Chapter 127: She heard the youth whispering in her ear again,…

Chapter 127 — She Heard the Youth Whispering in Her Ear Again...

Xue Li felt as though she had forgotten something.

Emperor Xuanming was dead, Bai Li was dead. Southern Zhou and Northern Zhou had joined forces, while Wei Changyin led the remaining troops into the mountains, escaping into the wilderness. The Huoqiu Army scattered, and although the army tried to hunt them down, it would take time. Northern Zhou was in chaos following the emperor's death, and Southern Zhou was in no better shape.

Thousands of Troopers, influenced by the blood of the Southern Zhou young master and the power of the Magic Flute, were trapped by the Luo River, desperately needing help.

When Xue Li returned to her companions, she found a storm brewing over the city. Zhang Bing had brought his men to surround the area, fearing the Troopers might break free again or be manipulated by the fleeing Huoqiu forces and rise up once more. Meanwhile, Lu Qingmei of the Lu family, despite being ill, had rushed from Jinzhou to Luoyang.

Lu Qingmei had come for Liang Chen.

While others were unaware, Lu Qingmei knew Li Weiyan’s true identity. Now, key figures in the Marriage Alliance Mission, noticing Lu Qingmei’s unusual behavior, had figured out that Li Weiyan was the true Southern Zhou young master.

When Xue Li returned, it started snowing.

She saw everyone anxious and exhausted. Late at night, Lu Qingmei avoided the others and knelt before Li Weiyan’s door, pleading with him to save Liang Chen.

Xue Li stood behind the trees on the wall, watching the snow blanket the mountains. The fragile Lu Qingmei sobbed without restraint, all her usual pride and calm gone.

Her fur robe was soaked with snow, dirty and heavy. In the cold night, she wept as if her heart were breaking: “Young Master, Liang Chen can still be saved—he must be… You saved those Troopers, so you must be able to save him too. He just stopped breathing. I heard that Lin Ye once used his blood to revive Prefect Gao—your blood is stronger. You must be able to…

“If you save my brother, I’ll do whatever it takes. My father will too. You don’t have to be the Southern Zhou emperor if you don’t want to. Whatever you desire, the Lu family will secure for you. Just save Liang Chen… please save him…”

Lu Qingmei gasped between sobs.

Xue Li stood silently in the dark shadows of the trees, watching her.

She also saw Li Weiyan, pale and trapped at his doorstep.

Xue Li thought Li Weiyan was in a terrible spot.

He was just a youth like them, yet his temples had gone gray, fine lines etched at the corners of his eyes, his whole face deathly pale. The massive blood loss from restraining the Troopers had left him weak, and now Lu Qingmei was asking him to bring back a man with no breath left.

Lu Qingmei insisted—Wei Changyin had tried to turn Liang Chen into a Trooper, but Troopers weren’t dead. As long as he wasn’t truly dead, he could live…

If only Li Weiyan’s blood could aid in the transformation, combined with the physician she had brought—one who had studied Li Weiyan as a test subject, researching imperial blood and the HeartEater poison—she could surely bring her brother back.

Lu Qingmei had never fallen apart like this.

Proud and self-assured, she had once looked down on Li Weiyan from her lofty position. Now, she knelt before him for three days, tears clinging to her lashes.

Li Weiyan gazed down at her.

Li Weiyan: “…To save your brother, does my life mean nothing?”

Lu Qingmei trembled. Seeing hope, she lifted her face to him: “No… The Lu family will spare nothing to heal you, to help you. We will step aside for you… Just save Liang Chen… Just let my brother live.”

Xue Li, leaning against the tree, was lost in thought.

Below, Li Weiyan also seemed distant, his expression complicated: “Is this your idea, or the Grand Chancellor’s? If I make an untimely demand, will you agree?”

Lu Qingmei raised her face. Snow settled on her pale cheeks. She looked even frailer than him, but her eyes were resolute: “Yes. Whatever you ask, we will agree. My parents feel the same—my words are theirs. No power or ambition means more than he does.

“What the rest of the Lu family thinks doesn’t matter. My father will handle it. To us—to my parents, to me—only Liang Chen matters.”

Tears trailed down Lu Qingmei’s cheeks.

Faintly, she recalled long ago, the day the Marriage Alliance Mission left Jianye. She and her father had watched from the palace tower as the procession departed. Back then, her father had told her: Emperor Guangyi might not be a good husband. She didn’t have to walk the path of becoming empress.

She recalled the day she had argued with Liang Chen, when the heavens poured down a dense, unrelenting summer rain. Liang Chen had begged her to turn back and humble herself, to look at the common people, to see the subjects of the realm upon whom the Lu family truly depended.

Lu Qingmei was trying to understand them.

And today, she finally realized: no matter what others thought, her father, like Liang Chen, cared most about the loved ones by his side.

They wished for her true happiness, just as she wished for Liang Chen's. She had imposed her own reasoning on Liang Chen, never once apologizing to him... She would give up everything to save Liang Chen, for nothing surpassed family.

Li Weiyan stared blankly downward.

Amid Lu Qingmei’s torrential tears, his nose involuntarily tingled with emotion.

Before encountering the Marriage Alliance Mission, he had never known the world contained so many complex emotions. He had harbored prejudices against the Lu family, against Lu Qingmei, yet they were willing to sacrifice everything for Liang Chen—while he had only an elder brother who trapped him.

Li Weiyan bent down: "...I will cooperate with the physician and do my best to save Liang Chen. I will also return with you to become Southern Zhou’s emperor. But the Lu family must no longer treat me as a puppet or attempt to control me."

Lu Qingmei looked up, stunned.

Tears still trembled on her long lashes; her eyes shone as if cleansed by water, gazing at Li Weiyan.

Li Weiyan brushed away the tear at the corner of her eye and turned his face aside. A rare moment of tenderness grazed her lashes, and the faint silver at the young man’s temples made Lu Qingmei’s heart tremble. His eyes seemed reddened too—as if he despised her, yet also pitied her.

No longer with harsh words, he murmured softly, "...I know Southern Zhou needs an emperor.

"I also want... to live a life with some meaning. But sister-in-law, this is the last time... I can’t use my blood to save anyone else. I will die too."

Lu Qingmei nodded repeatedly, her tears unceasing. How could she not know? The physician, kept under the Lu family’s watch, had revealed Li Weiyan’s true physical state to her—how rare a medicinal test subject like him was, how much physical damage he had sustained.

She vowed to him: "Regardless of success or failure, whether Liang Chen lives or not, for this one promise from the young lord, I owe you a lifelong debt of gratitude. I am willing to do anything for you."

Li Weiyan said nothing.

There was nothing he needed from her.

He had once dreamed of being an idle prince, only for Emperor Guangyi to shatter that hope. He had then sought to flee with the Marriage Alliance Mission, only for war to intervene. In the war, he witnessed too much death, worked alongside Lin Ye on countless tasks, extracted the truth of Yu Long’s origins from Huoqiu Army spies, and uncovered the conspiracy between Huoqiu and Emperor Xuanming of Northern Zhou. He saved Troopers beneath the Luo River’s falls, then watched as Lin Ye departed, never to return...

He had never aspired to be a hero.

But the common people, reduced to pawns, were too helpless.

He lacked literary grace, had no scholarly achievements, and had never tasted power. Yet if men like Emperor Guangyi and Emperor Xuanming could be emperors, why not him? The lives he’d taken, the harm he’d caused—how could they compare to those two?

And even if he failed, what did it matter? If the Li bloodline ended by his hand, it would be his final revenge against the Li clan.

--

Thus, Li Weiyan followed the physician, using his own blood for the experiments to save Liang Chen.

Xue Li watched them all along.

She saw their painstaking efforts to pull Liang Chen back from the brink, heard the physician declare that though Liang Chen remained unconscious, he would awaken one day. Outside the chamber, she witnessed Ming Jing, upon hearing the physician’s words, burst into silent tears, collapsing to the floor, face buried in her hands as she wept. Inside, she saw Li Weiyan faint the moment the physician mentioned there was hope.

Li Weiyan’s white hair had grown even more.

That night, he coughed blood, ran a high fever, suffered convulsions, his breathing stopped several times... The physicians brought by the Lu family kept watch over him through the night, barely managing to keep him alive.

Xue Li thought, Li Weiyan had endured so much.

This ordeal spanned many days. Only when Dou Yan returned from "Qin Yueye" and asked if they had seen Lin Ye did they belatedly realize—it wasn’t that they didn’t care about Lin Ye, but they had been too preoccupied, too trusting in Lin Ye and Xue Li.

Dou Yan: "Where is Xue Li?"

Ah Zeng's eyelid spasmed.

It'd been ages since they'd last seen Xue Li.

Just as their relief turned back to dread, Xue Li—who'd been back among them but invisible—finally showed herself. She took in their looks—half relief, half fear—as they peeked behind her before nervously returning their gaze to her face.

Xue Li’s voice was quiet. "Lin Ye's dead."

The room went dead silent.

Li Weiyan, lying in bed, went rigid and turned his eyes toward Xue Li. His expression flickered as he stared at her, then at his bandaged wrist. He fought with himself—would he need to bleed himself again?

Xue Li looked away, her tone flat: "I froze half a mile of the Luo River. Otherwise, his body would’ve been swept away with my master and Song Wanfeng, leaving nothing behind. He’s gone. It’s time to bury him."

The others just gaped at her.

Some teared up on the spot, some covered their mouths to hold back sobs, while the hidden guards stood pale and motionless, barely holding themselves back from rushing out to find their young lord… Xue Li was the only one who stayed calm.

She stared at the ground, zoning out for a moment, then turned and walked away.

Ming Jing’s rough voice followed her: "...Is Xue Li okay? She looks..."

--

Xue Li felt like she’d forgotten something.

She remembered it all, but her chest felt empty, as if something inside had gone numb. Nothing around her seemed to matter anymore.

Everything was over now. But once, she and Lin Ye had promised to travel the world together, to walk through life side by side—and he broke that promise.

He lied to her.

He kept calling her clever, but she wasn’t. Someone smart would’ve seen the trap coming, would’ve understood what he was thinking, would’ve faced her master and Song Wanfeng herself.

Why did he go instead of her?

Xue Li didn’t understand.

She was tired, and no longer wanted to try.

Now, it felt like she was back at the very beginning—when she first met Lin Ye. Back then, he was just a bratty rich kid, throwing his weight around because he was pretty and rich, bossing her around every chance he got. Back then, Lin Ye was a stranger to her.

No problem.

Xue Li thought, everyone always leaves eventually.

In the end, she’s always alone.

Things had reset, like none of it ever happened. Even though he broke his word, she would still travel the world alone.

Li Weiyan cornered Xue Li later, tripping over his words, but his meaning was clear—he wanted to try saving Lin Ye.

Xue Li blinked slowly, then said quietly, "My master *meant* for A Ye to die, or else he wouldn’t have tricked him into coming to Luoyang. My master never fails at what he sets out to do. And Song Wanfeng wanted A Ye dead too. I don’t get him, but teaming up with my master? There’s no way they lost.

"I know martial arts. I *saw* the killing blow—a sword straight to the heart. I also know A Ye couldn’t beat my master under normal circumstances. But he had the third drop of the young master’s blood in him. He removed the needle sealing his heart and used that drop for himself. His strength would skyrocket for a heartbeat, giving him a shot at beating my master. But once he used that third drop, there was no coming back.

"Either way, A Ye’s gone. Whether from the wound or the third drop, his heart’s meridians are beyond saving. Even the real young master couldn’t bring him back."

Li Weiyan couldn't take it.

What he really didn’t get was how Xue Li could act like she didn’t care at all.

Everyone always said Xue Li was a monster, but he didn’t think she was. But now…

Li Weiyan: “Didn’t you seal off the Luo River? Maybe the side effects of the third drop of blood didn’t spread. Maybe there’s still hope for him.”

Xue Li replied, “More likely, once the ice melts, you won’t be able to save him, and his body will rot.”

Li Weiyan fell silent.

They clung to a sliver of hope, just as Lu Qingmei held onto hers in trying to save Liang Chen. Yet they both acknowledged how slim that possibility was.

Xue Li added, “Besides, A Ye wouldn’t want to be seen like that.”

Li Weiyan was stunned.

Xue Li lowered her head, “He cared about his appearance and cleanliness. Unless absolutely necessary, he hated being disheveled. Given the chance, he’d change into fresh clothes daily. If the ice melts, his body will decay, and he’ll become ugly. A Ye wouldn’t want that, would he?”

Li Weiyan: “Xue Li…”

Xue Li continued, “Moreover, you must be at your limit already.”

Li Weiyan froze and looked at her.

Xue Li raised her eyes, her clear gaze meeting his: “I don’t want you to die either.”

Li Weiyan’s eyes welled up instantly.

He looked away, unable to stop a tear from falling. Suddenly, he stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace, his voice choked with emotion: “Xue Li… you really… you really…”

Xue Li was silent for a moment before saying, “This is the last time.”

She added, “I dislike being touched. You’ve suffered enough lately, so I’ll let you hold me this once—to comfort you. But there won’t be a next time.”

Li Weiyan laughed tearfully, scolding her, “You’re so cold-hearted… But maybe that’s better. Heartless people don’t get hurt… Xue Li, it’ll pass. Everything will pass. We’ll get through this.”

--

What would pass?

Xue Li didn’t care, nor did it matter to her.

The mortal world had always seemed one way to her. For a brief moment, it had briefly shown some vibrant colors. But those colors faded too quickly—before she could properly take them in, it was over. So Xue Li thought, perhaps this was the true nature of the world: fleeting beauty, like an illusory dream.

She wasn’t the dreaming type.

Dreams always tried to trap her in a past she couldn’t escape. Now that she had moved on, she didn’t want to dream anymore.

She just felt like she had forgotten something.

But she hadn’t lost her memory. What exactly had she forgotten?

In November, Southern Zhou and Northern Zhou attempted negotiations for unification and joint resistance against Huoqiu. Both nations were overwhelmed—Southern Zhou’s newly enthroned illiterate emperor sparked endless debates in court, while Northern Zhou’s situation was even worse—they couldn’t even produce a legitimate heir.

In the end, Ye Liushu was forced to pick a child from Emperor Xuanming’s adopted sons, hastily proclaiming him emperor with the support of the Zhang family. But dissent and skepticism in Northern Zhou ran deeper and louder than in Southern Zhou.

Amid these crises, both nations faced their own struggles, making the unification process crawl. Yet neither the Lu family of Southern Zhou nor the Zhang family of Northern Zhou wanted war—they both sought peaceful transition. So, though progress was slow, they would likely hammer out an agreement eventually.

In early November, the Marriage Alliance Mission held a funeral for Lin Ye.

Though Liang Chen had been saved, he remained unconscious, guarded around the clock by the Lu family. Perhaps understanding Lin Ye’s significance to the mission and to Liang Chen, Lu Qingmei came in her brother’s place to see Lin Ye off.

In the Assassins’ Guild, Chun Jun became the leader, leading the assassins out of the whole conspiracy. She decided to take the guild into seclusion in the snowy mountains, severing all connections with both the martial world and the court. Perhaps the Assassins’ Guild would disappear completely—or perhaps, decades later, it might reemerge. Who could say?

Dou Yan naturally came to bid Lin Ye farewell on his final journey. More than that, she suggested using the cave where Master Yulong’s ice coffin had been placed to house Lin Ye’s coffin. They held onto hope—just as Xue Li had frozen the Luo River, perhaps Lin Ye might still awaken. They couldn’t bring themselves to bury the Junior General so soon.

If “Qin Yueye” could spend an entire year patiently waiting for Master Yulong’s possible revival, why couldn’t they allow themselves even a glimmer of hope?

Xue Li (Snow Girl) knew it was absurd, but why should she care? She and Lin Ye had no connection. She didn’t even understand why they were asking her.

On the day of the funeral, Xue Li gave them the mantra of the “Heartless Art.” This might help ease the toxins within the soldiers’ bodies, allowing them to gradually regain consciousness. Li Weiyan could no longer offer his blood, but the troops of soldiers still deserved a chance to return to the world of the living.

Zhang Bing and Ye Liu Shu also came to attend the funeral of the Southern Zhou's Junior General. Both remained silent throughout, especially Zhang Bing, who had never even met Lin Ye. As he watched Lin Ye’s ice coffin being carefully transported to the cave outside Luoyang’s temporary palace, and saw the sorrowful expressions of the Marriage Alliance members, he sighed softly, wondering what kind of remarkable young man Lin Ye must have been.

Everyone was about to part ways.

After speaking with Zhang Bing, Ah Zeng decided to return to Northern Zhou and rejoin the military, starting again from where he had failed.

Dou Yan would return to “Qin Yueye” to assist Chun Jun in bringing the assassins under control.

Ming Jing received the lands of Qingzhou—promised earlier by Lin Ye. With the war now over, and negotiations between Southern Zhou and Northern Zhou officials complete, thanks to the Lu family’s efforts, Qingzhou was granted to the Fulan clan. Ming Jing would lead a handful of women warriors there to rebuild their nation.

Liang Chen returned to the Lu family.

Li Weiyan resumed his role as emperor. The remaining undercover agents of the Marriage Alliance Mission would follow him back to the capital, becoming his personal guard. Rumor had it this was part of the agreement between Li Weiyan and Lin Ye.

As for Xue Li (Snow Girl), she would travel the martial world, wandering freely.

Xue Li took out all the gifts Lin Ye had given her over the years and burned them before the cave. Flames leapt high, sending thick smoke curling into the air, stinging everyone’s eyes until they were red and blurred. Earrings, bracelets, jade rings, bells, sachets—all were tossed into the flames.

Even the lost jade pendant, the embroidered pouch, and *Xue Li’s Journal* were consumed by the funeral pyre.

Everything returned to the beginning.

Xue Li whispered, “Really.”

Then she gazed vacantly ahead and murmured, “Liar.”

She stood quietly, and behind her, Ming Jing, hearing those words, could no longer hold back. With a sob, she turned and threw herself into Dou Yan’s arms, crying loudly.

Xue Li didn’t understand why Ming Jing was crying.

Ming Jing looked at her again and wept even harder. Dou Yan, being hugged tightly by Ming Jing, also had tears in her eyes. Holding Ming Jing close, she understood her grief, and how much Xue Li’s choices pained them all. Unable to stop herself, she said, “Xue Li, won’t you really come back to ‘Qin Yueye’ with me? If you return, Chun Jun and I will support you, help you become the Master.”

Xue Li shook her head.

That was her master’s “Qin Yueye,” not hers.

It held a past shrouded in ignorance, and bone-deep grudges. She wanted none of it.

Li Weiyan also tried to persuade her: “How about coming to Southern Zhou with me? You know I’m not close to the others. If the Lu family and the court conspire against me, I’ll have no recourse. Your skills are peerless—you could stay in the palace as my protector. We can be together still, right?”

Lu Qingmei seemed thinner now, but she spoke softly yet firmly: “Snow Girl, as Liang Chen’s friend, you are the Lu family’s friend. No matter where you are in Southern Zhou, if you ever face hardship, you’ll always have our support.”

Ye Liushu lowered her gaze and said gently, “Northern Zhou welcomes Snow Girl as well.”

Zhang Bing, having no particular bond with Lin Ye, valued Xue Li’s combat skills more than sentiment: “Snow Girl is one of Northern Zhou’s own. Since the two nations are not yet united, and she was raised in Northern Zhou, she naturally belongs with us. If she wishes to join the Northern Zhou court, we will match any offer Southern Zhou makes.”

Kong Laoliu pounded his chest with enthusiasm: “Snow Girl can roam the martial world with us—we’ll have each other’s backs!”

Ah Zeng looked at Xue Li, his tone uncharacteristically gentle: “Or, Xue Li, why not try something new? Come with me to the army camp—experience things you’ve never known.”

These were all gestures of goodwill, born from friendship and the unwillingness to let go. Xue Li vaguely understood, yet she still shook her head.

She turned her back, her voice barely audible: "Farewell."

--

Perhaps their connection had been too fragile, or perhaps the lingering effects of the Heartless Art on her body over the past decade couldn't dissipate so quickly. Regardless, Xue Li had become who she’d become.

She wanted to be alone.

She was calmer, more detached than any of them. With her detachment, she realized immediately that without Lin Ye as the central link, their group would scatter, each caught up in their own lives. She’d always been the odd one—it was Lin Ye’s presence that had made her fit in. But if they spent years together, their bonds might fade with time.

She treasured them.

And yet, there would never be another Lin Ye in this world.

From her own experiences, Xue Li had learned that the more she cherished and protected something, the more she should distance herself from it.

They would all have bright futures. They would become remarkable people. As for her, she would roam the martial world, perfecting her skills, finding deeper peace.

Tranquility was good.

No sorrow, no joy—that suited her.

--

Xue Li leapt onto her sturdy horse, ascending the mountain ridge. At the summit, she pulled her horse to a halt and turned to gaze down at her old friends below.

The wind stirred her hair, strands teasing her cheeks, tickling lightly. For a fleeting moment, she thought she heard a young man's laughter—so brief—when she glanced beside her, she knew it was just an illusion. Lin Ye had been left behind by her.

Mountains stretched endlessly, the snowstorm now stilled. The path ahead was hers alone.

Damn it.

You liar.

Why do people cling to this life? After countless regrets and remorse, what makes us hold on? If life is full of traps and betrayals, if every step forward is no different from walking toward the grave, then why do we still hold on?

The sun rose over the mountain peaks, clouds drifting across ten thousand miles.

Washed in dawn’s red light, everything seemed illusory. Hazily, she saw her companions below chasing after her, waving, their voices carrying—

"Xue Li, Xue Li."

"Don’t forget us. Come back to visit when you can!"

"I’ll be in the Southern Zhou palace!"

"I’ll be in the snowy mountains!"

"I’ll be in Qingzhou!"

"I’ll be in Fengxiang!"

"I’ll be roaming the rivers and lakes like you—I could be anywhere!"

And so, Xue Li atop the mountain waved back at them, raising her voice: "...Farewell."

She turned her horse into the wind, its hooves kicking up dust, her sleeves fluttering lightly. Again, she heard the crisp laughter of a youth by her ear—so fleeting. An illusion, she thought. It didn’t matter.

Something was slipping from her memory.

What was it?