âWe havenât found him yet.â
âNo, brotherâ¦we have to keep searching. Can we get more people? Please? Iâm begging you! Yu just fell into the river. He can swim. He wonât die. Also, isnât he a skillful martial artist? He must still be alive!â Le Yao Yao desperately pleaded. Her voice was so loud that it almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
âYao Yao, even if we can bring Yu back, we wonât be able to save him.â Dongfang Bai softly replied.
âWhat do you mean? Why not?â Le Yao Yao paused for a moment. Then, she tightly clutched Dongfang Baiâs hand.
âBro, have you already seen Yu? There must be something youâre not telling me. How else would you have found me?â
Dongfang Bai knew there was no way he could hide it from Le Yao Yao. So, he heavily sighed and sat Le Yao Yao down before he continued.
âYao Yao, please calm down first. Yes, I have seen Yu already. It was the night you left the number one manor house. He came to find me.â
âWhat? The night I left?â
If she stayed that night, perhaps they wouldâve already reunitedâ¦n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Dongfang Bai probably read Le Yao Yaoâs mind. âYao Yao, even if you didnât leave that night, Yu wouldnât have gone to see you.â
âWhy!?â
It turned out that five years ago, Leng Jun Yu had a fierce battle with the remaining members of the evil cult. He accidentally fell off the cliff due to his inattentiveness. Fortunately, his strong martial arts abilities saved him from death. However, he was severely injured from the harsh fall.
Furthermore, he was starving. At the end, Leng Jun Yu had no choice but to eat the fruits from under the cliff in order to fight the poisonous snakes and beasts.
But, it was like he fell into a maze. It took him five years before he managed to find a way out.
Initially, the first thing he wanted to do was to find Yao Yao. But at that time, he realized something was wrong with his body.
The blood that came out was purplish red. It was a sign that he was poisoned.
So, he went to see many physicians in hopes to cure his health. But every single one told him that they had no cure for his condition. That was when Leng Jun Yu went to find Dongfang Bai. He thought the number one miracle doctor would definitely have a way to save him.
But who wouldâve thought thatâ¦
âBrother! What poison does Yu have? Even you canât save him?â Le Yao Yao burst into tears. Thinking back, she recalled seeing his scars and injuries while they were fishing. None of his past injuries had healedâ¦
What has he gone through these past five years?
âI have never came across anything like Yuâs poison. But I know he only has a few days left.â
âSo he doesnât want to reunite with me? Because heâs afraid Iâll be sad?â
âYes. Yu said you already went through Hell once. Itâs enough. He didnât want you to watch him die. He just wants you to live wellâ¦â
âHaha!!?!!! He wants me to live well? How could I live well if heâs dead?â Le Yao Yao laughed like a person with no soul. Her eyes looked dead. Seeing this, Dongfang Bai began to panic.
âYao Yao! Please donât be like this. Seeing you like this breaks my heart. Even if Yu is gone, he wonât be able to rest peacefully.â
Suddenly, Le Yao Yaoâs eyes lit up. She gritted her teeth and stated with determination. âNo! I must find Yu! If heâs alive, I will find him! If heâs dead, I need to see the corpse!â
ââ
In a blink of an eye, a month had gone by.
âYao Yao, just give up! Thereâs no point in searching anymore. Yu is already dead!â yelled Dongfang Bai. He was very worn out. But no matter what, his younger sister refused to stop.
âEnough! Brother, Yu is a close friend of yours. How could you curse him like that? He might still be alive!â
Until she sees his corpse, she will not accept his death!
âYao Yao, I am your brother and Yu is my good friend. If I could, I would wish heâll live a long, healthy life and forever stay together with you. But, reality is reality. You need to accept it! Look at you now! For the past month, youâve been searching non-stop. Youâve already lost a whole size. At this rate, youâre going to lose your life!â
Usually, Dongfang Bai had a great temper. But now, he was furious. He couldnât help but feel frustrated when Le Yao Yao neglected everything for her wishful thinking.
Le Yao Yao knew Dongfang Bai was concerned about her. But she had to find Yu. If she stayed home to wait for answers, she will go insane.
Yu, are you still alive? If youâre dead, what am I going to do? What is Xuanâer going to do?
The more Le Yao Yao thought about it, the more depressed she felt. But, she had no more tears.
Who wouldâve thought that tears could run outâ¦?
Le Yao Yao looked like a shattered glass doll. It was very heartbreaking.
Seeing this, Qi Ying Ying felt terrible. She had arrived here a month ago once she heard the news. She knew how difficult it was to love someone. So, naturally, she understood how Le Yao Yao felt.
If the person she loved had died, she wouldâve collapsed already.
âSister Yao Yao, please. I believe good things will happen to good people. I heard that thereâs a very effective temple in Dali. Why donât we go beg the Goddess of Mercy? We can pray for brother Yu.â
Qi Ying Ying could tell Le Yao Yao was stirring. She let out a breath of relief.
Dongfang Bai pulled Qi Ying Ying off to the side. He lowered his voice, âWhat are you trying to do? Yao Yao is already sad enough!â
âUncle! What are you talking about? You think youâre the only one who cares about sister Yao Yao? Currently, sister Yao Yaoâs state is too unstable. If this keeps up, she will turn crazy. Hope is the only thing that can help a person through despair. She needs to have a reason to move forwardâ¦â
Qi Ying Yingâs wise words caused Dongfang Baiâs eyes to flicker. Ultimately, he allowed them to go forth with their plan.
ââ
The next day was a bright and sunny day. Since it was the beginning of Summer, the temperature had risen substantially.
A horse carriage could be seen on its way. Eventually, it stopped underneath a high mountain.
When Le Yao Yao looked up, she could see the mountain covered with trees. Sources say that the temple was very famous in Dali. Many visitors would deliberately come here to pray.
Currently, there were a lot of people around them. Some were about to head up, while others had just came down from the temple.
Seeing this, Qi Ying Ying commented, âThe Goddess of Mercy must be very effective. Or else, there wouldnât be so many people coming to pray and worship.â
âEffective? I hope so.â
Le Yao Yao still had a miserable expression on her face. So, Qi Ying Ying tried her best to lead a conversation and cheer her up. The two of them had to walk up the mountain because the temple was located on the middle of the mountain. No horse carriages would be able to get up there.
Climbing up the mountain was no big deal for the two ladies. After all, they were both martial artists. Not only was it a breeze, they were able to enjoy the lovely scenic view as well.
Two hours later, Le Yao Yao and Qi Ying Ying arrived at the temple. After they placed the incenses and prayed to the Goddess, they didnât remain inside. Instead, they walked around the temple and went back down the mountain.
As the saying goes, climbing is easy but going up is hard.
In no time, the two of them were at the bottom of the mountain. After such a long walk, Le Yao Yao and Qi Ying Ying were tired. They decided to head to a tea shop for some food and drinks.
Since this was the only tea shop underneath the mountain, the business was exceptionally good. There were no seats available at all.
Fortunately, someone just left and the girls were willing to share tables with other customers.
Soon, their orders came. Le Yao Yao drank some tea and rested with Qi Ying Ying.
At that moment, a very feminine voice entered their ears from behind. âBrother Leng, are you thirsty? Here, drink some tea!â
âBrother Leng. Look at you! Your forehead is covered with sweat! Here, let me wipe it for you.â
Without turning around, Le Yao Yao could tell the woman really loved her brother Leng. You would only show so much affection for someone you love. Once, she also loved a man like that.
At the time, with Yu by her side, she felt as if she was the worldâs luckiest woman. She thought her future would also be filled with joy and happiness. Yet, happiness was short and fleeting. Misfortune came and took Yu away from her.
At this moment, another crispy voice rang. âSister, you only care about your brother Leng now. How about your younger sister? Older sister, Iâm thirsty too! My forehead has sweat too! Yet, you donât help me wipe any!â
The voice sounded very girly and familiar. But, Le Yao Yao couldnât decipher where it was from.
âThen, Sai Ya, you can drink this cup of tea first.â
The moment Le Yao Yao heard the low raspy voice, she couldnât hear anyone else. It was as if something fisted her heart. She had no idea how she turned around and stood up. But, she almost turned insane when she saw the man behind her.
Although he was dressed in very casual clothing, it couldnât hide his nobility aura.
âYu! Itâs you! Itâs really you!!!!â
Her originally dead pupils were filled with joy and her lips couldnât help but tremble. âIâve finally found you!!!!â she cried.
Le Yao Yao was so emotional that she reached out her arms and tightly hugged the man in front of her. She wanted to confirm he was real.
Yu is alive! He isnât dead!
But, the manâs next line caused her to freeze.
âWho are you? Do Iâ¦.know you?â