Chapter 12
"Brother Lu, why aren't you asleep yet?"
In the dead of night, a chill permeated the depths of the desert. Ge Yue carried a lantern out to fetch water. Stepping out of her tent, she saw the silvery moon hanging high in the sky. She walked to the lakeside, where a shadow flickered in and out of sight on the shimmering water. Looking up, she saw A Lu Lingyi standing atop a stone wall, wearing a hood and arms crossed, bathed in moonlight that shone upon him.
He lowered his head and looked at Ge Yue. The little girl in the coarse brown clothes was also looking at him, her eyes reflecting his image. He pulled out two swords from behind his back, leaped down the stone wall, rushed towards Ge Yue, and hugged her tightly.
The little girl was still looking at the sky, her pupils dilated, her mouth covered so she couldn't make a sound. After a long time, the cover was removed, revealing a three-inch-long gash in her chest. A golden scimitar was completely embedded in it, and blood seeped out from her body along the blade, pooling on the ground.
'Aluling Descendant' leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"A-Lu. What a lovely name. Little girl, let your brother A-Lu accompany you to the underworld."
He released her, drew his knife, tucked it back into his waistband, picked up the little girl, and flew away.
On their way back late at night, Yang Yuan almost fell asleep on horseback. A Lu had no choice but to lead the horse, walking ahead and occasionally looking back to see if she would fall off.
Sure enough, as they approached the Sea of No Return, Yang Yuan, exhausted, collapsed onto the horse and fell asleep. The horse, being obedient and understanding, immediately stopped and neighed softly when it saw her about to slip.
A-Lu stopped, turned around to help Yang Yuan, mounted the horse, and held her in his arms.
He stroked the horse's neck and said softly:
"Let's go back."
This was the first time Yang Yuan had not seen the sun since arriving at the Ming Cult.
It was almost noon, and the clouds showed no sign of backing down, stubbornly covering the sky and not letting a single ray of light through.
There was a chill in the air, like spilled gunpowder scattered throughout. It seemed that even a single spark could ignite a sea of fire.
After Yang Yuan finished tidying up, A Lu came to bring her food as usual.
Today, A-Lu was very quiet and didn't say a word. He's usually very quiet, only making a fuss with Ge Yue when she's around.
Yang Yuan wanted to know what had happened, but before she could speak, A Lu stopped her with the food he put in her bowl.
He left in such a hurry that he didn't even bother to clear the table, and he left without closing the door.
A cool breeze blew in, raising goosebumps on her skin.
"The weather is really bad today," she thought, walking to the door and closing it.
When Alu arrived at the Dragon Gate Desert, in addition to Yita's figure, there were several other disciples in the distant yellow sand.
Under the hood, Ita turned around, her eyes fixed on Alu as he approached.
Alu glanced around, looked at Yita, and asked:
"Senior sister, what happened? Why did you call me over in such a hurry?"
"Ge Yue has been murdered."
Ah Lu was taken aback. Then she lowered her brows.
"Who did this?"
"I don't know. At the hour of Yin today, a few of my junior brothers returned from Longmen and found her by the lake. Her body was already cold, and there were marks on her chest from being stabbed by a sharp weapon; she was almost killed with a single blow."
Ah Lu looked at the yellow sand beneath her feet without saying a word.
"besides."
"Ita said."
"Yesterday at Feisha Pass, the caravan escorted by Evil Valley was robbed, and almost all the caravan members and their guards were killed."
"One of the bodyguards who escaped said that the person he saw was dressed in white, wearing a hood, and looked like a Ming Cult disciple."
Alu slowly raised her head and stared into Yita's eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at her fellow disciples, whose hands remained behind their backs the entire time.
"Ah Lu, where did you go last night?"
A-Lu didn't answer, her hands hanging at her sides, and asked instead, "Senior Sister, you specifically sent a message to summon me to Longmen just for this matter?"
Ita pursed her lips, but her hand unconsciously moved towards her waist after Alu asked that question.
Ah Lu smiled, and in an instant, his fellow disciples had quietly surrounded him.
"Senior sister, if I said I was just admiring the scenery at the Three Lives Tree yesterday, I'm afraid no one would believe me."
Ita lowered his eyes and gripped the scimitar on his back.
"Ah Lu, there's nothing I can do either."
Alu stared at Yita for a long time, then took out a curved knife from her waist, infused it with a little internal energy, and the blade flashed with two different lights, one blue and one yellow, which were particularly conspicuous in the yellow sand.
"Senior sister, there are solutions, but you've chosen a different one!"
After saying this, Ah Lu smiled and disappeared into the swirling yellow sand.
"drive--"
Ye Min and Xue Hua rode their two fine horses at breakneck speed across the Longmen Desert. The horses neighed in annoyance as their hooves pounded the sun-baked sand. The scorching heat sent shivers down their spines, and Ye Min frowned, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The two came from Chengdu. On the way, they passed through the territory of the Valley of Villains. Fortunately, Ye Min often traveled around and had some connections with the people in the Valley of Villains. They found a place in Fufeng County to change into lighter clothes and also bought horses, so they were safe.
However, due to the bumpy road, the bundle that Xue Hua had been carrying, which belonged to Yang Yuan, fell off the horse's back when they passed Yumen Pass.
He hurriedly picked it up, but the cloth wrapping had a large tear, revealing what was inside.
The object reflected a gleam in the sunlight. Just as I picked it up, the rope binding it came undone, revealing what was inside.
A zither.
The zither, about three or four feet long and entirely golden, is adorned with phoenix patterns crafted from black iron. The phoenixes, with outstretched wings and feathers entwined around the body, seem to be carrying the zither away from the mortal world. The strings, as fine as cicada silk, reflect a dazzling light in the sunlight.
Xue Hua looked up at Ye Min, whose eyes were fixed on the instrument, like a hunter who had spotted food.
Ye Min removed his gloves, placed his hand over the head of the zither, and infused it with his inner energy. The zither, like a withered flower receiving water, seemed to shimmer with the light of a phoenix, its eyes blinking, and a light source gathered around it, emitting a series of buzzing sounds.
Xue Hua watched as he withdrew his hand, his trembling fingers like burned earthworms, his pupils dilating, and his facial expression gradually stiffening and becoming terrifying.
"Now I finally understand why they kidnapped Yang Yuan."
Ye Min looked at Xue Hua, sweat trickling down his forehead and falling into the scorching yellow sand.
"This instrument is..."
Before the two could react, a gust of wind came from behind. Ye Min instinctively tried to turn around, but a hand grabbed his neck. A flash of cold light appeared, and a curved blade emitting a blue light appeared in front of him. He could touch the sharp blade with his eyes lowered.
Xue Hua suddenly drew his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), pointing the tip at the person behind Ye Min.
Xue Hua looked closely and saw that part of the white hood the man was wearing was stained red, and his hands were trembling, as if he could not hold the curved knife at all. Some blood was flowing from his palms and into the yellow sand.
Ye Min sensed that although the man was seriously injured, the hand gripping his neck did not loosen its grip at all.
Xue Hua stared at him, but before he could ask a question, Ye Min heard a hoarse whisper in his ear.
"Go to...the Ming Cult...Yang Yuan...is in danger...hurry..."
After only a few breaths, the man swayed, his weapon slipped from his hand, and he fell straight to the ground.
Ye Min looked at the puzzled Xue Hua, opened his mouth and slowly uttered a few words.
He said... Yang Yuan is in the Ming Cult.
Xue Hua's eyes suddenly widened as he turned his head to stare at the person lying on the ground. His wounds were shocking, as if he had been skinned alive.
Ming Cult.
Yang Yuan sat by the dressing table. The window was open, and she could see the view outside. It was a bit cold today, and there was no sunshine outside, so a slight chill seeped in. Her clothes were still a little too thin.
She wondered how things were going with A-Lu's situation. She thought about it for a long time, but in the end, she could only sigh.
It seems that she has grown accustomed to his presence these days. He seems to have a lot of free time, with nothing of importance to do, but he can bring her meals every day or spend an entire night with her watching the flowers and moonlight at the Three Lives Tree.
What do assassins do? Do they just laze around like this all the time?
She shivered as the wind howled in from outside, snapping out of her reverie. Just as she reached to close the window, her attention was drawn to the sudden sound of horses' hooves.
Seeing the galloping horse coming this way, she subconsciously got up and went out. As soon as she opened the door and stepped out, she heard hurried footsteps and voices coming from afar.
"Quickly, fetch some water!"
"Go to the empty room upstairs!"
When the group rushed up, she stood there stunned. The group rushed into the next room without noticing her there.
The wind is blowing, it's really cool.
She slowly walked to the door. Several people were fidgeting on the bed, just avoiding the head area. Yang Yuan stood there, staring at A Lu's blood-stained face beneath her disheveled hair.
He closed his eyes and pursed his lips, looking as if he were asleep, so quiet.
"The incision in the abdomen is too deep; it needs to be cleaned out immediately. Is there a doctor here?"
"Where would we find a doctor in this remote desert area?"
The group was anxious, chattering excitedly. Xue Hua looked down at A Lu's pale face when a very soft sound suddenly came from behind him:
"I'll do it."
He slowly turned around, feeling that the action had exhausted him. When he stood still and saw the person behind him, he could no longer hide the tension on his face.
Yang Yuan looked at him, tears slowly welling up in her eyes. Her lips trembled as she forced a smile, and even her sobs were soft as she spoke:
"I'll do it."
Xue Hua removed the cloth covering the zither and placed it on the table. Everyone except Ye Min and Xue Hua was driven out.
Yang Yuan stroked the zither with both hands, taking a deep breath of the blood-tinged air. Her fingertips touched the icy strings, and with a gentle pluck, the strings vibrated in the air, producing a beautiful melody. The power flowing from her fingertips converged into a clear stream, slowly flying towards A Lu and swirling around him.
Yang Yuan played a single note, and Ye Min immediately recognized the unique timbre of the seven-stringed zither.
The song ends, and the shadows appear.
A clear stream surrounded A-Lu, and green melodies flowed from Yang Yuan's fingertips, the humming of the piano resounding in her ears.
Yang Yuan slowly stopped, exhaled, and quickly looked at the person on the bed.
Ye Min immediately went to the bedside and saw A Lu's eyes move under her eyelids before she slowly opened them.
"Hey, hey, he's awake, he's awake!"
A-Lu couldn't hear Ye Min's voice; his head was still buzzing. He turned his head with difficulty and faced Yang Yuan, who was looking at him from behind the piano at the table.
She's fine.
That's enough.
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