Chapter 74 [VIP]
Night. Lu Xuejin and Murong Yue slept together. In the middle of the night, the door creaked open, and they both heard footsteps. They both pretended to be asleep, acting as if they hadn't noticed.
Murong Yue lifted one eyelid in the night, staring at Lu Xuejin's profile. He flipped the dagger in his hand, and a figure was reflected in the window. He wanted to see what this madman was up to; if he was of any danger to them, he would kill him immediately.
This man had gone to great lengths to place various sleeping pills in their room. He sensed a figure approaching the bedside. Li Yunhuo traced his profile in the darkness, the emotion in his gaze indescribable. He sensed a strange feeling; this madman had been staring at him for who knows how long.
Time ticked by, and Murong Yue heard a soft noise. A quilt immediately fell beside him. Li Yunhuo stared at him for a long time, his lingering thoughts like a somber rain enveloping the night. After covering him with the quilt, he left. The door closed again.
He acted as if he really were his brother-in-law, going to such lengths to put on an act. He opened his eyes, meeting Lu Xuejin's gaze in the darkness. Lu Xuejin had heard and seen everything that had just happened.
“Brother, he really is a madman,” Murong Yue said.
Lu Xuejin sighed, looking at the figure outside the window, "In that case, since he has no ill intentions towards His Highness, it should be considered a good thing. His Highness is always lovable and deserves such treatment."
Hearing this, Murong Yue felt embarrassed, his expression shifting as he looked at the young man from under the covers and said, "What are you saying, Brother Changyou? I don't need this kind of pampering. I just want you to pamper me, brother."
“Their affection is all for a purpose; everyone wants to be my brother-in-law. If my eldest sister weren’t a princess, they wouldn’t be so attentive.”
Lu Xuejin: "I see. This is what makes the Princess so extraordinary. If she weren't a princess, she would surely have no shortage of suitors. Personal charm cannot be determined by status."
"What about me? What does Brother Changyou think of me? If I weren't a prince, would you still love me so much?" Murong Yue asked, leaning closer. He also kicked the blanket over himself, insisting on squeezing in with Lu Xuejin.
He touched the young man's body temperature; the low temperature could burn, like a cold candle burning before a Buddha. Though faint, it was very bright, always drawing people to touch it out of curiosity. He hugged the young man, and Lu Xuejin looked at him, her brows furrowed in thought as she replied.
“If Your Highness had not been born into a wealthy family, you would probably have suffered a lot with such a personality. I naturally feel sorry for Your Highness and hope to do my best to help you fully express your nature,” Lu Xuejin replied earnestly.
His situation wasn't much better now; he was being hunted by his enemies. But with the person before him by his side, he felt no fear in the endless darkness. All things that were frightening returned to normal, becoming less repulsive. This was the magic of the person before him.
"Brother is so good. I want to repay you for the rest of my life. I'll follow Brother Changyou for the rest of my life." Murong Yue said with a grin, and leaned over to lick the young man's ear.
He touched the tip of the young man's ear, that snow-white, cool, soft flesh, and held it in his mouth as if it were melting. He held the man, always feeling that the young man grew thinner in his arms, as fragile as a flower branch about to wither. He looked at the man carefully, checking on him every now and then, worried that Brother Changyou would melt in his arms.
Lu Xuejin: "The most important thing right now is to get His Highness out of here safely. His Highness has just escaped the clutches of the palace, and we cannot let all our previous efforts go to waste. Let's treat what happened here as a dream. What is real may be fake, and what is fake may be real. After we leave, let's pretend that this never happened."
Murong Yue was making plans in his mind. Seeing the young man's expression, he naturally didn't want to worry anyone, so he obediently replied "okay" and buried his face in the young man's neck.
"I understand, I'll listen to you, brother, and I won't cause any trouble. Don't worry, brother."
Murong Yue got up very early in the morning and checked the guards in the courtyard. There were more guards than he had expected. These guards were silent and looked like assassins.
He was about to go back when he suddenly spotted Li Yunhuo. So early in the morning, this madman was up so early, first bringing that skeleton out to bask in the sun, then tending to the flowers and plants. A guard then came and said something, and Li Yunhuo followed the guard to the gate of the mansion.
Murong Yue followed along, driven by curiosity, and spotted a familiar-looking woman under the eaves.
"Brother." As Lu Xuejin stood up, Murong Yue beckoned to him, his clear black and white eyes filled with a wicked emotion, having returned from who-knows-where. Thinking that the young prince was in such a state, someone was probably going to suffer, he put down the letter in his hand and went to Murong Yue's place.
Murong Yue led him to the spot where they had been hiding, a place concealed by dense flower bushes, making them invisible. They could see Li Yunhuo and the woman in the distance. The woman was none other than Li Miaosuo's daughter, Li Mu'e. They had met before, and their last encounter had been tense and hostile.
Previously, I hadn't paid close attention; the women in their sect all wore silver masks and uniform lotus-patterned skirts, but now Li Mu'e was dressed as an ordinary woman. Although they were half-siblings, their features were completely different. Li Mu'e had gentle, downcast eyes, a delicate face, and faint freckles scattered across it. Adorned with a jade hairpin and a white long dress, the girl, who had been expressionless in the sect, now showed some emotion in front of her younger brother. The tenderness and inner turmoil in her eyes became incredibly vivid.
“I’ve already made arrangements for my mother; she doesn’t know they’re with you,” Li Mu’e said.
Li Yunhuo: "Thank you, sister. Sister Xiaowu is still the one who loves me the most."
His handsome appearance, especially his smile which brought a touch of spring to his eyes, revealed his ink-wash-like features, as beautiful as a line drawing. Li Mu'e suddenly blushed, glancing at him before looking away, her fingers, which were wrapped around the sword blade, clenched together.
“This is the last time I’ll help you. My mother has already discovered what I’ve been doing,” Li Mu’e said. “You might not see me again next time.”
Li Yunhuo was very perceptive and immediately noticed Li Mu'e's words. He smiled, took Li Mu'e's fingers under the eaves, and said knowingly, "Sister, don't worry. After you get married, you can still come to my place, and our relationship will be the same as before."
Just as before. Under the eaves, Li Mu'e's expression suddenly changed. Her eyes were fixed on Li Yunhuo's face, her gaze unfocused, her clenched fingers like taut strings. Her brows and eyes suddenly reddened. This intimate gesture made her flustered and helpless. Her younger brother, however, was much smarter than her and could always guess what she was thinking. Knowing that she wanted to be close but dared not touch, he would always take the initiative to grab her, making it impossible for her to resist.
“You…you should also look at other women. The Princess is no longer alive, and there are many, many better women in this world. Huo’er just needs to leave this mansion and take a look,” Li Mu’e said.
Li Yunhuo: "My life is already complete with my sisters; I don't need to associate with other women. If I were to actually go and see other women, would you be jealous?"
The blooming clematis blocked Li Mu'e's view. Although the speaker was unintentional, she felt a deep, unspoken longing. The warmth of those fingertips, the touch of her own body, captivated her; she became like a butterfly drawn to the clematis. The clematis flourished in this garden, yet she could not linger there.
Thinking of this, she felt a pang of sorrow, but she always kept her feelings to herself, and her expression remained sluggish, unsure how to react. That unspoken emotion was etched in her eyes, reflecting Li Yunhuo's smiling face, scorching her like blinding sunlight.
“If you feel lonely, sister, come to me anytime.” Li Yunhuo said naturally, and after letting go, he leaned in and kissed Li Mu’e on the cheek.
"Brother Changyou, what's this... a sister liking her brother?" Murong Yue watched with schadenfreude, wishing that the vixen wasn't here. Otherwise, watching this spectacle would have been truly entertaining.
Lu Xuejin took in Li Mu'e's expression from afar; the affection within was all too obvious, foreshadowing nothing less than a tragedy. Beauty brought good fortune to the man in the distance, but also misfortune, and the girl's expression was a manifestation of that tragedy. An unspeakable gloom hung over both of them.
"Looking at it this way, his affection for my elder sister is nothing more than that. If he were truly devoted to her, how could he act like this... especially since she is his own sister?" Murong Yue said.
Looking at Li Yunhuo's expression, Lu Xuejin replied, "Perhaps this is how he always lived. The benefits brought by his sisters are far greater than we imagined."
Murong Yue: "It's not over yet. Brother, take a good look. It's a real pity that this young master Li isn't a courtesan. In just half a day, several women have come to his door. I think he's like the only male peacock on the mountain. He has to comfort every woman who comes."
Next to arrive was Madam Sun, the wife of Prefect Yin, who was Li Yunhuo's stepmother. Li Yunhuo treated his stepmother no differently than Li Mu'e, disregarding familial boundaries, simply considering himself a refuge for his stepmother and sister's broken hearts. Madam Sun took a great liking to Li Yunhuo upon seeing him, her eyes sparkling with smiles, and ordered many treasures to be brought over.
Besides Lady Sun, there were also Li Miaosuo's two eldest daughters, Li Yunqu and Li Huoyou, who were already married. Li Yunqu and Li Huoyou arrived and showered Li Yunhuo with concern, staying for an hour before reluctantly leaving. Before departing, they left behind clothes, food, snacks, and valuables that they had made themselves. Li Yunhuo, like a butterfly flitting among flowers, handled these women with ease and familiarity, making each one reluctant to leave after meeting him.
Lu Xuejin and Murong Yue watched the entire scene, and when they saw Li Yunhuo and the skeleton together, both remained calm and tacitly kept silent. Li Yunhuo remained composed, placing the treasures the women had given him in different places, and gave them a gentle smile.
"What have you two decided?" Li Yunhuo asked.
Murong Yue remained silent, while Lu Xuejin said, "We have discussed this. The Princess has now passed away, and we do not know what she was thinking... However, we should consider the thoughts of the living. If we can fulfill one or two of Young Master Li's wishes, we are willing to be witnesses."
"Is Young Master Li really willing to escort us out of the city?" Lu Xuejin asked.
“Of course, I keep my word. Besides, I treat His Highness as my own younger brother, so naturally I wouldn’t put him in any danger,” Li Yunhuo said.
Upon hearing their reply, Li Yunhuo's eyes lit up with joy, a genuine and undisguised delight. He looked at them and said, "How about we set the date for tomorrow? After the wedding ceremony, I will escort you both out of the city that evening, along with the official silver and your maids."
Lu Xuejin: "I will follow Young Master Li's wishes in everything."
Once the two of them agreed, Li Yunhuo happily went to make preparations. Murong Yue watched from the side, thinking that this crazy boy was really preparing seriously. He thought to himself that this guy usually didn't have anything else to do, and now he had plenty of time to mess around with these trivial matters.
"Brother Changyou, I need to go out for a bit. Would you like to come with me?" Murong Yue asked.
Li Yunhuo naturally wouldn't let them out and wanted to send guards to follow them. Murong Yue didn't care; let them follow if they wanted. After all, they were already planning to fulfill this inexplicable dream. Besides, the person he wanted to see wasn't anyone important.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin became curious and asked, "Who is it?"
“She’s the painter I mentioned to my brother before. She happened to be heading south, and I arranged to meet her. I asked her to draw many sketches, so I need to thank her properly,” Murong Yue said.
Lu Xuejin pretended not to know what kind of notebook it was. Young people always had this skill; they could become friends with someone by exchanging letters. He was happy to see His Highness making friends and replied, "In that case, I will go with Your Highness."
Guards followed them. The meeting place wasn't far, at a nearby teahouse. The painter Murong Yue wanted to see was the woman from Luzhou last time; her name was Fu Lian. Fu Lian had received many of the young prince's paintings and knew everything about the young prince's sweetheart. Now that she had met him in person, she became embarrassed.
The young man before her had a clear and bright expression, like a high-hanging moon, serene and unapproachable. Fu Lian recalled what she had drawn according to His Highness's instructions and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She glanced at the young man for a moment and then awkwardly looked away.
Lu Xuejin: "Greetings, Miss Fu."
Fu Lian: "...Greetings, Young Master Lu."
Murong Yue was quite at ease. He sat down next to Lu Xuejin and asked, "How's the sketchbook I asked you to draw a couple of days ago coming along? Why did you come to Dingzhou?"
"Well... it's a long story. I'm going to Suzhou to take on a job," Fu Lian said. Their meeting was to hand over a sketchbook. The sketchbook was right there, and Fu Lian reluctantly placed it on the table.
“Then just give me the new address when the time comes,” Murong Yue said, tucking the sketchbook into his pocket with great care. He remained unusually calm under Lu Xuejin’s gaze and said to Fu Lian, “Now I have new ones to draw.”
Murong Yue: "This time, I need to paint a story about going to a dream world. The dream world is strange. The protagonist and his lover come to a dreamlike mansion. The place is full of plants and covered with old flowers and trees. In the middle is a statue of an orphan girl. There lives a fairy who is obsessed with the orphan girl. The fairy has never set foot in the human world. He only saw the orphan girl once and fell into a fantasy. He longs to meet the dead orphan girl every day."
Fu Lian: "That's a good story. What is Your Highness trying to express?"
Upon hearing this, Murong Yue looked at Lu Xuejin and asked, "Brother, what do you think the story is trying to express?"
The two looked at Lu Xuejin at the same time. Lu Xuejin listened quietly and said to the painter, "The scene in the dream is also the scene in the human world. When the protagonist sees this scene, he can't help but sigh. Some people spend their whole lives decorating beautiful castles in the air. The castles collapse and are rebuilt. They are so engrossed in the misty realm that they can't find their way."
"But pure and beautiful things, otherworldly scenes, will vanish in an instant."
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