Chapter Thirty: Meeting Without Recognition

Update time: 2013-05-30

The small courtyard Dream Pool had arranged for the three family heads was already rather secluded, about half a stick of incense walk from the Council Pavilion. Along the way, Dream Yanran, seeing Lian Yue’s high spirits, deliberately slowed her steps. By the time their group arrived at the pavilion, the tea before Lian Yu and the others had been refilled three times. The initial silence had faded; everyone was now quietly conversing with those around them.

During this time, Lian Yu pulled Blue Water aside and had her recount in detail, in a low voice, their ordeal within the formation. Only then did she learn that the illusion array could evoke a person’s most unbearable memories. She immediately understood why her younger brother had suffered so, surely it was the events of seven years past. She sighed helplessly. At the same time, she was deeply curious about what Yu Wen Lingxi had experienced to react even more violently. Could it be…? Lian Yu sighed again, realizing that every family has its own hardships. Her thoughts then wandered to Lian Yue and his marriage, and her gaze toward Yu Wen Lingxi grew more complex.

Sensing her gaze, Yu Wen Lingxi, who had been quietly consulting with Qiao Zhi, looked up, meeting Lian Yu’s eyes. Lian Yu showed no shyness, nodded slightly, and withdrew her gaze, resuming her quiet conversation with Blue Water.

At that moment, a voice came from outside the door: “Sister Yue, this is the Council Pavilion. Impressive, isn’t it? But I don’t like it—it’s too solemn. Every time I see it, I feel dizzy.”

Those inside the hall recognized the voice and knew the main party had arrived. Now that they knew this was the Hidden Sect, it was improper to remain seated, so everyone rose and stood beside their chairs.

Lian Yu and Blue Water exchanged a glance, each understanding what the other was thinking. That cry of “Sister Yue” must have been calling Lian Yue. Their eyes, turned toward the door, shone with excitement.

Throughout the walk, Dream Yanran had held Lian Yue’s small hand tightly. Even now, knowing her elder brother and sister were inside, she was reluctant to let go of that warm grasp. Suppressing the urge in her heart, she entered the hall with Dream Yanran and immediately saw her elder sister, brother, and Blue Sister to the right. Overjoyed, she called out, “Big Brother, Big Sister, Blue Sister!”

Taotao, beside her, hurriedly asked, “Which? Which one?”

“There,” Lian Yu withdrew her hand from Taotao’s, pointing toward herself, “The one in green is my big sister, Yue Lian—” Before she finished, she noticed her sister’s expression had changed dramatically, and Blue Water’s face was equally strange. Both women stared, wide-eyed and brimming with disbelief and excitement, tears glistening and ready to fall.

Even as self-absorbed as Lian Yue was, she realized their emotion was not because of her. Alarmed, she thought, How could I have forgotten this? Thirteen years ago, when Mother disappeared, Big Sister and Blue Sister were both old enough to remember her face, unlike her brother, whose eyes were still on her. But under the current circumstances, they could not recognize their mother. Anxiously, Lian Yue tried to signal her sister with her eyes.

But Lian Yu, not even glancing her way, missed the cue entirely. Yue Lingjun, however, noticed but completely failed to grasp Lian Yue’s intent.

“Mother…” Lian Yu’s single word shattered all of Lian Yue’s hopes. As if that was not enough, she threw herself into Dream Yanran’s arms, clutching her clothing tightly, and, disregarding propriety, burst into tears. “Mother, Yu’er missed you so much. Father finally found you for us…”

This cry and embrace stunned everyone present. Blue Water’s tears, which she had been holding back, now streamed down unchecked. On Yue Lingjun’s face, confusion gave way to shock and then to joy as he finally overlapped the woman before him with the dim figure in his memory. His nose tingled, and his own tears broke free. The others stood in dazed astonishment.

Lian Yue could clearly sense the stiffness in Dream Yanran’s embrace. Looking up, she saw confusion, bewilderment, and a trace of panic in Dream Yanran’s eyes. Watching her sister’s loss of control and recalling all these years, Lian Yue’s eyes reddened and, unable to hold back, she too began to cry.

Following behind, Yue Zhanpeng quietly wiped at the corner of his own eye at the scene before him.

Crying in Dream Yanran’s embrace, Lian Yu gradually became aware of the stiffness and, thinking her mother did not recognize her, raised her tear-stained face and whimpered, “Mother, it’s me, Yu’er. Don’t you remember me?”

Dream Yanran shook her head in confusion. “You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

In disbelief, Lian Yu released her grip on Dream Yanran’s clothes, her eyes drifting to the hands Dream Yanran still clasped with Lian Yue, and murmured, “Impossible… impossible!” Sensing Lian Yu’s gaze, Dream Yanran quickly let go of both Lian Yue and Dawn’s hands.

Yue Zhanpeng gave Dream Yanran a complicated look. Seeing Lian Yu about to speak again and fearing she might mention something that would trigger old wounds in Ah Yue, he quickly cut her off: “Yu’er, you’ve made a mistake.”

Only then did Lian Yu notice her father standing behind. “But, it’s clearly—”

“I said you’re mistaken. She is not your mother, my Ah Yue. This is Dream Yanran, the sect leader of the Hidden Sect.” After speaking, Yue Zhanpeng seemed to age several years at once; his straight back suddenly stooped.

At some point, Zhou Qian had come to stand beside his son and now retorted, “Second Brother, Dream Yanran and Dream Yue are clearly—” The rest of “the same person” was swallowed back at the stern look Yu Wen Mo shot him.

For the first time, there was no hostility in Dream Lan’s worried gaze toward Yue Zhanpeng.

No one seemed to notice the change in Dream Yanran. For some reason, when she heard Yue Zhanpeng say “my Ah Yue,” her heart ached inexplicably. Unbidden, memories of the day’s encounters flooded back: that person’s excitement, daze, affection, and the current helplessness, as well as the strange sense of intimacy with that young lady, and the faces of these tear-stained children. It felt as if she truly had lost something precious, and now desperately wanted to retrieve it.

Dream Yanran strained to recall everything about them, her head throbbing more and more painfully, as though it would split apart. Yet, at the same time, something seemed to flash through her mind—a sense that if only she could grasp it, all would be revealed. She endured the agony with all her might, but no matter what, could not quite reach it. Her clear eyes began to redden faintly, and a restless agitation built in her chest, seeking an outlet.

Yu Wen Lingxi, who had been observing her, was the first to sense something amiss. Alarmed, he glanced at Dream Yanran’s hands, veins bulging, then at Lian Yue, who was still weeping. Without hesitation, he flew forward.

Yu Wen Lingxi pushed Lian Yu aside. “Be careful!” He scooped Lian Yue into his arms and was about to employ his lightness skill, when he felt a powerful force slam into his back. He barely managed to shift his position before he was sent flying.

Lian Yue felt something warm and wet drip onto her cheek, as if she were being shielded within a strong embrace—one that felt strangely familiar, though the air now carried a scent of blood. Recalling the earlier cry, she suddenly understood and snapped her eyes open. She was greeted by Yu Wen Lingxi’s pale face, furrowed brows, and that streak of scarlet at the corner of his mouth. She tried to speak, but the words stuck in her throat, no sound emerging.

“Yu Wen, Yue’er, are you all right?” Qiao Zhi’s anxious voice sounded beside them.

“No—cough, cough—no problem,” Lian Yue said, watching as blood trickled from Yu Wen Lingxi’s lips with each cough. She could not help but reach out to wipe it away. Yu Wen Lingxi, feeling the warmth, was momentarily stunned; joy flickered in his eyes, and his lips curled in a slight smile.

“How are you?” came a voice, worried, within her heart. Only then did Lian Yue realize what she was doing. Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand and tried to free herself from his arms, only to discover she was lying sideways on the ground. She quickly sat up and searched for Dawn, finally spotting him leaning against the wall, clearly badly injured.

Meanwhile, Yue Lian Yue was stunned by the scene before her. The gentle Dream Yanran from moments ago had turned wild; her hair, once streaked with white, was now completely white. Yue Zhanpeng, Yu Wen Mo, Zhou Man, Dream Lan, and Dream Yuan together barely managed to hold her to a draw—not because Dream Yanran’s martial skills were so extraordinary, but because none of them dared use full force for fear of harming her, thus giving her the advantage. In the end, it was Yu Wen Mo who, seizing an unguarded moment, struck Dream Yanran’s pressure point to end the chaos.

Yue Zhanpeng gathered Dream Yanran into his arms. Though Dream Lan showed some displeasure, she let it go for the moment and placed her hand on Dream Yanran’s wrist to check her pulse. Her expression grave, she ordered, “Dawn!”

Leaning against the wall, Dawn struggled toward the table. Realizing what was happening, Lian Yue rushed to help him, joined by Taotao, and together they supported him on either side. Yu Wen Lingxi, watching Lian Yue’s anxious back, felt the light in his eyes dim once more.

“Tea cup,” Dawn said weakly.

Taotao hurried to the table and fetched a cup filled with tea.

“Pour out the water,” Dawn instructed, then drew his sword and sliced toward his own left hand.

Lian Yue cried out in alarm and tried to stop him. “What are you doing?”

“Hurry, Dawn, stop dawdling!” Dream Lan’s voice urged again.

“The blood is the medicine’s guide; there’s no time to lose. Let go…” Dawn explained feebly.

Lian Yue glanced at her mother, lying in her father’s arms, then reluctantly withdrew her hand. With the tip of his sword, Dawn slit open the sleeve of his left arm, revealing a mass of old scars, and without hesitation, cut into his flesh. Taotao quickly positioned the teacup to catch the falling drops of blood.