Chapter 230 You also went to save her because of your infatuation.
"How could there be such a wonderful person in the world?" Wushuang's voice was filled with longing.
Guan Ye gazed at Wu Shuang, whose eyes suddenly reflected a deep sea, in which sat a man on a bamboo chair. The man's face was like jade, his expression gentle and calm, smiling at the face she had longed for day and night. At that moment, Guan Ye suddenly heard Pei Chu's whisper before their parting echo in her ears: "Guan Ye, can you bring her back?"
She's gone, Guan Ye, can you bring her back?
"Jiang Muyun said that although Young Master Pei treated her very well, there was a difference between heaven and earth. A maid was a maid, and she had to follow the rules and know her place. It was a favor that the young master treated her well, but she also had to follow her duty. She was so foolish. Young Master Pei's treatment of her was not just kindness. His eyes were only on Jiang Muyun. When he looked at me, it was as if he was looking at an ancient painting that had been hidden for many years. He loved it, cherished it, longed to possess it, but could not bear to desecrate it. Perhaps it was Jiang Muyun's aloofness that made him restrain his feelings. Until I came to his side in Jiang Muyun's place, Pei Chu gradually realized that his beloved Jiang Muyun seemed to be a little different."
Guan Ye continued, "That's right, they look the same, but their personalities are completely different. Young Master Pei and Jiang Muyun have been together for many years, and he will definitely notice it over time. But you and Jiang Muyun used a trick. If I'm not mistaken, you took turns entering the brothel every other day. Today it was you, tomorrow it was her. Whenever Young Master Pei became suspicious, the next day it was the real Jiang Muyun's turn. The young master felt confused, like something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Over and over again, the young master just thought he was overthinking and was obsessed with love."
"Wait a minute!" Feng Shisan interrupted loudly, "Every other day rotation? Then who exactly were we seeing?"
“Feng Shisan.” Wushuang turned to look at him. “I’ve seen you before, and Jiang Muyun has seen you too. You’re still so clueless.”
Guan Ye nodded: "How about I remind you, when Lou Shitou and I were beaten up, who was the one who stepped in to help us out of injustice? Who do you think it was?"
Feng Shisan blurted out, "Jiang Muyun!" Then he scratched his head and bit his lip, looking conflicted. "No, no... is it another Jiang Muyun? Wait... who exactly is Guan Ye?"
Guan Ye clicked her tongue, "What a blockhead! Does she forget what she heard as soon as she hears it? Jiang Muyun is cautious and afraid of being seen through. Even if she saw us having a conflict with the cauldron master, she wouldn't rashly stand up for us. What we saw that day was Wushuang."
Guan Ye continued, "A few days later, on the day we were calculating everyone's birth dates, I saw Jiang Muyun and thanked her. She seemed not to know what I was talking about for a moment. Lou Shitou waved to her, and she forgot the handkerchief she had used to bandage Shitou. At the time, I thought she was busy with important matters and would forget about it after it was over. But later, I realized that the person who helped us and the person we said goodbye to were... were completely different people."
"I see." Feng Shisan slapped his thigh. "Then who is it that often brings us supplies when we swordsmen practice swordsmanship in the back mountain? Is it two people taking turns?"
Guan Ye smiled slightly and said, "Has Jiang Muyun practiced martial arts? Feng Shisan, you must know that."
"She's just a delicate girl," Feng Shisan affirmed. "The time we had her birth charts calculated, it was a few of us who captured her. I could tell she was weak as soon as I squeezed her wrist. I didn't even dare to use force for fear of hurting her... I understand now." Feng Shisan exclaimed in realization, "The one who went to the back mountain to deliver the items to us was a fake Jiang Muyun, it was Wushuang. She used delivering the items as an excuse to spy on our sword practice, so... that's why she has such excellent swordsmanship. So that's how it is, everything makes sense now."
Guan Ye stopped smiling. "Let Wushuang continue. What I want to know most is coming soon."
"As the day she was supposed to meet her uncle approached, Jiang Muyun was already making preparations to leave. She was full of anticipation for life after leaving the island, until I told her, 'I don't want to go...'"
"I...don't want to leave."
"Why? What's so good about this place? To be slaves all day long? You and I will never see the light of day together in this lifetime. Go with Uncle, he will take care of us. Uncle has a big ship that can take us anywhere we want to go."
"I don't want to leave. I feel that my life is good now. The young master doesn't treat me like a servant. He only has eyes for me... There will never be another person in the world who treats me so well. If you want to leave, you can leave. I'm not leaving."
"Mother stayed because of you. How could I abandon you if you didn't leave? Young Master is good to us, but staying on Canglang Island means there's no future for us. Going out is where our world is."
"To me, the young master is my future, and I want to stay by his side for the rest of my life."
"—You...you like the young master?"
"Don't you like the young master?"
"Why should I like him? And why would I like him? The young master has been very kind to me. Kindness must be repaid, but affection does not necessarily have to be reciprocated. I have taken care of him for many years, which can be considered as repaying his kindness in taking me in. You and I are not going to be trapped by his side to die."
"Why don't I like him? The young master is a gentleman, gentle and refined. He is of noble character and has extraordinary talent. When he looks at me, his eyes seem to hold the stars and the sea. He said that he thanks God for letting me appear in his life and that he will never leave me in this lifetime."
"How many people have you met? How many people are there on Canglang Island in total? They are just passersby in our lives. If Mother were still alive, she would want to leave too. She could have left."
"How do you know that Mother definitely wants to leave? The outside world is full of thorns, which has driven Mother to the brink of despair. We have finally found some peace and quiet. If Mother is watching from heaven, she should be comforted. She wants us to stay, not leave."
"Have you ever thought about... who Young Master Pei truly loves? You? Or... me?"
"I am you, sister. You said we share the same life."
"You really don't want to leave..."
"You go, I'll stay. Without you, there's no light in the young master's life. I'll stay in your place."
"Then I won't leave either, we're bound by fate."
Wu's eyes welled up with tears. If she had left with Jiang Muyun, if she could have persuaded Jiang Muyun to leave, none of what happened afterward would have occurred. If only... But alas, there are no more "ifs."
Wushuang calmed herself down and continued, "I didn't want to leave, so Jiang Muyun stayed with me. We spent a few years peacefully until... a dragon-headed treasure ship suddenly landed on the island. The one-eyed man brought a meteorite and said that as long as the meteorite could be melted, Xingguofang could return to Rongdu."
“Ancient texts record that white fire melts all things. Jiang Muyun said that her mother had created white fire and took the secret technique out of Rongdu, and then passed it on to her daughter. Jiang Muyun is not skilled in casting, but she remembers everything her mother taught her. I secretly collected the necessary materials while traveling in Xingguo Fang and developed a material that could create white fire. When I finished it, I hesitated again. If I melted the meteorite, Xingguo Fang could return to Rongdu, but I didn’t want to leave. Canglang Island is so good. It is a lonely island deep in the sea, and no one can disturb us. Jiang Muyun said that I have only met a few people, and the young master has not met many people either, which is why he cherishes me. The imperial city is prosperous, and there are many noble ladies. The young master has seen a lot, so maybe I will not be so important... I can’t let this happen. The meteorite cannot be melted. I will not leave, and the young master cannot leave either. Everyone... must stay.”
"The deadline given by the one-eyed man is approaching. Pei Yuan has no other choice but to keep urging his son. The young master is a man, not a god. Despite his frail health, he studies diligently in the Sword Pavilion until late at night every day. He has searched through ancient books but has not found a way to melt the meteorite. Seeing his body getting weaker day by day, I am extremely anxious. I think... if we can't come up with a solution soon, the young master might die of exhaustion in the Sword Pavilion. If he dies... what is the point of my life?"
"It was a night when the young master asked me to go for a walk with him. He said many strange things and even asked for my birth date and time. He said he wanted to die before me, and since we didn't want to die on the same day, month, and year, we should be born on the same day, month, and year. He wanted to be with me, to be closer to me... He said he was born in the 82nd year of the Great Jin Dynasty, the year of Gengshen, the month of Jimao, the day of Bingwu, at the third quarter of Chou hour. If anyone asked, I should say the same thing. At the time, I just thought the young master was struggling to find a way to melt the meteorite, and that failing to complete the court's affairs might bring great disaster to Canglang Island. The young master was saddened by autumn and said these incomprehensible things. I was happy that he wanted to live and die with me, and I didn't think much of anything else..."
Wu Shuang's voice grew increasingly mournful, "The next day, I took over from Jiang Muyun. After much deliberation in the mine, I decided to grant Xingguo Fang's request, so that at least the young master could live a peaceful life."
Guan Ye whispered, "Didn't you tell Jiang Muyun about the young master's instructions when you replaced him?"
Wushuang choked up immediately, "As I just said, I thought the young master was worried that the meteorite was hard to melt and would bring disaster to Canglang Island! It was just some nonsense he was spouting..."
"You were happy that the young master wanted to live and die with you, and you didn't think about anything else at all." Guan Ye cried out, "You've completely forgotten all the young master's repeated instructions to you! The young master clearly told you to remember that if someone asked you about your birthday, you must say it's his. He asked you again and again if you remembered, and you nodded and said you remembered. You even recited it to the young master without making a single mistake. How could you forget to tell Jiang Muyun!"
Wushuang stared in disbelief, "You... how did you know?"
Tears welled up in Guan Ye's eyes. After Jiang Muyun's sacrifice at the furnace, she had blamed herself countless times. Why hadn't she reminded Jiang Muyun? She could have done it, so why didn't Jiang Muyun remember? It shouldn't be like this. She could even remember her own birthday, so how could she suddenly forget it? Had she not taken the young master's instructions to heart? It was a matter of life and death; she couldn't forget it.
It turns out that the person accompanying the young master that night was not Jiang Muyun at all, but her younger sister Wushuang. Wushuang did not reveal this, which is why Jiang Muyun was completely unaware and was imprisoned by the island lord and sent to the Heavenly Furnace.
"Because... I was in the shadows between you two that night, and I always thought you were Jiang Muyun..."
Wu Shuang chuckled sadly, "So you're consumed by regret. You feel responsible for Jiang Muyun's death. You heard everything, yet you couldn't save her. Yes... none of us could save her..."
No one could? Guan Ye's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at Wushuang in surprise, "You...you also went to save her, didn't you?"
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