"Long Lin... How are you? Are you okay?" I twitched the corners of my mouth, desperately holding back the tears in my eyes, not allowing them to flow out.
"I'm okay... It's just a flesh wound. I'll be fine in a few days..." Long Lin gave me a smile, but this smile was too stiff and too fake.
"Okay..." At the moment I averted my eyes, the tears flowed out uncontrollably.
I quickly raised my hand to wipe them away. The tears mixed with sand stung my face painfully when I wiped them off with my hand.
I forced a smile, showing a very sincere one.
"Yeah, I knew he couldn't be in trouble... He's the famous Lord Liu!"
Seeing me smile, Gu Yuan's eyes were full of tenderness. "Lan Lan... I want to go home..."
Go home... My tears welled up in my eyes again, but I stared wide-eyed, not letting them flow out. My throat felt so clogged and uncomfortable!
"Go... I'll take you home right away." I helped Gu Yuan up. Why had he become so light? He was almost weightless.
"I'm talking about the home where we got engaged." Gu Yuan leaned weakly against me and said in a low voice.
The "home" he was talking about should be the cave where we got married a thousand years ago.
"Okay..." I'll take you there right away.
I looked up at Jun He. Only he could send us there now.
Seeing how we were, Jun He's eyes also turned red. "You two are really a pair of infatuated lovers."
With a wave of his arm, he sent us to the cave.
The furnishings in the cave were the same as before. It was obvious that someone often came to clean it. The bedding and sheets were all clean and tidy.
I quickly took off Gu Yuan's clothes. After cleaning the dirt off his body, I helped him onto the bed to rest.
When I turned around and was about to pour him a glass of water, he grabbed my hand.
"Lan Lan... Can you stay with me a while longer?"
With my back to him, my hand holding his trembled slightly. I frowned involuntarily, then quickly put on a sweet smile and turned around.
"Sure... I'll always be with you, but look at me... I'm so dirty... I'll change my clothes and come back."
"Don't go..." Gu Yuan didn't want to let me go.
I patted Gu Yuan's hand and took out the red string from my torn pocket. This red string was given to me by Chi Yu.
I tied one end of the red string to his ring finger and the other end to mine.
"Look, this way we'll never be separated. Wait for me. I'll be back soon."
With that, I ran to the riverside at top speed to clean the dirt off my body, then carried a bucket of water back to the cave.
At the moment, Gu Yuan seemed extremely exhausted and was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly.
I didn't wake him up. Instead, I tiptoed onto the bed and lay down beside him.
Looking at Gu Yuan's pale, almost transparent face, my heart ached as if it were bleeding.
Tears rolled down the corners of my eyes. My expression was as bitter as if I had drunk bitter water. I really wanted to hug him and cry my heart out.
Gu Yuan's body moved slightly. Afraid that he would see my current state, I quickly turned around and faced away from him.
Gu Yuan hugged me tightly from behind. My tears flowed even more uncontrollably.
My body began to tremble involuntarily.
"Lan Lan..." I heard Gu Yuan's voice in my ear.
The moment I turned my head, I entered Gu Yuan's spiritual world again.
Gu Yuan opposite looked so energetic, just as radiant as when I first met him.
"Gu Yuan..." I softly called his name.
Gu Yuan smiled at me and said clearly, "Lan Lan... I'm going to leave for a while. During this time, you have to take good care of yourself."
"Where are you going? How long will you be gone?" I quickly took a few steps forward, but it was as if I were stepping on water. The farther I walked, the farther Gu Yuan's body was pushed away from me.
But Gu Yuan didn't answer my question. Instead, he said to himself, "The third thing I want you to promise me is to live a good life for me."
"What do you mean by living a good life for you? Explain it clearly... How can I live a good life without you?" The faster I walked, the farther the water waves pushed him away.
"Don't go, okay? I don't want to watch the people around me leave one by one. I can't do anything well without you..." I pouted and lowered my eyes. Usually, as long as I acted coquettishly in front of him with a wronged face, he would feel sorry for me and lovingly pull me into his arms.
Gu Yuan stood on the water, not answering me. He just smiled at me. His body drifted farther and farther away with the waves.
"Don't go... Please... Don't go..." My feet were in the water, and the ripples pushed Gu Yuan farther and farther away.
I lay prone in the water, not daring to move. My heart was colder than the icy sea water. I could only watch him drift away. I knew clearly that I could never catch up with him.
Just thinking about it made me so sad that my body began to tremble uncontrollably. I shouted at Gu Yuan with all my strength, "I'll wait for you to come back. You must come back..."
Gu Yuan waved at me. A crystal-clear tear fell from his deep, pool-like eyes. That tear rushed directly into my chest against the wind and waves.
I suddenly raised my hand and pressed it on my chest. My body twitched, and I opened my eyes. I didn't dare to turn my head because I could no longer feel Gu Yuan's breath.
This time... He had really left. I curled up on the bed alone. I didn't cry or make a fuss. It was as if nothing had happened. I got out of bed, put on a coat, and walked out of the cave naturally.
In August, it was actually snowing. The ground was covered in white. This scene reminded me of the time when Gu Yuan held my hand and walked in the snow.
We would just keep walking like this until we were both white-haired. I stood in the flying snowflakes and let out a long howl into the sky, "I'll wait for you... You must come back..."
My shouting echoed in the valley. When the echo finally disappeared, a firefly circled around me and then flew out of the deep valley.
"Lan Lan..." I turned around. It was Jun He calling my name.
He and Long Lin walked towards me side by side.
I nodded slightly at them. I didn't treat them as outsiders at all. Then I turned around and walked back into the cave.
Long Lin and Jun He were obviously surprised to see me so calm. Jun He quickly stepped forward and tilted his head to look at me.
I helplessly pursed my lips, tapped his forehead, and pushed him away.
"Lan Lan... Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! What could happen to me..." I calmly gave him a smile.
"Come in quickly. It's snowing outside. It's a bit cold. I'll boil some hot water for you to warm up."
After leading them into the cave, I invited them to sit down.
"The room is small. Please bear with it. I'll start a fire to boil water."
With that, I walked to the stove, took out the wood and kindling, and tried to start a fire.
But no matter how hard I tried, the fire just wouldn't start. After trying for a long time, I got a face full of soot but still couldn't light it.
"The firewood is rotten. It can't be lit. Stop insisting..."