Chapter Sixty-Three: Is This the End?

Update time: June 29, 2013

Lian Yue gently wiped the dust from her face with a damp black cloth, her eyes lingering on the figure before her clad in black. There was something unspeakably familiar in the gaze, brimming with memories, that made her heart stir. The cold emanating from the man was slowly dissipating, replaced bit by bit with a warmth so gentle it was magnetic, drawing her irresistibly closer.

“Hiss...” The cloth touched her wound, and what had been a mild ache flared into burning pain. Lian Yue couldn't help but let out a small cry.

The sound was quiet, but it was enough to pull Yu Wen Lingxi from his reverie. The images in his mind receded like a tide. He looked at Lian Yue, her brows tightly knit and her face contorted in pain, then his gaze settled on the wound upon her cheek.

Though the injuries were little more than superficial cuts, they still tugged painfully at his heart, and he cursed his own carelessness. He was also angry at his impulsiveness—after leaving He Luo Mansion, borrowing a horse, he could have ridden away before the pursuers arrived. But he couldn't restrain his urge and lingered. If he hadn't, she wouldn't have been hurt. Should he send her back now?

While Yu Wen Lingxi’s heart roiled with conflicting emotions, Lian Yue was more annoyed at her lack of a mirror. She fumbled to apply medicine to her face, then began tending her battered hands. Thankfully, the medicine was good, cooling the pain and soothing her wounds.

After treating her injuries, Lian Yue looked at her hands, imagining her face, and comforted herself: It’s nothing, nothing, just minor wounds, it won’t ruin my face, it won’t ruin my face!

“Go,” Yu Wen Lingxi finally made his decision. Given his current situation, it was unsuitable to keep her with him.

Lian Yue’s eyes lifted from her hands, surprise flooding her face as she looked at the man in black. She had expected he would let her leave, but hearing it from his lips was still hard to believe.

“You... you mean... I can go?”

Yu Wen Lingxi nodded. “Walk straight behind you, exit the woods and stand still. Your people will find you.”

It was rare to hear him speak so much. Lian Yue marveled at how pleasant his voice was, and with gratitude, bowed deeply to Yu Wen Lingxi. She turned and hurried in the direction he had given, breaking into a quick run.

Yu Wen Lingxi watched her figure disappear, his eyes icing over once more. His whole being radiated an unapproachable chill as he barked coldly, “Come out!”

After a moment of silence, several black shadows dropped from the trees, bowing in unison. “Greetings, Young Master!”

Yu Wen Lingxi regarded them with frosty disdain. They were all trusted aides of his father—he hadn’t expected his father’s intelligence network to be so thorough, tracking his every move. “What is it?”

One of the men stepped forward, producing a letter and handing it to Yu Wen Lingxi, his demeanor neither servile nor arrogant. “The Master has sent a letter, please review it.”

Yu Wen Lingxi took it and read, his face growing colder with each line. He suppressed his anger, finished reading, and crushed the letter into powder. “I understand. Leave.”

But the man acted as if he hadn’t heard, continuing, “May I ask, was the person who just left the third Miss of the Yue family, Yue Lian Yue?”

Yu Wen Lingxi’s eyes narrowed, fixing on the man. “That’s none of your business.”

The threat in his voice crashed down on the man like a wave of ice. If he could, he would leave immediately. Yet compared to the Young Master, the Master was truly terrifying—he dared not disobey the Master’s orders. Steeling himself, he said, “The Master commands that should the Young Master not comply, I may use extraordinary measures.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Yu Wen Lingxi recalled the contents of the letter, his heart sinking. In matters concerning Lian Yue, both he and his father shared the same goal, yet their methods always diverged so drastically. Why couldn’t his father let him win her heart step by step?

Seeing Yu Wen Lingxi’s cooperation, the man relaxed slightly, his admiration for the Master’s schemes growing ever deeper. “The Master instructs you to act under the identity of An Ming. Second Young Master will cover for you.”

“What does that mean? That wasn’t in the letter.” Yu Wen Lingxi had already guessed what was happening. With his father’s far-sightedness, this scenario was hardly unforeseen.

“The Master says, if you have already met Miss Yue as An Ming, then—”

“Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!” The man’s words were cut short by a sudden birdcall. He drew his sword and lunged at Yu Wen Lingxi. The others joined in, circling him with their blades, every strike merciless. Yu Wen Lingxi didn’t know why they had turned on him so abruptly, but his knowledge of these men and the strange birdcall told him there was more beneath the surface.

It wasn’t the first time he’d faced such a situation. Dodging, Yu Wen Lingxi drew his sword and struck back without mercy.

Lian Yue, who had just returned, saw the scene unfold—a group of six attacking one, and that one was the man who had just let her go. She stood, paralyzed by uncertainty.

The moment Lian Yue appeared, Yu Wen Lingxi sensed it and immediately understood what was happening. So, this was it.

“An Ming, today is your death day! Surrender your life!” Without any prompting, Yu Wen Lingxi knew what to do. Helpless, he wondered if everything must begin with deception.

Without surprise, one of the men’s swords pierced his abdomen. The pain was sharp, but Yu Wen Lingxi was numb.

Lian Yue snapped back to reality at the bloody sight, regretting her rashness. Why did she come back to deliver the cloth and medicine? She wanted to slip away unnoticed, but her feet wouldn’t move. A voice inside urged her to save him, but without silver needles, what could she do?

Her gaze fell on the frightened horse, struggling against its bonds. Inspiration struck. She hurried over, fumbling to untie the rope, mounted swiftly, took a deep breath, and spurred the horse toward the fighting.

Lian Yue shouted through the swirl of blades and blood, “Get on!”

Yu Wen Lingxi was torn between bitterness and delight. He’d assumed Lian Yue would leave in shock, perhaps go for reinforcements, and then a dramatic scene would unfold, with him riding to her rescue. He hadn’t expected this foolish girl to act so boldly. Well, since the beginning was already set, let it start this way.

Yu Wen Lingxi surged forward, his sword leaving crimson trails on several assailants. If he must act, he would pay the price.

At last, Yu Wen Lingxi broke through the flawed encirclement, seizing Lian Yue’s outstretched hand and leaping onto the horse.

Lian Yue tried to turn the horse toward the forest’s edge, but saw more shadows blocking the way. She had no time to think, whipping the horse fiercely; it bolted into the depths of the forest.

The black-clad attackers exchanged a smile, quickly replaced by grim determination, and pursued in the direction the horse had vanished.

The woods were ill-suited for riding. Lian Yue and Yu Wen Lingxi had to duck and lean, dodging branches and leaves, the sound of relentless pursuit echoing behind.

Lian Yue cursed their persistence, struggling to control the frenzied horse. If not for her skill, she would surely have been thrown.

“How are you? Are you alright?” she asked, not forgetting Yu Wen Lingxi behind her.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Had Lian Yue turned, she would have fallen for those dazzling eyes.

“Who are they? Why do they want to kill you?” she asked louder, confusion in her voice.

Yu Wen Lingxi didn’t answer; he didn’t know how. If everything began as a lie, at least let the story contain fewer falsehoods.

After waiting a while for his reply, Lian Yue let it go. Hearing the pursuers close in, she whipped the horse again.

The already crazed horse picked up speed. Lian Yue and Yu Wen Lingxi carefully dodged the obstacles ahead.

Suddenly, light burst before them. Lian Yue instinctively pulled the reins, but the wild horse wouldn’t stop. The next moment, they were falling—no one had expected the forest’s edge to be a cliff.

The world spun before her eyes, wind howled past her ears, and terror climbed inside her. Before she could scream, she was embraced in a warm hold, listening to a heartbeat beside her, momentarily forgetting her peril. Was this all a dream?

“Hold tight!” His deep voice sounded in her ear, shattering the dream. Still falling, the horse already gone, she didn’t know when Yu Wen Lingxi had pulled her into his arms, still clutching half a length of reins.

Yu Wen Lingxi felt his blood surging to the wound in his abdomen, his strength fading. They were still far from the cliff wall, no foothold, only falling.

Was this the beginning, and also the end? He looked down tenderly at the woman in his arms; if this was the end, then let them die together.

“Hold me tight.”

Lian Yue instinctively gripped his clothing. At first, shock made her forget to scream; now, she felt no urge at all. So death was this simple. She looked up, meeting a pair of apologetic, gentle eyes. All her grievances melted away. She was the one who had tried to save him, who had whipped the horse into madness. She owed the apology. Father, eldest brother, second brother, elder sister, Blue Sister, Yaoyao, Yue’er—she was bidding them farewell forever.

Looking at those gentle, suffocatingly sweet eyes, Lian Yue smiled radiantly. “Knock me out. I’m afraid of pain.”

Yu Wen Lingxi gazed at the smile he had cherished for fifteen years, dotingly nodded, released one hand and pressed her sleep acupoint—how could he bear to strike her?

He watched as she closed her eyes with a smile, then lowered his head and, through the mask, kissed her cherry lips. Gradually, he too lost consciousness.

At the cliff’s edge, a row of black-clad men were panic-stricken.

Finally, one steadied himself and said with trembling lips, “Alive or dead, we must find them.”

At Phoenix Ridge, in the rear mountain, Meng Chuchen was practicing when a cry of farewell echoed in her heart. Her spirit faltered, blood spilled from her mouth, and before she could wipe it away, she ordered those outside her door, “Notify all branches, report the whereabouts of the second master and Yaoyao immediately.”

“Yes!” came hurried footsteps outside.

An hour later, at the cliff’s edge, Yue Lingjun and Blue Water stared at each other in despair. They had chased all the way, and the signs at the cliff showed that a horse had fallen here; they couldn’t help but believe it.

“Search. Alive or dead, we must find them,” Yue Lingjun forced the words through gritted teeth.

Behind them, Qingqiu, Qin Che, and others sprang into action.