Chapter 87 [VIP]

The swirling mist, the invisible chill, the elusive heartbeat—all these things floated around him as his eyes met Xue Yi's. His fingers suddenly began to twitch uncontrollably, as if sensing that resentful and unfathomable gaze, and a chill enveloped his entire body.

People can sense each other's emotions. He grew up with Xue Yi. When they were young, he was often hard to understand. As adults, his emotions were often concealed, but sometimes they could be revealed through his eyes and gaze, subtle expressions, and unreadable gestures.

Lu Xuejin felt himself being torn apart and shattered under Xue Yi's gaze. The drifting dark clouds obscured his face, turning him into a skeleton and withered tree, his empty, deathly silence accompanied by questioning. The other party wanted to rip out his heart and lungs, turn his internal organs inside out, and see if they were black or red.

A multitude of emotions surged within him, his palms sweated, and his amber eyes reflected Xue Yi's face. Only after the initial shock did his expression return to normal.

“Brother, how have you been?” he said.

Xue Yi's features were obscured by the mist, and a wisp of black mist rose from his white bones, watching him like a ghost. His narrow, thin pupils stared intently at him, glancing over his stunned expression, a ghostly aura emanating from the stillness.

"I hadn't heard from Changyou in a long time, so I came to see him in person. I was originally planning to go look for him after I finished eating wontons, but it seems we are destined to meet... and we've met here today."

"..." Lu Xuejin pursed his lips slightly, finding it difficult to answer. His brows and eyes were slightly lost in thought before finally returning to their focus.

Nothing he said seemed futile. Having already made his choice, why bother with any more affectation or pretense? Lu Xuejin pondered this as he sat down opposite Xue Yi. The owner placed the wontons on the table, and the two sat facing each other.

Lu Xuejin: "How is my brother's health...?"

This was genuine concern; he believed it was entirely sincere. But as his eyelashes cast shadows, he noticed the withered chrysanthemums outside. Overnight, the butterflies on them had frozen to death on the branches. Those deep brown, mottled patterns, which should have been vibrant and changing under the sun, were now dead worms on the flowers.

Xue Yi did not answer his question.

He watched as Xue Yi's withered fingers picked up the soup spoon and scooped up the wontons from the soup bowl. The wonton shop was silent; the cold wind blew in like knives, cutting into their faces. The soldiers remained silent, while the wisteria and purple smoke formed two greyish-white statues standing guard outside. As the soup was scooped up, the large wonton wrappers fell with a clatter.

A cold wind blew, and a low coughing sound filled the air.

Xue Yi coughed heavily, and with a "plop," fresh blood dripped into the soup bowl in front of him.

Unaware of what was happening, Xue Yi let the blood drip into the wonton bowl and mix with the broth. Xue Yi's pale face was stained with blood, yet he continued to eat the wontons with his head down, coughing as he ate. The wontons were stained with blood, and the bitter, fishy smell of the blood seemed to permeate the air.

It was a rusty, bitter-smelling, and glaringly bright red.

His pupils reflected the scene before him, when suddenly a gust of wind blew, bringing an invisible weight. The cold wind blowing from Shengjing pierced through Lidu and landed on him, feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, suddenly making it hard for him to breathe. The blood was clearly in Xue Yi's bowl, yet it seeped out from the bottom of the bowl, seeped into the cracks, and fell between his teeth, seemingly determined to make him taste the bitterness of being soaked in blood.

Somber and obscure, withered and reversed.

The bitterness seeped into his teeth and into his lungs, causing his body and soul to temporarily separate.

They remained silent, the only sound the slurping of their wontons. The cough pierced his ears; hadn't he heard it many times before? Why did it now feel so grating, like a wooden awl piercing his heart, striking him repeatedly along his chest?

Lu Xuejin was somewhat dazed, finding it difficult to swallow. He watched as Xue Yi finished the bowl of soup, his body slightly unsteady as he stood up.

That thin, withered body, soaked in blood and ink, swayed precariously when it stood up, as if it might collapse at any moment.

He instinctively stepped forward to help him up, but when he touched Xue Yi's wrist, he felt something icy cold, the sensation fleeting. Xue Yi avoided him, preventing him from touching it.

Xue Yi raised her slender eyes to look at him, as if she were a great distance away from him for a moment, avoiding his touch. There was still blood on the corner of her lips, and with just one movement, she distanced herself from him.

His hand froze in mid-air, stiffly maintaining its original position, as if he were in a dream for a moment.

The sickly man before him seemed to spring from his childhood memories, his personality inherited to this day. In an instant, all his obsession with him seemed to vanish. The cage that had formed in front of the sickbed was gradually opening up to him, allowing him to walk out and no longer be affected by this gloomy and oppressive atmosphere.

Just go out. Just go out.

Isn't this what he's always dreamed of?

The soldier followed behind Xue Yi, brushing past him. His hand only touched a corner of Xue Yi's clothes. The faint scent of bitter medicine lingered on his fingertips, leaving no trace.

After everyone left, Lu Xuejin remained standing in the same spot.

"Young Master!" Tengluo, who was outside the door, reacted. Her face was still pale as she looked at him with worry. "Young Master... are you alright... His Majesty... His Majesty is here. What should we do?"

...That's very good.

Now that you've made your choice, all you need to do is follow your own will.

Lu Xuejin stared blankly at his palm. He whispered, "Ziyan, go and send a message to the King of Hu... Stop His Highness from coming back."

Ziyan responded with a "Yes." When they went out, the wonton shop owner was collecting the wrapped wontons. The owner looked at the sky in the distance and saw the snowflakes falling gently, tiny white dots, like stars falling in the night.

"It's snowing! It hasn't snowed in the capital for a hundred years. A once-in-a-century snowfall... I've finally witnessed it today!"

"Be careful on your way back, you three! The roads are very slippery after this snowfall."

The distant mountains were pristine white, with wispy snowflakes falling from the clouds and melting into water on the ground. A beautiful snowflake landed on his shoulder, and Lu Xuejin reached out to touch it, feeling its coolness. The snowflake melted in his palm, sending a chill down his spine.

Snow.

Snow.

Snow.

Wei Ning heard the commotion and saw Xue Yi coughing up blood in the snow. Xue Yi's frail body seemed to melt into the white snow, and the unusually cold wind seemed to blow him away.

Xue Yi lowered his eyes, his pale face was etched by the wind and snow, the bloodstains on his lips, the slightly rapid breathing in his chest, the snowflakes falling on the red blood vessels at the corners of his eyes, all seemed to be crushed in the wind.

Seeing this scene, the glaring bloodstains were too dazzling. The sight of her childhood friend stirred a pang of pity in her heart, and her usually cold and harsh heart was stirred. She quickly stepped forward to support the person, her bright eyes stinging with tears from the wind.

"Where have you gone? Xiao Qi and I have been looking for you everywhere!" Wei Ning asked.

She knew perfectly well where else she could have gone but to Changyou. She knew she shouldn't have gone, yet she had no choice but to, and now she's ended up like this.

Xue Yi, who was being questioned, coughed on the spot. His dark eyebrows and eyes revealed a calm emotion. He coughed up a pool of blood, which landed in her palm and burned her so much that she almost stopped talking.

Xue Yi didn't answer her question. He had been resolute on the way, but something else must have triggered him. Didn't she already know? When she saw it with her own eyes, when her palm touched the blood, she still couldn't help but tremble, feeling a dull ache in her heart.

"I told you this before you came... What's going on now! Why... why do you insist on having him?"

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Qi came out and saw the withered monarch in the wind and snow. His revered monarch had transformed into a beautiful flower branch in the snow, falling amidst the vast expanse of white snowflakes.

His eyes were like splashes of ink, the sorrow within impossible to conceal; the flower branch had gently crumbled at its roots. Yet, his monarch clung on, refusing to fall, trying to piece together his shattered roots.

Xiao Qi's heart tightened, and she said, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, why are you so upset? Don't be sad for that heartless man. It's cold outside, Your Majesty, please go back inside. Don't be sad, there's nothing that can't be overcome... Now that we've come here, are we afraid we can't take him back?"

"...Cough cough." Xue Yi's palms trembled, his face was as pale as the blue-white sky, and then he silently collapsed in the snow.

Wei Ning quickly caught him. She touched the blood on her hand and felt Xue Yi's pulse, but he remained unresponsive for a long time, as if he were dead.

"Xiao Qi...Quick! Go and fetch a doctor."

Night fell. Lu Xuejin sent Ziyan with a message, which was immediately relayed to her, informing her that the garrison from Wuling had arrived in Lidu. It was already dark, but the torches at the city gates, where the marching troops had reached, illuminated half the sky. The temperature in Lidu had dropped in just one day.

The entire capital was blanketed in white snow, and the people cheered and celebrated this once-in-a-century snowfall. The lively sounds could be heard in the streets and alleys at night. Brilliant fireworks burst in the sky, laughter filled the air, and snowmen were built one after another along the streets.

Lu Xuejin stood in the courtyard, gazing at the snowman made of wisteria vines. He stared absently at the illuminated sky, then noticed the snowman's button eyes. The black button eyes gleamed in the night. He looked down at his hands; his palms were clean, yet he still felt a lingering smell of blood.

I wonder how Your Highness is doing.

I wonder when Ziyan will be able to return.

I wonder what Xue Yi's plans are.

Xue Yi's eyes flashed through his mind, the blood-stained wonton dripping into his heart with a "plop," causing him to suddenly feel a dull pain. Connected to this in his mind was a calm game of chess, where the pieces seemed suddenly blocked by something, unable to move.

"..."

"Bang, bang, bang!" The courtyard gate was knocked on, and a familiar voice came from outside.

"Changyou, may I come in?" Wei Ning asked.

They had been corresponding before, and Wei Ning knew this address. He went to open the door for Wei Ning and saw a panting face. Wei Ning had clearly rushed over.

Lu Xuejin: "Did you come with Xue Yi? Come in quickly."

They hadn't seen each other for a long time, but their correspondence had never stopped. Now that they met again, Lu Xuejin saw Wei Ning and thought of Xue Yi. For some reason, the joy in her heart was somewhat overwhelmed. They were childhood friends, and Wei Ning was like him. When they saw each other's expressions, they were both slightly stunned.

Without needing to say a word, Lu Xuejin understood what was going on, and remained standing at the door without making a move.

“Yes, I came here with Xue Yi,” Wei Ning said, her tone somewhat unnatural. “I escorted him all the way here, and several times I wanted to kill him and run away. But when the time really came… Changyou, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Looking at his sickly appearance, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

Wei Ning: "Today was supposed to be a day for our reunion. Sometimes I wonder what to do with my indecisive nature. If I could be more resolute, perhaps Qing'er wouldn't have left me, and perhaps I wouldn't have put Changyou in such a difficult position. But I'm always like this... I always feel reluctant to do it."

“He fell ill after seeing you just now, and he managed to hold on without having an attack all the way. I just had a doctor take a look at him, and the doctor said he is on the verge of death. I don’t know what to do, Changyou… why don’t you make the decision for me? If you go, he might still live, but he will still be half-dead for the rest of his days. If you don’t go, it would be a happy ending if he dies tonight.”

Lu Xuejin listened quietly, his heart suddenly becoming incredibly calm. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, landing on his and Wei Ning's expressions. He saw a complex mix of emotions in Wei Ning's eyes, all of which easily dissipated in the face of life and death.

The snowflakes fell in disarray, the eternal lamps lit in front of the mansion, and candlelight illuminated the walls carved with stained-glass windows. Suddenly, the figure of a young man in red appeared before those colorful stained-glass windows. The young man in red looked exactly like him, only his face was much more youthful, and he possessed an air of righteous and awe-inspiring arrogance.

The boy in red met his gaze and asked, "Why did you save him? He should have died twenty years ago, so that all obstacles could be cleared for you. Am I right?"

Lu Xuejin: "Whether I go or not... makes no difference to his illness."

He spoke slowly, and as he responded, his calm voice caused a subtle change in Wei Ning's expression. Wei Ning remained silent for a long while. They stood facing each other, a threshold separating them abruptly. The gap between them, though shallow, was indescribably deep.

"..." Wei Ning looked away. "I understand. You should take good care of His Highness. I was wrong today. I said things I shouldn't have. Changyou, please don't take it to heart."

"I'll head back now. I'll visit you another day. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything."

Wei Ning's voice was light and airy, carrying a hint of cautiousness, like snowflakes floating in the air, landing on his heart, melting and then suddenly stinging.

Lu Xuejin watched Wei Ning's figure disappear, leaving only a string of footprints in front of the mansion. As the snow covered the area, the faint footprints quickly disappeared.

He was completely silent, the entire large courtyard empty except for himself. The wisteria had fallen asleep, and the myriad lights of the houses, bright and clear, seemed like illusions to him. The lamplight transformed into flickering will-o'-the-wisps, into the ashes of a burnt-out fire, scalding his limbs until they stiffened, leaving him numb and only aware that he was being buried in the snow.

A note from the author: