"You... you were holding that dagger to guard against me all this time?" Colin Kerr's heart ached terribly at Liam's action. So, he'd always been on guard against him?!
"No, this dagger isn't for guarding against you. It's just that you... let me down, Colin. I'm not that weak little White Rabbit anymore. Of course, I'm willing to be her forever soft little White Rabbit, but after what happened, I know exactly what I need to do. I need to become strong, so I can protect her. Maybe you think I'm cruel and heartless, but let me ask you—why do you keep insisting on loving me so deeply, knowing there's no future?"
"I love you, that's why I keep insisting!" Colin blurted out instinctively.
"That's exactly why I insist on loving her. I love her—so much, so much, I could give up my life for her. She's the last reason I have for staying alive in this world." Liam Willow looked at Colin with unwavering determination. That gaze pierced straight through Colin's heart.
"You really won't accept me?" Colin asked, clinging to his last shred of hope.
"Yes!" Liam answered, absolutely firm.
Colin shook with anger at those words. "You... you're really going to keep holding on for a dead woman?"
"She's not dead!"
"Fine. Very well." Colin let out a bitter laugh and said, "So you've grown up, huh? Gotten stronger, right? Don't need my protection anymore, is that it? Let me tell you, without me, you'll get killed the moment you step outside, believe it or not!" Whether it was a threat or just desperate pleading to keep him close, he'd do anything to make Liam stay.
"Doesn't matter. Everyone dies someday, right?"
Seeing this, Colin's hands and lips trembled with anger. "You... you remember this—I'm never going to care about you again!" he spat, then spun around in fury.
"Colin!" Liam Willow suddenly called out to his retreating back.
That shout made Colin freeze mid-step, hope flickering in his heart—was Liam going to ask him to stay?
"I hope you find your own true love. Goodbye!" Liam said, nearly making Colin cough up blood from frustration.
Colin winced in pain at those words. Was Liam really pushing him away?
Fine. Fine! Colin Kerr was a martial champion, after all—why should he debase himself for love like this? He swore, next time he'd find someone who loved him deeply and show Liam, just to prove that the world didn't revolve around Liam Willow and that Colin Kerr could love again!
"Whew!" Watching Colin's retreating figure, Liam Willow let out a deep breath, then carefully tucked the dagger back at his waist.
Clap, clap, clap—a crisp round of applause suddenly echoed through the quiet room.
Startled by the sound, Liam quickly turned his head—and froze. "Young Master Wind?!" He'd seen him before; Ivy had called for him several times. They'd barely spoken, but Liam could tell Ivy trusted him.
"Don't call me Young Master Wind. I'm not a young master—I'm just Miss Ivy's guard. Just call me Wind!" Actually, he'd arrived a while ago and had seen everything that happened. Watching Liam, he couldn't help but applaud such unwavering love. Turns out, even scholars have backbone!
Seeing this, Liam Willow realized Wind must've seen everything that just happened. He scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry you had to see that."
"You two..."
"We're innocent—my heart only belongs to Ivy!" Liam quickly looked up to explain, thinking Wind was misunderstanding their relationship.
"I know." Wind smiled suddenly at Liam. The Mistress really is fascinating—every husband she finds is a different type: cold, seductive, scholarly, all sorts. But the one thing they have in common? Every single one loves her deeply.
"By the way, Wind, why are you here? Are you going to look for Ivy?" Liam abruptly got back to the main topic.
"You've been working so hard—it's all for Miss Ivy, isn't it?" Wind changed the subject and asked.
"Yeah!" Liam nodded emphatically, then lowered his head. "Out of all Ivy's husbands, I'm the dumbest. All my book learning is pretty useless and I can't really help her much. So I decided to use my strengths to gather as many supporters as possible. That way, when Ivy needs help, I can rally all these people for her." He looked up at Wind and explained, "Don't underestimate my followers—they're spread all over the world, and when they come together, they're pretty formidable!"
"Yeah, I know. You're really impressive!" Wind gave him a sincere thumbs-up, not exaggerating at all. He never would've thought Liam would come up with something like this. When the Mistress seeks revenge, she'll need numbers, and with Liam's huge popularity, their chances of victory go way up. After all, true believers are way more fanatical than any guards.
"No, no, I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help Ivy," Liam said, embarrassed to take credit.
"I'm going to look for Miss Ivy. Are you coming?" For some reason, Wind suddenly wanted to test him—did Liam care more about his followers, or about the Mistress herself?
"Go!" Liam blurted out without even thinking.
"Uh?" Wind was a bit surprised. "Weren't you planning to go to Cloud Virtue Monastery?"
"Everything I've done was for Ivy. The others told me to be patient and wait while they went to look for her. I was afraid I'd drag them down, so I forced myself to stay behind and do all this. But now that you're willing to take me to search for Ivy, why would I wait any longer?" Liam answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Truth was, he'd wanted to look for Ivy for a long time, but he didn't feel safe going with Colin. He knew Colin's feelings for him—if they left together, Colin might avoid the route to Ivy on purpose, and Liam would regret it forever. Besides, he trusted the others to find her, even though he worried constantly. He had to stay here and wait for news.
Seeing this, Wind smiled gently. "Excellent. Miss Ivy definitely chose the right person." With that, he pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it over.
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Liam looked at Wind in confusion, then at the letter, and opened it. But the mysterious symbols inside made no sense to him at all, so he could only look helplessly at Wind, hoping for an explanation.
"It's a message delivered by carrier pigeon from Miss Ivy. She's already climbed up from the valley and is safe. She's busy right now, but wants you all to wait for her message and regroup when she calls!" Wind summarized the letter's contents for Liam.
"...!"
"Young Master Liam?!" Seeing his stunned expression, Wind couldn't help but frown again. Why did all these guys look like they'd seen a ghost whenever they heard this news?!
No way, no way—he was just a scholar. Surely he wouldn't get as worked up as the others!
Suddenly, Liam Willow squatted down, clutching the letter and bawling like a child—so hard he could barely breathe, so loudly anyone passing by might think he'd lost his parents!
"Young Master Liam..." Wind was stunned and a little embarrassed—he really couldn't figure out this reaction at all.
He was the top scholar, after all—how could he act like this? His image was just... well, ruined. Sigh!
"Ah... I knew it, I just knew it!" Liam sobbed, clutching the letter, unable to describe his feelings. He cried so hard Wind started shaking too, his own eyes turning red.
Ugh, he hated this kind of sentimental scene the most!
"Ivy, my Ivy—I knew you'd be safe, I knew you wouldn't abandon your little rabbit, never!" After holding back his tears for so long, Liam finally broke down. He didn't need anyone to know how much he loved her; it was enough that he understood it himself. All these days, he'd kept busy to gather more followers, but the real reason was that he couldn't bear to stop—if he did, he'd only think of her, miss her, remember her...
This torment made it impossible for him to sleep through the night. He'd developed a habit: every midnight, he'd sit by the window and gaze at the moon, wondering if Ivy was looking at it too. With that thought, he watched the moon night after night, curled up like a black cat on his bed.
"Stop crying, will you? You're a grown man!" Wind said, eyes red as he struggled not to cry himself. Who would've thought this guy could make him tear up too?
Hearing that, Liam stood up, tears streaming down his face as he choked out, "Thank you—thank you for bringing me this wonderful news, thank you!" Grabbing Wind's hand, Liam started crying all over again. All the waiting, all the suffering—at the moment he heard from her, it was all worth it!
"It's nothing—just my duty," Wind replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Thank you, thank you!" Liam quickly wiped his tears and smiled. Then, suddenly remembering something, he said, "Wind, can I ask you a favor?"
"Uh? What is it?" Wind blinked, a little confused.
"Could you go tell the others? They're probably really, really worried too!" Liam, ever the kind soul, was still thinking of everyone else.
Hearing that, Wind couldn't help but admire this scholar. "Why are you always thinking of them? None of them asked me to notify you guys—a bunch of rascals!"
"Uh? They already know?" Liam guessed the answer as soon as he heard Wind's words.
"Yeah, they all know. Miss Ivy told me to notify each of you."
Hearing that, Liam smiled. "That settles it, then. You must've told them the same thing, so they knew you'd notify me too. You just hadn't gotten around to telling me yet, so I was a little anxious, haha!" Liam scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
Wind thought about it and realized Liam had a point. He'd told Liyamei and Nighty-boy he was going to notify everyone, but then he slipped away before finishing the conversation. So, really, it wasn't their fault for not thinking of each other. But then again, men are all selfish, aren't they?
"Wind, did Ivy say when and where we're supposed to regroup?" Liam asked eagerly.
"She didn't say—just told you all to wait for news."
"Okay, I understand. I'll wait here for Ivy to return. Wind, please bring me any news as soon as you have it, alright?" Liam said anxiously, afraid Wind might never come back.
"Of course, Young Master Liam, don't worry—I will." Sigh, scholars really are more reliable; fighters are just easily excitable!
"Thank you so much!" Liam said, deeply grateful.
"No problem at all. I'll get back to work now. You should keep living as you always do, so no one suspects anything. I'll be off!" Wind said, bowing to him.
"Thank you!" Liam was still overwhelmed with emotion.
Watching Wind leave, Liam's tired face finally broke into a smile. Ivy was coming back, so he had to work even harder to recruit more people. That way, when Ivy returned, he'd be able to help her. With that thought, Liam packed his things with renewed energy.
Meanwhile, outside, Colin wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to go. What had he just done? Liam was surely disappointed in him now.
"Ugh!" He slapped his forehead in frustration, full of regret. But things had already happened—he couldn't face staying here any longer. Besides, thinking about Liam's resolve just made him angry. He had to hurry and find someone he liked, just to prove that he, Colin, was wanted too!
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