A Match Made in Heaven Chapter 41

The top of Mount Li was covered with white snow. However, Li Chaoyang's clothes seemed to be much whiter than those surrounding ice and snow.

Instead of taking her carriage today, Li Chaoyang stood quietly under the snows covered tree, with her hands behind her back, wondering what she was thinking.

While, in a distance, Feng Xiao Li was standing in the snowfield, nibbling at gra.s.s roots, when it suddenly became aware of some movements. It raised its head and saw Lie Yun Hua landed quietly in front.

“…..Qianqiao.”

Li Chaoyang's voice was very low and quiet hollow, as she called out to him. He turned his body towards her, and her pitch black eyes landed on him.

Lu Qianqiao walked up to her and slowly knelt down. “Mother.”

She seemed to be quite satisfied with the way he looked right now. For the first time, a smile appeared on her face like ice and snow, but it disappeared in an instant.

“You are worthy of being my son.”

When he failed in his transformation, she was extremely disappointed and resisted the urge to kill him as she went back to the clan. She even planned to forget that she had such a child. For the War Demon Clan, her being at the age of 45, could not yet be considered as old. It was not difficult for her to remarry and had a pure blood child. The elders in the clan also often persuaded her to remarry a well-matched pure blood war demon, which she always pushed aside. After Lu Qianqiao's transformation failure, she had to put forward the suggestion and thought about it more seriously.

However…he was after all, her child. In the end, he did not disappoint her.

“I'm not just yours, but also Lu Jingran's.”

Lu Qianqiao stood up and his voice was nonchalant.

Li Chaoyang did not get angry, but decided to look straight at him, “You already know that I killed Lu family from top to bottom. Your father was the last to die. I personally watched him died in my hands.”

When she was 17, she met Lu Jingran and fell hard in love with him. At the age of 18, she resisted all the heavy pressure from the clan and married him as his wife. Lu Qianqiao was born when she was at the age of 20. With this family of three, they lived beautifully and happy.

But she never learned to say those sweet and warm words, to sew shoes, socks and clothes for him. She never washed her hands to make bridal soup, nor did she knew how to amuse her own child. In the battlefield and crisis, she could give up her life to protect the man she loved, but in the comfortable and complicated daily life, she could do nothing, and had not been a good wife to him. .

Lu Jingran had always been doubting her love. He said, normal women were not like her. Perhaps, she would never be a normal woman.

Later, at the age of twenty-five, she began to change, and she woke up with a perfect war demon body that was rarely seen in a hundred years.

When she waved Fang Tianji and wiped out the entire Lu family, Lu Jingran stood under the b.l.o.o.d.y wall and smiled at her strangely.

Such a strange smile. It had a bit of warm, a bit of sadness, and suddenly, it was filled with a feeling of relief.

Until now, she couldn't even forget it. Even when she had forgotten the kind of sadness that she felt as she killed him, she still couldn't forget his last smile.

【It's okay, come here.】He said while he opened his hand, as if he wanted to hold her before he, 【Chaoyang, you have given me the greatest joy, so now, please let me be free. 】

He only wanted to be released.

Fang Tianji obeyed his wish as it picked open his skin, pierced into his body and nailed him to the wall.

She then held his head in her hands and watched him die with her own eyes. She did not understand what was the faint pain she felt in her heart at that time.

He was relieved, and she was also relieved. She went back to her clan and, with the strength of a perfect war demon, the Li clan was promoted to a higher position. The old emperor of Qiongguo heard of the fierce war demon. Although he raided Liu Jingran's home, he did not dare to come to find her until the new emperor acceded the throne and justified Liu Jingran's good name. He was also interested in drawing her over and conferred her as his wife. He also collected Liu Qianqiao, who was only 13 years old at that time, and bestowed him the t.i.tle General of Chariots and Cavalry. At the age of 15, he made meritorious military service and established himself as General of Flying Calvary.

She killed the man she loved, and once thought about killing the man who was her son, a mixed race war demon. The hope of going through the transformation was not even high, let alone turning into a perfect war demon.

But she herself couldn't even understand why she even thought of doing it.

Perhaps it was because Qianqiao's nose looked like that person? Did he look like that man occasionally? Was she…regreting for killing him?

The elders in the clan often suggested to find another marriage for her. When the posts were sent to her, she—tied them up and placed them on the top shelfChinese idiom : lay aside and neglect¹.

In order to revitalise the War Demon Clan, she could do anything, and she also agreed with marriage for that reason. Married a pure blood war demon and had several pure blood children. These were what she should do the most.

But she couldn't.

She just couldn't do it. She didn't have any reason why she couldn't. She had no reason at all.

“I thought of killing that girl.” Li Chaoyang turned around with her hands still behind her back and slowly walked forward, “But Qianqiao, you are much better than me, but yet, you didn't even want to do it. To be honest, I don't want to see this kind of thing again, so I won't do anything to her or the Imperial Mausoleum.“

One person was enough to suffer from killing one's love one. For his and her child, although she couldn't give him any supreme happiness, she also didn't want him to feel lonely. As an incompetent mother, that was all she could do.

“However, even if I don't do it, it doesn't mean I will acquiesce in your willful behaviour.” She stopped and looked back. Her eyes had turned red.

“I will allow you to be with her. Furthermore, that fox monk has often made trouble for half a month. I won't give you anything more, not even for a day, as you must follow me back to our clan. It's your business not to see her, and it's also your business not to keep this marriage, as long as you go back with me. The Fox Clan is really quite hateful recently. I can't stand it anymore. I have to find a way to destroy them.“

However, they were just a group of fur animals who dare to claim themselves to be descendants of the G.o.ds and even dared to speak it out. The war demons had served the G.o.ds since ancient times. As a result, they had to surrender and pay their allegiance to the Fox Clan.

War demons were not afraid of any provocation and they would not tolerate any kind of provocation.

Liu Qianqiao never spoke, but his grip on the whip slowly loosened up.

He had thought that maybe the battle between them would be earth-shattering, either by her death or his own. He thought that she would be furious with him for even mentioning Lu Jingran.

However, he never thought that this would happen.

Li Chaoyang's side face was bathed in the red glow of the setting sun. He could not understand the expression on her face. Was it regret? Rejoiced? Or…was it something else?

He turned around and quietly looked at the falling sun in the sky. The setting sun was like melting gold, and the clouds were like being stained with blood. At that moment, he thought of Xin Mei's carefree smile.

*

The yellow duck egg coloured sun finally sank. Xin Mei stood at the edge of the cliff and rubbed her two cold hands.

Was Lu Qianqiao late today or did she arrived too early? There was no one on the top of the opposite cliff. She was afraid that the foods in the box would get cold. Although it was covered with charcoal, it would still get cold if it was left outside for too long. The cold tofu Xin Mei would not be quite delicious by then.

It was hard on Qiu Yue, as it kept pus.h.i.+ng its way to Changgeng Mountain Pa.s.s. It felt so tired that it fell to the ground and slept in a ball posture. It couldn't be woken up.

The cold wind along the cliff, mixed with the snow, swept through that made Xin Mei felt so cold till she had to jump around.

This was truly h.e.l.l! Liu Qianqiao didn't come, nor did the shameful fake fox monk. As the sky got darker and darker, Changgeng Mountain Pa.s.s was beginning to be ablaze with fire. The aroma of all kinds of food and delicacies accompanied the sound of soldiers laughing and talking. She was cold and hungry, so she couldn't help but put her hands on her mouth and started to practice an old tactic—gave out a very loud shout.

“Lu Qian Qiao—! Why are you late again—?”

No one paid any attention to her and no one came.

“Lu Qianqao—!”

She called out again.

Suddenly, from over her head, came the sound of a steed neighing. Xin Mei quickly looked up, and saw long-time-no-see Feng Xiao Li with its thunder and lightning sounded hooves, holding itself aloft. The woman in white on the horseback seemed to be her bad-tempered mother-in-law.

She immediately snuck into the trees much faster than a rabbit.

Was she here to kill her? Scolded her? Broke them up? Or…or something else that she didn't know?

The war demon lady did not look at her, nor did she come down, nor did she speak. She just left behind a palm-sized object, which just landed at Xin Mei's feet. It gave out a clear melodious sound.

It was an ancient bronze plate covered with verdigris, which carved with ancient and simple patterns.

Xin Mei carefully looked up, then looked down at the plate and picked it up, while wondering what her mother-in-law meant with this.

“The key to the gate.”

Li Chaoyang simply said those words, which fully explained the role of the bronze plate.

What? What gate? Before Xin Mei could ask clearly, Feng Xiao Li neighed, then turned and ran away. It left her huddled in the trees while scratching her head, thinking whether to chase or not to chase after it.

“Xin Mei.”

On the opposite cliff, Liu Qianqiao's voice finally could be heard. Xin Mei rolled out and saw that his appearance wasn't like he was before. He used to come with scattered long hair and usual sleepy posture.

Now, he was covered with a dark cloak, with his hair neatly tied and his whip tied to his waist. The most important thing was that, he was riding Lie Yun Hua!

“Lu Qianqiao…are, are you leaving?”

She was startled with how he looked.

Lu Qianqiao looked at her closely. Today, she was wearing a light yellow thin silk skirt. The cold wind which gusted on the cliff had made her cheeks flushed and her lips white.

He took off his cloak in silence, then raised both of his hands and placed the cloak over her shoulders.

“…you should go back early. Don't catch a cold.“

The cloak was big and long. With the warmth and smell of his body, Xin Mei wrapped it up tighter subconsciously, while asking in confusion, “You're leaving? Where to?“

“I'm going back to my clan.” He looked at the bronze plate in her hand and hesitated, “That is the key to the gate…so when you come to the clan, no one will stop you or hurt you. But…it's better if you don't come.“

What gate and what key? She didn't care anymore.

“Why…why do you suddenly want to go back?”

Then, hereafter, they would not be meeting at the cliffs anymore? Today, she had specially made tofu Xin Mei…and wore a newly-made thin silk skirt…she also hadn't been able to touch his thin hands and face yet…

“There's something happened in the family.”

He stared at her quietly, with such familiar eyes, the kind of breathless gaze that she couldn't understand.

Xin Mei wanted to think. “When will you be back then?”

After a long silence, he finally said, “Maybe…it will take a long time for me to gemo back.“

“How long will it be? A month? Half a year? Or a year?“

“…I don't know.“

“Then, can you come back once a month? I'll wait for you at the Imperial Mausoleum.“

He looked at her for a long time. Much longer than all his previous silence, until she thought he could no longer speak, till he suddenly said, “…okay, I'll try.”

Xin Mei gradually started to smile and suddenly remembered something. She took out the crumpled letter from Zhao Guanrenrespectful term of address for a man in the Song Dynasty² from her sleeve and waved it at him, “Be sure to come back! Everyone is waiting for you! This is the letter they asked me to bring to you!“

The look on his face immediately softened. “Keep it for me, and next time…I'll come back and see you.”

“Good! Then you must, must come back! “

“Mmm.”

Lie Yun Hua then raised its front hooves, leaped from the edge of the cliff and rose against the wind.

Li Chaoyang was still waiting for him at the front. The longer he dragged on, the more reluctant he would be. Parting had always been this way. Only by quickly cutting it with one stroke would it make him not be this indecisive.

However, Lu Qianqao didn't want Lie Yun Hua to fly so fast for a while, as he looked back at Xin Mei. She was still carrying the food box and chased after him in the snow, while waving hard at him. The long cloak draped sluggishly over her shoulder, as if it would fall off at any moment. A string of vague footprints spread over the snow behind her for a long time.

“Lu Qianqiao—! You must come back—!“

She shouted loudly.

She always called him by his first name and surname, which may not sound sentimental but it had engraved on his bone and imprinted in his heartChinese idiom : leave an indelible impression³.

The white mist came from the side of his lips blurred his eyes, and suddenly, there was an irresistible impulse appeared in his stony body.

There is no way forward. I can't take another step forward. The voice in his heart was light and firm.

Lie Yun Hua suddenly neighed fiercely, turned around and ran back to the forest.

Xin Mei suddenly stopped her pace in running after them and opened her eyes wide as she watched him jump off the horse. Slowly, gradually and quickly, his movements of all sudden sped off.

The cold air mingled with his long-lost smell, hit her on her face.

He tightly hugged her with his two stretched arms.

It was like they had been separated for 30 autumns.

“…follow me!”

With his hoa.r.s.e voice, he picked her up and strode toward the edge of the cliff.

:: :: ::