Chapter 6: Remembering the Past, She Was Filled with Regret

Chu Li… left?

The moment she heard this news, Chu Ruyan’s mind went completely blank.

He was actually serious. He really left. He really no longer wanted her as his sister.

But he was born frail and sickly—what would he do once he left the Chu family?

“Hurry! Chu Li’s health is poor, so he couldn’t have gone far. Quickly send people to look for him!”

In a panic, Chu Ruyan hastily gave the order, then turned to look at the house before her.

In her mind, if Chu Li had left the Chu family, he must have had some plan; surely he wouldn’t just wander aimlessly, right?

If so, there might be some clue inside this house.

Thinking of this, Chu Ruyan quickly stepped forward and looked toward Aunt Liu beside her.

“You’re the one who usually takes care of Chu Li, right? Take me inside to have a look.”

After saying this, she waited for Aunt Liu to lead the way—but to her surprise, many of the servants nearby suddenly showed strange expressions.

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

Seeing this, Chu Ruyan frowned in confusion. Aunt Liu lowered her head, her face expressionless, and replied:

“Second Miss, I’m actually not the one responsible for looking after the young master. Starting several years ago, Young Master Chu Li hasn’t had any servants at all.”

“What? Chu Li had no servants? Then you are…?”

“I was once a servant following the young master’s mother. I’m old now and just stay here to rest. Occasionally I would help take care of Young Master Chu Li, but most of the time, he had to look after himself.”

At this point, Aunt Liu let out a sigh, recalling the sight of ten-year-old Chu Li living alone in the abandoned house years ago.

Even the child of an ordinary family wouldn’t be left alone in a ruined house—yet Young Master Chu Li, still so young, was left there by himself.

And meanwhile, that fake, pretentious adopted son Chu Ming lived in luxury, surrounded by servants.

As someone who once served Chu Li’s mother, Aunt Liu naturally felt bitter and unfair. In fact, this was what many of the servants here thought as well.

Gazing coldly at Chu Ruyan before her, Aunt Liu’s expression turned frosty. On the other hand, the second young miss was once again struck completely speechless.

Chu Li had no servants?

How could this be?

Chu Li was the eldest son of the Chu family! And like his late mother, he was born sickly and weak!

How could it be that, in such a situation, he didn’t even have a single person to look after him?

It didn’t make sense—none of it made any sense! Something was definitely wrong!

Suddenly realizing something felt off, Chu Ruyan pressed a hand to her forehead, but for the moment couldn’t find the answer. All she could do was look at the middle-aged woman in front of her.

“Aunt Liu, thank you for taking care of Chu Li all these years. I will make it up to you!”

“But right now, could you please take me to see where Chu Li has been living?”

Hearing this, Aunt Liu’s face showed a trace of surprise, then she nodded and agreed.

Things like money or other compensation didn’t matter much to Aunt Liu; what she really wanted to see was the second young miss’s reaction upon seeing the young master’s room.

Hiding her true thoughts, Aunt Liu led Chu Ruyan to push open the door and step into Chu Li’s room.

In the next moment, Chu Ruyan couldn’t help but widen her eyes.

“It’s actually… this dilapidated?”

Looking at the walls full of cracks and the broken, caving roof, the pampered Chu Ruyan was at a complete loss for words.

Although she had already guessed it wouldn’t be good, she hadn’t imagined it would be this run-down!

“Is this really fit for anyone to live in?”

“The roof has been broken for a long time, so it leaks on rainy days. That’s why the young master usually studied over here, and kept his most precious things here.”

As Aunt Liu said this, she walked over to a cabinet. Chu Ruyan stepped closer and found that the cabinet had already been emptied, leaving behind only three items.

But the moment she saw the second item, her body trembled violently!

A jade pendant?

Why was the jade pendant here?

Wasn’t this the one she had given to A’Ming?

No—no, that wasn’t right!

In that instant, Chu Ruyan’s mind suddenly throbbed with pain, and some memories surfaced!

When they were young, there had been a frail, thin figure beside her, encouraging her as they faced the visiting physician together.

That blurry figure had always looked like Chu Ming in her memory—but in that moment, as if a layer of grime had been wiped away, the true face emerged.

It was Chu Li!

“Don’t be afraid, Second Sister. This medicine isn’t too bitter. I’ll drink it with you.”

“What do you mean it isn’t bitter? A’Li, it’s just that you’ve had too much medicine and gotten used to it, haven’t you? You just want to get better quickly, right?”

“Mm, I want to get strong and learn martial arts quickly.”

“I see… but it’s okay. Even if you can’t practice martial arts, your big sister will always stay by your side to protect you!”

“…Then I guess I’d better train anyway.”

“Hahaha.”

The memories of the past flooded through her mind, pouring into Chu Ruyan’s heart like a torrent.

She suddenly collapsed to her knees, her eyes turning red, her body trembling uncontrollably.

“Why? Why did I remember it wrong!?”

“It’s impossible! How could I have forgotten the promise I made with A’Li when we were little?”

Recalling the boy who had perfectly inherited their mother’s looks and frail body, Chu Ruyan’s heart ached so much she could barely breathe!

She had clearly promised to protect him—yet she had forgotten that promise, forgotten her own brother, and only showered affection on Chu Ming, leaving Chu Li to suffer so much hardship.

And now, he had left the Chu family, all alone!

“How could this happen?”

“No matter how busy I was with court affairs, it shouldn’t have been like this!”

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms—but she didn’t feel any pain, because what hurt even more was her heart.

Regret, sorrow, worry—all these emotions surged over her like a crashing wave, almost too much to bear.

She still couldn’t remember why she had neglected Chu Li—but she knew very clearly what she had to do now.

Turning toward the startled servants beside her, Chu Ruyan, her eyes bloodshot and her voice hoarse, gave an order:

“Prepare a horse—right now!”

“I don’t need anyone else. I’m going to find A’Li myself!”

—

Western outskirts of the imperial capital, Great Xia Dynasty.

On the official road, a peasant woman rushing along pulled her child behind her and bowed deeply to a frail young figure.

“Young hero, thank you—thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, A’Niu and I would have been dead for sure.”

The woman wiped her tears as she spoke, glancing nervously at the few corpses lying in the grass nearby, still trembling with fear.

She had only been a passing peasant woman, taking her child to the city to rely on relatives. She thought it would be safe to travel with a group, but she still ran into bandits.

When the bandits blocked the road, even those sturdy-looking farmhands had been too scared to act—yet this frail-looking young man had stepped forward, and with just a few sword strikes, had knocked the attackers sprawling!

Looking more closely—my heavens, he’s just too handsome!

The bent-over peasant woman quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at the young man’s face again. Around them, the other peasants also began murmuring among themselves.

Before, they hadn’t paid much attention—he’d been wearing a bamboo hat, looking thin and small.

But now that they saw clearly, he was better-looking than most girls, and he had martial skills too. Obviously, he must be a young master from a wealthy family!

“Many thanks for your great kindness, young master. May we ask your name?”

A man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed as he asked. But to his surprise, the young man shook his head with a smile, his eyes bright as stars.

“I’m merely a passerby; there’s no need to remember me. But there is something I’d like to ask you all.”

“Please ask, young master! We’ll answer anything we know!”

The man replied earnestly. Hearing this, Chu Li nodded slightly and then asked:

“Do you know how to get to Baiyang Dian?”