Misunderstanding

“Dujuan!” A sharp cry pierced the air, causing all three to turn their heads. Li Bai felt that this voice was especially jarring.

Yueji rushed over, shoving aside Shuiniu and gathering Dujuan into her arms. She stroked Dujuan’s small face again and again, tears pouring down like a torrential June rain.

“Dujuan, Dujuan, I’m your mother. Open your eyes and look at me, I’m your mother!”

“My lady…” Chen Yage, seeing Yueji’s heart-wrenching sorrow, felt a surge of sympathy. She wanted to offer Li Bai some comfort, but he stopped her.

Li Bai tugged at Chen Yage’s sleeve and whispered, “Let her cry. She’ll feel better after.”

Shuiniu nodded at Li Bai, then collapsed into Yueji’s arms, wailing uncontrollably. In the room, two wept loudly while the other two sat in silence—the atmosphere was suffocating and strange.

No one knew how much time had passed before Shuiniu stood up. He addressed Li Bai and Chen Yage with grave seriousness, “Today is our final day. Have you found any clues? We’ll take care of Dujuan’s funeral—you must focus on finding the murderer. I don’t want Dujuan’s tragedy to delay your search.”

Li Bai hesitated a moment. Shuiniu was right—every second was precious now. They had to make the most of the time left. The last day… the real culprit? Li Bai let out a bitter smile. The grief-stricken Yueji before him had been his prime suspect, but after what happened to Dujuan, all his assumptions seemed wrong.

He lowered his head and said, “Shuiniu, we will find the one who killed Dujuan. Take good care of your mother.” With that, he led the still-dazed Chen Yage out of the house.

Unconsciously, Li Bai and Chen Yage found themselves once more by the edge of Moon Lake. Chen Yage slumped wearily onto the grass, hugging her knees and resting her chin atop them, staring blankly at the clear water.

Li Bai crouched beside her. “Yage, I know what happened to Dujuan hurts you, but now isn’t the time for grief. Dujuan didn’t die without reason—the killer was after us. Remember last night, when you showed the jade pendant to Dujuan? She obviously recognized its owner, but no matter how you pressed her, she wouldn’t say. I suspect she fell victim to the woman in red.”

“You mean…” Chen Yage began.

Li Bai nodded. “Yes. After you came to my room last night, someone was outside watching us—it must have been the woman in red. Dujuan must have been attacked by her after she left our door.”

“Why didn’t we go after her then? If we had, Dujuan… Dujuan wouldn’t have been murdered. It’s all my fault, all my fault!” Chen Yage’s emotions spiraled; Li Bai embraced her tightly, trying to calm her.

“It’s not your fault, don’t say that! Even if the woman in red hadn’t acted last night, she would have found another time. We could only guard against her for so long. Besides, time is short. Yage, try to pull yourself together. If we find the killer, we can avenge Dujuan.”

At these words, Chen Yage broke down in Li Bai’s arms. Never before had she felt so helpless, so vulnerable. After crying for a while, she wiped her tears, stood up, and said with a sob, “I’m sorry, Brother Bai. I shouldn’t be like this, but I can’t help myself. Ever since I met you, I’ve become so fragile. I don’t want to be this way. But I’m so scared. I’m afraid you’ll leave me, afraid to lose you, I…”

Before she could finish, Li Bai sealed her words with a lingering kiss. Both were so lost in the moment that neither noticed Ziyu, who had been standing behind them for some time.

Ziyu clapped her hands sarcastically, “How touching! I wonder if, should you fail to find the killer today and end up in hell together, it will still be this moving?”

Flustered, Chen Yage pushed Li Bai away, her face flushed scarlet. Li Bai, on the other hand, quickly regained his composure. “Dujuan is dead,” he said solemnly.

“What?” Two voices sounded at once—one was Ziyu’s, the other came from Ziye.

Ziye strode over from beneath a peach tree and grabbed Li Bai by the collar, his eyes icy with accusation. “Say that again!” Chen Yage saw a cold, murderous intent in Ziye’s gaze. Sensing the danger, Ziyu and Chen Yage quickly pulled Ziye away.

“Brother, calm down!” Ziyu urged.

“Brother Bai, are you alright?” Chen Yage looked anxiously at Li Bai—she would have been heartbroken if he’d suffered even a scratch.

Anger flared in Chen Yage. She rebuked Ziye, “If you’re so capable, go find Dujuan’s killer. Shouting at the two of us, who are innocent, accomplishes nothing!”

“Yage!” Li Bai tried to stop her, but she ignored him and went on, “People like you, all high and mighty, but how many of you are truly kind? Bullying the weak—what kind of hero is that?”

With a sharp slap, Ziye’s hand landed on her cheek, leaving it red and swollen, five finger marks standing out.

Even Ziye hadn’t expected himself to strike her. He muttered guiltily, “I’m sorry, I…”

Chen Yage snorted coldly. “You’re the island master, the ruler here, but don’t think everyone will submit to you. I, Chen Yage, am not afraid of you! If you have the guts, just kill me now!” With that, she stormed off in a fury, and Li Bai hurried after her.

Watching their figures recede, Ziye sighed deeply. Ziyu said, “Brother, if she’s so unruly, why bother showing her mercy? That’s not like you at all.”

“She saved my life.”

“Yes, she did. But our Peach Blossom Refuge also saved both of them. Doesn’t that repay her debt to you? Brother, you’ve changed…” Ziyu’s voice faded as she walked away.

Ziye called after her, “You must help them find the true killer!”

Staring at Ziyu’s retreating figure, Ziye was overcome by a thousand tangled thoughts. He wondered silently, “Have I really changed? Chen Yage, you’re the first person to dare scold me to my face. But why can’t I bring myself to harm you? Has Ziyu spoken true—have I become soft? No, better that I betray the world than let the world betray me!”

Love in the Tang Dynasty: Poet Immortal, Please Stay! 036—Misunderstandings, complete!