.

In fact, Li You had memories since she was born, so she had always remembered clearly that Li Ze had sent people to wipe out the entire Lin family more than ten years ago.

She remembered that it was a cloudy day. Her father followed Li Wu to the outer realm, and her mother took her to play with bamboo dragonflies in the courtyard.

Not long after, there was a commotion outside, shouting and screaming, which made people panic and feel that a disaster was about to happen. But the facts that followed told Li Yu that it was not an illusion.

Afterwards, a servant of the Lin family rushed in in a panic and said to my mother anxiously, "A group of black-clothed men with extraordinary skills are coming outside. Madam, please take the young lady and run away first!" The servant was carefully selected by my father and was loyal to the Lin family.

A'niang didn't hesitate, forcing herself to remain calm and taking her out through the secret passage. The servants acted decisively, bringing along the last few guards in the family and following them all the way to protect them.

Li You wasn't sure how long they had been running at that time, but she knew it was a long time. They had been hiding all the way, and many people had died.

Blood splattered on the ground, as red as flowers, but it was so dirty when mixed with the mud. Li You didn't know why those people were chasing them relentlessly. Would they not be satisfied until they killed them all?

They found a hidden cave before dawn, and the original group of people became three - A Niang, her, and the original servant.

Li You was still young at that time and in poor health. He ran all night and developed a high fever as soon as he found a shelter.

With pursuers outside, the three of them had no way to get out and could only endure. As two days passed, Li You's condition did not improve, but instead became more serious.

The servant gritted her teeth and went out alone to gather herbs. Initially, they had good luck; perhaps the pursuers, seeing they couldn't find her, gave up the search. It wasn't until she recovered that the group of men in black reappeared.

Ah Niang protected her behind her and said, "Who are you? Our Lin family has no grudge against you. Why are you hunting us down?"

The men in black laughed sarcastically, as if they had heard a joke. "It's your fault for being blind! You followed the wrong master!"

They drew their swords from their waists and stabbed fiercely.

After a few rounds, the mother and the servant were defeated and fell in the cave covered in blood.

Little Li You lay beside Madam Lin's gradually cooling body, tears in her eyes and her body visibly shaking. Her face was stained with blood, and she cried helplessly, "Mother, wake up... Mother, wuwuwu, wake up..."

"What should we do with this little girl?"

"Kill them together."

"yes!"

The sword, stained with the blood of countless people, was raised high and was about to chop towards Li You, but one of the men in black stopped him.

"Wait a minute?" The man in black should be their leader. His words were quite weighty. He looked at Li You with clear eyes. In silence, Li You felt a chill all over her body, as if she were falling into an ice cellar. "She's still useful to me, so keep her for now."

"yes."

Li You didn't understand why they spared him at that time. It was not until a long time later that he realized it, but it was too late.

Although Li Wu was kind and benevolent, he blocked the way of many people when he took office. In order to protect the safety of his young son, only a very few people knew that Li Wu and his wife had a child. Even if they knew, few people had seen it.

Li Wu and his wife hid their child so well that it became a knife in the hands of others.

The men in black took Li You to meet their master, Li Ze.

Li Ze tried very hard but couldn't find the child, so he used Li You, who was almost the same age and had water spiritual roots, to impersonate him.

Li You is smart and knows that if she disobeys the other party, she will be killed. Therefore, even though she later sees the cruelty behind Li Ze's gentle mask, she chooses to turn a deaf ear and dumb to protect herself.

Li Ze used Li You as a bargaining chip and summoned all the elders of Yinchao to the meeting hall. Later, he even killed all the elders of Yinchao who opposed Li Ze's ascension to the throne.

That day, Yinchao was flooded with blood, Li Wu and his wife died outside, and Li Ze successfully took the position of the leader of the Yinchao clan.

After that, Li You had a high fever every few days. When she woke up, she refused to say anything, as if she had lost her mind. She was quiet and obedient. Li Ze came to look for her several times, but ultimately did not kill her.

Li You hugged herself tightly, trying to keep herself warm. She still didn't understand why Li Ze wanted to keep her and raised her like his own daughter.

Li You considered revenge, but subsequent events told her that Li Ze wouldn't give her the chance. Gradually, she grew into a heartless person, like an ice sculpture, cold inside and out. Until she was nine, when Li Yu appeared. This person possessed an innate affinity that drew her closer.

She thought, it would be nice if life could always go on like this peacefully.

But she only found out a few days ago that Li Yu was the orphan that Li Ze had not found.

Li You was caught in a contradiction again. She would not simply think that Li Yu approached her and Li Ze without any purpose.

This is impossible and unrealistic.

Was all that tenderness and consideration just an act? Li You couldn't help but wonder. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. But her heart was already a mess.

Or, she could try...

·

"Do you know why I sent you to You'er in the first place?" Lin Wanfeng asked him with a frown.

"To protect her."

Lin Wanfeng let out a long sigh and nodded: "There are only two people left in my Lin family now. You'er lost her mother when she was young, so it makes no difference whether I, a father, am here or not." He picked up a pot of liquor and drank it.

"Uncle Lin, you are not in good health, drink less." Li Yu advised.

Lin Wanfeng waved his hand and said indifferently: "But I don't want You'er to know these past events."

Lin Wanfeng was lucky enough to survive, but he learned that his wife and children were brutally murdered by Li Ze. He was in great pain and wanted to tear Li Ze into pieces.

But his injuries were too severe to heal without a decade or eight of recuperation, let alone revenge. He was desperate, with no hope of survival.

At this moment, he saw the little person standing next to Li Zesheng, who was his daughter, Lin You.

He observed for a long time and found that You'er was not as talkative as usual. It was as if she remembered nothing. She was not angry and followed the beast Lize without saying a word. She was numb like a puppet at the mercy of others.

This made him extremely sad, but he was helpless. Perhaps it was fate that allowed him to meet Li Wu's son, Li Yu.

Li Yu has extraordinary talent. As long as he doesn't die prematurely and practices diligently, he will surely become a leader of his generation in time!

Lin Wanfeng made up his mind and secretly cultivated Li Yu. Fortunately, Li Yu lived up to his expectations and achieved great success, even surpassing his father, Li Wu. As the years passed, he found that Li You was still the same, always closed off and unwilling to communicate with others.

As an incompetent father, he couldn't bear to see his once lively and cheerful daughter become like this. So, he fabricated an identity for Li Yu and infiltrated the Hidden Tide disciples openly.

It happened that Li Ze was selecting disciples from the Yinchao side branch, so Lin Wanfeng took advantage of the situation and asked Li Yu to perform well. As expected, Li Yu quickly caught Li Ze's eye and was adopted as his adopted son soon after.

"I don't need You'er to recognize me as her father, but I hope she will live a peaceful, happy and worry-free life."

Even if she could never remember the past or remember him as her father, as long as she was happy, nothing else mattered.

Li Yu took a big gulp of wine, and the strong liquor went down his throat, burning him. He said sincerely and firmly, "I understand, Uncle Lin. I will do my best to take good care of You'er for the rest of my life."