After a long silence, Chu Huaixu sighed softly, "Now that the message has been delivered, young lady should leave as soon as possible."
The woman gave a final bow: "Young master, please be careful in everything you do..."
He was alone in the room again. Chu Huaixu went back to the candle and fiddled with the wick. The dim candlelight reflected on his face, revealing no joy or happiness.
He recalled his first contact with the people there, which was a few months after he had fallen into the Drunken Spring Pavilion.
At that time, he had only been taking customers for a short time and was still very stubborn.
Hua Jiao, that vicious old woman, threatened him with Xiao An's life. Although he outwardly compromised, he always ended up offending his patron.
Some customers are good-natured; just because of his good looks, they'll like him even if he's cold.
Some people are arrogant and think they are above everyone else, believing that because they spent money, they are the king of heaven.
Chu Huaixu thus often learned his lesson.
That night, he offended a wealthy man and was slapped several times by that fat, pot-bellied man.
Hua Jiao felt sorry for his face and allowed him to rest in the room.
That's when the woman in black named Yuange came in. She was disguised as a man and swaggered into Chu Huaixu's room, accompanied by Hua Jiao.
Chu Huaixu was unaware of the other party's true identity and was angry that Hua Jiao had broken her promise, so he was very cold towards her.
The man didn't care, and after Hua Jiao left, he asked her directly:
"Third Young Master, do you want to avenge Prince Duan and the entire Prince Duan Manor?"
Chu Huaixu's hand, which was hanging by his side, twitched slightly, and he raised his head slightly: "Who are you?"
His voice was hoarse and deep, carrying an almost imperceptible sense of restraint.
The man said, "Young master, you don't need to care who I am. Just know that we have a common enemy and we are allies with the same goal."
"If you even conceal your identity, how can I trust you?"
Chu Huaixu closed his eyes briefly to calm the turmoil in his heart, and when he opened them again, his gaze was very calm.
He remained neither humble nor arrogant when facing the visitors.
He certainly needs help, he needs a strong ally, but he is not someone to be trifled with.
It's not that easy to take advantage of him.
The man seemed to struggle for a moment before uttering a name that surprised Chu Huaixu.
“Third Young Master, the Lord is not afraid that you will know your identity, because the Lord trusts you and also trusts the hatred in your heart.”
"The Prince of Duan's unyielding spirit will not be broken by the young master."
“Blood debts must be repaid in blood. Those who enjoy honor by stepping on the corpses of our parents and relatives must pay the price.”
What do you think, young master?
Of course that's true.
Blood debts must be repaid in blood; it is only right and proper.
The lamplight flickered and trembled. Chu Huaixu stretched out his index finger and extinguished the few burning candles, seemingly oblivious to the pain.
In the darkness, he stood there quietly, his fingers still pressed on the last candle that had been extinguished.
It's such a waste to use such a rare and powerful poison on him, especially since that person knew he would never betray them.
Between him and Song Ting lay mountains of corpses and seas of blood, piles of white bones. He wanted Song Ting dead more than anyone else, and wanted to destroy the Great Yan Empire.
Letting out a breath, Chu Huaixu moved his stiff legs and went back to his bed to rest.
As dawn approached, Chu Huaixu had a dream. In the dream, he had just finished a nightmare and walked out of the house, his mind still foggy.
He was wearing thin, coarse cloth clothes and felt particularly cold, probably because it was winter.
The corridor was dimly lit at dawn, the courtyard was quiet, and the faint candlelight shone through the window, barely illuminating the path beneath our feet.
After walking a few more steps, he saw what appeared to be someone leaning against the wall at the end of the corridor.
As I got closer, I could see that she was a richly dressed woman.
He tried to shout, but no sound came out of his throat.
It felt like something he didn't know was slowly swelling in his chest, growing bigger and heavier, making it hard for him to breathe.
From where he stood to the end of the corridor, it was only a few feet long.
No matter how many steps he took forward, he couldn't close the distance between them at all.
That short distance of a few feet seemed to have no end.
Chu Huai had no choice; he wanted to call out to her, he wanted to rush to her side.
He was heartbroken and hysterical, but he couldn't get even a step closer.
The same goes for the person on the other side.
They gazed at each other in silence for just a few seconds, yet it felt like an eternity…
When Chu Huaixu opened his eyes, the morning sun was already shining brightly into the room, and he was covered in sweat.
He moved his lips, and called out in a hoarse voice, "Mother..."
The voice reached his ears. Chu Huaixu suddenly realized that it was just a dream.
I haven't had such a distressing dream in a long time.
In almost every such dream, he was unable to make a sound, and could only helplessly repeat those fragments.
Under the influence of the nightmare, Chu Huaixu recalled the day before the destruction of the royal palace.
That day, his father and second brother, who had been guarding the border for many years, suddenly returned home. At that time, Chu Huaixu was climbing on the roof to catch a wild cat that had run away from somewhere.
"Father! Second Brother!"
Upon suddenly seeing his father and brothers, he was so excited that he quickened his pace and almost fell off the roof.
"Watch out!" Chu Huaiyun exclaimed in surprise.
Chu Huaixu himself was still shaken, but upon seeing his brother, he disregarded everything else, leaped down from the roof, and embraced his second brother.
What should have been a joyous reunion was instead marred by a stern face as Prince Duan reprimanded Chu Huaixu: "What kind of talk is this!"
His two older brothers had long since gone to the battlefield and made great achievements at his age, while he only knew how to tease cats and dogs.
This was originally a temperament that the late emperor and Prince Duan had spoiled him with, but perhaps Prince Duan was in a bad mood that day, and seeing Huaixu like this, he was not very happy.
Chu Huaixu argued back a couple of times, and was scolded even more harshly.
Chu Huaixu had never suffered such humiliation before, and he hid in his room, refusing to come out until dinner time.
As a result, he missed the last opportunity to have dinner with his whole family.
But Chu Huaixu didn't know this at the time. He just thought it was an ordinary dinner and that he would miss it if he missed it.
Anyway, there will always be opportunities in the future.
The next day, when Prince Duan entered the palace, Chu Huaixu, coaxed by the princess, awkwardly saw his father and brother to the door.
But he was still angry and refused to speak to his father.
He was so naive back then, never imagining that the Prince Duan's mansion would one day be destroyed.
Just like that dinner, he always thought that there was still a long time ahead, and that they could have plenty of time to make up for those regrets and shortcomings.
But he never imagined that parting would be their last.
The dinner he missed, the word "Father" he never uttered, became an eternal regret, causing him to feel remorse and self-blame whenever he thought of it.
But there was no chance to make amends.
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