Chapter 44: Then No Matter What, You Have to Swallow It
“Father, can you please stop making Luohe follow me?”
The girl had now grown into a young woman, in the prime of her youth.
She had made more friends, her goals had become more diverse—she had grown up.
So she began to dislike the mute fool by her side.
He was always clinging to her.
When she practiced, he practiced; when she rested from practice, he stood guard outside her room, like a wooden stake planted there.
The key issue was that Luohe always had a faint aura of evil and coldness about him. Wherever she went, Luohe followed, and then the young woman could hear people’s whispers.
‘Why does Sect Leader Luo’s daughter have such a strange figure beside her?’
‘I don’t know… but that black shadow looks creepy. Better keep some distance…’
Luohe was like a taboo specter, always haunting her.
At her age, she couldn’t bear such criticism and exclusion, even as the sect leader’s daughter.
“I’ve told you before, do not speak of Luohe again.”
“But Father, you don’t know how…”
“I said, don’t discuss it!”
“!”
The young woman never imagined that her father, who had always been gentle and loving toward her, would shout at her like this because of Luohe.
Luohe… she… Luo Wenshui…
Why did he also have the surname Luo, but Father never wanted to talk about him…
A conjecture hard for the young woman to accept formed in her mind.
She bit her lip and stormed out of Luo Wenshui’s residence, while Luohe still stood guard outside the door. Seeing her emerge, he instinctively followed…
“Stop following me!”
The young woman, her thoughts in chaos, saw Luohe’s silent demeanor and felt even more irritated. In a moment of impulse, the Lulan Sword at her waist transformed into a beam of sword light attacking him…
The Lulan Sword, fourth of the Tianzhen Seven Swords, was unbeatably sharp. Unsurprisingly, it broke through Luohe’s protective spiritual energy, and the blade sank into Luohe’s right shoulder.
“You, why didn’t you dodge…”
Luohe had spent day and night with her; the young woman knew his abilities well. This sword strike—how could he not avoid it?
Seeing fresh blood appear on Luohe’s right shoulder, this wasn’t her intention. She hurriedly put away her sword, feeling a touch of regret.
She quickly stepped forward to check… the wound was somewhat deep. She could clearly see the muscles inside, even faintly feel the collarbone.
But even so, this person’s eyes remained undisturbed… truly, like a corpse, looking at her calmly.
The young woman couldn’t help but slow her breath, and the earlier concerns instantly vanished.
That was the first time she noticed that Luohe, who rarely showed any emotion in front of her anymore…
Hardly seemed human.
…
That night, the young woman knocked on Luohe’s door.
Although Luohe spent most of his time following her like a shadow, occasionally he would spend a few days like this by himself.
After thinking about it all day, the young woman decided to come apologize to Luohe.
Even though the young woman’s view of Luohe now differed completely from her childhood perspective of a playmate, after all… Luohe was her sword attendant, and possibly even her brother.
Although she detested both identities, she had wounded him without cause, and that was fact.
Knock knock.
“It’s me.”
Receiving no response, she frowned and opened the door, only to hear muffled groans coming from the dark room.
“…”
She drew her sword, illuminating the room with sword light, only to see Luohe lying on the bed with his eyes closed, making strange sounds as if asleep.
And the wound on his right shoulder… had miraculously healed completely in one day.
The only strange thing was that since stepping near Luohe…
“So cold…”
The young woman always felt a chill spreading from her feet throughout her body.
And the source of that cold was Luohe.
Wait…
She suddenly realized this was the first time she had seen Luohe with his eyes closed, completely defenseless.
This meant…
The young woman’s gaze moved to the white fox mask Luohe had never removed.
Although she instinctively felt that someday she would bitterly regret this foolish action…
But whether due to curiosity about this from childhood, or to overcome her fear of Luohe, or for some other unclear reason…
The young woman’s fingers undid the ties of the white fox mask.
Moonlight mercilessly flooded the windowsill, shooting into the room.
Illuminating the hand with which Luohe had grabbed the young woman.
He had just awakened from the pain of yin energy devouring his body, immediately sensed the young woman’s presence, and instantly realized what she wanted to do.
After all these years… still not giving up.
But when Luohe focused his gaze, the moonlight also illuminated the young woman’s terrified expression.
Luohe touched his face, feeling not smooth porcelain but a rough texture like a demon’s crawling.
The white fox mask had been undone and lay by the window.
“Let go!”
The young woman broke free from Luohe’s hand, backing several steps until she hit the wall, face pale, raising the Lulan Sword toward him.
“Who exactly are you, Luohe?! Who are you?!”
“…”
And a pair of hands desperately struggled to pass through the young woman’s body.
Don’t do this, don’t do this!
He is in pain… he is in pain!
But this was just a theater, and she was merely a viewer.
Her hands couldn’t reach into the screen.
She could only watch herself adding wound after wound to his body.
She was ignorant and arrogant.
She savored his pain, his tribulations, while they were the nutrients she lived on.
How could such a cruel relationship exist in this world? How could such a cruel concealment exist?
Luo Hongyu knelt on the ground, her gaze dry and hollow, unable to shed tears.
She had been betrayed by her own life, abandoned by her own life.
She now finally realized that the truth she had always sought…
Knowing would be painful, not knowing would also be painful.
But the movie continued, time rewound, and as the sole audience member, Luo Hongyu kept watching.
The young woman’s form of address gradually changed to “Young Mistress.”
She no longer berated or despised him but treated him with coldness and neglect.
But what difference did a branding iron and an ice pick make to him?
Luohe followed behind the Young Mistress.
Luo Hongyu watched Luohe’s back.
Luo Hongyu vaguely felt that she had rarely seen Luohe’s back; most of the time he stood behind her, chasing after her.
He could always catch up.
But now, all he left for Luo Hongyu was his shadow.
She couldn’t catch up, she couldn’t beg the shadow for a glance.
Just as she never looked back at what was behind her in those years.
Memories continued to pass year by year.
The existence known as Luo Hongyu was, during this time, being hollowed out bit by bit by her own hands.
The final scene froze on that night at the Nine Gate Zen Temple.
She saw Luohe wake from the heartbewildering illusion, listening to the Young Mistress murmur confusedly to him.
He sheathed the Lulan Sword in her hand and placed it beside her.
Then stepped into the deep night, like a withered leaf in late autumn.
The movie ended.
Luo Hongyu returned to the well, the white fox mask still on her face.
The black-robed boy walked out from the darkness beside her, standing quietly by her side.
Luo Hongyu now knew that everything she had just experienced from Luohe’s perspective came from the soul fragment of Luohe in her spirit.
This was the truth she had always dreamed of.
…