Hua Hua You Long - Volume 2 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 - full version

That person in white had this graceful brows, and beneath them were limpid eyes like autumn water. Skin so fair like the brightest white jade. In the weather so cold, wore a merely thin piece of unlined garment, --- For who knows made of what high quality material. The white garment was gently fluttering and floating in the tender cold wind. Setting off a celestial being presence.

Seemingly wasn’t aware at all at the attention of the innumerable eyes that pouring on him. His eyes as if binding Lu Cang, who could only foolishly gaze at him and stood up-right in shock.

………..

The people with embroidered uniforms by his side, suddenly all kneeled down and shouted out in unison : “His Majesty request Lord Lu to come back to capital!”

Jing also stretched out his pair of hands, “Cang, come back please? ‘I’ really missed you.” His gentle voice was something that Lu Cang had not heard before, carrying the beauty of hypnotizing and mesmerizing illusion. (Jing used the royal I here.)

Everyone was looking at Lu Cang with theirs surprised eyes. Multitude of people, more or less, had heard the story about the Marquis. They all knew that because of his attempted at regicide, he was executed.

Who would expect that Lord Lu was not only still alive among them, but it was actually someone in front of them and well known by not only a few people, known as the “Eagle” Lu Cang.

Yet, compared to that fact, the most shocking one, so astonishing that everybody couldn’t react at all, was actually the fact that he was a couple of homosexual with this amazingly beautiful person who used the royal ‘I’ thus professed himself as the Emperor Jing Zong.

Lu Cang, from the beginning, could only stand still at his spot, as if he had long forgotten the way to speak.

Anxiously, Cao Xin poked and urged him to look out the window. Still in his daze, Lu Cang absentmindedly turned his head to look outside. He was greatly surprised at once.

The originally empty street, didn’t know since when, both side had been filled with multitude kneeling people who dressed like imperial palace bodyguards. When they saw Lu Cang stick his head out the window, they all bowed and hailed out in unison, “Respectfully welcome Lord Lu’s return to the palace!”

The voices pierced the sky and resounded throughout the city of Hangzhou.

Lu Cang’s face grew taut at once. --- By now everyone in the whole city would know about his and Jing’s affair. In most likelihood, it’ll be difficult or close to impossible for him to gain a foothold in his hometown anymore. For the rest of his life, he would have to shoulder the shameful reputation as the Emperor’s male favorite.

"Xiao Cang, come here, please! I’ve come for you! So, come back.”

Jing’s both stretched out hands remained, waiting for Lu Cang to come to him. His whole face smiled with such gentleness, produced an indescribable beautiful distinctive countenance.

"Really! Giving me such an excessive honor….." Lu Cang suddenly laughed out loud.

The next moment, he did something that unexpected by anybody.

Lu Cang stretched his hand to his head and untied his hair bun. ---- Immediately, his waist length long hair fell down in a rush like a waterfall. Fell on to his body. --- Datong’s men grew and kept their hair in a show of filial piety towards their ancestors. For men to have hair this long was nothing special.

While the crowd was still having an unclear mind for what he just did, he abruptly drew out a dagger from his waist. At a lightning speed, he raised his dagger and without hesitation he cut off his long hair. He held the severed stands in his hand.

The whole room reigned by silence at once. Everybody secretly glanced sideways at Jing’s direction. Unable to make a guess about the development of the situation.

They could only see Jing’s face lose its color and became deathly pale. The warmth in his eyes dissolved, replaced by a piercing cold radiance, rigidly glared at the calm-faced Lu Cang.

Lu Cang stepped forwards. He stopped at a ten steps distant from Jing’s standing point.

His stretched out his hand and loosened it. The long black hair carried by the wind fell and swirled like silk at Jing’s feet.

"For you! Henceforth, we both owe each other nothing." The corner of his mouth actually leaked out a smile. Slowly, he retreated and stood in front of his brothers.

Cao Xin and the others were stupefied, agape and tongue-tied while seeing the scene, didn’t know what the best to say in this situation.

"Go back, Your Majesty."

Lu Cang spoke again. : "As you can see, I’ve cut off my hair, that means ---- In this lifetime, I will never go back to Tongan. But you can rest assured, I will definitely never have anyone else! So ---My only wish is that you let me go."

Having said the words, as if concluded his wishlist, from the depth of his being, he breathed out a long relieved sigh.

Jing was biting hard on his lips, unable to control the muscles on his face from trembling.

He locked his eyes at the black hair on the floor without shifting. It was as if only if a hole appeared from the ground would he be satisfied.

"Let our Big Brother go…" Ge Qing wanted to stand out from behind Lu Cang’s back, but Lu Cang blocked him from doing so.

"Quickly forget about me….. The world is big, A man like me, no way there isn’t any….. Given Your Majesty’s appearance and status, is there anything can’t be obtained? There is needless to make an effort for a person who’s heart has done and over with like me, isn’t it?"

Lu Cang cut his hair, but it was as if he cut off all of his desires and worries. His whole self felt so light and relaxed at once to the extent that the manner he spoke at Jing had become so warm and composed.

"NO! I DON’T WANT!" Jing was staring fixedly at Lu Cang. The next moment he was suddenly yelled out like mad and caused the crowd in the hall startled and all jumped out of their skin.

“Tell me what will it take to make you change your mind? Whatever it is, tell me!” He took a step forward and then another, gradually, step by step,  he closed in to Lu Cang.

Lu Cang tried to force back his desire to retreat, but in the end he couldn’t help but step back until he hit the windowsill.

Looking at the never seen emotions as rich and as apparent on Jing’s face, Lu Cang knew if he wavered, he would only put himself through yet another painful experience, into the abyss of misery, a hellish struggle about being loved or not, forever, without a way out, not be allowed to spare.

No one could save him. --- He could only rely on his own determination.

Hardened his heart, Lu Cang proudly raised his head. “My apologize! Never in this life will I go back!”

The expression on Jing’s face was like hearing someone had sentenced him to death. No one dared to look directly at his face, afraid that his grief would affect them.

In the next moment, it was Jing’s turn to do something that no one ever expected.

He rushed to stand in front of Lu Cang. When everyone thought that in his extreme rage, Jing would reach the sword to blindly kill Lu Cang for rejecting him, Instead, with a “thump” he kneeled down on the ground, his eyes fixed on Lu Cang’s shocked eyes’ pupils and spoke word by word with sincerity,  :

“Come back! I’m begging you…” Everyone was dumbfounded. Lu Cang was also dumbfounded. ---- He felt Jing hasten forward and hugged his legs. He even forgot to dodge and step aside. He just stiffly stood there, like a stone pillar.

"OUT! GET OUT!"

Jing suddenly roared with rage. Everyone as if waken up from a dream upon hearing the order from the Underworld Ruler, scrambled about to be the first to escape to the outside, their whole face was of a face that unable to fathom. Having run up to two li outside the wine house, their faces were still wearing the same expression, the face that unable to believe that they had seen such an unbelievable strange thing.

"Come back…Come back…please come back…" Jing was like having his nerves snapped and broken, desperately crying loudly while holding Lu Cang.

It wasn’t until he felt a large wet patch on his trousers did Lu Cang finally realize Jing was actually crying.

Jing is…crying… For a moment, Lu Cang thought he was dreaming, and then he thought he’d been killed and was hallucinating on his deathbed right before he died. He couldn’t help but lift his finger to his mouth. Hard as he could, he bit it.

But facts were facts.

Jing really was hugging his legs tightly, refusing to let go, even to the extent that he began to whimper like a child, he started sobbing loudly. “Wuu …Come back, Cang…Come back…”

Between the both of us, one must have been crazy.

Lu Cang was at a loss, he bleakly thought ---- The world had crumbled and fallen……

Jing actually is hugging him and shedding tears for him. ---- That very person who likes to play and cruelly treated him as a beloved plaything, Jing? That proud and consider himself as unexcelled in this world yet have the qualification to be arrogantly act all high and mighty Jing? That very same person who always dons himself in white while laughing evilly Jing?

I can’t…. I can’t anymore – Lu Cang thought. He didn’t realize that he had said it out loud.

In the next moment, Lu Cang was like a cloud of cotton candy that floated down into the embrace of the man who was crying like a child…..

From the beginning, even if I have to die, I am already unable to escape from his clutch. --- Pitying himself who thought that by cutting off his hair and by vowing that he would remain unmarried, would be able to break away from Jing. --- He was actually so pitifully too naïve.

Lu Cang’s last thought was like a knife that delimited and betrayed his determination. He weakly leaned close to snuggle in Jing’s chest. And just like that, he fainted.

Carrying Lu Cang in his arms, Jing emerged from Tianxiang House. He stepped into his magnificent chariot. Then yelled out, “Hurry and by this very night, let’s head back to Tongan!”

Looking at the standing blankly by the side, who stared at him with eyes filled with disbelief, Cao Xin and the brothers, Jing raised an eyebrow, spoke as a matter of fact at them : “Why still in a daze? Quick get your horse, back to Tongan together!”

The vast and mighty procession headed back to Tongan in that very night. All of the people were still wearing their bewildered expression. Obviously, they still unable to figure out what kind of terrifying method did their master use to forcefully get back his lover.

Slowly Lu Cang opened his both eyes to pleasantly behold a pair of eyes as beautiful as the bright moon. ---- Lu Cang could feel that the Jing at this moment was particularly different…...

Like a moon that had torn away the yarn of clouds that masking its face, He cast aside his pride as well as his self-esteem, baring all of his feeling and exposed it in front of other people--- Lu Cang then knew: from this moment on, they truly are together.

———    End of chapter