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墨書 Inktalez
"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival."
An Wusheng crouched down and brought the water from the bamboo tube to Qingchou's lips, "Please stop messing with me, okay?"
He looked excessively haggard, with stubble that made him appear much older than his usual breezy and bright self.
His black-and-white eyes held no emotion as they fixed on her intensely.
Qingchou drank the water, murmured a soft "mm," and then looked up at him, "You said my brother is not dead yet?"
"Yes."
An Wusheng sat down beside her, gazing towards the small island behind them, beyond which lay Yao Hai. "At this time, your brother should have found out who the traitor is."
Qingchou paused, biting her lip as she thought for a moment before lowering her head, "It's Mubai."
Mubai had grown up with her, learning Dream Soul Technique together. In this Yao Hai, aside from her, only Mubai could reverse hypnosis.
"It was Mubai who taught me to hypnotize those commoners, turning them into puppets to kill you. But I never thought he would control me; I... I completely lost my rationality."
For the first time, she felt fear. If she were truly controlled by Mubai, she might personally open Misty Manor and ruin all the efforts her brother and An Wusheng had put in over the years.
After a long silence without a response, Qingchou suddenly turned around and saw that An Wusheng was lying on the beach fully clothed.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she called out loudly, " An Wusheng!"
An Wusheng slowly opened his eyes, reached out to pull her close, playfully flipping her over and pinning her down with a smile at the corner of his lips: "I knew you cared about me. Qingchou, don't worry; I'm just a bit tired."
Qingchou struggled for a moment but seeing his pale face, she softened her movements.
"Are we not going back to Yao Hai?"
"With Northern King's influence in Yao Hai, Mubai is no match for him. So, let's wait until the cannon salute sounds before we return."
He smiled softly, his dark eyes looking deep into her heart.
"Qingchou, it wasn't until today that I realized there are so many things we haven't had the chance to do. You love children, and we have none; you wish for me to enjoy the people's company, yet they all fear me..."
His overly tender words made Qingchou's heart tremble. She nervously watched him, noting every change in his expression, but he was always too good at hiding his feelings.
Qingchou's eyes brimmed with tears: "Yes, there are too many things we haven't done. Why didn't you tell me sooner about your relationship with my brother?"
Even if he had told her earlier, it wouldn't have led her to such a misunderstanding.
But he must know that she wouldn't believe him... Now that she thought about it carefully, it truly was tragic; they had been together for ten years, yet she had never trusted him even for a single day.
An Wusheng chuckled softly without words, while she was filled with tears. In her memories, she had never seen him like this before—weakly lying there, seemingly lacking the strength to hold her.
He continued to gaze at the coastline; Qingchou knew he was waiting for the cannon. Suddenly, she recalled what countless people said about him: ruthless and merciless, lacking compassion, stained with too much blood, carefree and excessively temperamental...
But could it be that all of this was a facade he deliberately maintained to elevate Northern King and lower the guard of the internal traitors?
She seemed to suddenly understand something, her heart aching as if it were bleeding: "You plan to hand Yao Hai back to Northern King after today, don't you?"
An Wusheng pressed his lips together and smiled faintly: "Northern King is benevolent; the people of Yao Hai trust him completely. Handing it over to him will bring true peace, and the Sea Demons will fear him." He held her hand, his fingertips gently stroking hers. "Both your brother and I underestimated things; he placed you among the people because he didn't want you involved in Yao Hai's transformation. And I... failed to push you away in time."
His eyes seemed to redden as the sound of cannon fire echoed in his ears.
After waiting for ten years, they finally arrived.
He slowly felt tired, yet stubbornly held onto her hand, smiling: "Qingchou, the only regret in my life is marrying you but not being able to give you happiness."
A vivid red gradually spread across his chest. Qingchou looked at the red and suddenly found it hard to breathe... She grasped his hand, opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. In the end, she could only force herself to tremble and ask, "Is it me?"
So it wasn't a dream, right? She really had wounded him with her sword, so when she woke up, the children were crying, and he came from afar.
Why... why...
"An Wusheng, don't sleep. Wake up and tell me why... why didn't you dodge?"
An Wusheng used the last bit of strength in his body to touch her hand bone, tracing from her delicate wrist up to her shoulder. There was no desire in his touch; he just wanted to feel her warmth one last time so that it wouldn't snow again.
He didn't want to tell her that if she didn't kill him with her own hands, she would forever be trapped in the Lost Dream of No Return, waking up as a puppet who could only produce simple syllables.
He finally closed his eyes and told a lie: "It's not your fault. The Shura Chess Game's black and white pieces are fated; it was the Northern King last time, and this time it's my turn. So... Qingchou, return to being the Dream Sovereign. I will come find you."
The legend of the Shura Chess Game's black and white jade pieces was too ancient, too distant to verify.
Thus, he only hoped that she wouldn't have to live in her guilt forever.
She could be innocent and dream eternally.
He gave her the most beautiful hope of this lifetime.
...
The Dream Sovereign of the Lost Dream of No Return completely vanished from these waters after Yao Hai returned under the Northern King's command.
Later, when people spoke of this woman, they said she could no longer summon the Dream Soul. When pressed for details, they always remained vague.
How could a person as puppet-like as her possibly manage the Lost Dream of No Return?
Qingchou has already lost the qualification of innocence.
Every day, she sits atop Yao Hai Cliff, staring blankly into the distance, piecing together fragmented phrases like, "He didn't come to find me," "I killed him," "He won't come back... liar," and in the end, it always comes back to that person's name—An Wusheng.
In the era of peace belonging to Yao Hai, no one would remember his sacrifice, but he made everyone remember him in another way.
A tyrannical rule.
A ruthless slaughter to the extreme.
Only Qingchou would remember him like this, a stubborn fool with a soft heart... She truly cannot wake up again and no longer wishes to.
She lives to honor him. But living this way is for her own fulfillment.
What does she dream of? His angry shouts in the mountains.
What does she hear? His laughter in the sea.
What does she think of? Every glance he cast in her life.
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