Chapter 71 (071) - Two-in-One [VIP]
Back on the cliff, Yue Ling released Yin Chu Jiu and told him to mount his horse and leave, returning to the camp where the Mo Ling Palace had previously been stationed. Yin Chu Jiu mounted his horse, but then immediately dismounted and walked to Yue Ling.
"Yue Ling, can I ask you for a favor?" Looking at Yue Ling's cold gaze, Yin Chu Jiu looked away and whispered.
Yue Ling frowned slightly and asked, "What is it?"
Yin Chu Jiu said, "Could I say goodbye to you and to Yue Ling in the illusion? I know this request is a bit much, but I still want to ask you if you can grant me this wish."
Yue Ling has already obtained the divine herb. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will soon consume it, break the seal within his body, and regain his full strength. Once he recovers, the illusion will shatter, and he will leave this place.
He wanted to say goodbye to Yue Ling, and to the boy in the illusion who had been led into the formation by him and ultimately disappeared. He had already said goodbye in his heart, but when this day truly arrived, he longed to say goodbye to him in person.
Saying goodbye?
What's the point of saying goodbye?
Didn't he already know this result a long time ago?
Yue Ling thought to himself that he was about to refuse Yin Chu Jiu's request, but when he opened his mouth, the words of refusal just wouldn't come out.
It was as if a powerful force was blocking his throat, an unyielding and unreasonable force that prevented him from uttering anything other than "okay".
Something was wrong, Yue Ling thought, and his chest began to pound, his heart valves thumping. It was his heartbeat, Yue Ling knew, but it felt strange to him, so strange that he felt a sense of helplessness.
Even though he had already said that they owed each other nothing, why did his heart feel a little tight and uncomfortable when Yin Chu Jiu said goodbye?
What is that?
Why is this happening?
Clutching his drooping sleeves, Yue Ling suppressed the unfamiliar emotions and said, "Okay."
Yue Ling's agreement made Yin Chu Jiu's eyes widen slightly, and then a wave of soreness welled up in his eyes. He thought Yue Ling would refuse and would not agree to his request, but he did not expect that Yue Ling would actually agree.
"Thank you," Yin Chu Jiu said gratefully, her voice hoarse. "Thank you for agreeing to my request."
Because of her excitement, Yin Chu Jiu's eyes were a little red. Staring at Yue Ling, the redness in his eyes deepened. Yue Ling shouldn't have any other feelings about that expression, but seeing Yin Chu Jiu on the verge of tears, he felt a surge of emotion he didn't want to see.
Yue Ling's mind went blank. When he came to his senses, he found that he had raised his hand to cover Yin Chu Jiu's eyes, revealing only the beautifully shaped lower half of his face. Beneath his palm were Yin Chu Jiu's tightly closed eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly as if out of unease. The trembling eyelashes brushed against his palm, sending a tingling, burning sensation through him.
The unfamiliar sensation made Yue Ling's eyes widen. Realizing he shouldn't have done that, he quickly withdrew his hand, pretending nothing had happened. Reason told him he didn't want Yin Chu Jiu to ask why, so he immediately turned and mounted his horse, his face even colder due to the turmoil in his emotions.
"Come to my room tonight."
Sure enough, Yin Chu Jiu, who was initially stunned by his action, immediately shifted his attention. He didn't ask him why he did that, but simply said, "Okay."
Knowing he shouldn't, Yue Ling couldn't help but glance at the man out of the corner of his eye before spurring his horse away. Once Yue Ling was gone, Yin Chu Jiu remounted and rode off in a completely different direction.
Yin Chu Jiu returned to the Mo Ling Palace camp, while Yue Ling went to the village. When he arrived at the village, all the people had already been arrested and were standing densely packed in the village square.
There were at least a hundred of them, all bound with ropes and unable to move. The one in the lead was a girl dressed in white, followed by several elderly men. The old men were dressed strangely, like priests from ancient villages.
Mo Ling and Zi Zhuo walked up, and the black cat circled around the group of people, scrutinizing them with a very unfriendly look.
Mo Ling asked, "My lord, all these people have been captured. What do you intend to do with them?"
Zi Zhuo said, "Let's feed them poison. It's pretty good, clean and quick."
Neither of them had much empathy, and this became even more pronounced after they regained their memories. They arrested the people in the village, and when Yue Ling arrived, they offered him what they thought were acceptable solutions.
As they spoke, the two of them kept glancing at the group of people. The group glared at them fiercely, seemingly aware of why they had been arrested, and didn't beg for mercy; they still seemed somewhat defiant.
Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling waited for Yue Ling's order. He instructed them to arrest the people in the village, and they already had a rough idea of how to deal with them. Sure enough, after they finished speaking, Yue Ling said, "Kill the leaders and throw them off the cliff. Drive the rest out of this forest and don't let them set foot in it again."
“Okay.” Yue Ling said, and Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling immediately went to carry it out.
Sitting on his horse, Yue Ling looked down at the fate of those people. Strangely, he felt no satisfaction, but rather an emptiness. Yet, his previously beating heart had clearly returned to normal.
Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling dealt with the people quickly; soon, the village was deserted, with fallen furniture scattered on the ground, indicating that the village had been bustling with activity before. Turning their gaze away, Yue Ling pulled on the reins, spurred his horse, and rode off.
Mo Ling walked beside Yue Ling and asked respectfully, "My lord, have you found the divine herb?"
Yue Ling nodded, "Mm."
"Then I'll go back and arrange rooms. You should take the divine herb as soon as possible to recover your strength, shatter the illusion, and then we'll leave this place." A hint of excitement flashed in Zi Zhuo's eyes, and then he said seriously.
Yue Ling's eyes flickered, and she nodded, "Okay, you arrange it."
"Yes, I will definitely make the arrangements," Mo Ling said.
The group quickly returned to the camp. Mo Ling immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare a room for Yue Ling to recover his strength and personally selected guards to ensure that the accident that happened last time he regained his memories was completely prevented. Fortunately, his lord successfully regained his memories and seemed to have no aftereffects; otherwise, he wouldn't know how to face this mistake.
By evening, the house was ready. Mo Ling invited Yue Ling inside, while he himself stood guard outside, never leaving his side. Not only did he guard the house himself, but he also brought Zi Zhuo and the black cat over, making the entire house as fortified as a city wall.
While doing this, Mo Ling suddenly noticed that he hadn't seen Yin Chu Jiu all afternoon. Where had Yin Chu Jiu gone? Shouldn't he come to help with something as important as his lord recovering his strength? But Mo Ling quickly stopped thinking about why Yin Chu Jiu hadn't come, because something seemed off in the room.
There was no energy overflow, and the energy of the surrounding world was not activated. If Yue Ling consumed the divine herb, the energy of this world would change and flow into his body. Once all the energy was absorbed, Yue Ling's strength would be fully restored, the energy of the illusion would disappear, and then, after a dozen minutes, the illusion would shatter and vanish.
However, after so long, there was still no movement from inside the room.
Not only Mo Ling noticed, but Zi Zhuo and the black cat also noticed. They looked at each other and said in unison, "Let's go in and take a look."
Worried that something might happen to Yue Ling while she was recovering her strength, the three hurriedly called out into the house. When they didn't hear a reply from Yue Ling, they didn't care anymore and rushed in.
To their surprise, Yue Ling was not in any danger. He sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression calm and safe.
So what's going on?
The commotion caused by the three approaching caught Yue Ling's attention. Yue Ling looked up, his handsome face facing them, and in his hand he held a divine herb that seemed to have no purpose.
"My lord, why haven't you taken this divine herb yet?" Mo Ling explained the reason for their entry.
Yue Ling frowned slightly, looking somewhat confused. He opened his mouth and said, "I don't know either."
I don't know why he didn't use the divine herb.
I don't know why he didn't want to use the divine herb.
What?
Mo Ling was surprised. What did he mean by "he didn't know either"?
Zi Zhuo didn't speak, but his brows furrowed just like Yue Ling's.
The black cat widened its eyes, revealing the same puzzled expression as Yue Ling.
"My lord, please take the divine herb as soon as possible." Not understanding and unwilling to understand any further, Mo Ling bowed and pleaded.
Yue Ling looked at him, and he continued, explaining, "It's like this, my lord, there's something I haven't told you yet. I thought you would take the divine herb immediately after finding it, so I thought it wouldn't matter if I didn't tell you. But since you don't want to take the divine herb now, I can only report this matter to you."
Yue Ling: "What is it?"
"It's about the Scorpio Palace."
Yue Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, "Scorpion Palace?"
"Mm." Mo Ling nodded.
“When you ordered an attack on Scorpion Palace, I had all the subordinates of Mo Ling Palace attack and take down all the branches of Scorpion Palace. In the end, we reached the headquarters of Scorpion Palace and all those people were killed. But just now someone told me that none of the elders of Scorpion Palace have been seen. They have all disappeared.”
Yue Ling put the divine herb in his hand into his storage bag, stood up, and his handsome eyes were filled with a fierce aura. "Have all those elders disappeared?"
"Yes, I guess those elders must have received the news first and fled. They must have other plans. I originally thought you would soon recover your strength and leave the illusion, so any plans of the Scorpion Palace would be useless. That's why I didn't tell you. I'm sorry, I took it upon myself to do so."
"It's alright." Yue Ling's brows relaxed. He didn't pursue Mo Ling's presumptuous decision. "This is the last time."
Mo Ling breathed a sigh of relief, as long as Yue Ling didn't pursue the matter. Seeing that Yue Ling's expression had returned to normal, he was about to suggest that he quickly consume the divine herb to restore his strength and leave this illusion that was quite dangerous for him.
But before he could speak, the boy in front of him suddenly spoke again, saying, "Go and call Yin Chu Jiu over."
"What?"
Yue Ling lowered his eyes, raised his hand to cover his chest, and said in a way that he himself did not understand, "I think the reason why I haven't taken the divine herb yet might be related to him."
Perhaps he had promised Yin Chu Jiu to say goodbye, which was why he didn't want to take the divine herb. However, Yue Ling overlooked the fact that even after taking the divine herb, he still had more than ten minutes to give to Yin Chu Jiu.
"What?" Mo Ling couldn't help but ask again.
Yue Ling didn't answer; he simply waved his hand, signaling him to leave. Naturally, Zi Zhuo and the Black Cat also had to leave.
Beyond the door, Mo Ling immediately asked Zi Zhuo and the black cat, puzzled, "Do you know what's going on?"
The black cat waved her hand, saying that as a magical beast, how could she understand what humans were thinking?
Zi Zhuo tapped his palm with his folding fan and said, "I can't be sure right now either." His eyebrows were furrowed.
Seeing this, Mo Ling quickly asked, "If you're not sure, please speak up. My lord, something is clearly wrong, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong."
Mo Ling pressed him for an answer, so Zi Zhuo had no choice but to give in. But before he spoke, he made sure to emphasize, "Let me make this clear first, this is just my guess, and I can't be sure. Don't be too hasty after you hear it."
Zi Zhuo's words only made things worse. Not only Mo Ling, but even the Black Cat became unsettled and urged Zi Zhuo to explain.
Zi Zhuo hesitated for two seconds, then asked a question instead of speaking first, "Tell me, do you two think this is the first time the Lord has acted strangely?"
“Of course not,” Mo Ling said first. “I told you before that the Lord’s attitude toward Yin Chu Jiu was wrong. He said he hated him, but I asked him to allow Yin Chu Jiu to recuperate in bed and even asked you to treat him. The Lord did not object. I said that the Lord probably still liked Yin Chu Jiu, but you denied my guess and said that even if he liked him, he still hated him.”
"Yes, that's right, I did say that back then. So, what about you, Black Cat? What did you notice?"
The black cat scratched its chin. "Meow~ I noticed it a long time ago. The strangest thing about the master was that he ate the meat that Yin Chu Jiu roasted. At the time, I clearly felt that he really wanted to eat Yin Chu Jiu's meat, but he insisted that he didn't want Yin Chu Jiu to eat it all by himself. In the end, after he finished eating the meat, he threw the leaves that Yin Chu Jiu used to pack the meat into the fire and watched it burn to ashes."
"Yes, I've noticed that too."
Mo Ling & Black Cat: "Are these things related to what's wrong with our lord right now?"
Zi Zhuo: "Of course there is a connection. I think that, just as Mo Ling speculated before, the Lord likes Yin Chu Jiu."
Mo Ling: "How could that be? If he liked Yin Chu Jiu, he wouldn't have let her walk alone for three days." He had already believed that Yue Ling only felt disgust for Yin Chu Jiu. "You know better than I do that when the Lord liked Yin Chu Jiu, he would not only let her walk, but even if she suffered a minor injury, he would find a carriage to take her or carry her himself."
Black Cat nodded. She could testify to all of this. Moreover, she even felt that if it weren't for the fear that Yin Chu Jiu would be scared, the master might have crippled his legs, making him dependent on him and having to be carried wherever he went.
"Since that's what you think, then tell me, what are those things you discovered?" Zi Zhuo didn't refute, but only asked this question.
Mo Ling and the black cat were immediately stunned, but they couldn't believe Zi Zhuo's speculation either. They could only mutter, "We don't know either. Since he likes Yin Chu Jiu, aren't the two things he did contradictory?"
“Yes, that’s the contradiction,” Zi Zhuo said.
Mo Ling and the black cat felt a chill run down their spines. "Zi Zhuo, what do you mean by this?"
Zi Zhuo let out a long breath, his tone heavy, "I think the accident when the Lord regained his memories had an impact on him."
Explain yourself!
“It’s just that…” Zi Zhuo’s expression was solemn, “It’s just that the Lord looks like he has returned to normal, but in fact he has not fully recovered. Right now, he looks like himself, but he is incomplete, and I don’t know what’s missing.”
“That formation was so dangerous back then. Stimulating memories is a very risky operation in itself, and then there were people causing trouble. Although you used the second plan to help the Lord regain his memories, no one knows what effect that formation had on him. We only saw that the Lord was normal and safe, so we thought we were really safe. Now it seems that in the end, there must have been hidden dangers left behind, and those hidden dangers are that the Lord is no longer whole.”
how so?
Mo Ling and the black cat both took a step back. Zi Zhuo didn't care and simply gave one piece of strong evidence that he had observed.
"Do you all remember the scene three days ago when Yin Chu Jiu encountered the Earth-Shaking Beast?"
They remembered, how could they not remember? At the time, they were all worried that Yue Ling wouldn't be able to handle the Earthshaker and would die in its jaws.
"At that time, when Yin Chu Jiu charged towards the Earthshaking Beast, the Lord rushed down and stood in front of Yin Chu Jiu to help him kill the Earthshaking Beast. Later, the Lord explained that he did not want Yin Chu Jiu to die, and he could not find a target for revenge. But because I unfortunately stood in front of the Lord, I clearly saw that his eyes were blank and he had no emotion when he killed the Earthshaking Beast."
“This means…” Mo Ling swallowed hard.
"What I mean is that even the Lord himself doesn't understand why he saved Yin Chu Jiu," Yue Ling said. "If we have to come up with a reason, it's instinct. His instinct made him save Yin Chu Jiu. His instinct didn't want Yin Chu Jiu to die. Of course, this is just my guess. And the reason his instinct came about was that he realized Yin Chu Jiu's life was in danger."
If that's really the case, then Zi Zhuo's guess makes sense.
But they still didn't understand. If their lord really still liked Yin Chu Jiu, then why didn't their lord protect him during those three days when Yin Chu Jiu hadn't encountered any more magical beasts?
Zi Zhuo speculated, "Perhaps he subconsciously knew that those magical beasts wouldn't pose a threat to him, which is why he didn't take any action."
"Assuming your guess is correct, is the Lord's current action also due to some kind of provocation?"
"This possibility cannot be ruled out."
The black cat pressed on, "What kind of shock could it be? Has Yin Chu Jiu been in danger again?"
"I don't know. Perhaps Yin Chu Jiu can tell us what exactly triggered it."
Zi Zhuo only told half the story, leaving the rest unsaid. Even the usually composed Mo Ling became anxious and urged, "Just tell me why already!"
"..." Zi Zhu rolled her eyes. "You really are a blockhead. Didn't the master tell us to go find Yin Chu Jiu? Look how many times the master has gone to find Yin Chu Jiu these days. This time, his visit to Yin Chu Jiu must be because something happened between them that we don't know about. As long as we stand outside and eavesdrop for a while, we can find out the truth."
Perhaps, through Yin Chu Jiu, he can figure out exactly what his master is missing. Compiled by the Yu Xi team, please stay tuned.
After saying that, Zi Zhuo turned and left, the black cat quickly followed, and Mo Ling, after a moment of silence, also followed. The three of them soon arrived at Yin Chu Jiu's room, but when they went inside, they found that Yin Chu Jiu was not in the room. They asked the guards around and learned that Yin Chu Jiu had gone out.
Following the directions given by the guards, they found Yin Chu Jiu in an open space. There was a large rock in the open space, and he was lying on it, looking up at the sky. This was an open space, without any trees blocking the view, allowing a clear view of the sky.
"Yin Chu Jiu, what are you doing?" Mo Ling asked urgently from afar.
Hearing the sound, Yin Chu Jiu climbed down from the big rock and smiled sheepishly, "I want to see the moon."
"The moon?" Zi Zhuo glanced at the sky. There was no moon tonight, only pitch blackness.
Yin Chu Jiu had already walked over. It didn't matter whether there was a moon or not. Zi Zhuo immediately said, "The master wants you to come over. He seems to have something to say to you."
As he spoke, Zi Zhuo kept a close eye on Yin Chu Jiu's expression. After a moment, his pupils contracted slightly. Sure enough, his master's strange behavior was related to him. Although Yin Chu Jiu's expression didn't change much, he didn't miss the sudden shift in his eyes when he said those words.
Yin Chu Jiu didn't notice that Zi Zhuo and the others were observing him, nor did he care. At this moment, his mind was only on Yue Ling. He nodded to Zi Zhuo and the others, and then walked towards the camp. The three of them exchanged glances and immediately followed.
They followed Yin Chu Jiu closely, and after he entered the room, they hid around the room, focusing all their attention on their ears. They could hear everything that was happening inside clearly.
They had agreed to say goodbye, but when he actually faced Yue Ling, Yin Chu Jiu didn't know what to do. He was stunned when he saw the boy sitting quietly in the large chair, his hands on the armrests, waiting for him. He didn't step forward until the boy called his name.
"Speak, what do you want to say?" The boy's attitude was indifferent, as if he were treating a stranger.
Yin Chu Jiu didn't speak immediately, but instead asked, "Could you close your eyes?"
Absurd! Who dares to order him to close his eyes? Yue Ling thought to himself, but the next moment, for some reason, he actually closed his eyes.
Yin Chu Jiu was unaware of Yue Ling's inner emotions. He simply looked at the boy in front of him, and the boy with his eyes closed looked no different from when he had not lost his memory.
Feeling a pang of nostalgia, Yin Chu Jiu raised her hand and traced the curve of that face in the air, saying, "Yue Ling, I'm leaving."
I'm sorry, you've forgotten all those promises you made before.
I will always be with you, always treat you well, always stay by your side, and never leave you again.
Forget about it all.
Yin Chu Jiu thought he had a lot to say, but in the end, he could only think of this one sentence. After speaking, he wanted to leave, but looking at the boy who still had his eyes closed, he couldn't help but lean down and kiss his forehead.
goodbye.
Yin Chu Jiu turned and left. Little did he know that as he said those words and kissed him, Yue Ling's hand on the armrest clenched tightly. The moment he turned around, Yue Ling opened his eyes and stared intently at Yin Chu Jiu's departing figure.
The veins on his neck bulged, his fair face flushed red, and his eyes were bloodshot.
After he had completely left the house, Yue Ling remained in that position. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt a movement in his throat, opened his mouth, and spat out a mouthful of blood with a "pfft".
Author's Note:
So melodramatic..._(:з」∠)_
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