Untouchable Lovers

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: So That’s How It Is

“`

Scum!

Beast!

No, that’s an insult to beasts. They’re better than this!

Previously, Chu Yu’s perceptions of Liu Ziyue had been based solely on records and rumors, but the scene before her now ignited her rage.

To be a son yet refuse to see your mother one last time as she lay gravely ill on her deathbed! How could such callousness and cruelty be described?

After leaving Rong Zhi to treat Empress Dowager Wang, Chu Yu hurriedly left Yongxun Palace. She quickly grabbed Tian Rujing as she exited, moving so fast that even Yue Jiefei struggled to keep up.

Watching his junior being dragged away by Chu Yu, Yue Jiefei hastened to follow, but Rong Zhi’s voice calling from inside the room halted him: “Yue Jiefei, with Hua Cuo absent, come help me.” In his moment of hesitation, Rong Zhi was already supporting his shoulder as he walked out.

A few steps out, Chu Yu, pulling Tian Rujing, paused slightly upon hearing Rong Zhi’s voice, and instructed without looking back, “Yue Jiefei, follow the arrangements too.” With that, she continued forward.

Yue Jiefei wore a troubled expression, hesitating between following his junior and disobeying orders. He ultimately decided to risk following but was stopped by Rong Zhi’s outstretched hand blocking his way, as Chu Yu and Tian Rujing walked further away.

Rong Zhi coughed lightly and said, “Rest assured, the Princess is not in the mood to harm your beloved junior right now. There are priorities to consider, and she wouldn’t fail to distinguish them.” His eyes were half-closed, a smile playing on his lips, “Can’t you see? The Princess doesn’t want you to follow.” Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ordered Yue Jiefei to stay behind.

Yue Jiefei’s expression shifted uncertainly before he finally turned and glared at Rong Zhi, asking, “Can you guarantee that the Princess won’t harm Ajing?”

Rong Zhi chuckled, “What use is my guarantee? Even if the Princess really did harm him, what do you plan to do, bring him back by force?” Seeing Yue Jiefei’s color drain instantly, Rong Zhi dropped the teasing tone and smiled sincerely, “I’m not deceiving you this time. I have old grievances with your sect; having one of you in the residence is trouble enough for me, why would I willingly have Tian Rujing join us to be my companion in conflict?”

As he brought up past grievances, Yue Jiefei’s focus shifted abruptly. He looked at Rong Zhi, an imposing aura of murderous intent surfacing on his face, almost uncontrollable, but then he thought about Rong Zhi’s current situation and how the Princess needed him to save the Empress Dowager. With no choice but to restrain himself, he stiffly said, “Back to the room.”

Chu Yu, as swift as on her arrival, pulled Tian Rujing who had to hasten his pace to keep up with her. Yet Chu Yu didn’t break into Liu Ziyue’s quarters directly. Instead, she first chose a secluded courtyard on the way, assessed that it was unoccupied, and led Tian Rujing inside with her.

Panting lightly, Chu Yu stopped and finally let go of the elegant young man in purple.

Although she had deliberately been more active in recent days to increase her agility, the frustration that had fueled her rapid pace left her somewhat exhausted.

Within the garden, the flower beds were overgrown and neglected. Unattended wild grass and shrubs crowded together, their various shades of green blending into a chaotic mix. While catching her breath, Chu Yu’s gaze on the disorderly vegetation didn’t bring her peace, but instead heightened her irritation.

Turning her head, Chu Yu’s eyes fell into the clear and serene gaze of Tian Rujing, as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over her head, washing away all the chaos and irritation, leaving not a trace behind.

“`

Tian Rujing, however, didn’t show any reaction; he was merely passively pulled along, following Chu Yu. Afterward, he didn’t shift his gaze elsewhere but simply watched her. His eyes, clear and translucent as crystal, seemed to peer into the most genuine part of oneself within those eyes that nearly approached the indifference of heaven.

Chu Yu had brought Tian Rujing to this place for a different purpose, yet at this moment, almost as if possessed, she asked, “Do you know about the feud between your master and Rong Zhi?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she was startled. But then a sudden relief washed over her, and she felt as if she had set down a heavy burden. It turned out that in her heart, the pressure that Rong Zhi brought was so immense it outweighed everything else, to the extent that even now, amidst internal and external crises pressing in, the first thing she sought an opportunity to know was about Rong Zhi.

Therefore, having inadvertently asked about the heaviest burden in her heart, Chu Yu gasped for breath, suddenly feeling an impulse to laugh.

So it was.

The most terrifying things in the world, apart from death, is the unknown. There were too many unknowns about Rong Zhi, which was why she was so wary and thoroughly guarded.

What Tian Rujing said caused Chu Yu’s heart to tighten once again, “My master had once spoken to me about it.”

Chu Yu hardly noticed that her complexion had turned slightly pale as she stepped forward anxiously, gripping Tian Rujing’s wrist tightly, “What did your master say?”

A gust of wind blew, rustling their garments. The gauze draped over Tian Rujing’s robe was lifted slightly by the wind, adhering to Chu Yu’s hand.

If someone passed by the garden at this moment, looking through the gate, they would see the two standing face to face, Chu Yu’s hand still holding Tian Rujing’s wrist, the proximity somewhat intimate, which, if spread, would become another tale of the Princess taking advantage of a beautiful youth.

After a moment, Chu Yu came to her senses, released Tian Rujing’s wrist. It was unclear whether she felt loss or relief as she slowly stepped back two paces.

So that was it.

Half-guessing, half-inquiring, Chu Yu finally came to know of some of the past events through Tian Rujing’s intermittent narrative.

More than three years ago, during his travels, Rong Zhi had poisoned Yue Jiefei’s senior brother. Consequently, their master, Tian Ruyue, went to seek out Rong Zhi. After more than half a month of a battle of wits and pursuit, Rong Zhi was captured due to his youth and lack of experience. But just as Tian Ruyue was about to kill Rong Zhi, Shan Yin’s Princess arrived to intervene, taking Rong Zhi back to her abode.

Tian Ruyue and Rong Zhi reached an agreement that unless he could reverse his defeat, Rong Zhi would have to stay by Shan Yin’s Princess’s side.@@novelbin@@

After unloading the heavy burden, what followed was a sense of profound emptiness and loss. Chu Yu felt bewildered. Now that she had confirmed that Shan Yin’s Princess was not Rong Zhi’s true enemy, she should have felt relieved and happy, but as she relaxed, for some reason, she remembered Rong Zhi’s reaction on the carriage today.

If a person one was determined to defeat suddenly died, leaving no chance for a comeback in this lifetime, would the melancholic loss and regret be even more profound and empty than what she felt now?

And with Tian Ruyue dead, would the constraints of the agreement on Rong Zhi be lifted?