The withered leaves on the barren hill were swept up by the wind, the air of Da Du at the end of autumn was dry, the moisture in the leaves had dried up, and these leaves were tangled together, making a crisp rustling sound.
A few withered leaves dry and brittle, crisply slapped against Song Ci’s cheeks.
There was also the harsh, unpleasant cawing of crows echoing from the mountain, all reminding him—
Had really come back.
Song Ci had thought more than once what he would say if the day ever came that Xiao Lu returned... the words he would use when they met again.
But when the moment actually arrived, all those earlier preparations were useless, his mind went blank, and he couldn’t remember a single word of the phrases he had rehearsed in front of a mirror.
At the mountain top in late autumn, with the leaves flying, this scene was forever frozen, filled with a faint sorrow.
Since nobody spoke, the mountain top remained silent.
The woman with her red hair tied back, without changing her posture, slowly bowed to the wooden stele, with only the rustling of whirling withered leaves filling the air throughout the process.
After the homage was over, Nan Jin picked up her sheath and rose to her feet, she lowered her eyes, holding the handle of a knife beneath her windbreaker, and slowly started back the way she had come.
A voice void of any emotion.
The lady didn’t move, she stood in front of her sister, staring at that face etched with stubbornness, seeing herself in those eyes full of yesteryears.
"It has been ten years..."
Lu Nanzhi gently spoke, "I thought you wouldn’t come back this year either."
"Does it make a difference?"
Nan Jin lifted her head, "Coming back or not, being dead or alive... does it make a difference to you?"
The lady spoke again, but her voice was immediately cut off.
"I am not..." Nan Jin shook her head, "I erased my own surname, cut off all ties with you in name. From the day I left Da Du, I was no longer your sister."
"But you are still part of the Lu family." Lu Nanzhi furrowed her brows, struggling to keep her tone even and gentle.
"Yes... erasing the surname doesn’t mean anything, I obviously am still part of the Lu family, because I have been investigating the tragedy of Lion Alley for ten years. I still remember Old Lu lying in a pool of blood, still remember the scene of the alley crowded with onlookers, still remember the grief and anger it brought me. I searched all over the East Continent, searching for the truth, searching for evidence, just because I am part of the Lu family." Nan Jin lifted her head, her eyes full of dim anger as she questioned coldly, word by word, "But are you?"
Lu Nanzhi was taken aback.
She opened her mouth, a myriad of words choked up, but at this moment she couldn’t utter a single word.
"I once had such a sister, a genius in everyone’s eyes, unapproachable, with abundant knowledge far superior to others, courage one in a million, numerous virtues."
Nan Jin slowly began, "I used to idolize her, did everything I could to become such an excellent person... but later I discovered I was wrong. It was all a facade, she wasn’t worthy of my respect."
"What did you do after Old Lu died?"
Nan Jin asked coldly and forcefully, "After the Lu family was toppled, who ended up as the biggest winner? Do you know what people are saying in the streets and alleys? Even a ten-year-old could see the ’truth’; can’t you see it? You are my sister, how could you... collude with the Zhao Family that encroached on our heritage!"
After saying this, she slightly turned her body, brushed past Lu Nanzhi, and walked down the mountain alone.
The lady had not said another word since Nan Jin’s angry outburst.
She fell into silence.
Quiet and wooden like a mere puppet.
Each of Nan Jin’s questions was like a bullet, hitting her right in the heart while she simply stood quietly, enduring it all.
Standing on the last stone step of the mountaintop, she could just see her father’s monument.
"Madam... are you all right?"
After hearing these words, Song Ci’s expression was very complex.
Lu Nanzhi waved her hand to indicate she was fine; her expression had barely changed throughout because the recent criticism was nothing new to her, compared to the more intense verbal attacks and heart-wrenching offenses she had experienced... But if someone had observed the madam’s expression closely, they would have noticed a fleeting moment of sadness in her eyes when Nan Jin decisively walked away, quickly concealed.
"Since you’re willing to return to Da Du, it’s a good thing," she inhaled slightly, her voice somewhat hoarse, "You and Nan Jin have been friends since childhood, go after her, don’t let her just walk away like that."
Crow sighed deeply inside and dashed down the mountain.
The desolate hilltop was left with only Lu Nanzhi alone.
She arrived at her father’s grave, took out a small bottle of wine from her bosom, and slowly poured it in front of the wooden stele, dampening the withered leaves. Faint sounds of the winds howling could be heard. It was Lion Awakening Wine formulated by Lu Cheng, use a little less every time, a part was kept by Song Ci, and the other was stored by Lu Nanzhi, only to be poured during the annual tomb sweeping and offering.
The plaque inscribed with "Nameless Peer Lu Cheng," started to turn bright red from drinking the Lion Awakening Wine.
It was the spiritual element burning through logic and rules.
It looked like someone had opened their eyes, quietly facing Lu Nanzhi.
"Father... can you see? Nan Jin has come back and has grown up," the madam softly spoke, a tender smile adding to her face, "But she is still the same, stubborn, obstinate... Actually, I am quite happy for her, leaving for ten years and not being changed by her surroundings isn’t easy."
"She still can’t understand my actions."
"Understand... what you and I have been striving for."
"But I believe that day will come very soon."
Lu Nanzhi gently sipped some Lion Awakening Wine, her cheeks flushing slightly and beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Another year has gone by, everyone is desperately searching for the ’key’... Without the ’key,’ the conference room in the deep water area might be overturned at any moment, and the people in the room dare not show their true faces," she said with a smile, "Sometimes I even doubt myself, does the ’key’ really exist? Is all this just a huge lie?"
The red light on the stone stele flickered like a blinking eye.
No one could give her an answer.
"In the last meeting... someone said they’d found the ’key’ and even delivered it to my city..."
Lu Nanzhi chuckled softly, "But the ’Red Door’ did not respond, and that person 031 did not seem particularly reliable... But it’s okay, this isn’t the first time I’ve been full of hope and returned disappointed... We can keep going for many, many more years, but Deep Sea is evolving too fast, I’m afraid we don’t have much time left."
Only in front of this plaque did the madam resemble a little girl.
She could pour out her heart, without any reservations.
"Oh yes, there’s another important piece of news..."
"The vacant council seat is about to start being nominated."
As she said this, there was no joy in Lu Nanzhi’s eyes, only sarcasm, "Zhao Xilai finally couldn’t bear it anymore, as long as I agree to implement the Awakening Bill, I can easily secure the council seat of Da Du."
She gathered her courage, speaking earnestly to her father.
"But... I don’t want to agree."