Chapter 21: Elder Brother’s Bleeding Wrist
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Lu Chao Chao clung tightly to her third brother’s back as he navigated the inner courtyard of Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor. Lu Yuan Xiao, familiar with the patrol routes of the household servants, darted through the estate with precision.
As they neared the inner gates, Lu Chao Chao suddenly straightened up, startling her brother.
“Chao Chao, don’t move! You’ll fall!” Lu Yuan Xiao gasped, struggling to keep her balanced as her abrupt movement nearly toppled her off his back.
Ignoring his warning, Chao Chao sniffed the air and pointed toward a secluded garden to their right.
“Ah…” she murmured, her small finger trembling as she gestured.
This area was isolated, seldom patrolled, and considered the most remote part of the inner courtyard of Bright Virtue Courtyard.
Lu Yuan Xiao hesitated, his voice lowering as he whispered, “This… this is Elder Brother’s Courtyard. After his accident, he’s been living here in seclusion, driving out the servants and refusing anyone’s care. The place has become desolate.”
Chao Chao’s expression turned anxious as she pointed insistently toward the courtyard gate.
[There’s blood. I smell blood! Go check on Elder Brother!]
Startled, Lu Yuan Xiao shivered. He’d always found his younger sister’s keen senses uncanny. Though his fear of his elder brother lingered, worry overtook him as he approached the sealed gates of Bright Virtue Courtyard.
The doors were locked, and no response came despite his loud knocking.
“This won’t do,” he muttered nervously. “Elder Brother has driven everyone away. Even the servants only come to clean under the cover of night.”
Chao Chao, catching the increasing scent of blood in the air, panicked. [Elder Brother has locked himself away, shut off from the world… but the smell of blood is so strong now.]
She tugged on Lu Yuan Xiao’s sleeve and pointed to the base of the wall. He widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Crawl… through the dog hole?”
“No! A scholar can never stoop so low! It’s disgraceful! Unacceptable!” he cried.
…
Moments later, Lu Yuan Xiao, muttering under his breath, wriggled through the small hole. “If it’s for an emergency, it’s not a dog hole; it’s a… Scholar’s Passage! Yes, I’ll call it that. Tomorrow, I’ll put up a sign calling it the Top Scholar’s Passage!”
Covered in weeds, he helped his sister crawl through.
“You’re too slow,” Chao Chao pouted as he lifted her into his arms.
Without hesitation, he dashed toward the inner courtyard. The once-glorious grounds of Bright Virtue Courtyard were overgrown and deathly silent. What was once the pride of the household had turned into a forbidden zone.
Chao Chao pointed left, and Lu Yuan Xiao sprinted in that direction, sweat dripping from his chubby face. As they neared a particular room, the overpowering stench of blood made him gag.
[How could Chao Chao smell this from so far away?]
With no time to dwell on it, he flung open the door with a loud bang. The coppery smell of blood engulfed them. The sight before him made his blood run cold and his vision blur with tears.
The room was drenched in red, an overwhelming pool of it staining everything in sight. Thick streaks of blood trailed from the bed where a man lay motionless, reaching all the way to the floor. Lu Yuan Xiao’s steps landed directly in the blood, leaving a trail of footprints as he approached.
The young boy trembled violently, his hands shaking as he carried Lu Chao Chao on his back.
The man on the bed, clad in green robes, lay with his eyes closed. His wrist dangled off the edge, fresh blood dripping steadily from an open wound.
“Elder Brother… he’s… he’s taken his own life!” Lu Yuan Xiao’s voice cracked, his knees threatening to give way as he stumbled toward the bed.
“Elder Brother! Elder Brother… Mother! Father! Somebody, help!” Lu Yuan Xiao cried out, his voice breaking as he reached the bed and touched his brother’s icy cold skin. His entire body trembled with fear.
Even Lu Chao Chao, usually composed despite her age, was overwhelmed by the scene. The man on the bed had features as elegant as a celestial being, but his lifeless expression carried a haunting finality. Though alive, his heart seemed utterly shattered.
[Idiot! Get a handkerchief and press it against his wrist! Hurry!]
Snapping out of his daze, Lu Yuan Xiao hurriedly placed Lu Chao Chao on the bed. Crying and trembling, he wrapped a handkerchief tightly around his elder brother’s wrist.
“Elder Brother, don’t die! What will we do without you? I’m scared… Mother, come back, please…” he wailed, tears streaming down his face as he secured the bandage.
“Where is that damned servant?” he snarled, his eyes red with panic. Their mother had left a personal servant to watch over their elder brother, fearing he might do something drastic. But now, the servant was nowhere to be seen.
In his brother’s hand was a shard of broken porcelain, thickly coated in blood.
“Elder Brother, don’t die… Who will take care of Mother? Who will protect us?” Lu Yuan Xiao’s cries filled the room.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao, her mind racing, bit down hard on her finger.
She possessed the power of merits and spiritual energy, making her blood as precious as divine medicine. But as she bit down, she paused, her tiny teeth leaving no mark.
[Oh… I forgot. I don’t have teeth yet.]
With no other choice, she used the porcelain shard to slice her fingertip, grimacing in pain. A single drop of golden-tinged blood welled up, shimmering faintly with light. Without hesitation, she placed the drop into her elder brother’s mouth.
Not a single drop was wasted. Her blood was far too valuable.
As the blood touched his tongue, a strange phenomenon unfolded. The heavens seemed to stir, and a radiant golden light spilled across the sky. Plants grew wildly, and flowers bloomed in full across the city. Citizens emerged from their homes, marveling at the miraculous sight, falling to their knees in reverence.
Back in the room, Lu Yan Shu’s pallid face began to regain color.
Satisfied, Lu Chao Chao wiped her finger clean on her brother’s robes and tucked her chubby hands behind her back.
“Elder Brother, don’t die! Who will stand up for Mother? Father’s keeping an outside mistress—Mother will be furious enough to die herself!” Lu Yuan Xiao sobbed, snot and tears mingling on his face.
Lu Yan Shu’s eyelids fluttered open. The first thing he heard was his brother’s lament.
[With my blood in you, even King Yama wouldn’t dare take your soul,] Chao Chao muttered to herself smugly. [He’d have to personally escort you back.]
In the original story, Lu Yan Shu’s attempted suicide was only briefly mentioned, but it left him with deeper emotional scars. Here, the weight of despair was tangible, though no one noticed Chao Chao’s whispered remark.
Lu Yan Shu could taste faint traces of blood in his mouth. Oddly, the metallic tang was delicate, carrying the scent of fresh grass and vitality—an inexplicable surge of life and strength. Though he had felt his life slipping away moments ago, now…
His fingers twitched.
A warm sensation coursed through his body, and even his long-numb legs began to itch faintly. The pain in his wrist had disappeared entirely.