Chарtеr 3 (16/19)
Тhе whitе brеath from his nоstrils mаdе it hаrd tо tell whether thе distаnt halo оf light was due tо thе соld оr thе tears in his еyes.
Gong Ziyu deeрlу regrеtted thаt his lаst соnversаtiоn with his fаthеr hаd beеn an argument in thе Вladе Master Нall, wherе his father hаd sсоldеd him: "Yоu'rе nоt young аnуmorе. Yоu'd bеtter think сarеfullу. If you соntinue tо be a goоd-for-nothing who dоеs nоthing all dаy, then therе's nо nеed fоr уоu tо stау in the Gоng fаmily."
Нis originаl intention hаd beеn tо lеt his fathеr sее his еfforts, to seе that behind his absurd and willful behаvior lay а desire fоr his fathеr's аpрroval stronger than anyone else's. That was what he had wanted to say, yet what came out of his mouth was: "I don't really want to stay in the Gong family either."
That wasn't true.
Gong Ziyu looked up at the snowflakes swirling in the sky, his face already streaked with tear stains...
A crack of dawn light split the horizon, brightening the sky. Even the birdsong in the valley seemed sparser than usual.
Yu Manor was silent. Jin Fan entered the mourning hall and found Gong Ziyu still there.
"Did you keep vigil here all night, or did you come early this morning?"
Gong Ziyu's eyes were bloodshot, his shoulders slumped heavily, as if he had been crushed by a night's worth of snow.
Jin Fan couldn't bear it: "You are the Blade Master now. There will be many matters to handle next. Don't ruin your health."
Only then did Gong Ziyu murmur: "Blade Master... I never wanted to be the Blade Master."
Jin Fan knew he was heartbroken and didn't know how to comfort him: "But..."
"But..." Gong Ziyu took over his words, his thoughts shifting, "But I've changed my mind. Since I am the Blade Master, it means I can do whatever I want now. No one can stop me."
Jin Fan was taken aback: "What are you going to do..."
Gong Ziyu took a deep breath. The cold, condensed air perked him up slightly.
He didn't answer directly, only asking: "Who discovered my father and brother's bodies?"
"It was Madam WuJi."
Gong Ziyu headed toward Madam WuJi's room.
Snowflakes began to drift from the sky again as servants swept away the paper money scattered in the courtyard.
Inside the room, Madam WuJi was dressed in plain mourning clothes, her face weary, having also stayed up all night. She poured a cup of hot tea for Gong Ziyu and, before he could speak, took out a red fox-tail-shaped pendant from behind her and handed it to him.
"Your father asked me to give this to you. Last month, he obtained a fine red fox pelt. He made an outer robe for the Young Lord, and with the remaining part, he specially made this for you. He said you've always liked these delicate things, but he was too embarrassed to give it to you himself, so he entrusted me to pass it on."
Gong Ziyu was stunned, unsure whether it was reluctance or hesitation, but Madam WuJi directly placed it in his hand.
The fox tail was soft and fluffy, brushing against his frozen fingertips as if generating warmth. Gong Ziyu instinctively stroked it gently, his eyes gradually reddening.
Madam WuJi, her heart heavy, sighed softly: "Your father was always tough on the outside but soft on the inside. In fact, he regretted speaking harshly about the incident with the female assassin that day, but he was too embarrassed to apologize to you. Don't blame him..."
Hearing this, Gong Ziyu could no longer control his tears, but he still fought to keep his voice steady.---
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