Her hand was soft, yet due to her persistent high fever, even the lightest touch upon his head carried a scorching warmth. Just like her—startlingly warm.
Wei Yun gazed at her quietly, feeling her temperature and the sincerity in her words. Something surged in his chest, compelling him to make a promise.
"Sister-in-law, don’t worry. No matter where you go in the future, even if you marry someone else, Xiao Qi will always be your younger brother. I’ll protect you just like Eldest Brother did."
"Today, you are the young madam of Wei Manor, and in the future, you will be its grand madam. Even if you remarry, there will always be a place for you here."
Hearing this, Chu Yu couldn’t help but laugh, finding Wei Yun’s words somewhat childish.
"If I’m the grand madam of Wei Manor, what about your wife?"
Now that Wei Yun was the only one left in the Wei family, after Wei Zhong’s burial, he would inherit the title of Marquis of National Stability. Naturally, his wife would become the grand madam of Wei Manor.
Chu Yu’s question left Wei Yun momentarily stunned—he hadn’t considered this before.
Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Chu Yu laughed brightly, finally catching a glimpse of his youthful side again.
She coughed lightly and said to him, "Think about this question carefully. Really think about it."
"Mm." Wei Yun nodded seriously. "I’ll ponder it well."
Hearing this, Chu Yu laughed even harder. Wei Yun remained somewhat bewildered, unsure what she found so amusing. When her laughter finally subsided, her gaze settled on him with a hint of helplessness. "You… really are a silly child."
Wei Yun still didn’t understand, but Chu Yu didn’t tease him further. As dawn approached, she took the medicine from Changyue and said to him, "Go to sleep. It’s already daylight—you shouldn’t push yourself like this."
Wei Yun pressed his lips together, hesitating. Chu Yu raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else?"
"I… Sister-in-law…" he murmured softly. "Can I sleep in the outer chamber?"
"Hm?"
Chu Yu was surprised, then heard Wei Yun whisper, almost inaudibly, "Being here… puts my heart at ease."
He didn’t elaborate, but Chu Yu understood.
At this moment, to Wei Yun, she was perhaps a safe harbor. Having seen him at his most vulnerable, he could freely reveal all his sorrows and joys in her presence.
Losing his elder brother and father, being wrongfully imprisoned, and single-handedly upholding the family’s honor—such burdens would have broken any fourteen-year-old. Yet he maintained his composure, even feigning loyalty at the critical moment when the emperor inquired.
He was constantly on edge, and only by Chu Yu’s side did he find peace.
This was a trauma response, Chu Yu knew. Faced with such a Wei Yun, she could only nod. "Sleep in the outer chamber, then."
Delight flickered in Wei Yun’s eyes, but he carefully suppressed it, maintaining his usual composed demeanor. Chu Yu didn’t expose him, simply waving him off before lying back down and pulling the covers over herself to sleep again.
Just before drifting off, she faintly heard Wei Yun call from the outer chamber, "Sister-in-law?"
She hummed in response, and then came his question: "Sister-in-law… do you have nightmares?"
"I do.""Then don't be afraid of nightmares," he said with open eyes. "I'm here. They say generals carry an aura that wards off evil spirits. Sister-in-law, no matter what appears in your dreams, I'll protect you."
Wei Yun's words seemed inexplicable, but Chu Yu understood—he wasn't speaking to her, but to himself.
It wasn't Chu Yu who feared nightmares, but Wei Yun.
A pang of sorrow struck Chu Yu's heart. Had Wei Yun openly wept, it might not have hurt so much. But hearing him speak so calmly and composedly inevitably evoked pity.
Chu Yu remained silent for a long while before finally saying steadily, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
At these words, the tension Wei Yun had been holding suddenly eased.
It seemed he had been waiting for this phrase—for a very, very long time.
When Wei Yun opened his eyes again, it was already mid-afternoon. He hadn't slept so peacefully in what felt like ages. There were no dreams, nothing—just undisturbed sleep, as if he were still that carefree young man before everything happened.
Chu Yu had long since risen and was chatting with Jiang Chun in the courtyard.
Jiang Chun recounted everything that had happened at Wei Manor during Chu Yu's illness. Now that Wei Yun had returned, it was time for the burials.
Truthfully, Wei Zhong and the others should have been buried long ago. But according to Great Chu's customs, when family members are laid to rest, a direct male descendant must hold their eternal light before burial can proceed. The only exception is if the household has no surviving male members.
Since Wei Yun was still alive, they had to wait for his return. Now that he was back, Jiang Chun had consulted a diviner and set the burial date for the fifth day of the tenth month—the day after tomorrow.
Preparations had been underway for some time, so the timing wasn't rushed. Liu Xueyang had returned to the capital with the five young masters on the day of Wei Yun's release from prison and would arrive soon.
As Chu Yu and Jiang Chun confirmed the arrangements, Wei Yun awoke. After washing up and hearing them discussing matters in the courtyard, he had someone wheel him out in his chair.
When he reached the courtyard, Chu Yu and Jiang Chun were sharing some amusing story, their eyes crinkled with laughter.
Wei Yun paused there, quietly watching the two women.
Chu Yu reclined on the ground, her ink-black hair loosely draped with hairpins, her plain white Wide-sleeved Robe spread across the ground in casual elegance. Jiang Chun knelt opposite her, her hair in an elaborate updo, her posture graceful and dignified.
The afternoon sunlight bathed them both, rendering the scene extraordinarily serene. Just standing there observing filled Wei Yun with a spreading warmth.
He hesitated to interrupt, but Chu Yu noticed him first. Turning her head, she smiled at seeing him. "Xiao Qi's here."
That smile directed at him seemed to brighten the entire world—a radiance that came silently yet irresistibly.
He wheeled himself forward and nodded. "Eldest sister-in-law." Then glancing at Jiang Chun, he added, "Second sister-in-law."
"Have you eaten?" Jiang Chun asked warmly. Wei Yun nodded. "Just had some snacks."
Jiang Chun nodded in turn. "Your eldest sister-in-law and I were discussing the burial arrangements for the mountain. We've tentatively set it for the fifth day of the tenth month. What do you think?"
Wei Yun didn't respond immediately. After a long silence, he slowly nodded his agreement.After the three of them discussed the entire process, Jiang Chun went to prepare the remaining items. Chu Yu and Wei Yun watched her leave the courtyard, and Chu Yu's gaze eventually returned to Wei Yun.
"What were you thinking about earlier? You hesitated so long before answering. Is there something about the fifth day of the tenth month that troubles you?"
"Not really," Wei Yun smiled faintly, his expression somewhat distant. "It's just that I thought I would feel much worse."
"Every time before, when they discussed the burial arrangements for my father and brothers with me, my heart ached terribly. I didn’t want to hear a single word of it. I always felt that once someone is buried, they’re truly gone forever."
Chu Yu nodded but didn’t say much. Wei Yun turned his gaze to her. "Yet today, when my sisters-in-law spoke to me about it, I found it easier to accept."
"Of course, there’s still sorrow, but..." Wei Yun sighed. "I must eventually let go."
Eventually, he had to acknowledge that some people were already gone.
Chu Yu watched him quietly, wanting to say something but feeling her words would be too inadequate. She could only smile softly. "Suddenly, I envy those who are silver-tongued."
"Hmm?" Wei Yun looked puzzled. Chu Yu raised her eyes to the vibrant red maple leaves in the courtyard and said with a gentle smile, "That way, I might be able to offer you more comforting words, and perhaps you’d feel a little happier."
Hearing this, Wei Yun chuckled.
"Honestly, having you here as my sister-in-law is already more than enough for me."
He lowered his eyes, concealing his emotions, and spoke slowly, "Sometimes I dream of a world where you don’t exist—where there’s only me."
"What is that world like, without me?"
Chu Yu was curious. Wei Yun fell silent for a while, so long that Chu Yu almost thought he wouldn’t answer and was about to change the subject when she suddenly heard him speak—
"I dreamed that I returned alone with my father and brothers. As soon as I entered the gates, I was met with the sound of weeping throughout the courtyard. Those cries filled me with utter despair—they wailed endlessly, without pause. In the dream, I didn’t dare speak, didn’t dare cry, didn’t dare make a single sound. I just held my father’s memorial tablet, carried my long spear on my back, and stood motionless."
"Then I was thrown into prison, for a long, long time... By the time I was released, Second Sister-in-law was gone, Mother was gone. Only the other sisters-in-law remained, kneeling around me, weeping and begging me to give them a Divorce Letter. The entire dream was filled with cries that never ceased. Everywhere I looked, there was only black or white—colors that chilled the heart."
"There was nowhere for me to rest—"
Wei Yun seemed lost in thought, as if he had truly lived through such a lifetime.
No path to take, no place to stop, carrying the weight of blood debts and the hopes of his family, moving forward without a moment’s respite.
"I could only move forward, no matter how bitter, how difficult, how endless, how hopeless the road—"
"I had to keep going."
Listening to his words, what surfaced in Chu Yu’s mind was the Wei Yun of her past life.
He had always favored black and white, and when he appeared, the world seemed to be shrouded in an aura of death and coldness.
People called him the Living Yama not just because of the countless lives he had taken, but also because his presence made it seem as though he had brought hell to the mortal world.
Yet as she listened to Wei Yun’s words, Chu Yu suddenly understood—the Wei Yun of her past life hadn’t brought hell to the mortal world.It was he who had been living in hell all along, unable to escape, so he dragged everyone down with him.
Realizing this, Chu Yu's heart trembled slightly, and an indescribable pang of pity welled up within her. Her gaze lingered on Wei Yun for a long moment before she finally raised her hand and plucked the white flower tucked in her hair.
She held the flower out to Wei Yun, who froze for a moment, unsure of what she was doing.
Chu Yu smiled faintly and asked, "Do you like this flower?"
Wei Yun didn’t quite understand her question, but he answered honestly, "Yes."
"Then I’ll give it to you," Chu Yu said playfully. "From now on, don’t be unhappy anymore, alright?"
Wei Yun was taken aback. After a long pause, he lowered his eyes and reached out to take the pristine white flower from her hand.
"Alright."
Author's Note: For the sake of emotional flow, I revised Chapter 27 a bit >< The final version's last scene is Chu Yu giving Wei Yun the flower.
I’ll try my best to provide more frequent updates, but only if the quality is assured.
So if I realize something isn’t written well, I’ll revise it—though I’ll try to minimize such situations going forward.
I’m keeping track of the promised daily updates, and once the plot flows smoothly again, I’ll make up for any missed ones. It’s not intentional to leave you hanging without updates.
I hope you all understand. Sorry about that. bows
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