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墨書 Inktalez
"Have you thought about what to say?"
"It's a long story..."
"Then make it short."
I looked at my senior brother with a blank expression. He pressed his lips together, his eyes slightly red and glistening.
I turned away, remaining unmoved.
"Back then, your assassination plan was very well-organized. By the time I arrived, you had already fallen into a trap." His voice was low, carrying a barely noticeable tremor. "To save you, I took the young lady of the Martial Arts Alliance, Qiao Lan, hostage. I intended to take you away from the martial world and live in seclusion in the mountains to escape the conflicts of the jianghu, but A Lan said she had a two-year-old son who was the only heir of the Martial Arts Alliance. If I could help her get her son out, she could use him to threaten the alliance and ensure your safety for ten years."
"So, you left the jianghu with her and lived in seclusion."
His words echoed in my ears, each one striking my heart like a hammer. No wonder during those ten years of being hunted by various factions in the jianghu, there were no people from the Martial Arts Alliance after me.
But I instantly darkened my expression; he had actually spent ten years with that woman!
"No, don't misunderstand. A Lan has someone she likes; he is a servant from her family, and the leader forbade it. That's why A Lan was upset and asked me to take her and her son away. The second year after we left, her husband came looking for her, and they have taken care of me all these years."
My senior brother hurriedly explained, his expression somewhat complicated.
"Then why didn't you come looking for me all these years?"
I still enjoyed his attempts to comfort me, but I wouldn't let him off so easily.
"I promised A Lan that I wouldn't reveal the whereabouts of her family for ten years. She has done us a favor, and I cannot go back on my word."
My senior spoke softly, yet he kept his head down, unable to look at me.
This reason was too far-fetched. With his exceptional martial arts skills, such a top-notch expert would not be easily detected when coming and going.
I knew he was hiding something, but I didn't want to expose him. As long as he was by my side, I would eventually uncover the truth.
"Did you send a message to Liu Zhuang recently?"
I paused for a moment, no longer pressing him, and casually changed the subject.
"Not really. A Lan opened a teahouse in Chang'an. I go there every day to drink tea. Fireflies have eyes everywhere; I thought someone who cares about you would see it and pass the message along."
My senior shook his head, glanced at me with a shy expression, his gaze wandering, and his voice grew softer.
"So, you're waiting for me to take the bait."
I raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on my face as my gaze roamed over him playfully.
His face slowly turned red, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Master is traveling the world; I don't know when he will return to Chang'an. Come back with me to Fireflies."
I stared at my senior, my voice tinged with anticipation.
"I..."
The senior brother hesitated a bit.
"Are you unwilling?"
I frowned, feeling my heart sink.
"A Lan still needs my help..."
After a moment of silence, the senior brother slowly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and guilt.
"I will go talk to Miss Qiao tomorrow."
I interrupted him, my tone firm and unyielding.
"A Yao..."
The senior brother's pale face looked almost transparent, his eyes revealing a hint of panic.
A pang of pain shot through my heart. What could possibly make him avoid me for ten years? Even now that we were face to face, he wouldn't agree to leave with me. What was he hiding?
Since the wound had already been opened, why not tear it open even more, laying those old scars bare in the sunlight? Whether they festered and rotted or scabbed over and healed was up to fate.
"If you are unwilling, I won't force you. But let me ask you this: did you kill Azure Sparrow?"
Fire surged within me, but I struggled to suppress my anger. Back then, during the assassination attempt, although Fireflies suffered heavy losses, the main personnel were unharmed. The only life lost was that of Azure Sparrow, who bore the marks of my senior brother's unique sword technique.
"Fireflies' Thousand-Faced Gentleman Azure Sparrow? He is dead?"
The senior brother suddenly looked up at me, and seeing my ambiguous expression, his face turned even paler. "I didn't kill him. At that time, I rushed to the Martial Arts Alliance to save you, and he blocked me from taking you away. I injured him, but I did not kill him."
"The senior brother says he didn't kill anyone, but there are wounds on the victim that were left by him, and his body was burned in a great fire, leaving no evidence to contradict the senior brother's words."
I pointed out the flaws in his statement without mercy. Years ago, when the Fireflies found Azure Sparrow, he was lying in a thatched hut, already dead for some time, with sword wounds that were shocking to behold. However, they didn't have time to examine him closely before the people from the Martial Arts Alliance arrived. To prevent them from taking the body away, the Fireflies set fire to the thatched hut, and Azure Sparrow's body was burned along with it.
"Don't you trust me?"
The senior brother looked at me with a sorrowful expression.
"Senior brother, should I trust you?"
I remained silent for a while, then stood up and opened the door. Looking at the bright Crescent Moon hanging in the sky, I smiled self-deprecatingly and walked away without looking back.
After leaving the senior brother, I didn't return to my place but lingered in the night breeze for a long time, my black clothes almost merging with the darkness.
Since the day the senior brother left without saying goodbye, a rift had formed between us, like a mark etched by fate. Even though we met today, the distance in our hearts had not diminished; instead, it had become irreparably worse.
This journey had been too long—long enough for both of us to change.
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