Chapter 2 The Night of the Moon
The following night, under the pale moonlight, Zi Ye and Liu Shi Nian changed into black attire. Zi Ye rode a swift horse, escorting Liu Shi Nian outside the city.
The guards at the gate were all his trusted men, allowing them to pass through the city gates without any trouble.
Meanwhile, four figures waiting anxiously beyond the east city gate heard the sound of approaching hooves from afar.
Guessing it was Zi Ye bringing Liu Shi Nian, they led their prepared horses forward to greet them.
“Brother Zi Ye!” Xue Gu Cheng called out.
“Brother Gu Cheng!” Zi Ye responded.
The horses galloped towards Xue Gu Cheng, stopping only half a meter away. Zi Ye dismounted and carefully helped Liu Shi Nian down, handing him over to Xue Gu Cheng.
He then spoke about Xue Gu Cheng’s condition.
“He suffered some hardship in Nan Hai City and is a bit weak, but I gave him a few Su Ji Pills. After a few days of rest, he’ll be fine. Now, hurry and take him away.”
“Brother Zi Ye, thank you.” Hearing Xue Gu Cheng address him as such, Zi Ye felt a surge of satisfaction.
“Hahaha, although we’ve only met once, I accept your address, Brother. After all, how can righteous deeds be done without me? But now is not the time for chatting. I’ve committed a serious offense by leaving the city privately, and I cannot stay any longer. You should leave quickly.”
“Alright, take care.”
“You too, take care.”
With that, Zi Ye mounted his horse and rode back to the city. The thunderous city gates closed heavily once more.
Xue Gu Cheng helped Liu Shi Nian onto a horse, then mounted his own swift horse and said, “Let’s go.”
He then led the others away in haste.
However, what they never expected, and what even Zi Ye didn’t anticipate, was that the real Liu Shi Nian had already been swapped when exiting the city gates. The Liu Shi Nian with them at this moment was merely a deceptive imposter.
Not long after leaving Bei Shen Du, Xue Gu Cheng began to sense something was amiss. He recalled Zi Ye mentioning Liu Shi Nian had suffered some distress, but had been given Su Ji Pills. Why was he silent? Moreover, the person behind him breathed evenly and sat with a steady posture, showing no signs of injury.
Xue Gu Cheng frowned slightly and decided to test him. Suddenly, he raised his hand, turned sideways, and grabbed the man’s shoulder from behind. The man flinched slightly but made no move. Xue Gu Cheng then suddenly swung a palm, about to strike him.
This person’s disguise was indeed broken, and he immediately raised his hand, drawing a small saber from his waist and slashing at Xue Gu Cheng. Xue Gu Cheng leaped into the air and kicked him off his horse. The companions, startled by their fight, also reined in their horses and stopped.
Xue Gu Cheng drew his Snow Saber and slashed. The man leaped upwards, transforming into a crow to escape. Yan Wu Shuang, with quick hands and sharp eyes, threw a flying dagger, striking the crow. The crow fell to the ground, dead, turning to ash.
“This isn’t Liu Shi Nian!” Yan Wu Shuang exclaimed in surprise. She then speculated, “Could Zi Ye have deliberately deceived us?”
Xue Gu Cheng thought carefully and shook his head slightly. “I don’t think Zi Ye would lie to us. It’s more likely that he himself was deceived.”
“Then what should we do now?” Fei Xiong asked, also somewhat angered. They had waited so long, only to be met by an imposter.
“Go back,” Xue Gu Cheng said decisively. He had a hunch, perhaps, that Liu Shi Nian was still in the city. The others understood, and they quickly rode back towards Bei Shen Du.
At this time, within the east gate of Bei Shen Du, a person lay sprawled on the quiet and serene street. This person was none other than Liu Shi Nian. A cold wind blew, and he slowly awoke on the deserted street. Opening his eyes, he looked around and saw that the surroundings were eerily quiet, with no one in sight. He vaguely recalled that he was supposed to be leaving the city with Zi Ye. How had he ended up lying here?
At this moment, a figure stood rigidly on the rooftop behind him, like a streak of blood-red, glaringly red. The person, just as he had held an arrow last time, raised the bow and arrow in his hand, aiming at Liu Shi Nian without mercy, and shot an arrow.
I leaped out from the darkness, flicking my black robe to catch the arrow and fling it away. As for why I am here, it began a few days ago when I received a secret letter from Black Mountain. Ignoring the elders’ objections, I resolutely came to Bei Shen Du. The secret letter stated that Liu Shi Nian was in danger, and it seems to be true. However, Black Mountain is heavily guarded. No matter who it is, it’s impossible to leave no trace, except for that person.
Thinking of this, a surge of anger rose within me, and I cursed at the surroundings. “I know it’s you, you scoundrel! If you have the guts, come out!”
The bow and arrow in Liu Shi Nian’s hand gradually vanished, and the bone fan, like white jade, reappeared in his hand. He opened the bone fan, covering his face, and smiled faintly. Then, he leaped down from the rooftop and landed before me. Slowly lowering the fan, he chuckled coldly. “We finally meet again.”
Looking at his icy face, I had no pleasantries to offer. I said directly, “You asked me to come here, but it’s probably not just to have me save Liu Shi Nian, is it?”
He smiled faintly and said slowly, “You saw through it, didn’t you? It seems you’ve become much smarter than before.”
Speaking of this, it made me uncontrollably recall the days I was deceived by him, and his cold, every word. My heart ached again, not for him, but for my past self, feeling it was all a waste. Unable to contain my anger, I cursed him. “You heartless liar, so cold it’s disgusting. I will never believe another word you say, and you won’t get anything from me.”
He listened to my words and couldn’t help but laugh out loud, saying coldly, “How ridiculous. If you’ll never believe me again, why did you come to Bei Shen Du for a mere piece of paper? Or perhaps, you’ve fallen in love with Liu Shi Nian.”
My eyes flickered slightly. I hadn’t expected him to see through my heart so easily. I smiled faintly and mocked him, “You can only guess useless things. From the day I decided to be myself, I was destined not to fall in love with anyone.”
“Is that so? If that’s the case, then I’ll understand him for you.” With that, he was about to make a move.
My heart panicked. I struck first, drawing my sword and lunging at him. He calmly raised his fan and, with a single sweep, shattered my sword. Then, he used his fan to press against my neck. I was somewhat astonished and asked him, “Why aren’t you attacking? With your strength, it would be easy.”
He smiled slightly and lowered his bone fan. “Although we made a vow that our next meeting would be the day we fulfill it, your current strength is still not enough to match mine. Killing you now would break that vow, so I’m willing to wait until you can contend with me.”
Hearing his words, I found it somewhat laughable, but I still declared, “By then, I will definitely kill you.”
“I hope you can truly do it then.”
Liu Shi Nian held his forehead, his head still feeling groggy. He sat on the ground and listened for a long time before realizing something was wrong. He slowly raised his head and asked, “Who… who is he?”
I turned to look, intending to expose this hypocritical liar. “He is…” Before I could finish, Liu Xiang kicked a stone, knocking Liu Shi Nian unconscious.
I immediately asked Liu Xiang angrily, “What did you do to him?”
Liu Xiang replied nonchalantly, “Don’t worry, he won’t die.”
I looked at Liu Shi Nian with concern, still choosing to believe Liu Xiang. However, his purpose in asking me to come here was definitely not just to save Liu Shi Nian. So I asked, “What exactly do you want me to do here?”
He gave a faint smile but did not reply. “Whatever you want to do, if it’s not now, then wait for later.” With that, I helped Liu Shi Nian up, preparing to leave.
His eyes suddenly became lonely, and he asked me, “Can we… go back to how we were?”
My heart jolted, and a nameless sting hit me. In the end, I found it laughable and shook my head. “We can never go back.”
“If that’s the case, then we’ll be true enemies when we meet again.”
“Yes, by then, I will definitely defeat you.”
“Good, I will also give it my all.”
He paused and then said, “Lastly, let me do one good deed and let you leave.” With that, he waved his fan, and a gust of wind suddenly blew towards the city gate, which was then blown open with a whoosh.
“You may go,” he said.
“Thank you.” I left him with that one sentence, my only thanks, and then took Liu Shi Nian out of the city.
Afterwards, he retracted his fan, and the city gate automatically closed. Turning around, he saw Jin Yu Lan approaching.
Jin Yu Lan asked with some confusion, “Why did you personally come to say these things to her?”
Liu Xiang smiled slightly, with a rare calmness, and looked into the distance with clear eyes. “After all, she and I were once friends. This meeting was merely to state my position. From now on, we will be true enemies.”
“Sir…” Jin Yu Lan heard a hint of lingering sentiment in his words, but for some reason, they had to reach this point. He wanted to ask for clarification, but the words caught in his throat.
Liu Xiang returned to his usual nonchalant demeanor and said, “The matters of these past few days are entrusted to you. I still have some things to handle personally.”
“Alright.” With that, he transformed into a wisp of clear wind and departed.
After I took Liu Shi Nian out of Bei Shen Du, I saw Xue Gu Cheng and his group rushing back from a distance. Before we could exchange pleasantries, Xue Gu Cheng said hurriedly, “Let’s go quickly, we can talk later.”
So I got on Yan Wu Shuang’s horse. Xue Gu Cheng helped Liu Shi Nian onto his horse, and then they rode south. Finally, we arrived at the Si Ku River, which flowed down from Bei Shan. Feeling much safer here, everyone finally stopped to rest and regroup.
Dao Lang and Fei Xiong dismounted first. Seeing me talking to them, they guessed that it was too dark for me to see them clearly, so they walked over happily and asked, “Mu Ye, guess who we are?”
I had already noticed that the builds of the two people beside me were very similar to Fei Xiong and Dao Lang. Seeing them now, I was genuinely happy. “So it’s you two. Why are you here too?”
Dao Lang explained, “We heard you became the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts and didn’t quite believe it, so we wanted to come and see you.”
I had indeed become the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts, but… I wondered what they would think. Would they hate it or be indifferent? However, since they had followed me here and brought it up, there was nothing to hide. “I have indeed become the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts.”
Hearing this, they both sighed in relief, not thinking of anything else, just thinking that they finally had a place to stay. Fei Xiong patted my shoulder, sensing my stress, and comforted me, “Don’t worry, we know what happened to you, and we understand your difficulties. No matter what, you are still our good friend.”
A light suddenly shone in my worried eyes, and my lips curved into a slight smile. Dao Lang also patted my shoulder and comforted me, “You’ve become the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts now, and a good King of Ten Thousand Ghosts at that. You’re still the same Mu Ye we met. I know you must be carrying a lot. If possible, let us share some of it with you. After all, we are good friends.”
My eyes shimmered with tears. I couldn’t believe that someone could still believe in me so firmly. My heart was filled with gratitude. Dao Lang suddenly smiled and said, “If you don’t mind, let us brothers follow you.”
I was immediately surprised. I hadn’t expected him to say that and, upon reacting, assumed he was joking. “Hahaha, Brother Dao Lang, you’ve learned to sweet-talk now.”
Fei Xiong drifted over with a smug look, saying, “He’s not joking, Second Brother is telling the truth. Mu Ye, we want to follow you.”
I was slightly stunned, still not quite comprehending. Dao Lang explained, “We’re tired of running around all the time. Since you have a good destination, following you won’t be a disadvantage.”
I still found it hard to believe and asked with a doubtful gaze, “Really?”
“Really.” Seeing the determined expressions of Dao Lang and Fei Xiong, I finally believed they were telling the truth. Instantly, a warmth washed over me, and I couldn’t help but embrace them both, filled with emotion. “I didn’t expect you to be serious. If you truly are willing, then come. Although there are many people where I am, there’s always enough food for one more.”
Fei Xiong immediately became all smiles. “Then we won’t be polite.”
“You’re welcome.” As we spoke, the three of us laughed in unison, as if laughing out the warmth in our hearts.
Yan Wu Shuang turned her head and looked at the three of us. Seeing our joy, she felt a pang of reluctance, but she had to say it. “Mu Ye.” She suddenly called me.
I turned my head and looked at her, knowing what she was about to say. “Mu Ye, Xue Ge and I promised to leave after rescuing Liu Shi Nian. Now that our promise is fulfilled, we bid you farewell.”
Xue Gu Cheng also cupped his hands. “Everyone, farewell.” Before we could speak, they turned to leave.
“Wait!” I called out urgently.
The two of them stopped, stunned, and turned back to look at me. “Although I haven’t known you for long, and I don’t understand you completely, we have been through a lot together, and I have developed different feelings for each other. When I first saw you, you seemed like moonlight, untouchable and unapproachable. Yet, I never expected to become friends with you in such an intangible way. What I didn’t expect was that you were the ones who stepped forward for me in my most difficult times, and you were the ones who stayed by my side. And you are not just here, but also in my heart.”
I pointed to my head, then to my heart, and continued with tear-filled eyes, “Now, although I have become the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts, my heart is still Liu Mu Ye’s, and it has never changed. And I no longer want to be separated from anyone. I don’t want to see you all with helpless expressions when you look at me.”
“We…” Yan Wu Shuang understood my meaning, and her heart was also filled with hesitation.