Volume 12
Chapter 22: The Process of Dying
The bitterness of the Price—he had already tasted it. Letting the girls around him get hurt for his sake was far more desperate than just killing him. Before, there was Jingyi. Now, it was Zhu Qiao. Who would it be in the future? If fate had a personality, then she must be a malicious and detestable little girl, innocently toying with all mortals.
“…Then what’s the matter with Little Qiao?”
Grandma Zhu let out a long sigh. “The Miko of the Zhu family has two taboos. One, she must not have evil thoughts in her heart. Two, she must not develop a greedy attachment and use her ability without restraint. Little Qiao has violated both.”
Lu Li subconsciously defended Zhu Qiao. “Impossible. How could Little Qiao have evil thoughts? And she only used her ability for me… If it weren’t for me…”
Grandma Zhu interrupted him. “Lu Li, I know your heart is full of guilt right now. But I need to tell you, before Little Qiao met you, she had already violated the taboos. When she met you in Mulan, she already knew her time was short.”
Lu Li was speechless. He was indeed filled with self-blame and guilt right now. He felt as if he were a source of sin, frivolously pursuing them, and then unknowingly delivering pain and entanglement to them, while he himself was still smug. If he could choose again, he would not have gone to corrupt them after his rebirth. This person, Lu Li, was full of monstrous sin.
“Lu Li, is there anything else you want to ask?”
Of course, there were many things he wanted to ask, such as where the Reincarnation Crystal came from, such as… But in the end, he only asked, “Is there any way to free them from my Price?”
A trace of astonishment flashed in Grandma Zhu’s eyes, as if she hadn’t expected Lu Li to ask such a question. “Without love, there is no hatred. Parting ways with them will naturally not bring them more far-reaching pain. But Lu Li, if you do this, you will bear all the Prices alone, and their hatred for you will not diminish in the slightest. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Hatred. Love. These two words were too profound. Lu Li felt he could not comprehend them, but looking at Zhu Qiao, whose face was pale on the ground, he only had a simple thought in his heart: he wanted the girls around him to be safe and healthy.
Just as Lu Li was silent, the main gate of the ancestral hall was violently pushed open. Zhu Xi rushed into the ancestral hall with a pistol. The moment she stepped into this pure land, she turned and closed the main gate, then hurried toward the main hall. “Little Qiao! Little Qiao!” After checking Zhu Qiao’s forehead temperature, Zhu Xi was furious. “You with the surname Lu, what did you do to Little Qiao?!”
Lu Li took a deep breath and didn’t offer any rebuttal. He was indeed the one who had done wrong. He should have contacted Zhu Xi earlier, instead of waiting until the situation had developed to an unmanageable point before asking her to clean up the mess.
Grandma Zhu raised her hand to stop Zhu Xi. “Xi’er, Little Qiao’s matter has nothing to do with Lu Li. Didn’t I tell you long ago about Qiao’er’s fate?”
Lu Li noticed that Zhu Xi, who had always presented herself as a strong woman, had red eyes. She was actually crying. “Why? Why must Qiao’er bear your Zhu family’s bullshit fate?! You with the surname Lu, why didn’t you tell me sooner that Little Qiao was with you?!”
Grandma Zhu changed the subject for Lu Li. “How are things outside? I’ve been hearing gunshots since early this morning.”
Zhu Xi took several deep breaths, forcing back her tears. “It’s a stalemate outside. Yan Rujun refuses to back down, and they don’t dare to rush into the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall. But I can’t be sure they won’t go mad again. I didn’t bring enough people. If a real gunfight breaks out, we will surely die.” She no longer called her grandmother, but addressed her by name. But Lu Li was not happy at this moment.
She turned her head to look at the dejected Lu Li. “You with the surname Lu! What is this state you’re in?! Do you still look like a man with that long face?! Little Qiao is in this state, and instead of thinking of a way, you’re just moping here. Crying, crying, crying, who can you cry to death?”
Lu Li wasn’t crying, but his heart was like dead ashes. He chose not to argue.
Just as Zhu Xi was throwing a tantrum, Zhu Qiao suddenly let out a faint sound. “Sister Xi… don’t scold gege… Sister Xi…”
Hearing this, Lu Li’s eyes stung. What time is it now, and you’re still not thinking more about yourself, you silly girl?
Zhu Xi left Lu Li and quickly knelt beside Zhu Qiao. Zhu Qiao struggled to raise her hands, fumbling weakly on Zhu Xi’s face. Although her eyes were wide open, they were dim and lifeless. “Sister Xi, is… is that you?”
Everyone present felt a pang in their hearts. They knew very well what Zhu Qiao’s action meant. Death is a process, a process where the five senses gradually detach from the body—Zhu Qiao could no longer see.
“It’s me, it’s me…” Zhu Xi could no longer hold back and burst into tears. She had never lived for herself in this life. She had always seen Little Qiao as her other half, hoping that Little Qiao could live her own life. If Little Qiao died, what had she been living for all these years? And what would she live for in the future?!
“Don’t scold Brother Lu Li… I’ve been very happy…” Zhu Qiao said intermittently. She struggled to speak, taking a deep breath with every word.
“Alright, alright, I won’t scold him, I won’t scold him.” Zhu Xi grabbed Zhu Qiao’s cold little hand and pressed it to her cheek. Little Qiao’s once-warm little hand was now as cold as an iron railing in winter. “Grandma Zhu, how is Little Qiao now? Can you save her?”
Grandma Zhu said, “Little Qiao only has three hours of life left. I can’t save her.”
Zhu Xi wiped away a tear. “I’ll take her to the hospital! If they dare to stop me, I’ll take them to hell with me!” Lu Li stood up and grabbed Zhu Xi’s arm.
“Let go of me! You with the surname Lu!” Zhu Xi gritted her teeth. “If you dare to stop me, I’ll send you to your death too!”
Lu Li noticed the ligature marks on her hand, and there were traces of blood in her fingernails. Zhu Xi had said before that she had been placed under house arrest by her grandmother’s servants. She must have paid a considerable price to be able to escape. Zhu Xi had always had a hard and tiring life.
“…The hospital can’t save her. Trust Grandma Zhu.”
Lu Li’s voice was weak, like a dying patient. His eyes had also lost all their light. When he looked at Zhu Xi, there was no longer the passionate sincerity from before, nor the brilliance of his youth. His thoughts were buried in an abyss, covered in obscure dust.
“Let go!” Zhu Xi said sharply.
“…” Lu Li held onto her tightly and wouldn’t let go. Zhu Xi pulled out her pistol, the muzzle pressed against Lu Li’s forehead. “Last time it was an empty gun. This time there are bullets inside. You with the surname Lu, you choose!”
Having been pointed at by dozens of guns at the same time, Lu Li’s heart could no longer be stirred.
“If the hospital were useful, I wouldn’t have gone to Shanzhu Village in the first place,” Lu Li said calmly.
Zhu Xi’s silver teeth were about to shatter. With just a thought, she could make the young man in front of her brains splatter. What is that look in his eyes? Lu Li! What is that look in your eyes!
“Wuwu—wuwu—” Zhu Qiao suddenly made a sound, breaking the stalemate between the two. Zhu Xi took the opportunity, lowered her pistol, and walked back to Zhu Qiao’s side. “Little Qiao, Little Qiao, I’m here. What’s wrong? What do you want?”
“Wuwu—” Zhu Qiao’s eyes were wide open in a daze. She showed a heart-wrenching smile, making an incomprehensible whimpering sound with her mouth.
Grandma Zhu said, “She can’t hear now either.”
Tears streamed down Zhu Xi’s face. “Little Qiao, Little Qiao…”
Lu Li squatted down on the other side of Zhu Qiao. He showed a gentle smile, supported Zhu Qiao’s fragrant shoulders, and let the little girl lean against his chest and sway, making the same sound with his mouth. “Wuwu, wuwu—”
Zhu Qiao’s smile grew even happier.
Zhu Xi looked at him in a daze. “What is Little Qiao doing?”
Lu Li’s voice was faint. “She likes to push the iron hoop.”
Wuwu—wuwu—
How beautiful Zhu Qiao’s smile was. Lu Li held her and swayed slightly. Lu Li had broken his promise again. He could no longer take her to push the iron hoop.
