Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Four

Despite feeling like her heart was being pierced by needles and burning with anxiety, she still had to calm down.

Looking around, the scene was one of utter chaos.

She watched as Li Yuanxiu staggered toward her, seemingly injured in the leg, and quickly went to support her.

"Senior Sister!" Looking at Li Yuanxiu with eyes full of heartache, seeing that the bloodstains at the corner of her mouth had not yet been wiped away, she directly used her sleeve to wipe away the somewhat dried bloodstains.

Li Yuanxiu shook her head, saying nothing was wrong, and then asked again, "How are the sect leader and the others?"

Looking around, apart from their fellow disciples of the same rank, they saw no one else. However, judging from the sect leader's martial arts skills, nothing unexpected would happen.

But Jiang Chaoyu's reaction seemed a bit off; her eyes were filled with tears, yet she was trying hard not to let them fall.

The masked man next to her looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

Seeing Jiang Chaoyu's reaction, he felt uncertain and his emotions surged. He asked, his voice trembling, "But, what happened?"

Jiang Chaoyu didn't dare to look directly at Li Yuanxiu. She looked into Li Yuanxiu's eyes and burst into tears, only replying with a lowered head, "Mm."

She dared not say anything more, afraid that she would break down her carefully maintained composure while speaking.

However, this news was like the sky falling for Li Yuanxiu. She suddenly lost all her strength. If Jiang Chaoyu hadn't been supporting her, she probably would have collapsed to the ground by now.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, her body trembled, and she gripped Jiang Chaoyu's wrist tightly, not saying a word even though it hurt her.

"Where are the bodies of the sect leader and the others?" Li Yuanxiu choked back tears; all she wanted to do at that moment was to see where they were.

Jiang Chaoyu looked at the city gate tower, and Li Yuanxiu followed her gaze, understanding what Jiang Chaoyu meant.

The battle had ceased at this point; most of the enemy's men had fled. This victory was achieved at the cost of the Crescent Moon Sect's leader and other sect masters.

Standing on the city tower, looking down, there were not many people left at the Crescent Moon Gate.

I don't know the organization's purpose, but they will definitely make a comeback. But this is only the first year. There are still nine years to go, and we have to guard it for another nine years.

"Senior sister, are you aware of the deal that Crescent Moon Sect made with the Imperial City?"

When Jiang Chaoyu mentioned this matter, it immediately reminded Li Yuanxiu of the controversy among the many pavilion masters. They were worried that, for some reason, the Crescent Moon Sect would take on this task.

"I know that."

Jiang Chaoyu looked at Li Yuanxiu, feeling as if she were entrusting all her hopes to her, "Senior Sister, this is only the first year, there are still nine years to go. Our Crescent Moon Sect cannot let others look down on us."

It's not about making a deal, but about protecting the people. Since the Crescent Moon Sect has this confidence, then it must do it to the extreme. As long as there is one person left, the Crescent Moon Sect will still exist.

These words made Li Yuanxiu understand Jiang Chaoyu's meaning. His brows furrowed, and he said, "No, you are the sect leader's direct disciple. You should be the one to inherit the position of sect leader."

Jiang Chaoyu strongly disagreed with this statement and retorted, "The Crescent Moon Sect only recognizes ability, not rank."

Seeing that Li Yuanxiu was still hesitant, Jiang Chaoyu continued, "Senior Sister, I also have another identity as the second young lady of the Jiang family, so it's not appropriate for me to appear in public. You are the best person to be the sect leader."

Zeng Chenhua had somehow moved to a distance and was quietly watching Jiang Chaoyu. Even though he was internally devastated, he still had to arrange everything.

Xu Ninghui stood next to Zeng Chenhua, still hesitating whether to speak.

"You can stay there," Zeng Chenhua said, interrupting Xu Ninghui's thoughts. Of course, he had already seen through Xu Ninghui's intentions.

He continued, "Remember to help her as much as possible." Xu Ninghui knew what "her" meant.

After giving his instructions, Xu Ninghui withdrew. When Jiang Chaoyu turned back to look at Zeng Chenhua, Xu Ninghui was no longer by Zeng Chenhua's side.

When Jiang Chaoyu turned around, she was very surprised, but she didn't show it on her face. She just looked at Zeng Chenhua meaningfully and said softly, "Thank you." She figured Zeng Chenhua understood what she meant.

Many thanks to Zeng Chenhua; without him, the casualties at Crescent Moon Sect would have been even more severe.

~~~

In front of the mourning hall, Jiang Chaoyu wiped away the bloodstains from You Zhenghong, who was lying quietly in the coffin.

Tears fell like broken threads, one after another, but there was no response.

With a white flower adorning her hair and dressed in simple white clothes, her face looked haggard, and her thoughts seemed to have wandered off somewhere, as if she had lost her soul.

As the coffin lid was closed, Jiang Chaoyu said, "Master, may you have a safe journey."

Her voice was hoarse, but when the coffin was closed, Jiang Chaoyu truly understood that they would never see each other again in this life.

Leaning against the coffin, he felt utterly powerless.

Seeing this, Li Yuanxiu pulled Jiang Chaoyu away and let her lean on him. Although his clothes were soaked with tears, he did not hear Jiang Chaoyu utter a single cry. The strong-willed Jiang Chaoyu had lost her dearest loved one.

Li Yuanxiu patted Jiang Chaoyu's back, silently comforting her.

Although her eyes were also filled with tears, she stubbornly raised her head to prevent the tears from falling.

"Cry, cry, it'll make you feel better." Li Yuanxiu understood Jiang Chaoyu all too well, but she was the senior sister, and she had to support the Crescent Moon Sect. She couldn't cry anymore.

After one night, outsiders only knew that the Crescent Moon Sect had made a contribution and changed its leader, but they did not know that the Crescent Moon Sect had suffered heavy casualties.

Not wanting to disappear from the Jiang residence for too long, Jiang Chaoyu returned to her small courtyard after one night. She claimed to be unwell and confined herself to the courtyard. No matter how much delicious food Cuicui brought, Jiang Chaoyu did not eat any of it and became much thinner. Cuicui did not know what had happened, but seeing this made her anxious.

Cui Cui, carrying a bowl of porridge, stood in front of Jiang Chaoyu's bed and said softly, "Miss, you haven't eaten for two days. Please eat something."

Jiang Chaoyu lay with her back to Cuicui, saying she wasn't hungry and refusing to eat anything.

Seeing this, Cui Cui had no choice but to ask again every now and then, but the answer was always the same: her young mistress refused to eat a single bite.

Cui Cui had no choice but to quietly watch her young mistress, occasionally pacing around the courtyard, leaving her mistress alone in peace.

Jiang Chaoyu suddenly remembered the words her master had said to her before he died. She wanted to take a look at the things in the dressing table, but when she turned around, she saw that Cui Cui was not in the room. She wanted to speak, but found that her voice was already hoarse.

Helpless, I had to get out of bed and get it myself, but before I could even stand up straight, I felt dizzy and lightheaded, and I could barely stand.

Just as she was about to grab the curtain beside her, a hand reached out. Thinking it was Cui Cui, she looked up and met a pair of extremely worried eyes.

"Second Prince." Jiang Chaoyu tried to pull her hand back, but Zeng Chenhua tightened his grip on hers.

He was already worried about her, and after thinking it over, he decided to come and see her. But the first sight of her broke his heart.

He knew she wasn't the kind of person who would let herself fend for herself, but everyone has emotions, and she was no exception.

In just a few days, she had become so thin. Her cheeks were sunken, and her eyes had lost their former sparkle, looking like stagnant water.

Jiang Chaoyu hadn't expected Zeng Chenhua to barge into her room; she was afraid he had seen her disheveled state.

Jiang Chaoyu tried to pull her hand back, but it was held tightly. Zeng Chenhua helped her to the bed and sat her down. After she sat down, he took out a lunchbox from somewhere and placed it in front of him.

First came the health-preserving porridge, followed by snacks.

"Sometimes life has more to accept than to choose, and many times you have no choice, right?" These words comforted Jiang Chaoyu, who felt that life was more about learning to accept than making choices.

There's nothing we can do, and we're powerless to do anything about it.

His words brought tears to Jiang Chaoyu's eyes again. She understood the principle, but she just couldn't accept it.

Zeng Chenhua scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and then handed it to Jiang Chaoyu. "Eat some. The Crescent Moon Sect probably can't rely on your senior sister alone."

There are not many people left in the Crescent Moon Sect, and not many who can shoulder the responsibility. Zeng Chenhua seems to be reminding Jiang Chaoyu that if he loses his fighting spirit, it will be difficult for Li Yuanxiu to take the lead.

Jiang Chaoyu tried to eat porridge, not for herself, but for the sake of Crescent Moon Sect.

Seeing that Jiang Chaoyu was finally willing to eat, Zeng Chenhua was also happy and fed Jiang Chaoyu several bites in a row. He seemed to be feeding her a little too quickly, and Jiang Chaoyu's mouth was bulging.

She stared at Zeng Chenhua with a hint of resentment, which made Zeng Chenhua realize something was wrong. He smiled and watched Jiang Chaoyu finish chewing before continuing.

In less than fifteen minutes, Jiang Chaoyu finished the bowl of porridge, but when Zeng Chenhua wanted to give her dessert, Jiang Chaoyu refused, as she was too full to eat anymore.

"Thank you, Second Prince." He spoke with some weakness, but thankfully he sounded better than before.

Zeng Chenhua used a handkerchief to wipe the residue from the corner of Jiang Chaoyu's mouth, which made Jiang Chaoyu notice that the handkerchief seemed to be the one she had left behind earlier.

However, Jiang Chaoyu pretended not to see it and ignored it.

Seeing that Jiang Chaoyu looked much better, he said, "Why distinguish between you and me?"

These words made Jiang Chaoyu feel a little shy, and she unconsciously clenched the blankets in her hands.

Zeng Chenhua was somewhat pleased to see that Jiang Chaoyu was much better, which put his mind at ease. However, he realized that he had been in her room for some time and it was time to leave. "Seeing that you can eat, I'm relieved. I'll be going now. See you another day."

Before leaving, he reminded Jiang Chaoyu, "You must take good care of yourself."

Jiang Chaoyu watched Zeng Chenhua's retreating figure and replied, "Okay."

After a while, once she was sure the person had really left, she went to her dressing table.

Perhaps because he had eaten something, he was indeed feeling much better. Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, his complexion had improved.

If it weren't for my master's words that awakened me, I would probably have been stuck in this world forever.

She remembered that she had once obtained a forbidden book that described how people from other dimensions could return to their original world, but she had forgotten about it after putting it away. Now, she could not afford to get any deeper into this world.

In addition, she seems to have discovered that using her ability will cause her memories to be forgotten.

When you open that book, the first thing you see is the phrase "cross-dimensional spacetime".

"Speaking of which, how should we get back?" Jiang Chaoyu sat in the chair, flipping through the pages, and unconsciously spoke aloud.

She thought Zeng Chenhua had left, but he hadn't. Zeng Chenhua was leaning against the back of the courtyard, and she could hear Jiang Chaoyu's voice if she listened carefully.

She thought to herself, "Are you still going, Ah Yu?"