I Will Leave Before Dawn

Chapter 14: Accusation, amidst the misery

Lu Ye slept through the night trapped in the nightmares. Countless forces were strangling the life out of himself tenaciously, the cries of mortals regardless of gender or age, echoing persistently. Their haunting howl was loud to no end, yearning for what had been stolen from them. Though it was dark, Lu Ye's eyes were wide open, rolled back, while his mouth hung agape, desperately gasping for air.

In one fleeting moment, he heard a voice. "My lord.." But it wasn't the voice that had saved him from the brink of death. Instead, it seemed to add to his torment, whispering with increased pressure, "I'll come to fetch you."

And just like that, everything turned into mist, and he jolted awake, drenched in sweat. His heart pounded furiously, exhaustion and confusion swept over him. He breathed heavily, his body trembling uncontrollably.

After a while, he grew accustomed to this state. After all, it had been five years since the nightmares began haunting him. There was little time for him to dwell on the matter, for morning had already arrived. He had only just returned to his room from Damu Lan's chamber a little before dawn.

As he was getting himself ready, the events of the previous night dawned on him as it still surprised him.

As was their usual routine, Lu Ye had gone to attend to Damu Lan, who was seemingly drunk and making a mess everywhere unknowingly. Lu Ye could only sigh, acknowledging that the renowned Qing Zhu Jun remained unchanged. After tidying everything up, all that remained was the wine cup tightly clutched in Damu Lan's hand.

"Master, please don't drink anymore. Let me take the cup and lay yourself down on your bed." Lu Ye said, his hand attempted to retrieve the cup on Damu Lan's grasp.

However, Damu Lan seemed reluctant, gripping the cup even tighter. This caused Lu Ye some trouble, but he persisted, exerting more force to pry Damu Lan's hand open. Yet, Damu Lan's grip did not yield. His own strength paled in comparison to Damu Lan's, so he had expected this struggle. So he kept on exerting more strength, only to be met with Damu Lan's sneering smile upon his flushed face.

By this point, Lu Ye was already exhausted. His spiritual power seemed futile, and he let out a frustrated huff. Annoyed and embarrassed, he questioned, "D-Damu Lan, why are you smiling? Do you have fun playing with me like this?"

But Damu Lan's smirk remained, his face slumped sideways onto the table as he observed Lu Ye's efforts to free his hand. "It's fun."

It was disrespectful. Lu Ye had exerted nearly all his strength to release just one hand from the cup. His head hung low, filled with shame and frustration. Biting his lips, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Innately, he pinched Damu Lan's hand, hoping to elicit a reaction. However, all he received in return was Damu Lan's playful remark, "Haha, right now, it feels like the bite of an ant."

Lu Ye's face flushed with a mixture of emotions. Was he truly so weak and powerless? That couldn't be right. The people of the Qing Shan Sect claimed that he surpassed even Hua Ran and was considered a suitable successor to Damu Lan.

Lu Ye sighed, admitting his defeat. Just when he was about to release his grip on Damu Lan's hand, he was caught off guard as Damu Lan swiftly held onto his hand instead, refusing to let go.

"What's the matter now?" Lu Ye asked.

"You will leave once you finish cleaning this room," Damu Lan replied.

Was that the reason he stubbornly clung to the cup?  Because it would be the last thing for Lu Ye to clean?

"Master, this is your room. It would be inappropriate for me to stay until morning," Lu Ye explained.