Chapter 85 [VIP]

Murong Yue flipped open the pillow and immediately saw a pair of love locks underneath.

The silver, full-moon shaped necklace, adorned with carved emeralds and tiger-eye patterns, bore the inscription "May you be forever united in heart and live a long and healthy life" in Chinese characters on its side. He couldn't help but pause slightly in surprise.

Recalling the young man's deliberately nonchalant demeanor on the street earlier, he couldn't help but pick up the clasp. The silver ring rested in his palm, gleaming with a cool, clear light. He remembered the young man's gentle words when he asked about his birthday gift; this must be a birthday present prepared for him.

His eyes reflected the love lock, and the image of the young man choosing a birthday gift for him appeared in his mind. He picked it up, looked at it from left to right, and then put it around his neck.

Do you know the meaning behind this love lock, Brother Changyou? It was originally made by the great shaman of the Hu tribe. Married men and women must not betray or separate. If they drift apart, the thousand-year-old curse hidden in the lock will emerge from the cracks, bringing unspeakable misfortune to the two of them.

This was what his mother told him. Although he didn't know if Changyou understood the meaning behind it, it still made him very happy. His emotions often fluctuated, and when he thought of this, they surged and receded like waves. He gripped the clasp without blinking, put it on, and glanced at himself in the mirror.

The boy in the mirror had grown up, his fan-shaped eyebrows revealing a handsome, aloof beauty. The curve of his eyes concealed his melancholy nature, revealing a rainbow-like radiance and exuding a vibrant, mad energy. A silver clasp adorned the center of his neck, like a dazzling fairy child emerging from the shadows of darkness and light.

The tiger's eye's emerald green, with a fluorescent undertone, deepened its solemnity.

"Your Highness, the young master asked me to call you to the front yard; it's time for dinner," Tengluo called from outside.

In the front courtyard, Lu Xuejin and Yege stood in front of Ruiyun Hall, where a vast expanse of pure white Ruiyun chrysanthemums grew. Large, white, silky petals fell downwards, revealing soft cores, their pure white petals like hydrangeas intertwined vertically, the leaves resembling cotton threads woven by a young girl.

Jaeger: "This was originally planted by my sister a few years ago. She said that she had also grown it in the palace, but it always died easily when kept in the palace. It blooms more profusely when planted in the wild."

Lu Xuejin: "This flower is precious, pure white and elegant. Consort Li has excellent taste."

Yege touched the soft filaments and couldn't help but smile slightly. He looked at him and said, "Like flowers, if the soil we've been accustomed to for thousands of years changes, we'll always feel uncomfortable. People are the same. Lord Lu, do you still feel comfortable here in Lidu?"

"This place is far from the strife, and life moves at a leisurely pace. You and Yue'er may have to wait here for three to five years. Will Lord Lu be able to adapt?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin said, "Where I am doesn't matter to me. Indeed, as you said, I have stayed in Shengjing for a long time, and sometimes I think of my father and mother. This Ruiyun Palace is also my mother's favorite flower. If I have the opportunity to go back in the future, I should go and see my mother."

“Well,” Yege said thoughtfully, “when I was young, my sister and I lived in Lidu and often didn’t go back for a long time. At the time, I didn’t feel anything when I didn’t go back to the tribe. It wasn’t until many years later, after my sister passed away, that I recalled my memories of my time with my sister in the tribe and belatedly realized that what I really wanted was to return to my homeland.”

"Young Master, His Highness is here." Tengluo's voice interrupted Lu Xuejin's thoughts.

The food in the center was already laid out. Lu Xuejin looked at the boy who came out of the room. The silver collar was shining. His gaze stopped. Wasn't that the love lock that Fang had hidden?

His Highness had found the love lock and put it on himself. His Highness, who was already handsome with bright eyes and white teeth, was now blushing as he kept touching the lock around his neck. Seeing the joy in his eyes, he rushed towards him.

Murong Yue: "Brother Changyou! Look...does it look good on me?"

Lu Xuejin was almost submerged in the boy's arms. She looked beautiful... but her birthday hadn't come yet, so why was she wearing it now! He couldn't help but feel a little helpless and started to have a headache.

His Highness must have been planning this on the way back, and found it while he wasn't looking, and even took it out to show off.

Jaeger, standing nearby, noticed the love lock, his expression deepening, a smile he couldn't quite describe spreading across his face.

“It’s beautiful…Your Highness, I haven’t even said it was a gift for you. How could you take it without my permission?” Lu Xuejin said.

"Who else could I give it to but my brother? What's his is mine. It was originally meant for me, so what's wrong with me wearing it now? We'll both be blessed after I wear it. I really like it. Thank you for the gift, brother," Murong Yue said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek without any hesitation.

The light kiss landed on his cheek, the side of his lips brushing against Lu Xuejin's eyelashes. Lu Xuejin was enveloped in Murong Yue's arms, his eyes wide open, as if the little tiger was baring its fangs in a show of defiance. His emotions remained relatively calm, and any hint of unease was quickly suppressed by the young man before him.

"What were Changyou talking about with his uncle just now?" Murong Yue asked.

“We were talking about His Highness, of course. His Highness said he was going to cook, but he ran off and we can’t find him,” Tengluo said, first serving Yege a bowl of noodles.

The golden noodles, glistening with moisture, are topped with a layer of shrimp oil, accompanied by boiled pork bones, quail eggs, deboned fish slices, and beef tendons. A thick layer of crab roe and shrimp meat is poured over them, and then the soup is simmered over the noodles. The aroma of the rich broth wafts over, enticing you to savor the flavor.

Jaeger said "thank you," and examined the way the noodles were made, guessing that Lu Xuejin's two maids must be extremely skilled in cooking.

"I had something to do, that's why I couldn't come. If you want to eat, I'll make it for you next time. The noodles made by Tengluo look so good." Murong Yue said, leading Lu Xuejin to sit down first.

Lu Xuejin was pressed into his seat by the boy, who held his shoulders from behind and half-huggled him from behind, saying, "Brother Changyou, let's eat first. If you don't like me wearing it, you can return it to me later."

Tengluo and Ziyan huddled together, separating Yege and Lu Xuejin. Yege and Lu Xuejin sat facing each other, while Murong Yue remained behind Lu Xuejin, not sitting down.

"Why isn't Your Highness eating?" Tengluo asked.

Lu Xuejin had grown another shell on his back. The boy's hair fell to his side and clung to his shoulder shamelessly. When he glanced to the side, he could see the burning emotion in the boy's eyes, which burned him like flames.

"I can't eat today. My brother bought me a necklace, and I'm so happy I can't eat. I won't eat; I want to watch my brother eat."

Lu Xuejin remained unmoved, sitting calmly in place. His face was made of wisteria and purple smoke. He ignored the boy behind him. Yege, who was opposite him, couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

Jaeger: "When he received an award in the army, he always clung to his sister like this."

Lu Xuejin said nothing. While eating, he glanced at the Ruiyun Palace tree and, after a moment of distraction, quickly looked away. He sensed the prince's emotions; ever since he put on the love lock, he hadn't had a moment without joy. Not wanting to eat was out of the question, so he persuaded the young man for a while, coaxing him to finish his meal.

Is he still a child at heart? He doesn't eat when he's happy, and he'll be eighteen soon.

That evening, after Yege left, Lu Xuejin and Murong Yue returned to their room together. Murong Yue followed behind him and hugged him as soon as they entered, pulling him into her arms from behind, the cold silver lock touching the side of his neck.

Murong Yue: "Brother Changyou, are you angry?"

“No,” Lu Xuejin said. “It was going to be given to His Highness sooner or later, but since His Highness wore it today, I feel that the birthday celebration lacked a sense of ceremony.”

“I knew it was a birthday gift my brother prepared for me. I couldn’t wait to put it on after I saw it. This is a token of my brother’s love, and I will wear it forever,” Murong Yue said.

As the bright candlelight was lit, Lu Xuejin sighed and looked at the boy's bright face through the candlelight. The stubborn joy hidden in his eyes seemed to stretch into threads and turn into sweet and refreshing candied fruit the moment she saw him.

"Brother Changyou," Murong Yue called out to him, his soft voice falling into his ear and burning his heart through the candlelight. A soft, wet kiss then landed on his temple, entwined with tender love, and left a burning warmth on his skin.

On the bed, he held the boy as they fell asleep. The boy, who used to always snuggle into his arms, now clung to him, refusing to let go even in his sleep. He had grown accustomed to the prince's domineering posture and drifted off to sleep in the flickering candlelight.

Before going to sleep, I saw the Ruiyun Palace floating by again. It was as white as snow, without any embellishment, yet it was indescribably beautiful.

A rational person always knows where their actions are heading. He came with His Highness and never regretted it. But one cannot erase one's past. Seeing something will always uncontrollably bring back memories of the past, those memories that shroud his eyes like smoke, like a bottomless fog, piercing through his heart.

Ruiyun Hall. Ruiyun Hall. Ruiyun Hall.

Planting at Ruiyun Palace.

The pure white stamens sprout pale tongues.

It grows in late autumn, displaying a beautiful form that reveals an indomitable spirit.

So beautiful, so pure, so inviolable.

"...Brother?"

Rain dripped endlessly from the old eaves, a rain that seemed never to stop. The sky was gloomy, the air filled with the damp, rotten smell, and he felt a strange sensation as he sank into the mud. He saw himself from his memories, holding an umbrella, looking at the boy standing before the flowers.

Xue Yi's pale cheeks were wet with rain, revealing his frail and sickly appearance. His dark eyes stared blankly at the white flower branch, which looked like a lotus leaf scattered in the rain.

He watched as Xue Yi broke off the flower branch, embraced the Ruiyun Palace, and coughed softly, splattering blood onto the flower's stamen. It was like a sudden splash of ink in a painting, bursting forth with intense color.

"Brother... what are you doing here?" the boy in red asked, holding up an umbrella.

He watched as he went to hold an umbrella for Xue Yi, then handed her a handkerchief and skillfully wiped away the bloodstains. Seeing his actions, a sickly blush appeared on Xue Yi's pale cheeks.

Xue Yi: "...The flowers are blooming. These flowers look a lot like Changyou. I was drawn here."

The boy in red couldn't help but say, "How can it be similar? My clothes don't match, and neither does my demeanor. If there were red chrysanthemums, it would be even more similar."

"I heard from the doctor the other day that I might die in the winter. Changyou, is that true?" Xue Yi asked.

At this, Xue Yi stared blankly at the bloodstains on his palm. The thickly painted eyebrows and eyes gradually faded, becoming blurred and misty in the rain. The rain seemed to cut off all voices, falling on his ears like a pebble hitting the center of a lake, exploding and suddenly becoming unbearable.

The boy in red replied, "Of course it's fake, why would you believe that, brother? With me taking care of you, I guarantee you'll live to be a hundred. In the spring, we'll go up the mountain to fly kites and go hunting. Don't worry, even ordinary people get cold on rainy days, let alone you who are already in poor health. If you like these flowers, just plant some in front of the window, so you can see them every day when you open the window, how about that?"

Upon hearing these words, Xue Yi paused slightly, his eyes revealing an indescribable emotion. Enveloped in a thick layer of moisture, his gaze became even more profound and bright, as if the night were shrouded in a thick layer of snow.

"I...I need to take my medicine properly and wait for spring so I can go hunting with Changyou."

Xue Yi: "I'm always troubling Changyou to take care of me. I... I'm feeling very uncomfortable here."

His fingers touched the spot on his heart; blood still clung to the corner of Xue Yi's lips, and his eyes held an indescribable emotion as he looked at him. Like a dewdrop, it slowly slid down, silently falling into the mud.

"..." The boy in red said, "How can it be considered a burden? My brother is my family, just like when our parents were sick. I will also take on this responsibility and take care of our parents for the rest of my life. My brother has clearly tried his best, so don't feel like you are the one dragging me down. I believe that being able to take care of my brother and make him safe and happy is what I should do... as naturally as eating and drinking?"

“If Yanli’s body can recover, I… I feel that my life will be complete,” the boy in red said.

If only my brother could recover, then we wouldn't have let our mother down. Before she died, our mother always worried about Xue Yi's health and grieved over his difficult fate. The predetermined course of his life always evoked pity in those who saw him, and his fragile, jade-like demeanor always inspired a desire to protect him.

He watched as the red-clad youth carried Xue Yi on his back. A bouquet of white flowers brushed against the youth's ear, staining the white of Ruiyun Palace with the color of fallen blood. Life is always full of things to do. Some people only need to do one thing in their lives, while others are born with a certain responsibility. This responsibility may arise from morality and goodwill, from character, or from facts.

In his youth, he was determined to do what he could, and he remained steadfast in his commitment, whether it was to speak out for the people or to mend the suffering and vicissitudes of life. He saw a sick and weak but unyielding young man. That young man, confined to his sickbed, was plagued by illness and misfortune, and had tasted all kinds of suffering in his youth.

His kindness wouldn't allow him to turn a blind eye.

His morality wouldn't allow him to be uncompassionate and indifferent.

His character wouldn't allow him to easily forget his own will.

Dragging Xue Yi's body, they walked forward, away from the dark room, away from the filthy place where no light could be seen, away from the agonizing pain of the decaying flesh, away from the noisy and sickly world, towards the land of hope, towards the world under the protection of gods and Buddhas.

A note from the author: