Chào các bạn! Vì nhiều lý do từ nay Truyen2U chính thức đổi tên là Truyen247.Pro. Mong các bạn tiếp tục ủng hộ truy cập tên miền mới này nhé! Mãi yêu... ♥

26 - There Is Only One


Lu Yong wasn't sure quite where to start. He had limited information himself, and very little proof. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes hoping for insight, but he drew a blank. The best he could do was tell the truth, and hope Wu Chen trusted him enough to believe what he had to say.

'I appreciate your trust.' Lu Yong started, and took a pull from his waterskin nervously, 'There's really no easy way to say this.' He looked into those fox eyes willing Wu Chen to believe him. 'There has only ever been one Wu Chen. You aren't just a namesake. You aren't just the second son of the Wu Clan Leader. You...are Wu Chen, freed from that cultivator and allowed a rebirth with your original soul by the gods.'

Wu Chen stared at Lu Yong for a long moment, noting his earnest face. What the hell was this? Why would Lu Yong say something this ridiculous? He was the son of Wu Bao. His brother was Wu Ying. He had lived his whole life in the Wu Clan. There was no way he was the Wu Chen from the myths.

Seeing the disbelief in Wu Chen's eyes, Lu Yong shook his head. 'I know. It sounds like a story. Please...you promised you'd listen.' He pleaded, grabbing his hands and staring into his beautiful eyes. 'After I was rescued by the monks, I was delirious, saying all kinds of things about us and what happened on the battlefield. Hearing all of that, they brought The Old One to me. I told him everything, and he agreed to help me find you. He sometimes speaks to the gods, his cultivation is that high. They refused to listen though. He couldn't get their attention, and they wouldn't even listen.' Lu Yong's grip was tight on Wu Chen's hands, and his frustration was all over his face.

'I returned to my clan and went into seclusion. I searched for you for centuries, but there was no information. The Old One kept trying to get the gods to respond, but they wouldn't answer him. I kept pushing myself to get stronger so that when I did find you, I could rescue you from that bastard...but I couldn't find you.' Lu Yong's voice broke, and he took a deep breath trying to keep it together.

'300 years of pain. 300 years of searching, and I couldn't find you! I was so worthless! The only reason I didn't take my own life was because you had sacrificed yourself so I could live. I couldn't do it. My life wasn't mine after that...it was yours.' Tears were dripping down Lu Yong's face, but he paid them no mind. He had to convince Wu Chen. He had to.

'Then, about 18 years ago, a monk came to me from The Old One. The cultivator that took you had stolen something from the gods in order to keep you with him. I don't know what it was, but it really angered them. To punish him, they took you away. The Old One said that once the gods knew who you actually were, they realized that by taking you that bastard messed up fate somehow. To fix it, they decided to allow you a full rebirth so you could accomplish what you were fated to.'

'Once I knew you were born again, I had my subordinates protect you from the shadows. I couldn't trust myself to see you without telling you. So, I stayed in seclusion. I kept cultivating, waiting for you to finally be old enough to take a Clan Quest. I knew you would. You were never one to just sit home. When the time came, I left seclusion to become your Guardian.'

Lu Yong's gaze turned gentle, 'The first time I saw you again, I couldn't breathe! It was really you, my Wu Chen. Every look, every action, every sword thrust...my Ah Chen. You know the rest.' Lu Yong still gripped Wu Chen's hands, which had become cold as ice and trembled.

'I think your nightmares aren't just dreams, but memories of when you were under that cultivator's control. That's why you fear someone in them. I think your soul injury is from the rebirth and it's causing your memories to leak from your subconscious. The Old One knows more than I do. It's why we have to get to the temple.'

Lu Yong squeezed his hands, his voice earnest and shaky. 'I know you have questions, and I'll do my best to answer them all, but you really are Wu Chen from the myth. You really are my Ah Chen. The one I kept searching for but couldn't find. Please...believe me. I wouldn't lie about this. I just wouldn't.' Lu Yong's heart was pounding. He was terrified of losing him again. Now, he could only hope that Wu Chen would believe him, and maybe even fall for him again.

Wu Chen was reeling. It had been hard enough to learn that Lu Yong was the same as the one from the myth, but now he was supposed to believe that he was the Wu Chen from the same myth? Impossible. He had started shaking his head, and Lu Yong noticed.

Desperately, Lu Yong tried to think of some way to convince him. The sword! Maybe the sword would convince him!

'Shandian.' Lu Yong blurted out, and Wu Chen stopped shaking his head, his eyes suddenly more focused. With renewed hope, Lu Yong grew excited, 'Shandian called to you, right? It knows who you are. It knows its master. In all the years of its existence it has only had two masters. Your Wu Clan founder, and you. You know that. You studied the sword for years. It called you, not anyone else. Shandian knows it's true.'

Could all of this be true? Wu Chen thought back to the dreams the sword had sent. Everything had felt familiar in them even though they were from another life, another time. If he wasn't Wu Chen from the myth, would the sword have called him?

Seeing him start to waver, Lu Yong offered, 'Why don't you ask questions now, okay? Maybe if I can answer your questions, you'll be able to believe.'

Wu Chen glanced up at Lu Yong and pulled his hands away from him to rub them on his legs. He didn't see the hurt this caused. He was too shocked by all of this to notice anything around him right then.

'Questions. Yes, I have questions.' He mumbled, dazed. 'If I'm the Wu Chen from the past, where is my family then? Are any of them still alive?'

Lu Yong shook his head sadly, 'You studied the myth, Ah Chen. Your whole family was lost in the Battle of Serpents. Their memorials are in the Wu Clan's Ancestral Hall.'

Wu Chen nodded absently. Yes. He did know that, but things were all mixed up right now. He couldn't think straight.

'What is this fate that I'm supposed to have?'

Lu Yong shook his head again. 'I don't know. The Old One doesn't even know that.'

Wu Chen was trying to come to terms with this. He was starting to believe. He had felt familiar with his Guardian the first day he saw him, but didn't know why. The sword had called him, something it had never done before in its long history. His strange nightmares, where he could only watch and not change anything. His cultivation speed that was the same as the Wu Chen from the myths. All of this together was very circumstantial, but also very compelling.

'If this is all true...why didn't you tell me?' Wu Chen stopped rubbing his hands on his legs and looked up at Lu Yong with hurt in his eyes. 'You say you wanted to find me. You say you wanted to rescue me. But, when I was finally in front of you, you didn't even tell me. Why?'

Lu Yong winced. This had been his greatest mistake. He knew that now. 'I was afraid.' he whispered.

'You were afraid.' nodded Wu Chen, not sparing him at all. 'Afraid of what, exactly?'

Lu Yong swallowed and closed his eyes. What was he afraid of? Everything! 'I was afraid that after everything you had already been through, it would cause you even more pain. I wanted you to have a normal life after the enslavement you had been living in for 300 years. I was hoping you could start over.' He opened his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He looked at Wu Chen, hope and fear both on his face. 'Maybe, start a whole new life...with me.'

Wu Chen brought his hands up and rubbed his temples. This was too much. It was just too much. He needed time to think. Was his whole life a lie? Was he just some puppet for the gods? Was that cultivator still out there?

He stood up quickly, fear rushing down his spine. 'That means he's really out there. He's real.' he said quietly, his face losing all color.

'Ah Chen...I can protect you now. You don't have to be afraid.' Lu Yong jumped up as well, wrapping his arms around Wu Chen tightly. He could feel him shaking, and he felt awful that he had been the cause of it. 'I won't let him hurt you anymore. I'm strong now. I can protect you.'

Wu Chen's mind couldn't take any more. He felt dizzy. Fear, hope, love, loss...all of it swirled around his thoughts like a whirlpool in the sea. He felt adrift and alone. Darkness started to edge his vision, and with a soft sigh, he lost consciousness.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro