Atkin

Chapter 467: Long nights of watching, silent mourning, daytime sleep, quiet time, star shadows looking forward to the return
Ah Jing dragged her heavy steps back to the room, each step seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. Her heart was filled with pain and helplessness, knowing that only Xiang Zhu, the man who shone like a star but was about to fall into darkness, had the ability to save Fenghua City from this endless abyss of sin. So, she acquiesced to letting Xiang Zhu die, even though this choice cut her heart like a sharp knife.

She closed the door, leaned against it, and slowly slid down to the floor. In the silent room, only her slightly rapid breathing could be heard. At this moment, the light footsteps of Lu Zhao and the arrival of Ye Xing could be heard from outside the window. Ah Jing stood up and walked to the window. Through the carved window lattice, she saw Ye Xing hurriedly walking into Zhaoxing Pavilion. She knew that Ye Xing must have accompanied Xiang Zhu through the last moments and witnessed the whole heartbreaking process.

As her eyes wandered, she noticed the dim light coming from Cheng Mu's study, which seemed particularly lonely in the dark night. The breeze blew gently, and the barely perceptible conversations in the study were faintly heard by her. Those voices seemed to be there and not there, but they buzzed in her heart like mosquitoes and flies, lingering.

Ah Jing slowly sat down on the bed, hugged her knees, and looked ahead with empty eyes. She remembered that Xiang Zhu had gently and slightly reproachfully told her to go to bed and get up early countless times. Those caring words still echoed in her ears, but now things have changed. "Xiang Zhu, look, I stayed up late again. You always don't like me to do this, but I can't sleep tonight." Ah Jing whispered softly, with a hint of sob and self-mockery in her voice.

That night, Ah Jing sat quietly, her thoughts tangled like a tangled mess. She knew that she was just a bystander in the crisis of saving Fenghua City, helplessly watching Xiang Zhu bear all the sins and sufferings alone. "I am so useless, I can only watch like this, I can't do anything." Her tears finally burst out, slid down her cheeks, and dripped onto the cold ground.

Outside the window, the night was still dark, and the stars in the distant sky were twinkling faintly, as if they were also mourning for all this. Ajing felt mixed emotions, with thoughts and worries about Xiang Zhu, as well as resentment and self-blame for her own incompetence. But in this endless darkness, her concern for Xiang Zhu and her expectations for the future of Fenghua City were like a weak flame, burning tenaciously, supporting her through this long and tormenting night.

When the first ray of sunlight gently sprinkled on the glazed tiles of Zhaoxing Pavilion, the whole world seemed to be covered with a layer of quiet golden edge. However, this seemingly beautiful day slowly opened in silence, as if the river of time suddenly became slow and solemn.

Cheng Mu, Ye Xing and A Jing, the three of them curled up in their own rooms, like injured birds hiding in their nests, silently licking their inner wounds. All day long, Zhaoxing Pavilion was shrouded in an almost dead atmosphere, without the hustle and bustle of the past, only the sunlight through the windows, casting pieces of light and shadows on the ground, silently recording the flow of time.

Cheng Mu lay on the bed, staring at the curtain above his head with lifeless eyes. The back of Xiang Zhu as he left kept appearing in his mind. That lonely and resolute figure was like a deep scar, imprinted on his heart. He tried to close his eyes and let himself fall asleep to escape the pain of this reality, but every time he fell asleep, Xiang Zhu's voice and smile would appear in his dreams. Those memories came like a tide, drowning him in a sea of ​​longing.

Ye Xing was leaning against the wall, holding a wine jug tightly in his hand. It was the wine he and Xiang Zhu had drunk together. From time to time, he would bring the wine jug to his mouth and take a sip of the spicy wine, hoping to numb the pain in his heart with this strong stimulation. However, the wine turned into more bitterness and sorrow, making him feel even more depressed. He lay there half asleep and half awake. Under the influence of alcohol, time seemed to have lost its meaning, and every minute and every second became blurred.

Ah Jing curled up in the quilt, her pillow soaked with tears. Her heart was filled with self-blame and regret, and she kept thinking over and over whether she could have done more, whether she could have changed Xiang Zhu's fate. She knew that Xiang Zhu didn't want to see her so sad, but she couldn't control her emotions. The sun shone through the window on her face, but she couldn't feel a trace of warmth. She only felt that the brightness of the day formed a sharp contrast with the darkness in her heart, which further highlighted her loneliness and helplessness.

During this long day, the world outside Zhaoxing Pavilion is still running, people are busy in the streets and alleys, and the laughter of children can occasionally be heard from afar, but these sounds cannot penetrate the thick walls and enter the ears of the three people. They are immersed in their own world, tightly entangled by sadness and longing, as if isolated from the outside world. As the sun gradually sets in the west, the sky is dyed a gorgeous orange-red, and the long day is finally coming to an end. And the silence of this whole day, like the passing of several centuries, has left a deep mark in the hearts of the three people. They know that when night falls, they will have to face this world without Xiang Zhu again, but after this short rest, they will also accumulate strength again to protect everything that Xiang Zhu cherishes, even if the road ahead is full of unknowns and difficulties.

Ajing sat quietly in front of the window, looking into the distance with a dazed look, and his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the moment when he first met Xiang Zhu.

At that time, she was full of doubts and tried hard to see Xiang Zhu's face clearly, but that face seemed to be covered with a layer of mist that could not be removed. No matter how hard she concentrated, it was always blurry. Those similar figures, Jiao Yi, Cheng Mu, and Ye Xing, appeared alternately in front of her. Just when she got used to Ye Xing's existence and familiar with every detail related to him, she watched him disappear in Xiang Zhu's heart. The sudden loss still makes her heart ache.

Xiang Zhu, the mysterious and crucial existence, is the creator of everything and the prototype. He is like the answer to a mystery hidden behind a thick fog, which she cannot figure out. She has recalled the scene of their first meeting countless times at night, trying to find out what the real Xiang Zhu looks like and what he thinks from the vague outline and the vague words, but each time she only adds to her confusion.

Just as Ah Jing was immersed in this vortex of memories and felt somewhat sad, suddenly, an extremely clear voice broke her meditation. It was Xiang Zhu's voice, which seemed to have passed through the barriers of time and space and reached her ears directly: "I will be back, I will be back soon."

This voice was like the first ray of warm sunshine in spring, instantly dispelling the haze that had accumulated in Ajing's heart for a long time, and like a bright light, illuminating her originally somewhat gloomy world. The power contained in the words was like strands of silk, gently and tenaciously wrapping around her almost depressed heart, and rekindling her hope.

There was gradually a light in Ajing's eyes. She stood up suddenly and rushed out of the house regardless of everything. She faced the boundless night sky and the direction where she felt Xiang Zhu was. She shouted with all her strength: "Xiang Zhu!" The voice echoed in the night sky, carrying her longing, her expectation, and the certainty of reunion.

She knew that as long as she had expectations and as long as Xiang Zhu's promise remained, no matter how long the wait was, no matter how much unknown fog there was ahead, she had the courage to face it and to persevere until the moment Xiang Zhu returned again.

She knew that as long as she had expectations and as long as Xiang Zhu's promise remained, no matter how long the wait was, no matter how much unknown fog there was ahead, she had the courage to face it and to persevere until the moment Xiang Zhu returned again.