Chapter 319 Donglan, let's go home.
319、
During the Hundred Families Night Parade, Taiyi Academy is off-limits to all, and even instructors must register before entering or leaving. At this time, the only ones who can freely enter and leave the academy are the twenty-four saints of Taiyi.
Wei Ren set off from the snow valley at the break of dawn. At his pace, it might take him ten days to half a month to reach the academy. Because Zhang Guanyi had informed him of Yan Manfeng's death, the young man was preoccupied and walked absentmindedly.
The boy, clinging to his back, saw him nearly fall into the ditch several times and tapped the boy's head in annoyance: "If you walk like this, we'll drown before we even reach the academy."
"Are you in a hurry?" Wei Ren snapped out of his daze, steadied himself, and could already see the sea in the distance.
"Where's the boat?" The boy leaned forward, his hands on his shoulders. "Can't you just use the Wind Riding Technique to fly? Fly back to Taiyi Academy right now."
Wei Ren felt that the child was being unreasonable. In the past, he would have tied the child up and given him a beating, but now he could only act like a grandson in front of the child.
"I do know how to control the wind, but I can't fly over the sea," Wei Ren said with a fake smile.
"Really?" The boy suddenly became smug, and instead patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Then I'll take you for a ride today."
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge white crane flew out from the clouds.
A crane arrived riding on the clouds, its call loud and clear, carrying with it a damp mist. Wei Ren felt the water vapor rushing towards him and mistook it for a huge wave crashing in. He subconsciously turned his face away, and when he came to his senses, he was already on the crane's back, looking down at the boundless blue sea from high above.
Wei Ren stared in shock at the boy beside him. The boy stood in front of him, arms outstretched against the cold wind, his clothes and hair fluttering in the wind.
The boy closed his eyes, and the moment he opened them again, countless Bagua gates appeared in front of him. The crane raised its head and cried out, accelerating its charge and crashing into those Bagua gates. In the blink of an eye, it was teleported to different places.
Wei Ren could sense that the surrounding Qi of the Five Elements was abundant, flowing at an extremely fast speed, and changing in countless ways.
He raised his hand to shield himself from the fierce wind, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Is this the gate of the Taoist Bagua?
No, it's not just about the Bagua Gate.
After Wei Ren steadied himself on the crane's back, he looked around. Every time the crane passed through a Bagua gate, the surrounding scenery changed: vast snowfields, desolate islands, lush grasslands, and dense villages. Each Bagua gate represented a different place they had arrived at.
When Wei Ren saw the view of the outer city below from the crane, it was already broad daylight.
"Are we almost there?" the boy asked, stretching and turning around.
Wei Ren, his mind filled with mixed emotions, pointed in the direction and said, "The outer city is down there, and the academy is over there."
"Let me see." The boy stood on tiptoe to look ahead, then sighed, "We're almost there. We can't keep making such a scene. Let's go down first."
The boy opened his arms and turned to face Wei Ren, indicating that he should carry him on his back.
Wei Ren resignedly stepped forward, bent down, and carried him on his back. He watched as the crane landed in the outer city. There was still a long way to go to the academy, and in the end, he had to walk all the way up by himself.
Wei Ren wanted to use the Wind Riding Technique to travel faster, but the boy stopped him: "You've already fallen and are bleeding from your head. You're wasting your Five Elements Qi. What if you faint halfway there? What am I supposed to do if you faint?"
If I pass out, you can leave on your own.
That's what Wei Ren was thinking, but what he said was, "Don't worry, I will definitely send you back to the academy."
The boy praised, "Working so hard? You said it yourself."
Soon, Wei Ren paid the price for his words.
He carried the mischievous boy on his back all the way to Taiyi Academy, panting heavily and covered in sweat. The sea breeze on the mountain road dried and then soaked his clothes, and large patches of blood smeared on his damp collar.
The boy, seemingly oblivious to Wei Ren's near-death state, pointed ahead and cheered, "We're here! We're here! Run faster!"
Wei Ren forced himself to open one eye and close the other to look ahead. His brain was a little oxygen-deprived, but he still couldn't help but think, recalling the scene at the beach earlier; the girl hiding behind Zhang Xiangyun and Gu Gan, her gaze trembling as she looked at him, her extremely dark pupils bright and moist, timidly looking at him in that gloomy scene, yet hiding a chilling depth.
Nangong Sui probably wished he were dead.
Only the dead would not pose a threat to her or expose her secrets.
Given Nangong Sui's intelligence, even if Zhang Xiangyun persists in pestering her, she can still find a way to deal with it. Gu Gan blindly trusts Nangong Sui and would never doubt her, no matter who else he suspects.
But if he's still alive, and he returns to reveal information detrimental to Nangong Sui, then Gu Gan will waver, and then...
With the academy gates right in front of him, Wei Ren hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should go back.
Perhaps... coming back will only make Nangong Sui want to kill me.
But I didn't mean to harm her.
Wei Ren suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Hey, we're already at the door, what are you doing stopping?" The boy grabbed Wei Ren's neck, shaking him with a light but firm grip. "Hurry up, hurry up! It'll be too late if we don't go now!"
Wei Ren staggered, almost being pushed forward by the boy.
A fleeting hesitation crossed his face. His mind was foggy, and he didn't notice the several golden paper figures at his feet, which caught the blood flowing from his body without leaving a trace on the ground.
The instructors guarding the gate didn't see the two of them either, and continued to be engrossed in their conversation. Wei Ren walked into the gate of Taiyi Academy right in front of them, carrying the chattering boy on his back.
His consciousness had become hazy and unclear. All he could hear was his own heavy breathing. His steps slowed down, and as his eyes moved, he caught glimpses of the unfamiliar scenery around him.
Why is she different now than when he left?
I've only been away for a while, how come I don't even remember what the gate of Taiyi Academy looks like? Impossible, it's definitely not my problem, the path to the academy has changed.
Wei Ren walked slower and slower, not even knowing when or where he would fall.
In the instant he fell forward, the boy gracefully jumped off his back and landed steadily beside him.
“Young man, it’s not good to be so weak.” The boy sighed as he looked at the unconscious Wei Ren, reached out and brushed the damp hair from his forehead, then lightly touched his forehead. “Your five elements energy… is quite interesting.”
His gaze fell on Wei Ren's chest, his eyes piercing through the flesh and blood to focus on the Five Elements Light Core that was still functioning normally.
Even though his body and soul had reached their limits, the power of the Five Elements Light Core within him remained abundant and undiminished. Shen Tianxue and Pei Daiqing should have noticed this long ago, so why hadn't this kid himself realized it yet?
The Qi within the Five Elements Light Core governs this body. Normally, they coexist harmoniously, making it impossible for others to detect anything amiss. However, the greater the consumption, the more obvious the abnormalities become between this body and the Five Elements Light Core.
Perhaps Wei Ren didn't realize it because when he reached his limit, he couldn't hold on any longer and passed out, so he couldn't perceive the changes in his body.
When he recovered and woke up, he naturally believed that his Five Elements Light Core had also recovered its power during the recuperation period, so there would be no loss.
The boy folded a golden talisman into the shape of a paper figure with one hand and placed it on the ground. The paper figure formed an array to protect the boy. He then took out a pill from his clothes and fed it to Wei Ren: "Alright, you can rest here. I'll come see you again after I've finished my other business."
The five elements light cores within this young man's body are quite special.
It piqued his interest.
After feeding Wei Ren the medicine to restore his health, the boy turned and left, leaving Wei Ren alone asleep in the grass. Even if someone passed by, they could not detect his presence through the golden light barrier.
Wei Ren got a long-awaited rest and slept soundly. His cold body gradually warmed up, and he felt as if he were sitting in front of a burning campfire. The world was warm and cozy, which made him sleepy. In his dazed state, he saw shimmering memories in the flames.
A voice deep inside you might occasionally ask yourself: Should you go back to her?
Go find that poor woman.
The woman who had no choice but to send her child away from her was filled with hope for the future, wishing him a good life and that he would be safe and healthy.
He should go back, stand in front of the woman, and tell her that he's doing well.
In the instant Wei Ren regained consciousness, he heard someone approaching:
"Wanqi, Wanqi! Wait for me! Are you really going to listen to Nangong Sui and do as she says?"
...Nangong Sui?
Wei Ren gradually regained consciousness and slowly opened his eyes.
He lay on the ground and rolled his eyes, seeing two figures on the path beside him through the grass.
Wan Qi stared at the Wind-Listening Ruler in his hand, without looking up, and said, "You heard it before, I swore to Nangong Sui that I would repay her by being her slave, and I would do whatever she said. I am not you, I will not break my promise."
"...I didn't break my promise! Didn't I swear it too!" Ling Jian said angrily, "But she acted like she didn't want to go find Sheng Fei before, and now that she knows Sheng Fei is in the Yin Yang Clan's Lake of the Dead and has been kidnapped, she still doesn't want to go herself, but instead wants us... that's her own brother!"
Wan Qi: "Huh? Aren't they half-siblings?"
Ling Jian's eyes widened: "But they're still family!"
"I don't care, don't ask me, I'll do whatever she says." Wan Qi wiped her face, refusing to think, she just did what Yu Sui said.
If he rescued Sheng Fei, that would be a success; if he failed, that would be a failure. In any case, he had taken action.
As for other things, Wan Qi didn't want to think too much about them.
Wei Ren overheard their conversation from the bushes, and his mind became increasingly clear.
Nangong Sui sent the two of them to the forbidden area of the Yin-Yang School, the Underworld Lake, to rescue Sheng Fei, but these two... were complete strangers.
What's so special about these two?
One of them was clearly still resentful of Nangong Sui; did such a person deserve to work for her?
The other one, Wan Qi, was very obedient. He didn't use his brain at all and even worked like a slave to repay Nangong Sui.
Wei Ren raised his hand and touched his head. His previous wounds had almost healed. Just as he was about to get up, he unexpectedly discovered that there was a fourth person hiding behind the bushes. Because of the golden paper doll barrier, this fourth person was unable to find Wei Ren.
“It’s nighttime now, and the terrain has changed. Can you find the way to the Lake of the Dead?” Ling Jian asked, following behind Wan Qi.
Wanqi said, "We have to look for it even if we can't find it. Aren't there people who sell route maps? We can buy them."
Do you have the money to buy it?
"No."
"Then what's there to say!"
"You were so insistent on rescuing Sheng Fei before, why are you hesitating now?"
“I’m not hesitating, I’m just being cautious. Think about it, who could kidnap Sheng Fei? If we chase after him without any preparation, we won’t be able to rescue him.”
"..."
Wan Qi and Ling Jian walked further and further away until their figures disappeared at the end of the path. Only then did Ji Meng, who was hiding behind the bushes, breathe a sigh of relief. He recalled the news he had just heard, frowned, and immediately took out the Wind Listening Ruler.
Just as Ji Meng took out the Listening Wind Ruler and lit it, he felt a gust of wind blow past him. Before he could even see the person clearly, he was kicked in the wrist by the other party. In the pain, the Listening Wind Ruler flew out of his hand.
"Huh?" Ji Meng's eyes had barely rolled when he was grabbed by the collar and slammed to the ground. His neck was being choked and his head was being tilted back. His wide eyes reflected the blood-stained boy on his collar, who was holding him captive on the ground.
This person...
Wei Ren caught the falling Wind-Listening Ruler with one hand, but his eyes were fixed on Ji Meng who had fallen to the ground. He tightened his grip on Ji Meng's neck, and Ji Meng's face instantly turned red. He could hardly breathe and could only glare at Wei Ren.
"Oh, trying to snitch?" Wei Ren glanced at the two characters "Gu Gan" on the ruler and then at Ji Meng's face, his expression arrogant and unrestrained.
Upon hearing this voice, Ji Meng finally remembered who the boy choking him was.
Wei Ren!
That farmer's disciple who is said to have died at sea!
Yu Sui, who was rushing towards the famous Xiaoyao Pool at full speed, was using his wind-riding technique to traverse the forest when he suddenly landed and stopped, turning back to look.
Xue Mushi stopped when he saw this: "What's wrong?"
That Five Elements Light Core… Yu Sui looked thoughtfully in a certain direction in the forest. At this moment, she could sense the location of the Five Elements Light Core that had been separated and given to Wei Ren.
He actually returned to the academy at this time?
“Wei Ren is back,” Yu Sui said.
Xue Mushi was stunned for a moment: "Now? How did he get back?"
"I don't know." Yu Sui thought about the way the farmer and his wife did things and felt it was unlikely that they were the ones who brought the person back.
"Should we go find him?" Xue Mushi asked. "What if Wei Ren misunderstands you and does something..."
"Not for now." Yu Sui looked away and continued walking forward.
Now, killing Wei Ren would be as easy as turning her hand. Yu Sui wanted to see what Wei Ren would do without knowing the truth.
She had only taken a couple of steps when she suddenly stopped, looked up in another direction, her eyes trembling slightly, half surprised and half bewildered.
"What?" Xue Mushi continued to ask.
Yu Sui did not answer this time.
She didn't know how to describe the feeling at that moment; it was as if some bad premonition had suddenly descended, yet she couldn't describe it specifically, or even know why.
It was as if a rope tied to her body had been suddenly tugged; she sensed it, but had no idea what was happening on the other end of the rope.
Yu Sui stood quietly in place, the rope tied to the other end came undone, and something left her.
It made her unhappy.
Nigulou disappeared silently from the world of famous scholars, and no one could get close to it anymore.
At this moment, the boy sitting on the windowsill of the Ancient Reverse Building was craning his neck to look down and happily waved to Liang Zhen, saying, "Junior Brother!"
Liang Zhen raised his head to look at his senior brother, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, who had rushed over immediately after receiving a message from him. Liang Zhen frowned slightly, with a hint of helplessness in his expression.
“Senior brother,” Liang Zhen said, and in the blink of an eye, he was already on the top of the Reverse Ancient Building. Standing outside the window of the corridor, he looked at the person inside, and his eyes reflected the ice butterfly that was resting on the boy’s fingertip. “Why are you doing this?”
"Didn't you want me to help you get people out of Taiyi?" Zhang Guanyi still looked like an eleven or twelve-year-old boy, his childlike eyes full of innocence and pride.
The boy waved the ice butterfly in his hand at Liang Zhen and said, "He's already left Taiyi while he's in here. From now on, he can go wherever he wants. If he wants... he can stay in that world forever."
Liang Zhen gazed at the ice butterfly on his fingertip and said, "The scene of the butterfly dream is like a dream, an illusion that will eventually be shattered at the slightest touch."
“Since it is what his heart desires, the Butterfly Dream can make it an eternal truth.” Zhang Guanyi said, “Every breath he took when he was born into this world was recorded by heaven and earth. At this moment, he is just reliving all of this in the Butterfly Dream.”
"Junior brother, the difference between reality and illusion in this world is just a thought away. As long as you believe it to be true, then it is true."
Liang Zhen retorted, "Senior brother, if you let him stay in Butterfly Dream, what difference is there between that and killing him?"
Zhang Guanyi gently stroked the ice butterfly with loving fingers, but his childish voice uttered cruel words: "How do you know he doesn't want to die in the butterfly dream?"
Liang Zhen pursed his lips and said, "This is not what I seek."
“Junior brother, if he doesn’t die, the world will surely be in chaos…” Before Zhang Guanyi could finish speaking, Liang Zhen interrupted, “Senior brother, the world is already in chaos.”
Zhang Guanyi rolled his eyes and changed his words: "The princess has been kind to you, and it is only right that you repay her kindness to her descendants. However, she represents the Yan Kingdom, and if you interfere, you will affect the fate of the Yan Kingdom."
Liang Zhen said calmly, "That is the fate of the nation."
What a fate for a nation!
That silly boy.
Senior brother, I'm not trying to kill your benefactor's child, I'm trying to save you.
If you insist on associating with a chaotic world and a nation in peril, going against the will of Heaven, you will surely harm yourself.
Zhang Guanyi had a lot of complaints in his heart, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he looked at his junior brother's face and sighed softly. His childish face uttered an old voice: "If he doesn't die, the oath of not fighting will be broken. Are you really willing to do that?"
“Even if he is gone, the oath of no war will still be broken.” Liang Zhen looked into the boy’s clear and bright eyes and said, “Senior brother, the unification of the six kingdoms is the only way forward for the world.”
The ice butterfly resting on the boy's fingertip fluttered its wings gently.
Zhang Guanyi braced himself against the windowsill, his childlike nature returning, and said slowly, "Oh dear, he flew away. The child doesn't want to listen to our lectures and arguments."
Liang Zhen gazed at the ice butterfly fluttering its wings. Under the warm sun, it appeared even more transparent, fragile yet beautiful amidst the light and shadow, as if it would vanish into the world at any moment.
"Senior brother." Liang Zhen turned to look at Zhang Guanyi, but before he could make a request, the boy waved his hand, looked at the ice butterfly that had flown away, and said in a childish but amused voice, "You and I should not make any more decisions for this child. From now on, he will choose his own path."
"Go after it, but don't let it fly too far, or it won't be good if someone sees it."
A deafening clap of thunder echoed across the grassland. The boy standing on the ground turned around and saw the lightning flashing in the dark clouds reflected in his dark eyes, like a ferocious, twisting giant python that disrupted the balance of heaven and earth on the grassland, causing a violent storm.
"Young Master, stop looking! Getting caught in this thunderstorm is no joke." A tall figure in green stood in front of the young man, easily lifting him up and placing him on the horse's back. "Let's go!"
Mei Liangyu wanted to ask a question, but found his body out of his control. He looked through the boy's eyes at the familiar yet unfamiliar people before him:
Lin Chenghai, a Buddhist master of the thirteen realms, was dressed in green, with gray hair and a tall and robust build.
The man, dressed in a white robe but with a shaved head, reddish eyes, and a face as exquisite as a snake, was Wenren Xu, a thirteenth-level master of the Buddhist-Taoist lineage.
Mei Liangyu heard her younger self and Wenren Xu ask each other in hushed tones, "Where is Father?"
Wenren Xu smiled and replied, "The patriarch and Her Highness the Princess will arrive later."
Lin Chenghai, holding the reins, laughed heartily and said, "Young Master, you've been standing there for so long, could it be that you're missing the Patriarch and His Highness?"
The boy gave a light hum, snatched the reins from Lin Chenghai, and rode off on his own.
"Young Master! I'd like to have a match with you!" Lin Chenghai mounted his horse and followed the young man ahead.
Wenren Xu followed behind, holding a red paper windmill in his hand.
The three rode their horses towards the depths of the grassland, crossing the boundary between the grassland and the dense forest. The clouds and rain behind them were always chasing them, and the thunder was sometimes near and sometimes far. Before the downpour, they crossed the moss-covered stone steps and saw the ancient temple nestled deep in the mountains.
A young man and woman, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, stood in front of the temple gate.
A beautiful young woman dressed in a light red dress is holding up her hair with a black hairpin made of sacred wood. Her smooth, dark hair is cleverly tied up and secured with the hairpin, revealing her fair and slender neck.
The white-clad youth standing beside Princess Wangshu held two blue umbrellas. He was slightly taller than the girl. Although they were of different genders, their features were very similar. The former was dynamic, while the latter was still. The dynamic one was flamboyant and unrestrained, while the still one was calm and reserved.
Prince Yuheng looked towards the temple gate, and when he saw the boy on horseback, a hint of a smile appeared in his calm eyes. The girl beside him stepped forward first: "Hey! Who gave you permission to sneak out without calling anyone? What if you get trapped in a thunderstorm all by yourself tonight..."
Prince Yuheng casually opened his umbrella and followed the girl, shielding her from the sudden downpour. With his other hand, he opened a second umbrella to shield the boy who was dismounting from the storm.
"Alright, sister, he knows he was wrong, so please don't scold him anymore." Prince Yuheng stood between the two of them, his eyes crinkling with a smile, his emotions calm, and his tone gentle, soothing his angry sister and his brother who wanted to argue back.
Mei Liangyu saw the person from his memory appear before him in person, and the sound of his heart beating echoed in his ears, as if reminding him of the boundary between reality and the past.
But everything before my eyes felt incredibly real.
The smell of soil and rain in the air, the deafening thunder, the wind carrying damp moisture, the vibrant green moss underfoot, and the tolling of bells from the mountain temple amidst the storm.
The girl's ramblings, the boy's gentle comforting words—everything was so vivid.
"Why are you standing there and not moving?" The older sister, who had already reached the top of the stone steps, turned around and looked at the boy who was still standing blankly in the rain. She was both amused and annoyed. "How old are you? You're still acting like a child."
His elder brother stood in the rain, explaining helplessly, "Recently, many dangerous people have infiltrated the south. We can't let you go out alone. If you get arrested again, Mother and Sister will be in trouble..."
Princess Wangshu handed the umbrella to Prince Yuheng, strode up to the boy, dodged the umbrella, and then took his hand and walked forward: "I've cooked you some fresh lotus root soup, is that alright?"
The warmth transmitted through the hands felt so real.
The boy remained silent, letting his older sister lead him toward the temple gate.
One moment he was in the Anti-Ancient Tower preparing to mock Gu Gan, the next he seemed to have returned to many years ago, to a certain point in his memory, and saw his elder sister and brother who had died many years ago.
Mei Liangyu felt his brain being torn apart by two kinds of tearing sensations. He wondered if he was under some kind of illusion, but no matter how he searched, he could not find any trace of the illusion.
The torrential rain pounded against the eaves, and the glazed tiles were covered with water, which was then tinged with color by the nighttime lights.
Three bowls of hot lotus root soup were placed on the table, and Mei Liangyu had to tilt her head slightly to get a good look at the young man and woman sitting opposite her.
Outside, the wind and rain raged, but inside, the candlelight shone like warm sunshine. Princess Wangshu and Prince Yuheng were worried about why their younger brother had become somewhat dull-witted after returning home, only knowing how to stare at people silently without uttering a single word.
"Do you think your brother and I have flowers on our faces or what? You've been looking at this for almost half an hour. Are we going to drink this lotus root soup or not?" Princess Wangshu pinched Prince Yuheng's face with one hand, glared at Mei Liangyu, and then complained in a low voice, "It's almost cold. We have to reheat it. You have such a big temper."
Prince Yuheng brushed away her hand that was pinching his cheek, stood up, and said with the bowl in his hand, "I'll go."
Princess Wangshu couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, calling out, "Uncle Wenren! Uncle Lin! What happened on your way back? Why is my brother acting like an idiot, just staring at people's faces!"
Wenren Xu and Lin Chenghai were called over by her, and they both said that they did not encounter any strange people or things on the way back.
"Impossible!" Princess Wangshu rubbed her forehead, then returned to her room and sat down opposite Mei Liangyu again. After a long silence, she seemed to give in and said, "Alright, I was a bit harsh when you first came back, I..."
The silent boy sitting opposite suddenly hesitated before speaking: "You..."
Mei Liangyu was somewhat surprised that he could suddenly speak. The boy's voice, which still had a touch of childishness, sounded very unfamiliar, causing him to instinctively shut up.
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Princess Wangshu tapped the table with her finger. "Speak your mind."
Mei Liangyu found himself gradually gaining control of this body. He lowered his head, not looking at the girl's vibrant figure. His tongue pressed against his teeth, and after several hesitations, he finally asked in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"
How could my sister be here? How could she be so vivid and alive... The person who survived in his memory had clearly been cruelly taken away by fate...
"You were kidnapped by those thieves, how could I not come?" Princess Wangshu said through gritted teeth. "I knew those sorcerers from the Ghost Daoist sect had no good intentions. If Uncle Wenren hadn't stopped me, and if Mother hadn't arrived in time..."
Prince Yuheng returned with a bowl of freshly heated lotus root soup, interrupting her from what she was about to say.
Princess Wangshu noticed that the boy had started staring intently at people again.
She laughed in exasperation: "You can make your brother's face look like a flower!"
Prince Yuheng said, "Sister, he was probably frightened when he was taken to Nanshui Prefecture this time."
Princess Wangshu then asked, "Were you frightened?"
The boy remained silent, his gaze seemingly unfocused, fixed on a distant place.
Prince Yuheng said, "I was indeed frightened."
Princess Wangshu stood up: "Then I will go and tell my mother to come."
Mei Liangyu only felt a headache.
He propped his head up with his elbow, pressed his forehead to suppress all his emotions, and forced himself to think.
Why would someone who had already died reappear before him?
Why did he return to the year he was thirteen?
Why does everything before my eyes feel so real?
In that instant, Mei Liangyu forgot many things, but also remembered many things.
He heard footsteps and the voices of many people outside, all of whom were very familiar to him. The boy turned to look outside; the man's voices faded into the distance, and the footsteps slowly approached the doorway.
The moment the door opened, Mei Liangyu saw the woman in purple standing in the doorway. The woman's gaze fell on him gently and relaxedly, and she reached out her hand to him with a slight smile: "...Let's go home."
The mother's gentle voice awakened the boy's memories.
From the moment they arrived at the temple gate, his elder sister and brother had called his name many times, but only now did he hear it clearly from his mother's lips:
Donglan, go home.
The boy stared blankly at the woman who reached out her hand to him. Before him was his mother's gentle and relaxed face, behind him was his older sister with a bright smile, and not far away was his loving father. But deep in his mind, a woman's bloodied head rolled at his feet in the rainy night of the besieged city. No matter how much he screamed, begged, or cursed, he could not change the ending of losing everything.
The boy, who had been sitting blankly at the table, suddenly stood up and strode forward, but stopped just before he reached the woman. When he looked up, his eyes were already red, and a surge of hatred welled up in his chest, but he had nowhere to vent it, so he bit his lip so hard that it bled.
"What's wrong?" His mother asked, surprised and puzzled. She reached out her hand and instead wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.
"You cried?" The older sister was also very surprised.
Gongsun Xi looked at Prince Yuheng standing behind him questioningly, but the other shook his head in confusion.
"Ah Li?" A gentle, smiling voice came from inside. "What's wrong?"
The boy looked up, but the torrential rain drowned out the voices of the people asking questions.
Thirteen-year-old Donglan stepped forward and walked towards her parents, while Mei Liangyu remained inside the house.
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