Chapter 65: That Tear—For Whom Was It Shed?

To love, one must also have courage. (Gu Long)
……
When Liu Yi opened his eyes again, he felt no pain or discomfort. He sat up abruptly—was he dead? Or was this just a dream? Having fallen from such a great height, how could he be unharmed?
Liu Yi began to look around. It was a square stone room, with four high-hanging night pearls illuminating the space. Aside from these pearls, the room was empty, with nothing else inside. Liu Yi tried to stand up but suddenly felt his hand grabbed. It was July, lying on the ground.
July’s face was pale, devoid of any color, appearing extremely weak. With great effort, Liu Yi managed to free himself from July’s grip. He called out softly several times, but July showed no reaction. Liu Yi placed his hand on her forehead—it was burning hot. How could someone who practiced cultivation fall ill?
What Liu Yi didn’t know was that since entering the cave, July had not rested at all. She had struggled with the red snake after falling from the island and then been drenched in cold rain. To blast open the cave, she had used all her strength, leaving her exhausted and now suffering from a high fever.
Liu Yi grew panicked. The room had no doors on any side, only a high ceiling beyond sight. There was no water, no food—nothing at all. Now that July had a fever, what should they do?
Gradually, July opened her eyes. Her first words were, “Scholar? Scholar? Are you here?”
Liu Yi rushed over and said, “I’m here.”
July asked, “We’re not dead yet, right?”
Liu Yi nodded. “We’re not dead, but it’s worse than death. There are stone walls everywhere—no water, no food. I think we’re going to die painfully.”
July looked at Liu Yi, trying to sit up but lacking the strength. Liu Yi stepped closer, supported her shoulders, and helped her sit up slowly.
July continued, “Scholar, can you promise me one thing?”
Liu Yi glanced at her. “What is it? We’re almost dead. You’re not asking me to marry you, are you?”
July looked at him, her dry lips curling into what seemed to be a self-mocking smile. “No. I think… since we’re about to die, let me fall in love with you in these remaining days, okay? Even just one day—just one day. I really want to know what love feels like.”
Liu Yi saw her serious expression; she wasn’t joking. He didn’t know what to say.
July continued, “There’s no water here. We can live at most three to four days. Given my condition, two days would already be good. What I want to know is—how long does it take to fall in love with someone?”
Liu Yi thought for a moment before answering, “To fall in love with someone could be an instant, or it might take a lifetime. The word ‘love’ is too wonderful; I really don’t know how to describe it.”
July’s voice grew softer. “Then promise me that during this time, you’ll let me fall in love with you. It’s my last request.”

Liu Yi looked at July and felt a hint of pity in his heart. A woman like her, whose only wish before dying was to experience what love was like. Yet, how could love be so simple? How could one simply fall in love with someone just by saying so?
Seeing Liu Yi’s troubled expression, July said sadly, “I’m not asking you for anything, nor do I expect you to fall in love with me. All I want is your open heart, a little pity, to let me experience what love is like before I die! Can’t even that be done? Are you that cruel?”
Liu Yi quickly shook his head. “No, what I’m afraid of is… that even if you spend your whole life, you might not fall in love with me. You’d be very disappointed then.”
July shook her head. “How can we know unless we try? All you need to do is not reject me, and all I need to do is try to love you. Isn’t that okay? We don’t have much time left, and I don’t want to leave any regrets.”
Looking at July’s weak state, Liu Yi nodded. The moment he nodded, July fainted and collapsed into his arms. Seeing her weak condition, Liu Yi said, “Maybe you’ll just sleep like this forever, no longer needing love, while I have to endure the torment of death before I can die.”
Liu Yi gently laid July down, making sure she was lying flat and comfortable, then lay down himself. Although the room was bright, Liu Yi fell asleep quickly. He slept on and on, not knowing how much time passed…
A harsh light woke Liu Yi. He heard July moaning beside him, “Water, water, water…” He touched July’s head—it was burning hot. He hadn’t drunk any water since falling, so his mouth was dry. And July, with her high fever, needed water even more. The problem was there was nothing here at all—where could they get water?
Liu Yi took out his water bottle and shook it; it was already empty. July’s bottle had been left behind. What could they do? If this continued, July would die soon. Where could they get water? Just as Liu Yi was anxious, he saw a small dagger on July’s skirt belt…
Liu Yi glanced at the dagger, then at his empty bottle, and suddenly said, “I’ve got it…”
And so, after some unknown amount of time, July’s high fever subsided, and her complexion improved significantly. She looked much better. Liu Yi struggled to sit up against the wall, using his weak body.
July opened her eyes and sat up gently. “Scholar, I feel much better. How long have we been here?”
Liu Yi shook his head and smiled. “We can’t see the time here, but I think we’ve been here for about two days. It can’t be less.”
July coughed then. Liu Yi asked, “Are you still unwell?”
July shook her head. “No, I’m just a little thirsty. I think we really can’t hold on anymore. There’s no water here; we’ll die of thirst.”
Liu Yi smiled. “How could there be no water? There’s water in the bottle beside you. If there were no water, you probably wouldn’t have survived the high fever at all—you’d have died from it long ago.”
Seeing Liu Yi’s smile, July felt uneasy. She picked up the bottle beside her and asked, “Aren’t you thirsty?”

Liu Yi stared at the kettle, swallowed hard, and shook his head. “I’m not thirsty. You drink it.”
Qiyue picked up the kettle, opened the lid, tilted her head slightly, and began to drink… It was sweet, a bit sticky, with a faint fishy taste. Qiyue suddenly put the kettle down and looked inside. Beside the spout was a bright red color—this color, this taste, were all too familiar to her. It wasn’t water; it was blood, human blood.
Qiyue quickly turned to look at Liu Yi. He had already lost so much blood that he was extremely weak and had fallen into a coma. His pale face and dry lips… Seeing him in a coma, Qiyue was stunned. From the moment she met Liu Yi, memories of one scene after another began to play back in her mind. Her eyes couldn’t move; she couldn’t believe such a person existed in the world. Softly, she whispered, “Silly scholar, why did you do this? Why be so foolish?”
That tear was of emotion, that tear was of attachment, that tear was of happiness, that tear was of heartache… In that instant, her tears made her fall in love with someone she shouldn’t have loved—a person who was illusory and impossible to make real, the lover of another woman—a love destined for lifelong pain. But at this moment, did she still care about any of this?