Chapter 218 (1/2)

Chapter 218

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The voice seemed to fade into the distance as his body had long lost all temperature. It was as though all his blood had been drained as well, as his limbs were completely sapped of energy. Suddenly, a boom resounded. Lifting his head up, he saw that Yue Jiu was using all his strength to tackle the ice layer above with his head.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The sounds were like thunder, assaulting Zhuge Yue's heart. The blood flowed down from the young guard, quickly diffusing into the water around.

Right now, Yue Jiu's face was paler than snow, with not a tinge of color left in his lips. He was like a ghost that had just crawled out from the grave. With his remaining strength, Yue Jiu continued to swim. Even as his limbs started to go numb, he continued to repeat that motion. Once, twice, again… Suddenly, it was like a ray of light suddenly pierced through the clouds above into Zhuge Yue's heart. This man before him was his subordinate, and had followed him since he was four. All along, Zhuge Yue thought that it was only natural that they follow him. Yet, at this very moment, he was suddenly reminded of words that a certain girl had told him. In her cold beauty, she firmly declared without skipping a beat, ”No one was born a slave.”

No one was born a slave…

With another boom, another spurt of blood splashed in the water. Even in the frigid water, he could feel the boiling blood. His body was suddenly filled with energy again as he swam up. Pushing aside Yue Jiu's bloodied body, he started to dig at the ice layer with Chu Qiao's dagger.

”I must not die!” he told himself. ”I must not die yet! I still have lots of wishes that I want to accomplish.” Even as his lungs felt as though they were about to explode from the lack of oxygen, and even as his body was frozen stiff, along with his wounds stinging with pain, he continued to fight to survival like a robot.

I cannot die! I cannot die! I cannot die!

Boom! The ice layer broke, as he floated up. The sunlight pierced his eyes, as the fresh air welcomed him. Breathing in big gasps, he desperately filled his lungs with air.

”Yue Jiu! We are safe!” he shouted. Staring around, he could not find Yue Jiu's figure any longer. Diving back down, he finally found Yue Jiu's body in the depths of the lake. The young swordsman was covered in wounds, with his face completely pale. Eyes staring wide open, his hair was in a mess filled with bloodstains.

With all his strength, Zhuge Yue pulled Yue Jiu up, and forcefully performed chest compression on this servant, and rubbed on Yue Jiu's hand and face hoping to warm him up. Loudly, Zhuge Yue shouted, ”Wake up! I order you! Wake up!” In all his life, Zhuge Yue had never cried so hard. On that day, he cried for a slave. In the vast plains, he cried like a wolf howling to the moon.

Three days later, he found Yue Qi who had fortunately escaped death. This servant had gathered the remnants of the Yue Guards and had searched for Zhuge Yue for three full days. There were over twenty guards who had frozen to death because they had repeatedly dived into the frigid water to look for him. After which, they had brought him to the Wolong Mountain. Only after half a year later did he make a full recovery, yet he was faced with a broken future. On that fateful day, he stared at the intel that Yue Qi and the other Yue Guards had brought back, from sunrise to sunset.

His teacher walked in, and looked at the map of the West Meng Continent that was hung before Zhuge Yue, before calmly asking, ”To where do you intend to go?”

Zhuge Yue felt a sense of lostness that he had never felt for years. Lifting up his head, he replied, ”Teacher, I have nowhere to go.”

The old man, whose hair had already turned into a beautiful silver, gently smiled before he stretched out his lanky palm. With one quick strike, he shattered the West Meng Continent that was on the map, turning that part of the map into a gigantic hole, leaving behind only the Quan Rong territory, the sea to the South East, and the barren lands to the West.

”My child, there is always someone better than you, and there will always be a world that lies beyond our own. Who said that the world is only as big as the map?”

The next day, he received more news. Meng Feng had been sentenced by the council, and had been released into exile to Qinghai. By now, she would have probably reached Cuiwei Pass by now.

In the passing time, the mist of the future seemed to turn bright. In those dark days, the blade in his hand swung out repeatedly, giving out gleaming reflections slashing into the jugular of an entity called fate as he struggled. With the boiling blood covering his eyes, he sensed the meaning of life in that thick hot liquid.

One day later, there was a messenger from Zhen Huang charging into the residence of Zhuge Yue in Xian Yang. That soldier's face looked dry from the dust that had continuously battered his skin for a few days, and his lips had cracked. Dusting his cape, one could see that it was filled with dust.

Everyone's face did not appear to be joyous, and Chu Qiao suddenly understood something as she quietly disappeared from the scene.

After one hour, Zhuge Yue seemed to be leaving. Chu Qiao followed him all the way until the main road leading out from the North Gates. The weather was rather cold, as Chu Qiao donned a thick blue cape. A round of white fur wrapped around her neat face that was free from makeup. In the simplicity, she exuded a plain sense of beauty. As they reached the pavilion that indicated that they were five kilometers away from the city already, Yue Qi and the other guards moved aside to give them some alone time. Zhuge Yue quietly dismounted his horse, as Chu Qiao obediently followed behind him. Around the pavilion, there was a huge patch of weeds, and the paint from the pillars of the structure had started to peel. It seemed like the entire scene was overwhelmingly desolate.

”I am going.” Zhuge Yue turned around and quietly looked at her.