The forest seemed more quiet than ever before. The leaves no longer sing, the grass no longer dance, and the birds no longer whisper.
Lian Wu began to sit under the tree all day long, counting the grass on the ground, from one to thousands, and from the very beginning.
Only, he was more lonely than ever. At least once as a thief he could often go to Wangshen City to find some clients, but now he has nothing to do. Gu Ming sometimes stayed by Lian Wu's side, but he didn't speak. Looking at Lianwu's sad face, he didn't know what to say.
Life became dull, without the turmoil of the past, but rather dull.
"Brother Lian Wu, let's go for a walk in the city." Finally, Gu Ming said a word. Perhaps it would be a little better to let Lianwu walk around in a crowded place.
"All right, let's go." Lianwu said, standing up, but still with a cold expression on his face.
Gu Ming didn't expect Lian Wu to agree so easily and raised his face to smile slightly. Lianwu looked down at the child's face, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a rather strange smile.
Gu Ming stuffed his little hand into Lian Wu's palm, smiled and said, "Let's go."
Lianwu finally laughed too, and he messed up Gu Ming's hair as he used to. Then Gu Ming straightened his hair with the other hand and pouted his little mouth.
The two of them walked slowly out of the forest, to a place where there was no lush grass, to the ruins of the black Dyra Dynasty.
Lian Wu stopped in the ruins, and he clearly remembered that the tombstone he had sat on was covered with a thick layer of dust. And the helmet he had kicked over, stuck among thorns and rocks, was already rusty.
I clearly remember the person who squatted down and gazed intently at the inscriptions, the one who always asked himself childish questions, and the one whose face always had a blank expression.
But the inscription is still there, everything in the ruins is still there, but that man... Forever, forever, gone. Gone, never to come back.
Lian Wu stood in front of the inscription for a long time, wiping the stone with his sleeve over and over again, wiping away all the dust, as if afraid Gu You wouldn't see. Gu Ming watched and could only feel sad in silence. He knew he couldn't cry, or else his brother would be even more sad.
After entering the city, Lian Wu threw a money bag to Gu Ming and said, "Gu Ming, what would you like to eat today?"
Gu Ming held the heavy money bag in his hand and asked, "When did you do it?"
Lianwu pointed in the direction of the city gate and said, "The money of those knights, anyway, was obtained by exploiting the people. Speak up, what would you like to eat? Let's have a nice meal today."
"Roast chicken... And... Anyway, when you get to a roast chicken restaurant, order whatever tastes good." "Gu Ming said, his eyes shining with golden light.
Lian Wu patted him on the head and said, "Little fellow, you are really greedy. Well, we'll spend all the money today and make you a little fat guy."
"Don't make a fool of your head and you won't find a girlfriend."
"Oh, you're a little kid. Who did you learn this from?"
"The old lady next door said this was your childhood catchphrase."
"Ha ha, you learn so fast."
Two people, one tall and one short, were walking along the road chatting and laughing.
"Lianwu --" suddenly, a female voice from behind called out Lianwu's name softly.
Without a second thought, Lianwu drew his short sword from his waist and turned back to stab. There was no need to think about anything. In this city, no other woman knew his name except a prison slave. Prison slave, this name was repeated by Lian Wu countless times after Gu You's death. Lianwu knew that it was the witch who had killed Gu You and left him with regret forever. And he had secretly vowed to kill the prison slave to avenge Gu You.
"Lian Wu..." The woman was startled. The blade was just a few inches away from her neck.
"Rong..." Rong Yue... How could it be you?" Lianwu retracted the sword that nearly killed Rongyue, seemingly unable to believe that the woman before him could be Rongyue.
"Why can't it be me? Rong Yue said.
"You... Are you okay?"
"Well, thank you for saving me last time. It was my father who asked me to come to town this time. He asked me to thank you well." Rong Yue bowed to Lian Wu.
Lian Wu was stunned for a moment, then quickly helped Rong Yue up and said, "You've thanked him several times."
"I've been here for several days, but I haven't found you. Don't you often go out?"
"No, I've just arrived in town."
"Just arrived? Don't you live here?" Rong Yue looked somewhat surprised.
Lian Wu smiled. "Yes, I don't live here. I'm a worshipper of nature and harmony." Oh, right, I'm about to take the kids out for dinner, you go too."
Rong Yue looked at Gu Ming standing beside Lian Wu and said, "What a lovely child! How old is he?"
"Six." Gu Ming smiled shyly.
Rong Yue took Gu Ming's other hand and said, "Six years old, so cute." Then he said to Lianwu, "You look so young, the child is already so big?"
Lianwu was so startled that he almost bit off his own tongue. "Oh no, this... This isn't my child, he's my friend."
Rong Yue laughed happily and said, "Oh, so I misunderstood. All right, let's go and have a meal now, but it's said I'll treat you."
Just as Lian Wu was about to say no, Gu Ming chuckled and said, "Thank you, beautiful sister."
"You brat, you are impolite. How could you let your sister treat you?" Lian Wu grabbed Gu Ming's hair into a bird's nest.
Gu Ming glared at him and said, "Stop grabbing, stop grabbing. Don't always ruin my image in front of beauties, okay?"
Lianwu and Rongyue each took one of Gu Ming's little hands and walked into the roast chicken shop and found a spot to sit down. The clerk, dressed in a white apron, rushed over with a smile, wiping the table and pouring water.
Gu Ming coughed, and then said in a particularly imposing manner, "Please, a roast chicken, and a plate of any other delicious signature dish."
The clerk looked at the child and said, "What a lovely child! You two are so lucky. You will be very filial when you grow up."
Gu Ming rolled his eyes at the clerk, "Stop all that nonsense, go and get it ready for us."
Rong Yue blushed and lowered her head, her face flushed. But Lianwu shifted his gaze to the empty table beside him, feeling happy in his heart.
But there will never be such a day.
Gu Ming poked Lian Wu's arm with his finger, raised his eyebrows and smiled, then pointed to Rong Yue sitting opposite him and whispered, "Brother Lian Wu, this sister is very beautiful. To be honest, how did you two meet?"
Lian Wu gave Gu Ming a hard scrape on the bridge of his nose and said, "Little one, don't ask about these things." Sit down for a while and I'll go out and buy you some sugar-coated haws, okay?"
Seeing Lianwu stand up, Gu Ming jumped off his chair too, "I'll go too."
Lianwu lifted Gu Ming up to the chair and said, "You stay here with sister. I'll be back soon."
"No, I would be embarrassed to be alone in front of the great beauty. Let me go with you." Gu Ming slid down from the chair again.
"If you don't listen, then I won't buy sugar-coated haws." Lian Wu picked up Gu Ming and forced him back into the chair.
Rong Yue smiled and said, "Then come back early."
Lianwu stared into Rongyue's eyes and said, "Yes, you eat first and wait for me. I'll be back soon."
Gu Ming kept observing Lian Wu's eyes, looking closely. When Lianwu said that to Rongyue, Gu Ming found a familiar feeling in Lianwu's eyes.
Sadness, despair.
During the time Gu You was away, there was only that kind of spirit left in Lian Wu's eyes.
"Brother Lianwu..." "Gu Ming shouted.
Lianwu turned around and walked out of the shop.
Gu Ming stood up in his chair, "Brother Lian Wu, don't... Brother Lian Wu, don't go, don't go..."
There was a tangled pain in his heart, but Lianwu did not look back. He was going to the cathedral, he was going to find the prison slaves and the soul warriors who had killed Gu You and the remnant of the soul. He wants to avenge his friend.
"Brother... Don't go... Don't go..." "Gu Ming cried out.
Just as Lianwu was about to leave the shop, his hand was pulled from behind by Rongyue. Rong Yue seemed to know something from the child's voice and movements. She asked, "Lian Wu, where are Gu You and the remnant soul?"
"Dead..." Dead... Killed by them..." Lian Wu's voice was as fine as a thread.
"They? Who? How could they die?" Rong Yue was on the verge of crying.
"They... Those bastards of the church... I'll take revenge..."
Gu Ming ran over, tugging at Lian Wu's clothes, "Brother, don't go, don't go, they'll kill you."
Lian Wu stroked the child's head and said softly, "Gu Ming, you're still young, you don't understand. There are certain things that a man must do, even if he knows he will die. Gu Ming, be good, don't cry, okay?"
"Must you go?" Rong Yue asked.
"Rong Yue..."
"If you want revenge, I'll go with you." In Rong Yue's eyes, there was a soft yet unignorable firmness.
Lianwu said, "No, you will die."
"But if you don't just go like this, won't you die too?" Rong Yue said, "If you die, who will avenge your friends? Who will take care of the friends' relatives? Who will fulfill the wishes of friends?"
"I... They have no relatives."
"But what about wishes? Do they have any wishes left unfulfilled?"
Lian Wu calmed down. How could there be no wish? And that wish was the source of the death of Gu You and even the remnant soul. The secret of the black Hidden Word stone, Gu You's origin.
"Lian Wu, live on. If you want to be worthy of your friends, it's not something you can do by dying for them. You have to live well and let their lives continue in you."
"Rong Yue... Thank you... Lian Wu picked up Gu Ming, who was still wiping his tears, and scraped his nose bridge, saying, "The crying boy."
Rongyue stood beside Lianwu and smiled quietly.
Lianwu raised her head and looked up at the sky outside the store. He recalled the day Gu You left, in the Tidal inn, Gu You also looked up at the sky high up. What was Gu You thinking at that time? What did he see?
In the sky, a white cloud drifted far away. Lian Wu said in his heart, "Remnant Soul, Gu You, are you living there okay? I saw Rongyue again. Did you see her? Perhaps she's right. I should live for you. Your secrets are also my secrets. Gu You, I'll come and tell you when I know who you are, okay?"
The waiter, while serving the dishes, looked at the three people still standing by the door and smiled, saying, "This little family is really interesting. They seemed to be arguing just now, but now they have made up."
Lianwu reached out her hand, and Rongyue put her fair hand into Lianwu's palm. Lianwu carefully pulled Rongyue and helped her onto the small boat. Rong Yue was so frightened that her little face turned pale. After sitting on the stool in the boat, she dared not move any more, apparently seldom in the boat.
"Can we find him?" Rong Yue asked somewhat uneasily.
"It's okay." Lian Wu stood on the boat, tapped the shore with his oar, and the boat left the shore, gliding gently along the soothing current.
He sat down opposite Rongyue and said, "This small river goes straight down and will pass through the territory of Zhanshen City. Not far ahead, it will flow into the northern mountainous area. There is a large lake there. The old man called it the Return of the Spirit Lake because the surface was covered with phytoplankton, and all the coffins carried there would be blocked by the plants. So, the elders say, all people's bodies will be naturally retracted there after they die. Only when the body is fully integrated into nature can the soul be elevated to the divine and return to the dust-free world that originally belongs to us."
Rong Yue listened quietly, nodded and smiled.
"Doesn't your family believe in natural harmony?" Lienwu suddenly felt that if it were an ordinary person, everyone should know this story.
"No, my father lived in the forest, but he didn't believe in nature." "My ancestors were officials in the court during the Dyra dynasty," said Rong Yue. When the naturalists overthrew the dynasty, my ancestors passed away. His last words were just one: Do not believe in natural harmony, for that belief is our enemy."
Lianwu smiled noncommittal and paddled a splash of water.
"But when theism spread, father became obsessed with the pursuit of theism..."
"That cult is full of bastards!" "Lian Wu roared.
"Father doesn't believe anything since the last thing happened. For he saw with his own eyes how the Knight of Light, under divine righteousness, oppressed the people. I almost got..." Rong Yue was so sad that she was about to cry.
"Stop it, Rongyue. It's all over." "Lian Wu said softly. But the latter part was kept in his mouth and not spoken: Rongyue, such a thing will never happen again. I will protect you and keep you from any harm.
The wind blew over the water, creating ripples that hit the bluestone slabs along the shore, leaving high and low marks of water. From time to time, a leaf would break its binding, fall down and land on the water. Like a free boat, carrying dreams, drifting away with the waves.
The forest receded into the distance, and the vast plain of Guangbao came into full view. At the farthest point, there are vast stretches of tree shadows, tiny city Outlines, clouds and mists.
Rong Yue turned her head and looked at the end of the plain. Just now, he had frowned slightly for fear of water, but now his face was full of sacred serenity. Clear beauty, ripples spread in the heart of Lian Wu. The wind stirs the hair at Rongyue's temples and sweeps across her profile, fluttering freely.
Looking at that beautiful face, the hand that was holding the oar forgot to continue paddling. The boat became steady and, with the current, merged into the passing time.
At that moment, Lianwu suddenly wanted to say to Rongyue: "Rongyue, if all things were over, all wars were over, could we still be drifting on the water like today? Can we still be together? Can we still?"