Chapter 129 Dreams Remain in Childhood, Heart Faces the Moon
Looking at Yang Xiao's features, Lu Qi couldn't help but smile and sigh softly, "What 'Lu Qi' said just now was not Qi Lu. Xiao, you know my true feelings."
Yang Xiao sat down beside him, looked into his eyes, and sighed, "Fine, go with it." Then she looked at his wound and chuckled, "Don't think that just because you reversed your name, people won't recognize you."
"I used this pseudonym so you could recognize me," Qi Lu said with a smile, looking at Yang Xiao. "When will we spar again like we used to?"
"Forget it, everyone who's ever seen you fight is dead." Yang Xiao rolled her eyes at Qi Lu. "Why don't you try fighting Xiao Yun?"
Qi Lu laughed upon hearing this. "I'm already injured like this, and you're still teasing me. Next time you want to spar with me, let's wait until I've completely become Qi Lu, and then I'll spar with you as your senior uncle."
Yang Xiao looked at him and deliberately snorted, "I thought you had long since abandoned your family and loved ones."
“How could that be?” Qi Lu shook his head. “It’s just that the situation forced us to act against our will.”
"I had no choice..." Yang Xiao murmured softly, leaning against the table. Then, as if remembering something, she chuckled softly, "I heard you also got caught in a fall?"
Lu Qi paused slightly, then smiled and nodded, "Yes, I need to create the illusion of an assassin. Since I don't have anything handy, I can only throw the heel peg out to smash the window."
“Break the window, huh?” Yang Xiao gave a wry smile. “I thought you were going to take a heel pistol and smash Li Xing’s window too.”
"……also?"
Yang Xiao sighed and stopped talking about the previous topic.
She bent down and lifted his hand from the wound, frowning as she looked at the blood-soaked gauze. "Your injury..."
"What's wrong?" Qi Lu asked, puzzled.
"It was exactly the same as when our lord was assassinated."
Qi Lu frowned upon hearing this. "Yang Xiao, watch your words."
She then realized the title she had blurted out to Zhong Li'an, paused for two seconds, and then sighed, "Never mind, too much talk leads to mistakes."
"Thanks to you for reminding me," Qi Lu said with a smile to Yang Xiao. "I was just thinking about how to cover up the 'assassin' lie, and you just gave me a golden opportunity."
Looking into his smiling eyes, Yang Xiao frowned and clicked her tongue, "Xiao Yun is really miserable to have you."
Qi Lu chuckled twice, propped himself up on the bed, pulled out a fan from behind his waist, and held it up in the air to examine it.
"What, you've become addicted to playing with fans?" Yang Xiao turned her head and looked at the fan with him. "I never knew you had this habit before."
"I told you long ago that hidden weapons can save lives."
Yang Xiao smiled at him, "It seems this fan saved you today. If it weren't for it, would you have been defeated by Li Xing?"
"Of course we won't lose, but it won't be easy to cover it up afterwards." Qi Lu closed his fan and looked at the ceiling. "But this Li Xing is really ruthless, with poisoned tea and a secret room."
"Yes, in terms of ruthlessness, I'm slightly inferior to you." Yang Xiao teased with a smile, "Even with such ruthlessness, I couldn't hurt you in the slightest. It was you who stabbed me in the back, which led to this lose-lose situation."
“I had no choice but to do it,” Qi Lu said with a bitter smile. “I only realized how painful a knife wound could be after I stabbed myself. You guys risk your lives every day, it’s really…” He clicked his tongue and stopped talking.
"Trading one life for the peace of the world is a worthwhile trade." Yang Xiao looked up at the pitch-black sky outside the window. "Besides, in this chaotic world, survival is already difficult enough; just staying alive is good enough."
Qi Lu nodded upon hearing this, then turned to look at Yang Xiao, "What exactly did you and Xiao Yan talk about? She absolutely refuses to tell me."
"It was just to help me understand some things," Yang Xiao nodded and shook his head, picking up the jade carp hanging from his waist and examining it in the candlelight. "To bring peace to the people, one must first bring peace to the world. How can we win the hearts and minds of the people without a fair and square contest?" As he spoke, Yang Xiao stood up. "Moreover, the world has always belonged to the people. Whom the tide turns to is determined by them. They are also extremely strong and capable of withstanding any storm in this world. What right do we have to decide whether to fight or not?"
Qi Lu closed his fan, looked at Yang Xiao's retreating figure, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Hearing the sound, Yang Xiao turned around and looked at him, smiling, "Why are you sighing?"
"It's nothing," Qi Lu shook his head slightly, "I just remembered you standing in the courtyard with a bald gun barrel, secretly telling me behind your brother's back that you wanted to be a great general and protect us." Qi Lu smiled at Yang Xiao, "It seems that now, you really have done it."
Yang Xiao couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "Back then, I had no concept of what a general was; I just acted on my conscience." She sat at the table, propping her head up with her hand. "The word 'general' alone is inexhaustible and impossible to fully comprehend. Rather than a meaning, it's more like a road; with each step, the scenery is different."
“Those who walk this endless road without complaint or regret are called ‘generals’. Regardless of their purpose, whether it is for their family, their country, their people, or simply to resolve their inner confusion, they are all worthy of the title ‘general’.”
Yang Xiao turned to look at Qi Lu, "Uncle-Master, to be honest, I've always struggled with why I became a general. From childhood, it was to understand my father's and the court's dilemmas; when I was in danger, it was to protect the people; or perhaps it was to repay the kindness of my wise ruler and to appease my comrades-in-arms."
She gazed at the crescent moon in the sky and smiled, “Later they said they became generals to serve their country and bring peace to the world, but now it seems they were just empty words. If anyone were to ask me now why I became a general, I could only say that it is my heart’s desire, and there are no so many causes and effects. It’s just that on this boundless road, one can’t escape it once one starts walking, nor do I want to. If everything in this world is judged by some so-called ‘meaning,’ then it becomes meaningless.”
“It’s been so many years since I’ve heard you call me ‘Uncle-Master’,” Qi Lu said, looking at Yang Xiao with a smile. “Every step in life has its own moral code, so why dwell on it?” He looked at Yang Xiao’s silent profile. “Why do I feel like you just said more than you have in the entire year since you came to Chang’an?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao glanced at Qi Lu. "I'm already being lenient by not beating you up because you're using the name 'Lu Qi.' But since you just said you're 'Qi Lu' now, I'll just chat with you a bit more." Yang Xiao propped her head up and sighed softly. "Xiao Yan's path is to act unjustly with a righteous heart, ultimately washing away the mess he's made of and returning to the world; while your path is to abandon your real name to seek the way of a chaotic world, and then take off your mask to return to your true self... Have you thought about how you're going to face your master?"
Qi Lu smiled and shook his head, "I can't think that far ahead right now."
“It’s not far,” Yang Xiao tapped the table with her fingertip. “The formation is in chaos now. Jiangnan Lingyue Pavilion has sidelined He Yuan, and Bai Mingtongxi and the others have already forced their way into the territory and are ready for battle. If the Northern Qiang send out troops, the three armies will be able to attack the formation. Since the formation is unstable, it will surely break. In that case, is it still far?”
Upon hearing this, Qi Lu rested his arm on his forehead and sighed softly, "It seems the decisive battle is imminent. So, Lingyu, are you ready?"
“What’s there to prepare for?” Yang Xiao sat up straight and smiled at him. “Just go for it. What’s there to worry about?” As if thinking of something, she sighed again. “Although I have a deep affection for my loved ones, it is my heart’s desire to give my life on the battlefield. I have no regrets.”
"Don't worry, we'll all protect you. You definitely won't die." Qi Lu frowned upon hearing this and turned to look at Yang Xiao.
"I was just saying that to boost morale, but you mustn't risk your life. If you die, I won't be able to face my master."
Qi Lu smiled and said, "If anything happens to you, I will truly have no face to see my brother again." After saying that, he smiled bitterly and rubbed his forehead, "Really, how come our conversation has become so heavy?"
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Being in a bad mood will delay the healing of the wound," Yang Xiao reached out and took the snack plate. "Have some snacks. Some people say that sweetness can relieve all worries."
Qi Lu nodded, smiling as she picked up a piece of pastry. "There's no such thing as a good drink. Wine has always been the best remedy for worries."
"Then what about people who can't drink?" Yang Xiao turned to Qi Lu. "What, should I get you some alcohol?"
"There's no need for that," Qi Lu said with a smile, swallowing a piece of pastry. "Drinking alcohol would probably make the wound hurt even more, wouldn't it?"
“Yes, that’s true.” Yang Xiao sat at the table and joked, “It will hurt a little more than before. It’s okay for me, but you probably can’t handle it.”
Although it was a joke, Qi Lu still felt a sharp pain in her heart.
"Alright, alright, you're right," Qi Lu nodded to Yang Xiao, casually changing the subject, "For me right now, the only thing that can relieve all my worries is these pastries."
Yang Xiao smiled as she rested her chin on her hand, "The only thing that can relieve worries is a relaxed and open-minded attitude."
Qi Lu paused for a moment as she picked up the pastry, then a smile appeared on her lips.
The courtyard gradually fell silent. Only the gentle breeze soothed their hearts.
Chang'an grew more lively each day, and Qi Lu's wounds healed day by day. The ubiquitous festive scenes all spoke of the approaching New Year. However, Yang Xiao seemed to be afraid of something. The joyful and carefree scenes of the past had become a scar in her heart. In this festive atmosphere, she would peel it off again and again, leaving only bloody longing and melancholy.
But time did not give her a chance to calm her emotions; soon, New Year's Eve would arrive.
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