“Do you like it?” Li Muyang asked aloud. “Yes.” Song Chenxi gently stroked the paper with her fingertips. The painting of the young girl was vivid and lifelike, like it was a real person.
Her thin eyebrows, her bright and clear eyes, her lips that curved back in a gentle smile, and that frail but charming expression———
It was another Song Chenxi.
“I"ll give it to you.” Li Muyang smiled.
“Thank you.” Song Chenxi beamed. “I will certainly keep it well. As long as I am alive, I will look at it everyday. But——”
Li Muyang interrupted her, “doesn"t matter. You will live. You will certainly live well. But also don"t live too long, just to around the age of your grandpa right now. When a girl is old, she will get very old.”
“Okay.” Song Chenxi nodded again. “I"ll certainly work hard.”
Li Muyang cast a glance at Li Shinian. “I still have other things to do, I will not disturb Miss Song anymore. I"ll see each of you again.”
“Ah, so quick? I haven"t invited you to a cup of tea yet.”
“Don"t worry about it, the next time I visit, I will try the tea of the Song residence.”
“Little Star will see you to the door.”
“Thank you Miss Little Star.”
With that, Li Muyang walked towards the outside with Li Shinian behind him.
Thinking that Li Muyang will face the old immortal of Still water sword school in just a few days, and that it boded ill rather than well for him, she thought that they most likely would not have a chance to see each other again.
Her heart was all of a sudden filled with pain and she couldn"t help yelling out, “Li Muyang——”
Li Muyang stopped, turned to look at Song Chenxi and asked: “Miss Song is there something else?”
“You can call me Chenxi.”
Li Muyang was taken aback for a moment, then called over her with a smile, “Chenxi.”
The corners of Song Chenxi"s mouth were slightly raised, “I said before, since you helped me draw this painting , I will certainly return this gift.”
“There is no need.”
“No, there must be.” Song Chenxi"s voice was soft but incredibly firm. “But I will give you the gift when you return victorious.”
She tightened her little hand, “So, please be sure to come back safely.”
Li Muyang couldn"t help chuckling, “Okay. I"ll definitely come back safe. Even if I can"t come back safely, I will certainly find a way to escape safely.”
“I believe in you. You will triumph.” Song Chenxi stated.
After saying farewell to the frail and charming young Miss of the Song family, Li Muyang and Li Shinian walked on the street side by side.
Although following behind them was a horse drawn carriage, both had no interest of taking the carriage. They wanted to walk, walk along the both familiar and unfamiliar streets of Tiandu.
Crunch——
Treading across the snow, their boots made crisp and melodious noises.
While walking merrily, Li Muyang glanced at the scenery on both sides of the street. “I have been in this city for a long time, but I am still completely unfamiliar with everything.”
“This is a city without a sense of belonging.” Li Muyang stated softly. “You must be careful everyday, it"s as if everyone in this city will suddenly jump out and bite you. You don"t feel safe, and you don"t have a sense of belonging.”
“Yes,” Li Shinian sighed, “Brother, I have never been so tired. It never occurred to me before that I would go through what I am going through now. I just want to be safe and live happily in Jiangnan. That"s our home, that"s where we belong. I like Jiangnan, I don"t like Tiandu.”
“It"s all my fault. If it hadn"t been for me, you wouldn"t have suffered so much and been in so much danger. When we were in Jiangnan, you were the happiest and freest. Everyone liked you, and everyone knew that you will have a good future. But because of me, you came to the unfamiliar capital, bear what my family has to face——you are still so small and still just a child. It"s must be hard for you.”
“Brother——”
Li Muyang grasped his little sister"s icy cold hand, and promised in an incomparably firm voice. “One day, we will return to Jiangnan. I will take you back to Jiangnan, we will be like how it was before. Our family will live happily in Jiangnan, live in our old house and live the same life as before.”
“Good.” Li Shinian nodded seriously. “Brother, I believe you, I believe you can defeat that old monster, I believe you can take us back to Jiangnan.”
The brother and sister shared a glance, a tacit understanding spreading between them.
Li Shinian stretched out her hand to flick the snowflakes off the shoulders of Li Muyang. “Brother, you were often sick when you were young, I am your Little sister, but I am more like your Older sister.”
“Yes.” Li Muyang grinned. “Big Sister Shinian.”
“At that time I thought you were too pitiful, and you were always falling ill, it was as if——you would leave us at any moment. At that time I made up my mind that I would take care of you and protect you, and not allow anyone to bully you.”
“Yes. You did it.” Li Muyang nodded, “That"s what you"ve always done.”
“I thought I was going to protect you and take care of you all my life. At that time, I thought it was a heavy burden. Isn"t it a difficult thing to support another person"s life?” Li Shinian said with a smile.
Li Muyang did not speak, quietly walked next to Li Shinian.
They haven"t spoke like that in a long time.
He knew that his little sister was still worried about his safety and about his fight with that old guy.
Although everyone wanted him to win, all took on an indifferent expression and pretended that "we are not worried about since you will win anyway", but inside——they were really distraught.
He was like a patient with a serious illness and with only a few days to live. When Mu Dingyi, the King of h.e.l.l, raised his sword, his life would be over.
“What I didn"t expect was that, all of a sudden you were enlightened, you are getting smarter and better looking. What you did were all very impressive, and the people you come into contact with are all important and well known people. I have never thought this would happen. I am proud of my brother, proud of your achievements but also incredibly worried.”
“I know you are very tired from walking, more exhausted than others. And also it"s more and more dangerous, every step of yours feels like you are walking on thin ice, every day feels like a year. Brother, you are walking farther and farther away from me, and our gap is getting bigger and bigger. I can"t take care of you anymore and can"t protect you. I can only watch you go further and further away, watch it getting harder for you to walk.”
“Brother, I don"t want you to work so hard, I hope you live happily. When everyone were saying that you died in the illusion, I even thought to myself that wouldn"t it be better if you were that fool in the past. In that case at least I will take care of everything for you——”
Li Muyang suddenly turned around and tightly wrapped his arms around his sister.
It was like he was hugging his other life.
——————
Li Muyang stood before the windowsill, when a black robed woman figure suddenly appeared in the window.
“You really have decided to do that?” The black robed woman questioned.
“Yes.” Li Muyang nodded. “I"ve decided.”
“You——they would be really upset.””
“I know. If I don"t do that, I would be even more upset.” Li Muyang explained. He stretched out his hand to the woman in black and said, “Hong Xiu, give me it.””
The woman in black fumbled out a vial from her bosom and tossed it over, “You"re on your own.”
“Thank you.” Li Muyang took the vial and said with a smile.
“Thank me for what?” The woman in black"s face was concealed by a layer of gauzy fabric, so he couldn"t see her real face and her facial expression at that moment. “I don"t want anything to do with this.”
“I understand.” Li Muyang said, nodding, “Thank you for helping me this time, and thank you for helping me last time.”
“That"s what I"m supposed to do.” Hong Xiu stated. “I promised you to keep a secret for you. It"s just that——are you going to hide it from Old Grandfather Lu? Also, what exactly is the origin of your s...o...b..ll, and why does it have such destructive attacking power?”
“I don"t want to lie to you, I also can"t tell you.” Li Muyang replied. “You"ll know later. Give me some more time, can you?”
“Whatever.” With a fling of her sleeve, Hong Xiu fluttered away.
——Clang——
The door of the room was slammed open.
Li Shinian stood at the door, smiling: “Brother, Mother said it"s dinner time.”
“Okay. Let"s go.” Li Muyang replied, clutching the black porcelain vial.
After going downstairs, Mother Luo Qi, who was busy in the kitchen, said to Li Muyang, “I have cooked chicken soup, have a bowl of soup first.”
“All right.” Li Muyang smiled and said to Li Shinian: “Go prepare the bowls.”
“Why don"t you go?” Li Shinian complained, but still ran to help clean up the chopsticks and bowls. “
While they were not paying attention, Li Muyang hastily poured the powder from the porcelain vial into the pot of chicken soup.
Li Shinian came back carrying the chopsticks and bowls, Li Muyang ladled the soup into three bowls, one for Mother Luo Qi, one for Li Shinian and one for himself.
“Everyone drink soup.” Li Muyang urged.
“This is more like it.” Li Shinian tilted the bowl of soup to her mouth and took a mouthful.
“Muyang you drink too.” Luo Qi said with a doting face and then took a sip of the soup.
“I"ll drink too.” Li Muyang smiled.
Thump!
The voices just faded, when Luo Qi and Li Shinian had collapsed over the dinner table.