Volume 4
237 Cold-blooded Song Lu
"Oh right." Song Lu stopped before reaching the inner area of the palace hall. She turned to the two ladies as she said, "The both of you can leave now. I'll handle it from here."
"This…" The jiejie and meimei looked at each other, at a loss for words.
Song Lu smiled beautifully as she raised a brow. "What? Do you still have questions for me? Don't you remember what owner said? Everyone in the Palace of Cold Blood should heed my orders when she's not around."
I was surprised when I heard this. Counting silently, I realized that Song Lu had already been missing for more than half a year. It wasn't that long, but she's already in Du Yue's good books.
I felt a little upset at this, not because I felt betrayed by Song Lu, but because I couldn't imagine just how much Song Lu had to endure under someone like Du Yue in order to climb to such a position in such a short amount of time.
It felt like I hadn't seen her in forever.
She was all alone here in this time without us, without Yu Liang by her side.
Yu Liang had been protecting her all this while, but she had to face this all alone. I wonder how lonely she must have felt.
As I wondered about this, I looked up, trying to get a better look at Song Lu.
But Song Lu suddenly shot us a look, making me flinch. I retreated behind the pillar as quickly as I could. My heart was racing, but Song Lu did not say anything.
She might not have seen us then.
"Still not going out?"
"Yes. As the High Priest wishes, we'll leave now." Shortly after, I heard the door open. The two ladies seemed to have left.
Click click click.
Those boots clicked against the floor again.
Click, tap, click, tap, click.
My heart started racing again, as if it was beating to the rhythm of those boots.
There were only the three of us left in the palace hall now. Nie Zun usually looked like a statue when he was calmly waiting for something. He was exactly like that in this moment, standing silently, unmoving.
Click, tap, click, tap, click.
I wondered if I was hallucinating as I thought I felt those steps coming closer and closer to me.
Song Lu finally spoke just when I wondered if I should peek my head out from the pillar.
"How long more do the both of you plan on hiding?"
My eyes widened. At times like this, I'd usually look toward Nie Zun for help.
I did the same thing this time. Looking up at Nie Zun, I saw a calm and indifferent expression on his face, as if nothing had happened.
In the next moment, he walked out from behind the pillar.
Seeing him step out, I followed closely behind.
I was a little anxious.
It wasn't some stranger I had to face right now. This was Song Lu who had to go through so much because of me.
I felt so sorry towards her.
I looked up slowly.
Her eyes squinted in a smile on her heavily made-up face. Her smooth, curly hair fell across her shoulders as she folded her arms across her well-endowed bosom.
"It's been a long time, Li Shen."
She sounded so natural when she greeted me.
She addressed me as Li Shen.
I didn't say a single word among those which were already hanging on my lips. How are you? I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Yu Liang is still alive, and I'll help you look for him. Everything will be okay. I didn't say any of this when I heard her call me Li Shen.
I forced myself to smile at her. "Yes, it's been a long time, Song Lu."
She seemed to be satisfied with my response. Still smiling, she addressed Nie Zun this time. "You too. It's been a long time, Nie Zun."
Nie Zun smirked. "There's no need for this pretense, is there?"
Song Lu shrugged casually. "I'm just being polite."
Everything she did was enchanting.
Song Lu was a femme fatale. In the past, she liked to dress in conservative clothes and be in black from head to toe, showing very little of her skin. Right now, she was a completely different person.
"Chrip…"
The ice phoenix suddenly called out from its perch on one of the wall lamps. I looked at it first before turning to look at Song Lu, wondering how she would react.
Song Lu did not react to this.
She had a lazy expression on her face as she smiled slightly. "This little thing is being so naughty. I guess I'll have to handle it first before we can have a proper conversation."
Nie Zun said quickly, "We should catch up first. It's really been quite a while."
Song Lu glanced at him with those beautiful eyes. "Alright, we'll do just that then."
I couldn't bear to watch this.
After having gone through so much, I really wanted to be someone who could be calm and rational at times like these, but I just wasn't a calm and rational individual.
Moreover, this was the man I loved and a woman I loved. One of them had changed so much, while the other was being so cold and distant.
And the both of them seemed to be speaking in riddles now.
I had to interrupt them.
I looked at Song Lu. "Song Lu, tell me what happened that made you become like this. I know I let you down, but I hope you'll be able to give me a chance to make it up to you. I know it was my irresponsibility that caused you and Yu Liang to end up like this. It's all my fault."
Song Lu put on a surprised face. "How can this be your fault? Li Shen doesn't ever admit that anything is her fault. Meimei, you're over-thinking things. I've realized that Yu Liang and I aren't suitable for each other at all. I should be thanking you for enlightening me on this."
I was about to go crazy.
It was okay even if she viewed me as the enemy, and I could bear with anything but this.
Yu Liang belongs deep in her heart. I wouldn't let her kill that part of herself like this.
"Stop pretending, Song Lu. I know this is all my fault. I just hope that you can give me one more chance to help you save Yu Liang."
Song Lu seemed to get a little impatient at this. "How many times do you want me to say this? I've realized that we're not compatible. He doesn't have anything to do with me now, and I no longer love him."
Her words pained me. I stepped forward suddenly, trying to close the distance between us. I stared into her eyes. "Stop joking. I'll believe anything you say, except this. I'll never believe that, not even after I die." Being slightly agitated, I choked a little on my words.
While I watched her say she didn't love Yu Liang in that emotionless tone, I was reminded of Nie Zun's cold and distant face that day when we were in front of that demon-cultivating tablet.
Don't begin loving someone if you decide you don't want to love them suddenly.
Why give the other party happiness in your company when you're going to say you don't love them so easily in the end?
Be it Nie Zun or Song Lu, I could never accept such a thing.
Or rather, I could not believe this.
There's not enough love in this world to go around. If what you refer to as love couldn't be counted, what else can we then cherish in our hearts?
This is why I chose to believe that they had their reasons for doing so.
But I wasn't intelligent or rational enough to wait for the right moment where you can explain it all to me.
What I want is for you to be honest right at this moment.
Song Lu laughed casually. "Why is that impossible, Li Shen? Not everyone can be happy like you. Even when you aren't doing anything, there will still be others who're willing to protect you. We don't have such a blessed life, so nothing is impossible to us. Not even parting with our lovers."
So you actually refer to him as your lover…
I looked at her resolutely. "I don't want to hear all this. What I want to know is what happened to you in the time we were separated?"
She looked at me with a mysterious smile.
After about ten seconds of pondering, I saw those red lips move. "Nothing. I was just being transferred from the hands of one woman to the hands of another. I haven't gained anything nor have I lost anything."
"You haven't lost Yu Liang? Are you willing to tell me what happened between the two of you?" I decided to ask her directly.
She laughed out loud. "He became an experimental subject after being captured, and I became a killing weapon. Are you satisfied now?"
Though I was heartbroken, I pretended to be calm as I continued. "What else?"
Song Lu continued laughing. "You really want a blow-by-blow account of what happened, do you?"
I smiled in response. "Yes, because I've lost two very important friends during this time. I'm going to give whatever it takes, even if it's my life, to get them back."
Song Lu's smile faded a little.
"Very important friends, huh. Yes, it's these very important friends who have been waiting for you to rescue them. But you've just been going about your daily life after forgetting about them."
I knew she would bring this up, but I had to bear with this for now.
"Song Lu, whether you believe it or not, I swear that I've been looking for you. I would give everything, except that I just wasn't able to locate you no matter how hard I tried."