Chapter 212: Chapter 212

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chu Qiao was completely stunned. In that split second, her mind reconstructed the figure of that certain man. With his sleeves fluttering in the wind, what kind of emotions must he have had to throw out the other half of the jade, before turning back on his horse, leaving this tree to which people prayed peace and serenity to?

Her tear glands started to hurt again, yet no tears dropped down. Standing there silently for a long time, rows of festival lights started to light up, yet she did not realize it. Only when a businessman selling colorful lanterns walked past did she finally return to reality.

The lanterns still had the same designs as in the past, looking exactly like the one she had. Silently looking on, she could not avert her gaze. The seller was impatient, and frowned while asking, “This Missy, are you done choosing?” Hurriedly, she paid up, and lifting that lantern, she stood on the road. With her lonesome silhouette, she seemed like a lost child.

The crowds gradually closed in, and she was swept along with the torrent of people. She was surrounded by warm laughter and friendly banter, with the sounds of drums and cymbals in the background, adding to the mood. There were some rich landlords shooting fireworks into the sky, and the fragrance of roast meat, wine, and the perfume of the ladies wafted in the air. There were some playing with their lanterns, some guessing lantern riddles, some drinking alcohol, some eating, some watching a play, and some performing various forms of arts. In this night, everything seemed more lively than normal. Happiness seemed to be found in every corner. Looking directly ahead, she walked in a straight line alone. Carefully holding the lantern, it was as though she was worried that someone would knock into it and damage it.

The bright light shone brightly on her face, making her seem ever so lonely. She was so lonesome, as though completely at odds with the hustle and bustle of the surroundings. There were people who saw her, but none paid her any heed. She just kept on walking so silently, passing through the gazes of so many, yet only her shadow walked beside her, and even she knew not of her destination.

Finally, as the candle depleted, there was only a weak flame. Carefully walking to the edge of the lake, she lifted the lantern up as the green water wet the corner of her skirt, yet she was completely unbothered by that. As layers of leaves swept onto her face and caressed her shoulders. It felt itchy, as though those branches were tickling her heart like the layers of fate that intertwined her with the others.

Zhuge Yue, it seems like in this life, I will be indebted to you. If possible, let us meet again earlier in a better time and location.

With her pale fingers pushing very slightly, the lantern floated into the distance. In the undisturbed lake waters, the lantern was like a small boat, creating light ripples, and along with the waves faded into the darkness of the night, as it drifted over the surface of the lake that was filled with reflections of the festival lights.

Standing up, Chu Qiao looked on. With the night breeze blowing onto her face, the chills felt like an arrow that grazed past her heart. With the myriad of colors that illuminated the night sky, her heart felt like the gradually distancing lantern. With the light flickering, it was as though it could be extinguished any time. That was then she made the decision to tear apart her last bit of hopes with her own hands. Her world collapsed by her own hands, as the pillars holding up her beliefs crumbled to dust and the silk curtains bleached to white. Her inner world had long ago lost any signs of life, as the indications of life had long ago disappeared, leaving behind only an endless grey void with no end in sight.

Suddenly, a small wave assaulted the small lantern. A small boat had passed by, with its oars creating a tsunami for the small lantern. With the flickering of the lights, it was apparent that the light almost went out. With the lantern now slanted, it seemed to be sinking. For some reason, the numb heart of Chu Qiao suddenly tensed up. She subconsciously stepped up, frowning, as though worrying for that small light.

It was just then, a bigger lantern floated by. The string atop the lantern had gotten tangled with Chu Qiao’s lantern. Spinning on the spot for one round, it so happened that it righted Chu Qiao’s lantern as well, while blocking another wave coming from an even bigger ship. With Chu Qiao’s smaller lantern, the two lanterns coiled around each other, floating off into the deeper end of the lake. They had the same design of a rabbit; one big, one small. And as they leaned on each other, it seemed particularly heartwarming. With the bigger lantern shielding the waves for the small lantern, the light stopped flickering, and brightened up. The warmth of the two lights shone onto the surrounding water.

Chu Qiao heaved a sigh of relief. Even though she knew that the light would eventually still go out, it would always be better if it could last a bit longer. Loosening up her tightly knitted brows, she casually lifted her eyes up. Yet, on the other end of the lake, a certain figure suddenly appeared! She felt as though she had been struck by lightning, as she stood rooted to the ground, completely dumbfounded. She seemed to have seen him again. In a white overcoat, he stood upright in the wind. His black hair covered part of his eyes as his eyes seemed undisturbed like a frozen lake.

The dragon boats passed by, their silhouettes blocking Chu Qiao’s vision, with bright red curtains and jubilant crowds decorating this sky. Staring at her, he was also holding a stick that was used to hold a lantern up. His vision pierced through space and seemed to be stunned as well, with complex feelings filling his face, and finally, he stopped in his tracks.

Suddenly, a multitude of fireworks resounded behind them. The sparkling lights illuminated their crisscrossing gaze. Looking at him, Chu Qiao’s gaze was something that he had never seen before. In fact, he barely knew how to describe that. Her gaze was like a child who had been abandoned, looking at her home in a dream, unable to divert her eyes away. There contained the hopes and dreams that had been bottled up for over 600 nights, yet each dawn, she would be betrayed again by her dreams.

Opening her mouth, she seemed as though she wanted to say something, yet no words came out. With her lips trembling, she had not even broken into a smile before two long streaks of tears flowed down on her face. As the dragon boats left, she broke into a sprint. All her life she had been avoiding, backing off, distancing herself, and finding excuses to stay away from him. Yet, after experience life and death, her final resistance in her mind broke down. Did she just see an illusion that would disappear upon her touching?

She ran ever so hurriedly, that the passers-by gave her weird stares. Yet, she could not be bothered. Like a plain lotus fading into the fog, her dress fluttered along as she dashed. Even as her legs buckled, and her ears were filled with the thunderous protests from her heart, she continued on, past the bridge, past the park, past the trees, and finally, out of breath, she felt as though everything was so fleeting, as though it would all just disappear.

Zhuge Yue looked on at her, with his gaze completely calm. Yet, when their eyes met again, one could see a sense of worry.

The crowds closed in and bustled towards them.

Chu Qiao suddenly felt so scared. It was different from the fear of death, fear of abandonment. She had been so strong all her life, with incredible mental fortitude, and there were only twice in her life that she had felt so scared. The first time was when he had sunk into the freezing lake, and now, it was her second time.

Disregarding the surrounding, she stretched out her hands and pulled on his clothes with all her strength. Regardless of how crowded it was, she refused to let go. On the back of her hand, suddenly, she felt warmth. A hand had gently clasped hers in return.

In the bright lights, she approached him. With his two arms, he created a space just for the two of them. With the shadows of people passing by, and the ripples of the water waves drifting in the background, she seemed so close to him that she could smell his breath. With her pitch black iris, she seemed like she wanted to stare two holes out from his face.

With tears starting to form in her eyes, she tried her best to remain calm, yet she could not help but stretch out her hand to touch his figure. She touched his eyebrow, slender and curving upwards arrogantly, yet he had never been overly complacent. She touched his eyes, calm and emotionless, yet he had never been left her alone in times of need. She touched his lips, he was rarely talkative, yet he had lost the touch of a lone wolf.

The answer she had been looking for was standing before her now, yet she suddenly felt as though her knees grew weak. With a suppressed sob coming out from her throat, she weakened and fell to one side. With the utmost reaction speed, he quickly grabbed her by her waist. The moment their figures touched, it seemed as though the stopped clock had finally started moving. Her suppressed crying was finally let loose, as her emotions overflowed. Embracing her, her tears fell freely on his chest, wetting his clothes, seeping into his heart.

“Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you come to see me? I thought that you had died.” Weeping, even her body was trembling, as she repeated again and again, “I thought that you had died…”

Biting his lips, Zhuge Yue did not speak. After coming so far, he had actually not intended to look for her, and merely wished to be closer to her without actually disturbing her. The ancient city of Xian Yang was the city within the Xia Empire that was the closest to the Tang Empire.

After opening his mouth several times, he did not know what to say to her, as he was lost for words. After calming the roaring tides of emotions in his heart, he caressed her back, as he spoke in his usual calm tone, as though he was impatient, “Stop crying, I have not died yet.”

“Why didn’t you come to find me if you weren’t dead?” Pushing aside him, Chu Qiao’s eyes were red as she continued to weep, “Do you not know how to even send a letter?”

Before him, she had never cried so hard that she was already struggling to stand upright. Suddenly, the pain of going through life and death seemed so minuscule, and the despair of being chased after and all her tiredness in the past two years seemed to pale in comparison to the emotions she was feeling at this moment.

He stretched his hands out as he ordered, “Come here.”

Wiping away her tears, this was the first time in her life that she did not want to oppose him, as she jumped into his embrace, crying while scolding him, “You are such a madman!”

After scaling countless mountains and crossing numerous rivers, and going through hatred and power struggles between multiple countries with so many encounters with death, she turned around only to find the person she was looking for waiting for her behind her. This night, she slept ever so soundly, as though she had been soaked in a comfortable warm bath.

She seemed to have returned to her days in the Military Intelligence Department when she was with Xiao Shi, Mao’er, and her other sisters in arms. When it snowed, she would feel lazy and want to sleep in. Xiao Shi would stretch out her chilly hand to pat on Chu Qiao’s cheeks to tell her to wake up. Chu Qiao would then frown and duck into the blanket. The evil Mao’er will then suddenly pull off Chu Qiao’s blanket, and then start laughing at one side. Ming Rui will be by the dressing table, as she called for breakfast delivery while putting on makeup.

The sky then was so blue, and they were so young. Their youth seemed to be like the fishes that had just been caught from the sea, so full of life. As her tiredness finally started to fade, her face felt chilly as she opened her eyes, only to see that he was standing before her with a long face as he frowned. “Do you know what time is it now?”

At that moment, she had the illusion that she was myopic, as her head seemed to be no longer functioning. She stared at him while burrowing her brows together ever so slightly, looking ever so serious. Her serious face made Zhuge Yue swallow his words. As he was about to turn and leave, he felt as though his clothes had been dragged by something. Looking down, he saw a small porcelain-like hand tugged at his clothes, with so much strength that it seemed as though one could see the veins.

The memories of last night resurfaced as her face turned red, as she let loose her hand and looked outside the window, only to be stunned. “Why is the sky dark?”

Rather frustrated, Zhuge Yue glared at her, before turning around and lighting another candle. She still had the cheek to ask?

After they had parted the day before, he returned to his lodging. As this trip was secret, he had not stayed in official lodgings. Instead, he opted for a private inn. After he returned, he was unable to sleep the entire night all the way until the next morning. Yet, after waiting for so long, no one came to find him. He was rather frustrated, as he thought, “I will not go and look for her. I’ll see if she will come.” Yet, even as the sun started to set, he still had no visitors. His patience finally ran out as he headed to her lodging alone. After entering unannounced, he was greeted by a scene of her sleeping ever so soundly. How could he, having struggled to sleep for the past one day and one night, not feel frustrated?