ATLAS TRANSLATES

— “Always crying and acting, don’t you know how I feel about you?”

Lightning flashed through the window lattice and tree shadows, pressing down from above. Rain poured from the heavens like a flood, filling the world with flowing light and rain. After the wind and rain forced open the window, the pitch-black trees outside and the cold light from the sky enveloped everything. The rain and humidity rushed toward the man and woman inside.

When half her arm got wet from the rain, she shivered slightly. Her lover noticed immediately. He raised his wide sleeve to shield her from the rain. She only saw the flowing light before her, alternating between bright and dark. His hand cupped her face, his eyelashes brushing against her delicate skin like crow feathers.

She trembled, and he kissed her more gently.

It was neither a sigh nor pity. When a man truly cares for a woman, even his kisses convey his feelings.

Tears fell from Luo Lingyu’s eyes, splashing onto his face. Through blurry eyes, she was held by Lu Yun as he kissed her neck. His deep affection and love made her heart ache with bitterness. She was already drawn to him – he was the most refined, quick-tempered, yet outstanding man she had ever met.

Though superior to others in many ways, he had flaws like arrogance and looking down on people. Lu Yun displayed these flaws perfectly, making her angry and defiant. She often felt embarrassed because he kept catching her bad sides.

Many times she thought that if it were another man, he wouldn’t treat her this way.

She could have a better man who loved her deeply.

But feelings often follow the heart, yet not by choice. Being drawn to someone, liking someone, always involves some fate, as if struck from the first glance. Even if you end up hurt afterward, that too is fate… Luo Lingyu trembled and cried, her eyes reddened, making her even more distressed.

Her fingers clutched his sleeve, fingertips tracing the cloud pattern.

He kissed her with such passion… which made her more afraid of losing him. She had dreamed of a world without him – it was just a fantasy, but it made her feel numb between life and death.

The lady in his arms stopped struggling, but her eyes were like falling rain. While kissing her tenderly, he only tasted her tears. Lu Yun sighed softly and raised his eyelashes. He held her from behind, turning his face to meet her watery, reddened eyes.

Luo Lingyu pushed against his chest: “You’ll really die, don’t dismiss what I’m saying.”

Hearing once again that he would die, the young lord’s heart wavered slightly. Forcing himself to stay calm, Lu Yun paused: “…Your makeup is smeared.”

Luo Lingyu: “…?!”

She immediately broke down and scolded him: “How can you be like this? I’m dying of worry about you, and you’re still joking around. What’s so funny? You mention my makeup is smeared thinking I’ll go look for a mirror?”

But she did tense up, her eyes anxiously darting around, wanting to find a mirror to fix her makeup…

This beauty who loved her appearance so much was so different from other elegant and gentle ladies… With complex emotions, Lu Yun smiled.

He stopped teasing her and took her hand to sit down together. Sitting in front of the mirror, Luo Lingyu secretly glanced at Lu Yun, seeing him looking down at her with an expression that was hard to read as good or bad.

After hesitating, Luo Lingyu couldn’t help but peek at the beauty in the bronze mirror. Lu Yun remained silent behind her, so Luo Lingyu pondered whether her makeup was really smeared…

Suddenly, Lu Yun spoke from behind: “Tonight, the Northern Princess’s people were caught spying on military intelligence during Wei General’s patrol. The Northern Princess probably thought men should be captivated by her beauty. Unhappy with General Wei, she refused to provide information. In his fury, General Wei was about to strike with his sword when I stopped him.”

Lu Yun stood up and closed the window properly. The carpet by the window was soaked. Lu Yun paced back, speaking calmly: “He comes from a humble background with no backing. General Wei cannot bear the consequences of killing a princess sent for political marriage. Luo Lingyu, I usually don’t say anything about your scheming, but this time, you’re harming General Wei. Didn’t I tell you not to harbor thoughts of harming others?”

Luo Lingyu lowered her eyes, trembling slightly at his calm words, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She cared too much about Lu Yun’s opinion of her, constantly worried that he looked down on her. So every time he saw through her dark side, she felt terrible. But she had no other choice – letting Lu Yun die, she would take the blame, General Wei would take the blame.

Of course it would be General Wei.

Luo Lingyu pressed her lips together: “I did nothing wrong.”

“You did wrong,” Lu Yun said softly, “Wrong is wrong, don’t quibble. But Lingyu, I believe you’re not that kind of person… You must have your reasons…”

Luo Lingyu suddenly looked up at him, tears still in her eyes, but shocked: “You believe I’m not that kind of person?”

Lu Yun smiled and reached out again, this time using his sleeve to wipe away her tears. He said softly: “If it’s jealousy, it’s too frightening. My beloved wouldn’t distrust me to this extent, right?”

Luo Lingyu stared at him tearfully, emotions flickering in her eyes. After a long while, she nodded: “Yes, I have my reasons. Because I don’t want to harm you, nor get myself involved. And I think General Wei won’t die for this, because you’re here – you won’t let him retreat from battle. The reason I’m being so awful is that I believe that princess will cause your death.”

Lu Yun’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

He maintained his calm expression and listened as she continued.

Luo Lingyu took a deep breath and slowly explained everything to him. She had wanted to tell him for a long time, but that princess kept coming between them, and she was always half-genuinely angry with Lu Yun. Moreover, Lu Xian said that dream was set on a day of heavy snow and fog, still some time away, so Luo Lingyu thought she would have a better chance to convince Lu Yun.

Lu Xian could foresee his future. Lu Xian said he had two dreams, and in both Lu Yun faced death. Though the deadly fate seemed impossible to escape, it had to be solved. Lu Xian’s dreams must be true – his half-year of madness wasn’t fake, he was nearly driven insane by his own dreams.

So Luo Lingyu traveled thousands of miles to find Lu Yun. She had struggled with this decision, and this was the result of her struggle.

Luo Lingyu: “…So, that princess will cause your death, and I can’t watch you die. Rather than that, it’s better to let her die from the start.”

Lu Yun remained silent for a long time.

Luo Lingyu carefully observed his expression, anxious and afraid he wouldn’t believe her. She felt frustrated, remembering how she didn’t believe Lu Xian’s dreams at first. If Lu Yun didn’t believe either, and Lu Xian wasn’t here, how could she convince him… Lu Yun forced himself to stay calm, not letting his emotions be swayed by his death in the dream. He said: “Impossible.”

Luo Lingyu’s heart sank: Sure enough, he didn’t believe at all.

She anxiously stood up to speak. Lu Yun slowly said: “Even if this dream is true, the logic doesn’t quite add up. How could there be such prophetic dreams?”

Luo Lingyu was anxious: “You’re just too arrogant! There are all sorts of wonders in the world, why couldn’t there be prophetic dreams? Would your second brother harm you? Would I harm you? Why would we go through all this trouble just to play with you? Logic doesn’t add up, logic doesn’t add up… what logic is there in dreams? Of course the logic doesn’t add up! I knew you’d be hard to convince. You probably think I just want to kill that princess out of jealousy. Fine, believe what you want! Just think I’m the villain!”

Lu Yun’s eyes held laughter as he listened to her rapid stream of words. Lu Yun smiled: “I said one thing, and you give me such a long response. Even using crude words… You’re so anxious, you must love me deeply.”

Seeing his thick skin, Luo Lingyu immediately: “Bah!”

Lu Yun reached out to make her sit down again, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. But under Luo Lingyu’s furious glare, he contained his joy and said: “…I say the logic doesn’t add up because even if I believe the dream is real, how could second brother have prophetic dreams about you and me?”

“How would my love or hate for you affect him? How would it influence him? Impossible. A dream with no connection to himself, you tell me he dreams this dream daily… I don’t believe it,” Lu Yun chuckled, “Unless it’s really from a past life, where I died and became a vengeful spirit seeking justice through second brother?”

Luo Lingyu paused for a moment, slowly calming down. She had always felt something strange about Lu Xian’s dreams, and now she knew what it was. It was this part that had nothing to do with Lu Xian…

She and Lu Yun were indeed selfish, unable to understand how someone could dream about things unrelated to themselves.

But since it concerned Lu Yun, Luo Lingyu insisted: “How is it unrelated? You’re his most beloved brother. If you died, he would surely be devastated. Isn’t that a connection? For his happiness, to avoid his guilt, he wants to change fate! But I don’t believe it’s about past lives, I think it’s just prophecy… because his dreams change. He can’t even explain it clearly himself, he doesn’t understand it.”

Lu Yun shook his head.

What he was denying, he didn’t say.

Usually when people dream, it’s somewhat related to themselves. Even if it’s about past and present lives, it’s about one’s own past and present lives. Even if it’s not about one’s own past and present lives, it must be sensing someone else’s needs.

Luo Lingyu said Lu Xian’s dreams always revolved around Lu Yun and Luo Lingyu, but Lu Yun never believed this point.

Lu Yun didn’t believe in ghosts and spirits, but if there really were ghosts and spirits, if he really had a past life, if he really would die unjustly…

Lu Yun felt he wouldn’t seek justice through his second brother.

Second brother was naive. If Lu Yun were to seek someone, he would choose Liu Su. Even if he chose Luo Lingyu, second brother wouldn’t be someone he’d consider.

So why did Lu Xian have dreams about Lu Yun?

There must be something they had overlooked.

Lu Yun kept these thoughts to himself, and under Luo Lingyu’s disapproving gaze, he spoke again about the dream’s content: “…And I don’t believe I’ll be killed by the Northern Princess.”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

She stood up angrily: “How can you not believe again?! You don’t believe anything, do you? You don’t believe anything I say, what do you believe in?!”

Lu Yun smiled: “Why are you angry again? Won’t you let others have their own thoughts?”

Luo Lingyu snorted, sat down and glared at Lu Yun, thinking: Let me hear what thoughts you have.

Lu Yun said deeply: “You say I’m arrogant and I’ll admit to that, but I couldn’t possibly be killed by an enemy princess’s suggestions. The Northern Princess doesn’t have that much influence.”

Luo Lingyu was jealous that he would speak up for that princess, and said hatefully: “Of course her suggestions aren’t the main factor. But she happens to speak up at the right time, just happening to make the court abandon you.”

Lu Yun asked in return: “Whose court is it? How could the court possibly abandon me?”

Luo Lingyu was stunned for a moment.

She wanted to say the court belonged to His Majesty, but then she remembered that court officials were all from noble families. How could the noble families abandon Lu Yun? The noble families held great power and could influence court politics. They played tug of war with the royal family…

However, in Lu Xian’s dream, the noble families did waver, but they were looking out for their own interests – they weren’t trying to kill Lu Yun, but rather wanted Lu Yun to return to Jianye.

Abandon Nanyang.

Lu Yun unraveled things step by step, leading Luo Lingyu: “If the dream is true, why don’t I return to Jianye in the dream? If I returned, wouldn’t that mean I wouldn’t die?”

Luo Lingyu’s heart trembled, her eyes contracted, thinking not necessarily. Lu Xian clearly dreamed of Lu Yun’s death twice, Lu Yun’s death seemed like a destined calamity, how could it be easily avoided… But Luo Lingyu dared not admit this, she forced a smile and said: “It must be possible. As long as that princess dies, you will…”

Lu Yun looked at her, and she gradually became embarrassed, falling silent.

Lu Yun sighed.

He always sighed in front of her, as if she always worried him. Luo Lingyu complained internally about Lu Yun, lowering her gaze to see the young lord’s flowing robe hem rise up, a dark shadow falling over her head. She looked up to see Lu Yun crouching in front of her, holding her hands that were placed on her knees.

The young lord looking up at her spoke softly: “Lingyu, if I stayed in Nanyang in the dream instead of returning to Jianye, I must have had a reason. That reason surely wasn’t just about the Northern Princess. I couldn’t have suddenly lost my wisdom and become a fool to be framed in the dream. If I am to die, I must have had no choice… What that reason is, I don’t know yet, but I will know eventually. I still firmly believe that an enemy princess’s words alone are not enough to kill me. She can influence His Majesty, but she cannot influence everyone. And the Southern Kingdom doesn’t belong to His Majesty alone. In places we don’t know about, there must be other things happening. Unknown dangers are more worrying than known ones, don’t you agree?”

Luo Lingyu guessed what he was going to say, and reluctantly pouted.

Lu Yun: “Let the Northern Princess go to Jianye. I need to correspond with second brother, to figure out this matter in detail… But for known dangers, I have my ways to deal with them, don’t you think?”

Luo Lingyu lowered her head, looking down at the young lord’s hand resting on her knee. She said softly: “Do as you please. But no matter what you do, I just won’t let you die. No matter what your reason is, if I discover it, if I see it, if you can’t avoid it, I will definitely use my own methods. Even if Brother Xuechen hates me.”

Lu Yun gripped her hand tighter.

She heard his breathing grow heavier.

Showing his emotional fluctuation.

Luo Lingyu kept her head down for a long time, before finally hearing Lu Yun say: “I will never hate you… Lingyu, we will get through this difficulty.”

Lu Yun paused for a moment, his voice softening: “But why didn’t you tell me about this earlier? If you had told me directly, General Wei wouldn’t have almost killed the princess tonight. You didn’t tell me, but acted on your own, though you say it’s to protect me, but deep down, isn’t it because you don’t trust me? You usually rely on men so much, why don’t you rely on men at crucial moments? Lingyu, why don’t you trust me? In the future when such things happen, can you discuss them with me, can you trust me?”

Luo Lingyu’s heart raced.

They stared at each other, their gazes crossing, unblinking. Like a silent duel, with sword and blade flashing beneath the surface. That soul-piercing question made one feel awkward, made one face their own heart, left nowhere to hide. The subtle feelings, the ambiguous atmosphere, the lightning outside, the empty city in dreams… came washing over again and again.

Luo Lingyu suddenly stood up.

Lu Yun immediately stood up too!

Holding her wrist, blocking her retreat, his fingers rubbed against the pulse in her wrist. Gentle, firm, unquestionable. He stepped forward, she felt somewhat flustered, somewhat afraid, she kept backing away. Seeing his outstanding features yet cold expression, the young lord’s eyes were dark, consuming her soul, stealing her spirit.

Watching him pin her against the wall, lowering his head seductively to repeat: “Why don’t you trust me? Can you trust me in the future?”

Luo Lingyu was finally forced to speak: “…That’s very difficult!”

Lu Yun’s eyes changed color.

Looking at this lady with trembling eyelashes and upturned snow-white face, her eyes showing a streak of tough ruthlessness — “You ask why I don’t trust you? Fine, I’ll tell you, because I’m suspicious, I’m afraid of getting hurt. I have nothing, I lack everything, but my heart must be resilient and unyielding to protect myself and my sister. My body can be hurt, but my spirit cannot be wounded… So at crucial moments, I dare not rely on others.”

Tears glistened in her eyes as he pulled her into his embrace.

She trembled: “I’m especially afraid… especially afraid you’ll abandon me, afraid that after I give so much, you won’t marry me in the end, won’t want me. What should I do then? I want you to always be good to me, always believe in me, always stand on my side. But even you can’t guarantee such things, how can I…”

Lu Yun interrupted her: “I can guarantee it.”

Luo Lingyu was stunned.

She watched him lower his eyes: “If I am drawn to you, I can guarantee it. If I decide to be with you, I must have thought about it many times before. I trace back to the source of these feelings, I also question all of this. You fear not having a peaceful home, I fear feelings without reason will slip away in an instant.”

“I’ve always wanted to understand why. Any feeling for me isn’t just saying ‘I admire you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I want to marry you’. For me, it is never-ending, eternal, endless entanglement, impossible to take back.”

He gripped her hand tightly, their fingers intertwined.

His eyes looked at her, the bright light in them startling. Just his gaze made Luo Lingyu’s face slowly redden. Her heart pounded wildly, she strongly sensed what he was thinking at this moment, what was on his mind. Luo Lingyu stared unblinkingly, under this intense premonition, watching Lu Yun hold her hand and gently kiss her hand’s back.

Lu Yun calmly said: “A thousand autumns ask the lord for one word, willing to love unchangingly like mountains… This answer, I will give you.”

…

Luo Lingyu trembled, eyes wide.

So he knew!

He had seen it! He had seen the secret in her sachet!

Her lips quivered, not knowing what to do. She was at a loss, only knowing how to stare blankly as he pulled her into his embrace.

He had seen through her heart, and he said he would give her an answer… Luo Lingyu closed her eyes, feeling immense joy in her heart.

…

After returning, Lu Yun discussed the Northern Princess matter with General Wei. He stayed up all night, listening to General Wei rant. The next morning, when Wei Zong’s anger had subsided somewhat, he went to question the Northern Princess again.

Lu Yun returned to his own tent and found the letters from Lu Xian that were piled up half a person’s height. Lu Xian’s letters were too numerous; previously Lu Yun thought them useless, but this time he took them seriously.

He began writing back to his foolish second brother, starting to ask about his dreams.

Not afraid of revealing heaven’s secrets, he just wanted to understand what was really going on.

After taking charge of matters, Lu Yun didn’t say much more to Luo Lingyu, fearing she would worry more. But he had a guess – what he faced wasn’t just one death. Lu Xian and Luo Lingyu were currently fixated on the day of heavy snow and fog, anxious and uneasy. But Lu Yun thought of Lu Xian’s first dream, where he died from being pierced by countless arrows.

Lu Xian was vague about this dream, not mentioning specific circumstances. But Lu Yun had a subtle guess.

He sensed this was also a deadly calamity.

…

In Nanyang’s tribulation, if he avoided death by arrows, there would be death on the snowy day. When they hadn’t even avoided the first one, it was too early to speak of what came after.

Lu Yun paced in his tent, lost in thought.

In Lu Xian’s first dream, he told Luo Lingyu that when the new emperor ascended the throne, Lu Yun would go to the border, a great battle would break out in Nanyang, and Lu Yun would die.

Lu Yun guessed that the so-called new emperor certainly wouldn’t be Prince Chen Liu Su.

Death by countless arrows clearly suggested a general’s death. If Liu Su ascended the throne, knowing Lu Yun wasn’t meant to be a general, even if he sent Lu Yun to the border, he wouldn’t make him a general. Rather, Lu Xian’s second dream seemed more realistic.

Lu Yun pondered, then who would be the new emperor? Actually, whoever became emperor didn’t make much difference to Lu Yun. But Lu Yun suspected Liu Su would meet harm, otherwise he wouldn’t die. Liu Su was practical, he wouldn’t fight for the throne, and nothing would happen to him when a new emperor ascended. But if nothing happened to him, how would Lu Yun get into trouble at the border?

Moreover, when would this great battle about to break out in Nanyang happen?

…

Lu Xian must have hidden part of it.

Or rather, Lu Xian himself didn’t know how important the parts he hid were.

Or perhaps Lu Xian’s dreams were still one-sided.

Lu Yun even keenly noticed that the timeline of Lu Xian’s dreams kept moving forward. This meant that the problems waiting ahead weren’t just about his death. There were more serious issues that alarmed Lu Yun but were overlooked by both Lu Xian and Luo Lingyu.

…

After pondering half the day, Lu Yun went out to inspect the troops. He rarely went out of the city with Wei Zong, checking the surrounding terrain, asking about the situation of troops in Nanyang, and where the Northern army that was hiding and using the Northern envoy group to buy time might be concealed.

That day he returned and wrote letters to the surrounding commanderies, while also writing to Liu Su. Lu Yun’s second brother Lu Xian wouldn’t know much about the situation in Jianye, but Liu Su would certainly know. Lu Yun needed to understand how many factors would lead to his death.