"Zhuzi..the soldiers are coming." A'Tong said, her voice was trembling.
"Let them come." Said Rong Luqing and then coughed, a spec of blood landed from his mouth to the handkerchief he was holding. "I am dying anyway." He mumbled, "What more will they do to me?"
"Zhuzi…" A'Tong cried, "Fuma is standing at guard in front of the gate…" She said, "He will not let anything happen to you!"
Rong Luqing scoffed, "Not let anything happen to me?" He coughed, "He had already killed me back then, twenty years ago when he killed Yuexin. He threw him down the cliff! He deserves the death he will die!"
"I am…I am at death's door…" Rong Luqing spoke, blood dripping down from the corner of his lips, "Soon I will reunite with Xuanzhi and Yuexin…I can..I can finally leave." He was feeling in his bones that death came to claim him, his body was slowly starting to paralyse.
A sudden commotion outside of the palace and beside him A'Tong stiffened, "They are here!" She cried. Rong Luqing didn't say anything, it was a coup, a treason, but he couldn't find himself to care. His father was dead, his younger sister died, the man he loved has died. Now whoever sat on the throne, whoever ruled he didn't care.
As he thought of such, suddenly the door flew open and two figures stumbled inside. One's face was visible through the armour he wore and his hair white as the moonlight flew as he fought against the other man in black, whose face was hidden behind a veil.
"Fuma!" A'Tong yelled in fear. "Do not call him." Rong Luqing spoke through gritted teeth. The one A'Tong called Fuma was Langjin Hanwei, Rong Luqing's lawfully wedded tianqian. Whom he had despised all his life.
The masked figure blew another with his sword and Langjin Hanwei fell on the floor, blood flew from his mouth but his brow didn't furrow. The impeccable face that had now worn out because of age didn't show a single expression of hurt as his fatally injured body fell to the side.
With a loud scream, the masked figure was about to land his last blow when a voice came from the entrance of the room, "Stop."
It was a command, as the figure immediately stopped.
Rong Luqing felt his blood run cold. Because he recognised this voice, he thought he would forget but he didn't.
As the figure came inside from the shadow the faint yellow light of the lamp illuminated his face, and even with age Rong Luqing could swear he could never forget this face.
"Wei…" Rong Luqing fumbled with his words, "Wei Yuexin?"
Right now, in front of him, risen from the dead was standing Wei Yuexin. The man he had loved all his life, the man he had avenged by punishing Langjin Hanwei over and over for the last twenty years.
"Are you surprised?" Wei Yuexin said.
His voice was still serene, like flowing water. Yet tonight the voice pierced his chest like an ice sickle. His eyes fell on Langjin Hanwei behind, he was still on the floor, breathing heavily.
Following his gaze, Wei Yuexin looked at him, "Oh you are worried about him now? Luqing?" He mocked. "I thought you despised him. I heard all sorts of things about how you punished him, you didn't even inform of his sister dying in the battle of the territory did you? You thought he had a hand in Rong Xuanzhi's assassination." He stopped, "But the one who killed Rong Xuanzhi was…yours truly."
"Why…." All Rong Luqing managed to say, "After all this time…" He trailed off, his body turning numb.
"I really hate you." Wei Yuexin's voice hardened, he then turned to the masked figure and put his hands around him, "See him, he is my son. He is a tianqian." He then turned to where Langjin Hanwei was laying down, "Kill him." He commanded.
"No!" For the first time, Rong Luqing felt fear in his heart for the other man. As Wei Yuexin's son approached him slowly like a predator and then with one blow he pierced his sword in Langjin Hanwei's chest.
A stream of blood trickled down from the corner of his lips but his face betrayed no emotions. His pupils slowly stilled. "Oh he is dead." Wei Yuexin sang.
Rong Luqing looked at both of them, his eyes red and his voice raw when he spoke. "Wei Yuexin." He growled, "After you kill me." He coughed, blood flowing from his mouth as he spoke, "Prey to bodhisattva that there is no other life." His vision slowly darkened as he spoke, "Because if there is and he grants me a second chance, I will kill you in a way the heaven will shiver at."