A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 3

33

Yangfeng was a very good friend of Pingting, and the two had grown up together. Chu Beijie had met many people, and naturally knew that Yangfeng's pain was definitely not a lie. He felt a chill that he had never once experienced in his lifetime invade into him. It broke through his skin and cut straight into his bones.

"You're lying. Pingting is here, hiding." Chu Beijie laughed, his expression twisted. His eyes flickered and stopped on Ze Yin who was hugging onto Yangfeng.

His hand pressed down on his sword, as if he would cut Ze Yin's body into numerous pieces if he just said one unfavourable phrase.

Ze Yin didn't say anything, however, he simply held his bitterly crying wife. He returned Chu Beijie's gaze.

Chu Beijie's gaze, apart from determination, honesty, persistence and a little fear, there was also a little pleading bit of hope.

Then in the depths of his eyes, stirring like a storm, it gradually became contaminated with incredible despair.

He could, from his former enemy Ze Yin's face, see the tiniest trace of sympathy.

"Impossible, that's impossible..." Chu Beijie felt like his heart had been stabbed by a sharpened knife. He howled once, took several steps back and raised his head to the sky to cry out, "Pingting, Pingting! Hurry up and come out! I've come, Chu Beijie has come!"

"I've come to apologise to you! You can punish me any way you like! Pingting, come out!"

The hurt beast's howls shook the mountain forest, causing the gathered snow on the trees to fall off. The entire Songsen Mountains quietly stood as it listened to the bitterly upset shouts of Chu Beijie.

How could this be? How was this possible?

Those dexterous fingers, that unrivaled smile, that intoxicating fragrance and the willowy figure, how could all of it be gone?

He had clearly heard her, the sound of her qin and singing about heroes and beautiful woman surviving the turmoil. She had sung about the rises and falls of monarchs as well as soldiers knowing the resultant fraud. She had passionately sung about longing and how it was a joy to merely look.

She was undoubtedly here, in the snow, fog, clouds and snow. Her smile was ever so elegant and demure. Her black eyes quietly watched him, as if containing endless thoughts that were placed upon himself.

Where? Where was Pingting?

Chu Beijie numbly turned away, looking at that lonely coffin.

"She had already arrived at the foot of the mountain, but met up with wolves. She only had..." Ze Yin lowered his voice, "only had the final bit left to go."

Yangfeng had gradually calmed down. She stared at Chu Beijie with her very bloodshot eyes, and desolately mourned, "She was here to find me, I knew she would. She was wearing the luminous jade hairpin I gave her. She climbed through the Songsen Mountains, coming from so faraway to see me. Why did I not send someone down the mountain quicker? Why? Why..." She buried her head in Ze Yin's shoulders, her own trembling uncontrollably.

Chu Beijie dazedly looked at the coffin, completely losing his soul.

As he approached that coffin, every step seemed to be done on clouds. It felt soft, didn't feel real at all.

Everything was like a dream. The coffin seemed to be nearby, yet suddenly it seemed so far away. The short path drained all of his body's energy, and he struggled onwards, barely finishing.

He finally touched the coffin and chilling coldness gushed out from it. It spreaded from his fingers to his heart, causing this world-famous Duke of Zhen-Bei to shiver.

"Pingting, you're in here..." His voice was at its gentlest as it addressed the dark, black coffin.

He wanted to open the box, planning to hug his beloved wife, his Duchess, his Bai Pingting.

But when his ten fingers grasped onto the lid, the always brave Duke of Zhen-Bei could not summon any energy at all. Chu Beijie's hardened hand from holding swords shook. He tried very hard, but he could not stop shaking for even just one moment.

"She came across wolves. only leaving her clothes, and..." Ze Yin's fist was tightly clenched as he whispered, "and a few bones."

Each word weighed as much as a ton, crushing onto Chu Beijie's heart. His knees could never support his body. He slumped heavily into the ground.

The coffin was both cold and hard. Chu Beijie carefully stroked it.

Pingting was not like that. She was petite, exquisite and in the snow, two red clouds appear on her cheeks. She liked to watch the stars in the night sky and was like a cat, often seeking out his warm broad chest, coming and going freely.

"Pingting..." He stretched out his two arms, doing his best to embrace.

He had come too late, far too late.

He should have hurried back by the sixth and wrapped his arms tightly around the waiting Pingting. He should have hugged her, not letting anything hurt her and push all danger far away from her. He should have let her smile, leisurely read a book in the warm winter sun, take a nap and give her complete freedom so she could carefreely look after their child.

"Marry me."

"Why?"

"Not only you can play qin and sing well,but you also have nimble hands and own a heart of gold. I'd much rather choose you over many other women."

"I..."

"Let's swear to the moon, never turn against each other."

Never turn against each other?

Where did that never turn against each other go?

"If you live, I live. If you die, I can only accompany you to death."

Her every smile and frown seemed to be in the air, in the fragrance of flowers.

Always, omnipresent.

"Is Duke going to war?"

"Duke doesn't need to explain to Pingting. Pingting is no longer concerned about anything apart from Duke now."

"Pingting passed her birthday alone, so as for Duke's birthday, could we be together?"

He hadn't made it and turned against her.

Let her heart break as she boarded on the carriage in the harsh light of sharp swords.

Let her drift to Yun Chang, with his flesh and blood, crossing through the snowy mountains, suffering endlessly.

Let her be surrounded by wolves which tore piece by piece of her flesh and snapped her bones.

"No!" Chu Beijie howled in pain. After that, he resolutely unsheathed his sword.

The precious sword of the Duke of Zhen-Bei that had shook the skies was thrown hard onto the ground. The sword fell with a sonorous crash, causing an instant spark. Chu Beijie slowly turned his head, looking at Yangfeng, "It was I who ruined her, go ahead and kill me." He didn't say any more as he raised his head and closed his eyes.

Yangfeng was silent for a long time. She wriggled free of Ze Yin's embrace and picked up the precious sword from the ground. The precious sword was very heavy, and she could only hold onto it with both hands. Even though she held it with both, the sword still trembled.

The sword pointed at Chu Beijie's throat and with just one light slice, this world-famous general that every country wanted to get rid of, the Duke of Zhen-Bei, would disappear from this world.

Pitter.

Patter...

The mourning hall was deathly silent, except for Yangfeng's teardrops. Each was large and dropped endlessly onto the ground.

She hated this man just earlier and wouldn't have minded dying on her way to killing him. However, now that his sword was against his throat, she was actually trembling.