ATLAS TRANSLATES

Near Lu Xian’s courtyard, a misty fog wrapped around the trees. Dawn’s first light crept in from an angle.

Walking on the damp ground filled with fallen flowers, Lady Lu and her maids came face to face with Lu Yun . In his arms was a woman covered completely by a cloak.

Though they couldn’t see her face, the maids caught a glimpse of her jade-green dress beneath his sleeve. It looked familiar.

Everyone knew that despite Lu Yun’s handsome face, he was pure and noble in character. Unlike Lu Xian’s quiet nature, Lu Yun was proud and aloof.

Coming from a noble family, by their age, the Lu brothers usually had some experience with women. Even if they weren’t particularly interested, they would have shown some curiosity.

Only Lu Yun never did.

The Lu family’s young ladies would come and go in their finest clothes, but none could get more than a few words from Lu Yun.

For such a proud and cold young master to be holding a woman in his arms one day — this was shocking!

Lady Lu stared at Lu Yun, speechless. She completely forgot why she had come.

Meanwhile, Luo Ling Yu clutched Lu Yun’s sleeve, trembling. She desperately pinched his arm, signaling him to find a way out.

Lu Yun met Lady Lu’s gaze with an innocent face. He acted so calm and natural that Lady Lu began to doubt her own judgment.

Lady Lu wondered if she was overthinking things.

Before Lady Lu could collect her thoughts, a servant rushed out from the courtyard ahead: “My lady, quick! Second Young Master has truly woken up this time!”

Her son waking up was naturally more important than “Lu Yun possibly sleeping with a maid.” Hearing news about Lu Xian, Lady Lu had no time to deal with Lu Yun’s scandal.

She gave Lu Yun a warning look before hurrying past him with her maids to check on Lu Xian.

After they left, Lu Yun lifted the cloak. The beauty in his arms was red-faced from holding her breath.

Before Lu Yun could speak, Luo Ling Yu exclaimed excitedly: “Second Cousin is finally awake? That’s wonderful… Third Cousin, please take me back to the Buddha Hall quickly. I must see Second Cousin!”

Luo Ling Yu’s heart immediately flew to Lu Xian. She thought about how to warn him about the falling in water incident before Lady Lu and the others could talk to him.

She tried to forget about Lady Lu’s earlier interruption. While hiding in Lu Yun’s arms, she quietly fixed her hair and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. She even sniffed her sleeve.

Looking up, she met Lu Yun’s cold, disapproving gaze.

“Everyone wants to look nice. Did I do something wrong?” Luo Ling Yu asked.

Lu Yun just replied with a scoff.

Leaving aside what his “hmph” meant, after their game of hide and seek, Lu Yun took a different path to Lu Xian’s back courtyard. They managed to avoid the busy servants several times.

He successfully got Luo Ling Yu back to the Buddha Hall and took away the maid who had been pretending to be her.

Then Lu Yun went straight to Lu Xian’s room. Lu Xian had finally woken up after being unconscious for two nights and a day. The room was full of doctors and elders.

Old Lady Lu wiped her tears, saying over and over: “It’s good that you’re awake. You had us so worried…”

Lu Yun stood behind them absent-mindedly, casually looking at Lu Xian who was sitting on the bed being hugged by his crying mother.

Lu Xian’s forehead was covered in sweat. His face was pale and his lips were chapped. After taking medicine, his color improved slightly, but his eyes still looked dazed.

Lu Xian rubbed his forehead and gently pulled away from his mother. “Mother, please don’t cry. What happened to me…”

His voice was hoarse and he stopped mid-sentence. His mind was foggy and he remembered the nightmare from his dreams.

Even after waking up, he still remembered that terrifying dream. The line between dream and reality was blurry.

The dream seemed to start just as he woke up, with Cousin Luo tearfully stumbling in through the curtains. Looking haggard and breathing heavily, she choked out—

“Second Cousin!”

“Second Cousin!”

The voice from his dream overlapped with reality. Just as Lu Xian thought this, the beautiful young lady fell into the room.

With tears in her eyes, she rushed to his bedside and called out “Cousin!”

Then, kneeling by the bed, the young lady grabbed his sleeve. She looked up at him carefully, crying tears of joy: “I knew Second Cousin would be alright. Earlier I accidentally pushed Second Cousin, causing you to fall in the water and catch a chill. If anything had happened to you, I would never forgive myself. Thank goodness you’re okay!”

Lu Xian was speechless.

She emphasized the words “I accidentally pushed Second Cousin,” her phoenix eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him, hoping he would play along.

But Lu Xian was stunned. Not just stunned – looking at his cousin’s beautiful face, he even spaced out – because this was exactly like his dream.

In the dream, Lu Xian hadn’t understood what Luo Ling Yu was saying. He had fallen into the water trying to stop Fourth Brother and Cousin Wan Er from fighting.

After Luo Ling Yu finished speaking, his strange reaction caught Lady Lu’s attention.

Before Lu Xian could figure out what was happening, Lady Lu started scolding Luo Ling Yu with a stern face.

In front of all the elders and peers, Luo Ling Yu was mortified. Forced by Lady Lu, she had no choice but to ask to return to Nanyang.

That was Luo Ling Yu’s last day at the Lu household…

Even though Lu Xian came to his senses later and wanted to stop it, it was too late… His mother’s words had been so harsh, what young lady would turn back?

Uncontrollably, because the dream and reality overlapped, Lu Xian’s heart began beating violently. His face turned red as he stared at Luo Ling Yu, wondering if the dream was real. Had he foreseen future events? But how was that possible?

Half believing and half doubting, Lu Xian initially ignored his cousin’s crying beside his ear. He suddenly looked up, his gaze passing through the crowd to land on Lu Yun standing among them.

Even standing in a crowd, he was like precious jade among common stones. Lu Yun lowered his eyes to meet Lu Xian’s gaze.

Lu Xian’s heart trembled:

In that dream world, Lu Yun had died with arrows piercing his heart! His third brother, still so young, had died just like that…

Under everyone’s surprised gaze, Lu Xian broke free from Lady Lu’s support and let go of the young lady’s hand on his sleeve.

He got out of bed barefoot, his eyes red and filled with urgent tears – even more than those in the young lady’s eyes.

While everyone was confused, they watched Lu Xian rush toward the crowd, raise his arms, and give Lu Yun an extremely passionate hug.

Lu Xian trembled all over: “Third Brother!”

Lu Yun: “…?” Has Second Brother gone mad?

Lady Lu: “…?” What’s wrong with my son?

Luo Ling Yu: “…?” Second Cousin, don’t you care about me at all?

Lu Xian excitedly hugged Lu Yun tight. The confusion in Lu Yun’s eyes matched that of everyone watching around them.

They watched as Lu Xian hugged Lu Yun, repeatedly saying: “You’re still alive, thank goodness, thank goodness…”

He stepped back a bit to look at Lu Yun’s handsome face, his heart full of sorrow.

Lu Yun subtly took a step back, but Lu Xian followed with a step forward. Lu Xian grabbed Lu Yun’s hand: “Third Brother, don’t worry, Second Brother won’t let anything happen to you… You will live a long life with a good wife and filial children. Second Brother will protect you, Second Brother absolutely won’t let anyone…”

Lu Yun calmly said: “Someone please check my Second Brother, he seems to have a brain illness.”

Lady Lu’s tears fell as she stood up with a pale face, pushing the stunned doctor beside her: “My poor Lu Xian, don’t worry, mother will cure your illness… First let go of your Third Brother…”

Lu Xian wouldn’t let go: “Third Brother! Third Brother! I’m not sick, I’m perfectly fine! Everyone leave, I need to talk with Third Brother…”

Outside the crowd, Luo Ling Yu knelt lonely by the bed, jealous and heartbroken: Second Cousin, you really don’t care about me at all? I’m the one who pushed you into the water, yet you just run straight to Lu Yun… Hateful Third Cousin, he has to compete with her for this too!

…

After the doctor’s examination, it was proven that Lu Xian was healthy with no aftereffects.

As for his nonsensical talk after waking up, Lu Xian later explained himself that he had a nightmare and mistook it for reality.

Hearing this, Lady Lu naturally stopped worrying. Her newest concern was that on the day Lu Xian woke up, she had feared her son might have become stupid. She had been anxious for a whole day and even begged Lu Yun to spend more time with his Second Brother.

Lu Yun was inexplicably forced to stay with Lu Xian for an entire day.

After Lu Xian recovered, Lady Lu finally remembered the other person involved – Luo Ling Yu.

Just as Lady Lu was about to send servants to fetch Luo Ling Yu, before her message could be sent, a maid came to report that Luo Ling Yu was requesting an audience.

The timing was perfect. Lady Lu nodded, indicating for Luo Ling Yu to enter.

The young lady who entered through the curtain had her usual narrow shoulders, slim waist, and tall, beautiful figure with snow-white skin.

As soon as she entered, it was like precious jade filling the room, dazzling to the eyes.

With her silk sash trailing the ground, Luo Ling Yu bowed slightly and spoke reasonably: “…Therefore, I feel great shame and wish to return to Nanyang, to avoid causing more trouble for the Lu family.”

Lady Lu looked at her with great surprise: The usually sharp-tongued Luo Ling Yu actually wasn’t arguing with her? How unusual.

Liu Aunt who was squatting on the ground massaging Lady Lu’s legs also turned her head in astonishment: “…”

After a while, Lady Lu nodded with satisfaction: “…I’ve always appreciated your sensibility. I’ve prepared some gifts for you, you may return home.”

Luo Ling Yu: “Thank you, my lady.”

With everyone satisfied, Lady Lu asked the nanny to accompany Luo Ling Yu back to Snow Trace Court.

After the nanny put down Lady Lu’s gifts, she discovered that after one day, the two Luo sisters had already packed their things.

Most items in the courtyard remained untouched; she only took some changes of clothes. The young lady had brought many things when she came, but when leaving, just two or three bundles solved everything.

Luo Ling Yu made one final bow. Under the tearful gazes of Ling Yu and the other girls, she left Snow Trace Court.

Saying she feared being too sad, she didn’t go to bid farewell to other elders, which was just as well for such a quiet departure.

Walking out all the way to Wu Yi Lane, Luo Yun Wan was first helped into the carriage by her maid Ling Xi.

Just as Luo Ling Yu waited a moment to get in the carriage, there was a gust of wind behind her.

Her hand was grabbed and she was pulled down from the carriage: “Cousin, you can’t leave—”

Luo Ling Yu fell back to the ground, took a breath, and turned around to see, as expected, Lu Xian running out of breath, but as she had hoped, holding onto her.

In a place where Lu Xian couldn’t see, a sly, self-satisfied smile flashed in Luo Ling Yu’s eyes.

But she quickly frowned, appearing weak and pitiful: “Please let go, Second Cousin…”

Lu Xian: “You can’t leave—”

Suddenly there was the sound of horse hooves from ahead. Lu Xian looked up to see a group of riders passing outside Wu Yi Lane.

The common people stood on both sides, whispering: “The Prince of Hengyang has come.”

Lu Xian stared at the riders while holding onto his cousin’s hand.

He tightened his grip, thinking: If my dream was true… the Prince of Hengyang would become the emperor in the future. And cousin would become the empress, how could she leave?

At that moment, Lu Yun was returning to the lane after buying wine. At the entrance, he saw Lu Xian pulling on Luo Ling Yu’s sleeve, refusing to let go—

Could it be that his Second Brother really did have feelings for Luo Ling Yu?

Author’s Note: Lu Yun: excuse me???