"A'Luan, do not worry. Let fate decide. If you cannot find it--"
Lu Feibai's words were cut short by a violent cough.
Ye Luan was startled and immediately got up, intending to give him acupuncture.
"There's no need. Acupuncture is no longer effective."
"It's gotten worse again."
It had been three months. The days in the northern desert were still warm.
She wore only a long dress, but Lu Feibai had a cloak draped over him, his entire being pale and weak.
"Have you been feeling colder lately?"
"Yes."
The cold had seeped into his body and was spreading.
Ye Luan furrowed her brow deeply. "We cannot delay any longer."
Lu Feibai looked at her, seeing her worry for him. A faint loneliness flickered in his gentle eyes, gone in an instant.
"This broken body of mine should have died long ago. A'Luan, you don't need to worry about me."
He didn't deserve it!
He should have died long ago.
These were already borrowed days, and he dared not hope for too much.
"What are you saying? Spit it out, spit it out!"
Ye Luan spat a few times and said, "You stay here. I'll go to the backyard kitchen to brew some medicine for you. You drink it first and rest, then we'll discuss how to find that Han Dan Zhu."
"Sister A'Luan, I'll go with you."
Jir, who had been silently by their side, quickly followed.
Lu Feibai pushed his wheelchair and followed behind her. He saw that the backyard had been cleaned spotlessly, with various medicinal herbs laid out in a winnowing basket.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly. "A'Luan, are you planning to open a clinic here?"
"Yes. The outside is in turmoil, with wars everywhere. I can't go anywhere else. It's stable here in Yue City, and this place is quite good."
Upon hearing her words, Lu Feibai's eyes darkened slightly. "Read.kanshu伍.net"
He looked up at the figure busy in the kitchen. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"A'Luan, actually, I came this time to tell you that those two should have discovered your feigned death."
His voice, laced with helplessness, drifted in gently.
Ye Luan's hand, which was stirring the medicine, paused. That person, whom she had deeply buried in her heart, suddenly surged into her mind. Her entire body trembled inexplicably, and a chill ran down her spine.
So soon?
She had feared she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret and had lived in constant fear, hiding almost every day. Later, when the world fell into chaos, she hadn't found anyone tracking her, so she had gradually relaxed.
How could this be? How could it be so sudden?
It had been so long, the body should have been buried. How did Xiao Chizhan discover her feigned death?
Ye Luan couldn't help but feel a chill. That madman hadn't buried her all this time, had he?!
"Recently, I've noticed many organizations suddenly appearing in the martial world, all searching for me. It should be that person, trying to find you through me."
His visit to her this time was a secret one.
Perhaps, after this parting, he would never see her again.
Xiao Chizhan had been searching for his whereabouts. He couldn't let A'Luan be exposed.
Given that person's obsession, if he knew A'Luan had faked her death and left, and then found her, who knew how he would go mad.
He could not come to see her again!
Ye Luan swallowed, her hand gripping the stove turning pale.
"Sister A'Luan, what are you talking about?"
Jir, who was tending the fire, saw her troubled expression and asked softly.
Ye Luan lowered her eyes, seeing Jir's innocent blue eyes staring at her. She took a deep breath and smiled, "It's nothing."
She was truly frightened by Xiao Chizhan. As soon as she heard news about him, she couldn't help but tremble.
Actually, she was now far away in the northern desert, having already left Da Liang. How could Xiao Chizhan be so omnipotent as to easily capture her?
There was no need for her to scare herself.
Once she realized this, she breathed a sigh of relief, suppressing all memories of that person and regaining her composure.
"A'Luan?"
Lu Feibai's concerned voice came from outside.
Ye Luan lifted the lid of the pot and walked out with the medicine, smiling lightly, "If he knows, then he knows."
Seeing that she seemed fine, Lu Feibai smiled faintly. "Don't be afraid."
"Afraid?"
Ye Luan lowered her eyes. She wasn't afraid!
No matter how obsessed and ruthless Xiao Chizhan was, he wouldn't kill her.
But she truly detested being his prisoner.
She wanted to be a person with a soul, with thoughts, with freedom, not his canary.
Perhaps it was because Xiao Chizhan had been mentioned during the day. Under the bright moonlit night, she dreamed of Xiao Chizhan.
"What have I done wrong for you to run away?"
"Ye Luan, do you think you're tired of living by faking your death and leaving me?"
In the desolate and hollow black mist, the man with red eyes and white hair roared his questions at her, his grip on her seeming as if he would crush her.
Pain, cramping pain.
"Luan Luan, I will lock you up, lock you up, and imprison you for life."
The golden and magnificent Northern Palace, the chains inlaid with East Jade, imprisonment day after day, possession.wΑp.kanshu伍.net
At the deepest part of the nightmare was the scene of him kneeling on the ground, holding her and crying amidst the vast falling snow.
Ye Luan woke up with a fright, sitting up abruptly.
The night wind, slipping through the gaps in the window, touched her face, cool and cold.
She was stunned for a moment and wiped her face.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Luan got off the bed.
She walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked out at the night, lost in thought.
The next morning.
Ye Luan woke up early.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Lu Feibai sitting under a tree in the courtyard, his gaze calmly fixed on the distance.
Perhaps sensing someone else's presence, he glanced over, a hint of gentleness in his eyes.
"You're up."
"Mmm." Ye Luan walked over with a smile. "What would you like for breakfast? Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
After arriving in the northern desert, she cooked for herself every day. Jir helped her, but Jir was too lazy and always woke up late.
She usually made breakfast herself.
"You're going to cook?"
Hearing his surprise, Ye Luan chuckled. As she walked towards the kitchen, she said, "Of course! If I don't cook, should we eat the north wind?"
People like them, nobles from the capital, should never have cooked for themselves, as they had plenty of servants to attend to them.
Lu Feibai chuckled. "I'm just curious, A'Luan can cook?"
Last night, they had eaten out, so Lu Feibai didn't know Ye Luan could cook.
"Yes, I can cook some home-style dishes."
"Whoever gets to eat A'Luan's cooking is truly blessed."
Hearing his words, Ye Luan's hand, reaching for the ingredients, paused slightly.
"Your Highness, was it tasty?"
"It was quite tasty. Who taught you?"
"Self-taught."
Past scenes resurfaced. Ye Luan frowned and took a deep breath.
She shook her head, picked up a few cabbages, and thinking of Lu Feibai's weak health, decided to make a clear soup and also simmer a medicinal meal for him.
The sun rose, and Jir also woke up. He went out to buy a few unleavened breads.
"Sister A'Luan, the food you make smells so good."
Looking at the dishes on the table, Lu Feibai couldn't help but smile.
Ye Luan sat down to eat and said with a smile, "You're just flattering. Eat quickly."
Vegetables were expensive here. She planned to cultivate some vegetables in the backyard for self-sufficiency. However, the land here was also rather barren, and she wasn't sure if they would grow well. She would try.
"A'Luan, I'll be leaving soon."