Chapter 120: You Miss Me, Don’t You?

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“Cui Yue, tell me—do you think it’s possible that someone from Upper Bend Village turned against them and gave up this old bastard?”

Zhang Hao analyzed the situation with a solemn expression.

“It isn’t impossible. After all, wherever there is oppression, there will be resistance. Besides, there’s been more than enough bloodshed lurking behind Upper Bend Village.”

Cui Yue nodded.

Although the matter at Upper Bend Village had temporarily come to an end, Cui Yue still felt distracted and uneasy. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Wei Luoyang’s face.

Who, exactly, was behind all this? What connection did she have to it? Yet she had not revealed a single word. What unspeakable secret was hidden behind this fog?

“Master Cui, are you thinking about someone?”

Cui Yue nodded instinctively.

“A woman?”

Cui Yue nodded again. More precisely, a female ghost.

“Look, the person you’ve been pining for is coming over!”

Zhang Hao gave him a meaningful glance.

Cui Yue turned his head and immediately saw a familiar figure approaching. In a white dress, her hair tied in a ponytail, the girl walked toward them at an unhurried pace. A faint fragrance, like orchids, drifted from her, her presence seeming both there and not there.

“Well, well—sister-in-law, have you come looking for our Master Cui?”

Zhang Hao teased him.

“Get lost! What nonsense are you talking about?”

Yang Liu’s pretty face flushed with embarrassment, and she wished a crack would open in the ground and swallow her. Yet her hand was anything but gentle; the lunchbox in her hand came down squarely on Zhang Hao’s head.

Clang!

Zhang Hao felt his head buzzing. The stars before his eyes, which had only just faded, came swirling back.

“Let’s see you spout nonsense again!”

Yang Liu pulled a face at him.

“Dazhuang, hurry up and help me. We need to make room for our Master Cui.”

Dazhuang looked puzzled.

“Where are we going? I haven’t even eaten yet.”

“You’re a glutton and a third wheel. You’re a grown man—how can you have no sense at all?”

Zhang Hao scolded him irritably.

“Right, right. Look at me—my head’s as thick as a block of wood.”

Dazhuang scratched his head and laughed foolishly.

“Go on, both of you. Don’t mind them.”

Cui Yue hurriedly shooed the two clowns away. Nothing decent ever came out of their mouths.

“Why do you look so pale these days?”

Yang Liu asked with concern.

“How could I possibly look well after not seeing you for several days?”

Cui Yue had meant it as a joke, but the moment the words left his mouth, they sounded like a tender confession from another lifetime, striking straight at her heart.

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Yang Liu’s face suddenly reddened like a ripe apple. She lowered her head even further and stared at the tips of her shoes.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Cui Yue found it amusing and deliberately continued in all seriousness.

“It’s just that the moment I saw you, I got my appetite back. Even the food tastes better.”

Yang Liu’s face turned scarlet. She reached out and gave his arm a vicious pinch.

“Ow, ow! Let go, let go!”

The pain nearly drove Cui Yue under the table.

“Hmph! That’s what you get for talking nonsense!”

Yang Liu tossed her ponytail, her flushed little face full of proud defiance.

Her hair brushed lightly past him, carrying a heady fragrance that made his heart tremble.

“So tell me—where have you been fooling around these past few days?”

Cui Yue rubbed his aching arm, grimacing.

“Hey, what do you mean, fooling around? Dazhuang’s maternal uncle passed away, so we went to attend the funeral.”

“Oh, I see. I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you for days. Brother Zhang told me you had something urgent to deal with and had taken several days off.”

Cui Yue was astonished when he heard that. This girl had not seen him for several days, yet she had actually gone all the way to the workshop to look for him. His heart instantly filled with sweetness.

“What? Were you missing me?”

Yang Liu realized she had let the truth slip. She pummeled him with a flurry of little fists.

“Missing you? In your dreams!”

As they talked, Yang Liu suddenly noticed several dark bruises beneath Cui Yue’s neck and could not help asking,

“Did you boys get into another fight?”

“What fight?”

Cui Yue pretended not to understand. He could not tell her about going to Upper Bend Village to deal with ghosts; he did not want her to worry.

“You’re still pretending? Look at all these injuries, and you still want to argue!”

She pointed at his collar.

Cui Yue thought that the bruises had probably come from being knocked around during the struggle, so he paid them little attention.

“Oh, those? I bumped into something while helping Dazhuang carry some things.”

“Yeah, right. As if I’d believe you! Just watch yourself!”

Yang Liu pouted dramatically, stamped her foot, and went back to the workshop on her own.

“That girl turns on you at the drop of a hat.”

Cui Yue shook his head secretly.

The busy work at the factory could make a person temporarily forget his troubles, allowing him to pour his limited sweat into ordinary labor and create a value of his own.

Cui Yue stared at the wrench in his hand. At times, he felt lost and empty. But did he still remember the young swordsman beside the ancient well on the cliff?

At the thought, his mind grew hazy. Which one was the real him?

Qingquan’s soul-searching question—what is the Way?—still echoed in his ears.

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He raised his hand and tossed the wrench back into the toolbox, then let out a deep sigh.

When Cui Yue returned home that evening, he shut himself in his room. He felt as though all the strength had been drained from his body and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But just after taking off his jacket, he nearly cried out.

What had happened to him? What was wrong with his body?

Several purplish-red patches, shaped like drifting clouds, had suddenly appeared across his chest and abdomen. Some were broad blotches, while others stretched into strips.

“What… what is this?”

Cui Yue panicked. He hurriedly found a mirror and held it up to inspect his back. The same marks covered it as well.

The purplish-red patches had grown across his skin, yet they neither hurt nor itched.

An ominous feeling rose within him. Whatever this thing was, it could not possibly be anything good.

“Yue’er, come out quickly. Dinner’s ready!”

Aunt Li was arranging the dishes in the outer room and calling for him.

Cui Yue started violently. He hastily pulled his jacket back on and answered indistinctly,

“All right, Mom. I know. I’m coming.”

Aunt Li filled a bowl with rice.

“Why hasn’t that boy come out yet? The food’s getting cold.”

Cui Yuanjun put down the newspaper and snorted.

“It’s because you’ve spoiled him all day long. He’s a grown man, yet all he knows is how to loaf around! Forget him. Let’s eat!”

The moment he finished speaking, Cui Yue had already slipped over to the table. He held his rice bowl in both hands, his mind weighed down with worry.

“Dear, eat quickly, or it’ll get cold!”

Cui Yuanjun tipped back his head and downed a small cup of strong liquor before finally picking up his chopsticks.

For this family, meals were practically the only time they communicated. Whenever Cui Yue saw his father, he felt like a mouse facing a cat. He hastily shoveled down a few mouthfuls, then claimed he was full.

He threw on a work jacket, called out a brief goodbye, and turned to leave.

“That child hardly ate anything. How can he say he’s full?”

Aunt Li watched him anxiously.

“Why do you care? He’s a grown man. It’s not as though he’ll starve to death. Look at him—how will he ever amount to anything?”

Cui Yuanjun took another sip of liquor, his expression full of exasperation at his son.

“And you’re no better. You’re always scowling at him. If you have something to say, can’t you speak to him properly?”

Aunt Li sighed. She truly had no idea what to do with this father and son.

Cui Yue walked along, pondering what on earth had appeared on his body. His thoughts were tangled like a ball of thread.

“That’s right. I’ll go find Four-Eyes first. Maybe he’ll know what to do.”

The thought suddenly gave Cui Yue something to hold on to. He quickened his pace, taking three steps in two, and ran toward Prosperity Inn.

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