The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 19.3

Outside, Ning Yuzhu was walking toward her, looking worried.

“Yao Yao, I need to talk to you.”

She answered plainly, “Say it now and leave early.”

Ning Yuzhu hesitated. “I just went to see Brother Zhuo. He looked exhausted, and… he smelled like bl00d. Faint, but I’m sure of it.”

He asked, “How did he get hurt? Did he say anything to you?”

Ning Yao said, “No.”

Ning Yuzhu frowned. “He didn’t say? Didn’t you notice? Even If I noticed, Brother Zhuo never complains, even when he’s in pain. Shouldn’t you care?”

“I do care.”

But this wasn’t the reaction Ning Yuzhu expected. It made him angry.
“You don’t look worried at all! I asked him and he just said he’s fine. He won’t even let me look. He listens to you the most—go check on him! He got hurt for no reason, and you’re not worried?”

What’s the point of worrying—or not worrying?

She had known about his self-sacrifice before Ning Yuzhu did. At first, she was worried too, but after thinking it through, her feelings became too complicated to explain.

She said,
“He’s not made of paper. He’s a grown man with strong spiritual power—stronger than yours. He can take care of himself, and he should. After all, he’s going to be walking his path alone.”

“But he’s not alone now!” Ning Yuzhu’s voice rose. “Right now, he still has us. We’re family. Shouldn’t we all care about each other until the very end?”

“I never said I wouldn’t care.”

Ning Yuzhu stared at her stubbornly.
“Why are you so calm? You haven’t even frowned once!”

Ning Yao suddenly felt… tired.

She and Ning Yuzhu had been bickering since they were kids. As close siblings, they had argued a thousand times—sometimes even wrestled each other to the ground.

She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
“Because I’m the Mountain Lord. Why shouldn’t I be calm? I’m trying to keep everyone safe. When I’m worried about life-and-death situations, I don’t have time for little things like bandaging wounds.”

“If you want to help the Bodhi clan, then go do what you can. If you can’t… then shut your mouth.”

Her chest felt calm. Too calm.
“I’m warning you. Don’t rely on Jingzhuo too much. One day, he won’t even remember who you are.”

“If you’re upset, go to him now. Say whatever sweet things you want while he still remembers. Because if you try to make him remember in the future, and it hurts him—”

“I’ll break your legs.”

Ning Yuzhu was shocked.

He had never heard Ning Yao speak so harshly to him. Her words hurt more than when she got angry and hit him a few times.

Although everyone liked to tease him, no one really bullied him. He had always been spoiled, and he couldn’t handle what she said:
“I’m not talking to you anymore! You don’t have a heart!”

After she said that, he turned around and ran away.

Ning Yao stood there, stunned.

Wait… what did he just say?

“Don’t have a heart”—that was the worst thing someone could say. It was even worse than being called a stupid pig to your face.

Damn it! She had been too soft with him! Ning Yao rolled up her sleeves and ran after him.

***

“The first time, the feeling came too fast—I couldn’t catch it. It disappeared in a flash.
The second time, it stayed for a few seconds. I clearly felt the urge to kill,”

“And then…”

Feng Jingzhuo slowly opened his shirt. His chest muscles were tight. There was a new scar—no bandages, but it had stopped bleeding.

“I think something’s wrong with my body. More exactly, my heart,” he said quietly, like a child who had done something wrong. He sounded guilty and lost. “I don’t know why, but my heart suddenly started to grow scales. I tried to cut them out. After that… the feeling of wanting to kill became much weaker.”

Jie Zhongyi stared at Feng Jingzhuo in shock. When he saw the deep wound on his chest, his eyebrows tightened with worry.
“So you hurt yourself that badly? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why did you make this decision alone?”

Feng Jingzhuo lowered his head and covered his face with both hands.

He was full of fear and pain. His voice was hoarse:
“Senior Jie, at first… I didn’t dare to tell anyone. Not you, not Yao Yao. I was scared.”

He tried to find his own solution. Maybe it was a mistake in his training, or maybe it was something else—maybe it would get better if he just removed the scales.

He said in a low voice:
“Later I found out it was useless. The scales grew back. Then I knew… I couldn’t wait anymore. I had to tell you.”

He looked up and said softly:
“If even you can’t help me… then I’ll leave Luoxiang Mountain. I don’t want to hurt anyone here.”

Even if he had to leave, he would not allow himself to go wild and hurt others.

If that day came, he would find a quiet place to end everything peacefully… without causing more harm.

But there was no need to say all that to the people who cared about him.

Jie Zhongyi didn’t know what to say. He slowly reached out his hand, shaking, and gently touched Feng Jingzhuo’s head.

He forced a smile and said,
“Jingzhuo, don’t worry. There must be a way. I will think of something.”

When someone has hope, their eyes really do shine. Jie Zhongyi saw how Feng Jingzhuo’s eyes lit up suddenly, bright like fire:
“There’s a way? Really?”

Jie Zhongyi nodded:
“Yes.”

There is. Even the Grand Master said there is.

Feng Jingzhuo finally let out a breath. He was so happy that his smile looked silly. He kept whispering:
“There’s a way… there’s really a way…”

Jie Zhongyi tried to hold back his sadness.
“Jingzhuo, you’re still young. You left Cangyuan when you were little, so you don’t understand many things. But it’s okay. Everything can be solved. You must never cut your chest again to remove the scales, okay?”

He continued,
“Let’s not tell Yao Yao for now. She might worry too much. You two are still getting married.”

From the way Jie Zhongyi spoke, it really didn’t sound like a big problem. Feng Jingzhuo finally felt safe, like the dark clouds over his head had all gone away.
“Okay, I won’t tell Yao Yao.”

He paused, wanting to say something, but stopped.

Jie Zhongyi asked,
“What is it?”

Feng Jingzhuo smiled,
“It’s nothing, Senior Jie. I just want to say thank you… for always caring about me.”

Actually, he wanted to say: if the scales grow back again and he feels the urge to kill, he would still remove the scales. Because for now, it was the only thing that worked.

But Jie Zhongyi was getting older. Saying that would only make him feel worse. So… he didn’t say it.

Jie Zhongyi smiled gently and sighed,
“Jingzhuo, you always call me ‘Senior Jie,’ like a stranger. You should really call me Grand Master by now.”

Feng Jingzhuo said,
“I’ve wanted to change it for a while… I just haven’t gotten used to it yet.”

“Take your time.” Jie Zhongyi smiled again.
But then he thought—maybe they didn’t have much time to take it slow.

His love and care turned into deep sadness. He was afraid Feng Jingzhuo would notice, so he quickly turned around.

As he turned, something suddenly happened. He saw his broken wooden door burst open. Ning Yuzhu looked like he had suffered the worst thing in the world: