Chapter 12: Does Zhou'er No Longer Need His Brother?
In her youth, Hua Yunsu hadn't exactly gotten along with Ying Xuzhou. Back then, it was all too easy for people to compare the two world-renowned gentlewomen. The twist was that Ying Xuzhou’s gentleness was entirely an act, whereas Hua Yunsu’s was genuine.
But any slight irritation caused by public comparison completely vanished the moment they actually met face-to-face; they had hit it off instantly, becoming fast friends.
Ying Xuzhou excelled with the whip, while Hua Yunsu excelled in medicine. They often worked in tandem, one coating the weapon in poison, the other striking the target. Anyone unfortunate enough to face them rarely stood a chance of escape. Their coordination was flawless.
Later, when Ying Xuzhou met her tragic end at the hands of the demonic cult, Hua Yunsu locked herself away in her valley for a full year. When she finally emerged, a few faint lines had etched themselves around her eyes, but her gaze had grown far more resolute.
She sought out Li Xiaolian and volunteered to take care of Li Yuezhou. After all, she was a healer, and no one knew medicine better than she did.
Initially, Li Xiaolian had been hesitant. Knowing how close she had been to his late wife, he worried the grief would take a toll on her spirit and wanted her to rest rather than exhaust herself. But Hua Yunsu refused to back down, reasoning with him until she finally moved into the Martial Arts Alliance compound.
For the first few years, she tended to Li Yuezhou completely on her own. It wasn't until Li Xiaolian and Lu Zhaoye were capable of caring for him independently that she packed her bags and left, wandering the land to see if she could find a new cure for his cognitive affliction.
Yet, before she could even find a cure, Li Yuezhou had suddenly recovered on his own.
Li Xiaolian hadn't gone into detail regarding the matter of the wandering soul, and she didn't entirely believe in such things anyway. But all she truly desired was for Li Yuezhou to be healthy and whole; nothing else mattered.
"I’ve just finished brewing it. Drink up while it's hot."
Hua Yunsu’s voice was incredibly gentle, but Li Yuezhou was terrified of her. Her medicine was always agonizingly bitter, and Aunt Hua's acupuncture needles stung like crazy.
Even so, he knew it was all for his own good.
Staring at the pitch-black medicinal broth before him, Li Yuezhou squeezed his eyes shut and gulped it straight down. The familiar bitterness rolled into his stomach, leaving behind a wave of warmth but a thoroughly numbed tongue.
Li Yuezhou’s brow furrowed tightly, his features scrunching into a ball. Right on cue, Hua Yunsu deftly popped a candied fruit into his mouth. As the sweet flavor spread across his palate, his sour expression finally relaxed.
"Extend your hand. Let me check your pulse."
Hua Yunsu placed two fair fingers onto Li Yuezhou’s wrist, feeling it intently for a moment before letting out a sigh of profound relief. "The major issues are gone. Just keep drinking this medicine for another ten days, and be sure to add some light exercise to your daily routine."
Li Yuezhou nodded obediently. "Thank you, Aunt Hua."
"Silly boy, why are you being so polite with me?"
Hua Yunsu tapped his forehead with her finger, her smile like a melting snowcap, warm and deeply familiar. She had other matters to attend to, so once she saw him finish the medicine, she took her leave.
Finding himself alone, Li Yuezhou lay back on the bed and pulled out that mysterious book once more.
Organizing his thoughts, he deduced from the phrasing that this text chronicled his father’s brief life. As long as he intervened and enacted certain changes, the text would update accordingly, ultimately altering his father's tragic fate. This realization made Li Yuezhou pay even closer attention to the book's alterations.
Relying on his memory, he flipped to the section detailing the demonic cult spy's escape and skimmed ahead. Sure enough, a new passage had materialized.
The original plot merely stated that after escaping the Alliance, the demonic cult members fled straight north, vanishing without a trace. Lu Zhaoye had been dispatched to pursue them but found nothing, forcing him to return home in dejection.
Li Yuezhou pored over the pages repeatedly but found no further anomalies. It seemed the plotlines he could alter hadn't fully manifested just yet...
After a moment of deliberation, he came to a decision.
He needed to learn martial arts!
Though his father couldn't bear to see him suffer through grueling training, and he himself was admittedly a bit lazy, he needed some self-defense skills for the sake of his father and... Lu Zhaoye.
Li Yuezhou called over a servant boy and asked, "Are there... any instructors in the Alliance who teach martial arts?"
The servant looked back blankly. They were just ordinary servants without any internal energy, so they knew nothing of such matters.
"Young Master Yuezhou wants to learn martial arts?"
A cheerful voice drifted in from the courtyard. Li Yuezhou looked up to see Yi Rufeng, a close acquaintance of Lu Zhaoye's.
He had previously learned from Lu Zhaoye that Yi Rufeng was an orphan whose entire family had been slaughtered by the demonic cult. Li Xiaolian had rescued him from a pile of corpses. While he was nominally a disciple under his father's sect, his mediocre talent had relegated him to a marginal figure within the Alliance.
Even so, Li Xiaolian had fulfilled his duties toward him, and the people in the Alliance respectfully addressed him as Master Yi. However, he rarely entered the inner courtyard, knowing only that a secluded young master resided within, whom he had almost never seen.
"Master Yi," Li Yuezhou greeted, choosing to follow the servant's form of address.
Yi Rufeng offered a warm smile. "Young Master is too kind. Just call me Brother Yi. I am, after all, a few years older than you and Zhaoye." He added, "Zhaoye specifically dragged me out of my duties and asked me to keep you company."
Yi Rufeng could only be described as pleasant-looking; his features were regular, though not particularly striking. Perhaps because he was keenly aware of his own average talent, he possessed a remarkably placid demeanor, which instantly earned Li Yuezhou's favor. Since he was Lu Zhaoye's friend, building a good relationship with him was undoubtedly the right move.
"I just heard Young Master mention wanting to practice martial arts?"
Li Yuezhou nodded. A servant brought up two cups of tea. Li Yuezhou's cup radiated a mild sweetness with flower petals floating on top, while the cup across from him held fresh green tea.
"Scented tea?" Yi Rufeng inquired casually.
Li Yuezhou nodded. "My health is still quite fragile, so this flower tea serves as a tonic." He paused, then continued, "Martial arts training is demanding, but from what I gather of Father's intentions, he probably doesn't want me to learn."
Yi Rufeng was Li Xiaolian's only actual disciple; though they weren't exceptionally close, he still respectfully referred to him as Master.
"Yes. I... I just don't want to become a burden to Brother."
Li Yuezhou figured that since they had sent Yi Rufeng to keep him company, they likely wanted him to practice speaking more. His vocal cords were perfectly fine now; he just needed to practice using them.
"Young Master must be joking. How could you ever be a burden to Zhaoye?"
True to his name, Yi Rufeng moved like a gentle breeze, soft, light, and thoroughly pleasant. Li Yuezhou thoroughly appreciated this respectful distance; it was incredibly comforting for someone with social anxiety.
"However..." Yi Rufeng took a delicate sip of his tea, the slight bitterness spreading across his tongue. He wasn't particularly favored within the Alliance, but he wasn't mistreated either. His talent was simply lacking, and Alliance Master Li had already done his best for him.
Fortunately, though his mindset had wavered after his family's passing, he remained rational and had long since come to terms with it over the years. Furthermore, he believed he understood his close friend quite well.
"If you truly wish to learn, Master and Zhaoye will certainly do everything in their power to help you. But you must pay close attention to your own physical limits."
Hearing this, Li Yuezhou's eyes lit up as he stared intently at the man before him.
Being looked at with such earnest intensity made Yi Rufeng a bit self-conscious. He drew the fan from his waist and gave it a gentle flutter, concealing his momentary lapse with a chuckle. "Are you really that happy?"
Li Yuezhou’s demeanor around him grew noticeably relaxed. Perhaps because of his dual perspective on this world, he had already accepted Yi Rufeng into his inner circle.
"Yes! I cannot... be a burden to Brother."
Yi Rufeng smiled softly. These two brothers were absolutely nothing like the scandalous rumors circulating in the outside world. Those people simply possessed filthy minds, causing them to see filth in everyone else.
Alliance Master Li was a man of absolute integrity, and under his guidance, Zhaoye had grown remarkably attentive. As for the innocent Li Yuezhou, he was the precious treasure they collectively sought to shield. If he wasn't mistaken, the position of Alliance Master would inevitably fall to Zhaoye, while Li Yuezhou would continue to be safely cherished in the inner sanctuary just as he was now.
Yi Rufeng chatted with him for a bit longer, giving him a brief overview of the situation inside and outside the Alliance. Li Yuezhou, who had been listening intently at first, gradually grew drowsy.
Noting that his eyelids were starting to fight a losing battle, Yi Rufeng paused his train of thought. He glanced at the sky outside and asked, "Why don't you eat a little something before taking a nap?"
Li Yuezhou had a very small appetite, so snacks were kept readily available throughout his room so he could eat whenever hunger struck.
"Brother Yi, you should head back and have your meal first. I'll eat once I wake up."
Although his body was out of danger, he remained physically weak, a vulnerability that manifested primarily as low energy and a tendency to tire easily.
Seeing that he was merely sleepy rather than unwell, Yi Rufeng felt at ease to take his leave. Just as he stepped out the door, he ran straight into Lu Zhaoye.
"You're back?"
Lu Zhaoye nodded, asking casually, "How is he?"
"His spirits are fine, just a bit sleepy. He’s likely heading to bed now." Yi Rufeng smiled, recounting the details of their morning conversation.
"His health is poor; he cannot practice martial arts." Lu Zhaoye’s brow furrowed slightly.
As if he had long anticipated this reaction, Yi Rufeng merely offered a faint smile. "He said he wanted to learn because he didn't want to become a burden to you." With that, he patted Lu Zhaoye on the shoulder and walked away.
The man left standing there froze in place, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
In truth, Lu Zhaoye had never once viewed Li Yuezhou as a burden.
When he was first brought to the Martial Arts Alliance, he was fully aware of the unspoken arrangement between himself and Li Xiaolian. The Alliance Master would raise him to adulthood and pour resources into his training, and in return, he was expected to care for the man's disabled son indefinitely.
Li Xiaolian wasn't worried about him breaking the agreement because there were plenty of people keeping an eye on him, people like Yi Rufeng.
Yet, Lu Zhaoye had never felt resentful. He believed the resources he utilized rightfully belonged to Li Yuezhou anyway, so caring for him was only natural.
But Li Yuezhou was simply too sweet.
When he was unresponsive, his obedience was blank and devoid of spirit; now that he had recovered, his sweetness manifested as a profound, endearing reliance on him.
A rare, soft smile broke across Lu Zhaoye’s face, a sight that would have utterly stunned anyone else had they witnessed it. For someone this precious, I will gladly look after him for the rest of my life.
---
Li Yuezhou lay tangled in his blankets, feeling a faint tickle on his face. Awakening from his slumber, he opened his eyes to find a hand lightly poking at his cheek.
Seeing him stir, the owner of the hand smiled warmly. "Awake? Are you hungry?"
"...Brother."
Li Yuezhou rubbed his eyes, entirely unsure of how long he had slept. The moment he recognized the figure before him, his body was suddenly lifted into the air. His heart skipped a beat, and his arms instinctively wrapped around the man's neck.
"Don't sleep too long during the day, or you'll feel miserable this afternoon." Lu Zhaoye carried him effortlessly in a princess carry, setting him down only when they reached the table.
Though Li Yuezhou had grown accustomed to being carted around by him, he was still a grown man, and the gesture left him feeling a bit self-conscious.
"Brother... don't carry me like that anymore," Li Yuezhou muttered lazily, letting out a yawn as a small tear welled at the corner of his eye.
Standing by the doorway to instruct the servants to bring up the food, Lu Zhaoye froze mid-sentence upon hearing those words. He turned back, completely bewildered. "Why can't I carry you?"
"Uh..." Li Yuezhou scrambled for a plausible excuse. "I've already... grown up."
"So, does Zhou'er no longer need his brother?"
Lu Zhaoye pulled the door shut, the light breeze rustling the hem of his vibrant robes with a soft whisper.
"Huh? No, that's not what I meant at all," Li Yuezhou explained hurriedly, waving his hands in a fluster before scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
"Then why? I want to carry you. If you wouldn't mind... I would gladly feed you your meals myself."
Li Yuezhou gasped slightly, lifting his eyes to look at Lu Zhaoye. The man remained exactly as he always had, possessing sharp brows and striking eyes, his features fully matured into those of a handsome man. Illuminated by the ambient sunlight, his amber eyes shone brilliantly. He stood tall and elegant, possessed of unparalleled beauty.
His high ponytail fell over his shoulder, resting against his chest. Bathed in the warm glow of the sun, his gaze was incredibly tender yet entirely resolute... though it seemed to carry a subtle, intense edge of possessiveness.
Li Yuezhou found himself momentarily captivated, a sudden urge to pull back rising within his chest. But in the next blink, the contents of the book flashed through his mind. Did Lu Zhaoye... really die in that great war as well?
Without warning, a sharp, suffocating ache flared in his chest, a tight pain akin to a swarm of ants biting at his heart. Li Yuezhou lowered his gaze, fighting down a whimpering gasp that threatened to escape his throat, and shook his head.
"It's not that. I... of course I need... Brother, but..."
Seeing Li Yuezhou sink into a sudden, sullen silence, Lu Zhaoye's heart skipped a beat. He quickly relented, saying, "If you truly dislike it, I won't carry you anymore."
Yet, Li Yuezhou kept his head bowed, remaining silent, which only caused the anxiety in Lu Zhaoye's heart to deepen.
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