Chapter 112: The Foremost Songstress of Dongguan State

A young girl dressed in pale yellow was chasing butterflies behind the Shadow Pavilion, her smile innocent and radiant.

Lone Shadow watched her with tender eyes; it no longer mattered that she was not his biological younger sister. For fourteen years, he had searched for his sister, each time buoyed by great anticipation only to be met with fresh disappointment. That was until he found this clear-eyed little girl among a group of beggars; he had taken a liking to her at first sight, and he grew fond of the way she would follow him, calling him "Brother."

"Alright, come back now. You’ve been playing for so long—are you tired?" Lone Shadow’s gaze was doting.

The little girl scurried over on her short legs, reaching his side in a few swift bounds. "Not tired, not tired at all! Brother, you said there are so many sisters in the pavilion, why don't they come play with me?"

Her tone was naive, the mental capacity of a five- or six-year-old, yet it tugged at one’s heartstrings. Lone Shadow could not help but recall the day they first met, when the little girl was covered in grime, fighting tooth and nail with a pack of beggars for a bowl of scraps.

He gently ruffled her messy hair. "The sisters are all busy. They will come to play with you once they are free."

The two braids were ones he had tied for her himself. They were somewhat crooked, yet the girl loved them dearly and would let no one else touch them, except for Red Madam, though she would not allow them to be undone and re-tied.

Red Madam walked into the courtyard carrying a tray of grapes, gently swaying it. The large, dark-purple grapes looked incredibly tempting. "Ah Yue! Come and eat some grapes!"

The little girl scrambled over to Red Madam, patting her small hands to show that they were clean. Red Madam handed her the grapes, and though the girl’s way of eating was not exactly refined, it was especially endearing.

"Pavilion Master," Red Madam walked over and sat down beside Lone Shadow.

Lone Shadow’s gaze remained fixed on the little girl, Ah Yue, never leaving her for a second. "Are you certain?"

Lone Shadow sighed. "It has been fourteen years. If Ah Yue were still alive, she would surely be as innocent and guileless as this child..."

Red Madam fell silent for a moment. "Now that you are back, you aren't leaving again, are you?"

"I am not. My mother told me to protect Ah Yue well. Even if this little girl isn't her, I shall recognize her as my foster sister; it will fulfill a wish for my mother’s spirit in heaven."

Lone Shadow looked up at the sky, where a few sparse clouds drifted lazily across the blue. If his mother could see a little girl of Ah Yue’s age now, she would surely be happy.

Laughter drifted from outside the small courtyard. Red Madam’s lips curled into a smile. "The girls are here. Ah Yue won’t be complaining about being bored now."

Ah Yue’s eyes lit up. She glanced toward Lone Shadow, then looked expectantly toward the courtyard entrance. Led by Lotus Mist and Bell Ring, with Luo Yue walking in the center, a group of twelve girls arrived, neatly setting aside their work to join them.

Upon seeing Ah Yue, Lotus Mist squeezed her cheeks vigorously, enjoying the soft texture. In an instant, the group surrounded Ah Yue, their laughter filling the courtyard. Long before the girls arrived, Red Madam had told them that Ah Yue’s mind was different from others', so they treated her like a small child, making her giggle incessantly.

Luo Yue was a woman of few words, only smiling happily. As Ah Yue played joyfully with Lotus Mist and the others, her eyes suddenly brightened. She spotted Luo Yue, who had been blocked from view by Lotus Mist, and threw herself into her arms.

Luo Yue stood frozen, blinking in surprise, at a loss for what to do.

"Oh! Big Sister Luo Yue! It seems Ah Yue really likes you! Both your names have 'Yue' in them. Wouldn't that mean a big moon is with a little moon?"

"Isn't that just a big moon with a little moon?" Lotus Mist chimed in.

Hearing the playful teasing from Bell Ring and the others, Luo Yue thought it was true and that it was quite a stroke of fate. "I suppose you're right."

As they frolicked, they did not notice that on the tea table nearby, Lone Shadow’s expression shifted from joy to astonishment, then to disbelief, before finally returning to the calm, indifferent mask he wore every day.

Ah Yue was naturally lively, keeping the twelve of them busy all afternoon. The Shadow Pavilion remained closed for the day, and many guests left in disappointment.

At midnight, Lone Shadow sat in his room, the dim candlelight illuminating his face. "Red Madam, who is that girl named Luo Yue?"

Red Madam paused, suddenly realizing that Luo Yue’s eyes were remarkably similar to Lone Shadow’s. "Luo Yue was an orphan I picked up among the beggars. Because she had such a fine singing voice, I kept her in the pavilion so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. She is... fifteen years old this year."

"Fifteen years old..." Lone Shadow repeated the words over and over.

Could it be that fate was playing a cruel trick on him, letting his biological sister—whom he had searched for in agony for fourteen years—actually be under his own wings all this time?

Lone Shadow took a pendant from his neck: a full moon, carved from smooth, lustrous jade.

Red Madam stammered in agitation, "Th-this jade pendant! Luo Yue has an identical one, only hers is a crescent moon!"

"A crescent moon... it is indeed a crescent moon..."

...

Early the next morning, the air was still thick with mist when a knock came at Luo Yue’s door. She threw on an outer garment and opened it, looking surprised. "Pavilion Master?"

Lone Shadow managed a smile. "May I come in and sit for a moment?"

Luo Yue realized what he meant and stepped aside to let him pass. "Of course."

Once inside, Lone Shadow remained silent, not because he had nothing to say, but because he did not know where to begin. "You..."

"Pavilion Master..."

They spoke at the same time. Luo Yue used a smile to ease the awkwardness and turned to brew tea. Before long, she brought the freshly brewed tea to his side.

Another silence followed.

Lone Shadow took a sip of tea to moisten his lips and took the round jade pendant from his hand, placing it on the table. "Ah Yue is fond of you, so consider this a gift in return."

Seeing the confusion in Luo Yue’s eyes, he continued, "Oh, it is like this—I heard from Red Madam that you possess a similar crescent jade pendant. They say that when a full moon and a crescent moon meet, it brings peace and joy. You and Ah Yue are fated."

Lone Shadow could not speak ten sentences without mentioning Ah Yue, terrified that Luo Yue might suspect something unusual. Seeing her accept it, he smiled. "I have matters to attend to. You should continue to rest."

After Lone Shadow left, Luo Yue took the crescent pendant from her neck. The craftsmanship and color of both pieces were clearly the work of the same hand.

...

Walking out of Luo Yue’s room, Lone Shadow felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, yet it was also as if something had suddenly been filled.

"Seeing you safe and happy, my mother and I are both comforted. As long as the little moon and the big moon are happy together, I am happy."

Lone Shadow could not bring himself to tell the girl he had rescued the truth, nor could he suddenly tell Luo Yue that he was the brother she had been separated from for so many years. He feared Ah Yue would demand to know why he had brought her to the Shadow Pavilion, and he feared Luo Yue would ask why he had never come back all those years.

Lone Shadow had lived his life with a clear conscience, save for the fear of failing his mother’s hopes and failing his long-lost sister. Luo Yue was living well now; perhaps not interfering was for the best. As long as he could watch over her and Ah Yue as they grew up, married, and had children of their own, his life would be without regrets.

...

In her room, Luo Yue toyed with the two jade pendants. The workmanship was exquisite, feeling cool and smooth in her hand.

[Master! Put the two jade pendants together!]