When Lu Zhao led Shen Qingyao out, a sudden gust of wind swept across the river, carrying the cool moisture from the water. Although he knew that summer winds were unlikely to make someone cold, Lu Zhao instinctively shifted to shield Shen Qingyao. By the time she realized it, he had already stepped back nonchalantly, as if such actions were a natural instinct ingrained in his bones, needing no explanation.
Shen Qingyao was deeply moved by this small gesture, silently screaming in her heart.
They stood at the bow of the boat, with Lu Zhao slightly behind her. Shen Qingyao suddenly felt that if she spread her arms and struck a blissful pose, it would look just like a scene from Titanic, in ancient version. The thought seemed romantic until she remembered the tragic end of that story and quickly dismissed the idea.
Respect the original, remake rationally; random imitation is unacceptable.
She turned back to find Lu Zhao seriously gazing at the full moon in the sky, its light casting a silvery glow on his face. Shen Qingyao suddenly thought that if Chang’e could transform into a man, the male version of the moon goddess would undoubtedly look like this.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, why do you like looking at the moon?”
Lu Zhao took a light breath and lowered his head, his gaze lingering on Shen Qingyao’s face for a long time before he looked away and said softly, “Because for a long time, the moon was my only companion.”
What? Shen Qingyao inexplicably sensed a hint of loneliness in his words. She tilted her head in confusion. She understood every word, but together they made no sense. “Companion? Why did you need companion?”
Lu Zhao responded with a faint “mm,” unusually reticent to explain further.
He didn’t want to tell Shen Qingyao that for a long period, he would quietly watch the moon alone until dawn.
Nor did he tell her that when he returned from Xiling when she was ten, he rushed straight to the Shen residence without even going home. But when he saw his little girl, she didn’t smile or run to him, calling him Elder Brother. Instead, she lay sickly in bed, looking at him with a near-indifferent gaze, as if he were a stranger.
At that moment, little Lu Zhao felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him, chilling him to the core. The delicate osmanthus cakes he had carefully protected crumbled into fine powder, falling to the ground with a clatter.
Then Shen Qingli arrived, and he learned that during his absence, the little girl had almost not survived. A doctor named Kong Lin had used some special methods to save her, but she no longer remembered anything from before. She didn’t remember her parents or siblings, and naturally, she didn’t remember him either.
Since then, Shen Qingyao became like a soulless puppet, always accompanied by medicine, rarely stepping out of her courtyard. When Lu Zhao occasionally visited the Shen residence and saw her, she would only lower her head and timidly avoid him. Back then, Lu Zhao often felt that the little girl who used to follow him like a shadow had been stolen away.
In the following six years, Lu Zhao continued to bring back various trinkets from his travels, but instead of giving them directly to Shen Qingyao, he handed them to Shen Qingli to pass on. He still collected all kinds of rare medicinal herbs, discreetly finding excuses to send them to the Shen residence, hoping they would help her. But during those six years, he never sought out Shen Qingyao again.
He couldn’t bear to see that unfamiliar look in her eyes again.
So he could only wait until the deep, quiet night, when the bright moon was high in the sky, to secretly run to the begonia tree in the little girl’s courtyard, quietly gazing at the moon and listening to her long, steady breaths through the night.
He thought his life would continue like this. If the little girl never got better, he would guard her for the rest of his life. Until one snowy winter day, the little girl he had guarded for so many years ran into his arms and asked if he would marry her. When he met her eyes, he knew that the lost little girl had finally found her way home and returned to his side.
The clouds had cleared, and the moon was visible.
Lu Zhao chuckled softly. This saying had truly come true for him. All these years of gazing at the moon had not been in vain.
Shen Qingyao was bewildered by his sudden laughter. Was her question that amusing? Could it really make him laugh out loud?
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao?”
Unable to resist, she waved her hand in front of his eyes to catch his attention. Lu Zhao looked over, grabbed the mischievous hand, and with a tug, pulled her a step forward. The distance between them was already short, and this small step brought Shen Qingyao directly into Lu Zhao’s chest. She covered her nose in pain, wondering what was going on. Lu Zhao had teased her like this before, but he always controlled his strength well. This time, her nose got hit, which had never happened before.
Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, Lu Zhao’s hand pressed on the back of her head, pulling her closer into his embrace.
Something was off. Shen Qingyao sensed that Lu Zhao’s entire demeanor had changed. He wasn’t teasing her. Something was happening.
Lu Zhao said in a steady voice, “Yaoyao, don’t move.”
At the same time, her system started ringing an alarm in her mind, with a young, trembling voice saying, [Host, something seems wrong…]
Before the voice faded, Shen Qingyao heard splashes around the boat. Several figures emerged from the river, smelling of silt and carrying a fierce presence, landing around them.
More heads kept emerging from the water, and the small deck was soon crowded with people.
An ambush had been set. Shen Qingyao’s heart sank. Her first reaction was to think that this wasn’t in the script. Her second reaction was to grab Lu Zhao’s clothes tightly, knowing that their target could only be Lu Zhao…
“Who sent you?” Lu Zhao, holding Shen Qingyao with one arm, scanned the crowd. There were over thirty masked, professional assassins. Lu Zhao sneered; they certainly thought highly of him.
“The dead don’t need to know so much,” snarled the leader, exuding villainous energy. Knowing the pitfall of villains talking too much, he charged forward with a knife.
This move acted as a signal, and all the black-clad men swarmed towards them.
Shen Qingyao’s heart pounded rapidly. Held tightly by Lu Zhao, she couldn’t see behind but could sense it. Lu Zhao, protecting her with one arm, fought with the other. He disarmed one of the attackers, but despite his skills, he was outnumbered.
Following Lu Zhao’s movements, dodging left and right, she listened to his increasingly heavy breathing and grew more anxious. Unexpectedly, she wasn’t as scared as she thought she’d be.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, maybe you should let go of me,” Shen Qingyao said after Lu Zhao defeated another attacker. Perhaps he would find it easier if he didn’t have to protect her. Since they weren’t targeting her, she might be able to hide and avoid trouble. Staying here might only be a burden.
Lu Zhao didn’t respond, but the increasingly tight grip around his waist had already answered for him.
The ship’s guards finally arrived. Seeing the dire situation, they quickly grabbed their weapons and joined the battle. Though the fight remained dangerous, their presence helped balance the numerical disadvantage. Lu Zhao was finally able to catch his breath and, under the cover of the guards, struggled to retreat from the fray.
Feeling the pressure around her waist ease a bit, Shen Qingyao quickly stepped back half a step and grabbed Lu Zhao’s sleeve, urgently asking, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao? Are you alright?” She looked him over, noticing his moon-white clothes were splattered with the assassins’ blood and his hair was disheveled from the fight, giving him a rugged yet striking appearance.
—Ugh! There’s a life-and-death situation, and I’m swooning?
Shen Qingyao mentally slapped herself, but she let out a breath of relief.
Obviously, the guards Lu Zhao had stationed on the ship were well-trained and competent. The situation quickly came under control… or so it seemed.
The leading man in black, realizing he was outmatched, gritted his teeth and pulled out a bamboo tube-like object from his waist. Lu Zhao saw this and, eyes narrowing, threw his knife, but it was a moment too late. Though he severed the man’s hand, the signal flare had already been launched just before the hand was cut off.
The red flare lit up the night sky, painting the horizon with a bloody hue. Shen Qingyao felt a surge of panic, intuitively sensing that something worse was about to happen.
Indeed, after a brief, eerie silence, more men in black emerged from the water like swarming ants. The previously controlled situation was once again overturned. More enemies surrounded Lu Zhao, who, while trying to protect her, was gradually becoming exhausted.
[Host! Watch out! Arrows!] The system’s voice roared in her mind. It was integrated with Shen Qingyao, already detecting the imminent deadly danger.
Arrows? Shen Qingyao froze for a second. The sound of arrows slicing through the air whizzed past her ears, and she had no time to react. Lu Zhao turned, holding her, and then came the sound of an arrow hitting flesh.
Shen Qingyao’s eyes widened. She reached up and felt a patch of wetness.
Lu Zhao had taken an arrow for her. That arrow was meant for her. Yet he didn’t even utter a groan, lifting his hand again to cut down an assassin trying to strike amidst the chaos.
“Elder… Elder Brother Lu Zhao?” Shen Qingyao’s voice trembled. She didn’t even dare to ask where Lu Zhao was hurt. “Elder Brother Lu Zhao…” She could only call his name over and over, as if trying to confirm something.
Only then did Lu Zhao hiss, reassuring her in her ear, “I’m fine, just hurt my arm.”
Shen Qingyao turned to look and saw the arrow indeed lodged in Lu Zhao’s arm. Even though it hadn’t hit his heart, Lu Zhao had taken this arrow because of her. The system had already warned her—if only she had reacted a bit quicker, perhaps Lu Zhao wouldn’t have been injured.
Feeling immense guilt, Shen Qingyao stared at the bloodstain, sniffling.
“It’s really nothing, don’t be scared,” Lu Zhao, even in this state, didn’t forget to comfort her.
“How can it be nothing!” Shen Qingyao cried out. But this wasn’t the time for sadness and guilt. Where there was the first arrow, there would be a second. Arrows rained down on the ship, wounding many guards. Finally, someone roared, “Damn it, there are ambushers on the shore as well.”
Without needing special orders, two agile guards leapt towards the shore to find the archers. The other two uninjured guards finished off the remaining assassins and rushed to Lu Zhao and Shen Qingyao’s side, shouting, “Young Master, please take Young Madam to safety. We’ll handle this!”
On the ship, with limited space, the only place to seek refuge was the cabin.
Without hesitation, Lu Zhao grabbed Shen Qingyao and made for the cabin…
Thanks for the chapter!!!!