Zhao Layue stood in the dusk.
The setting sun was behind her.
Her face could not be seen clearly, but her eyes, their black and white sharply defined, were as bright as ever, strikingly conspicuous in the dim world.
Gu Qing stood beside her, silently hoping his master could see those eyes and wake up.
"How about... eating first?" Jing Shang asked somewhat uneasily from the edge of the group.
Hearing this, Gu Qing and Ping Yongjia looked toward Zhao Layue, while A Piao was somewhat at a loss.
She was the Divine End Peak Master, and their martial aunt besides.
They knew how much Jing Jiu meant to her. Though she loved hotpot, could she still stomach a meal at a time like this?
Zhao Layue suddenly turned and walked toward the dining hall.
The Jing Household had prepared many dishes that day, with bowls and plates covering the entire round table. Jing Shang's Wife stood somewhat nervously beside it, while Jing Li's Wife stood farther away, looking somewhat aggrieved.
Without standing on ceremony, Zhao Layue sat directly at the head of the table and said, "Sit."
Everyone sat down.
Zhao Layue said, "Eat."
And so everyone began eating. Not a single person spoke throughout the meal.
After the meal, Zhao Layue had Jing Li's Wife comb her hair and braid it.
Everyone pretended not to see. A Piao picked up the bowl, which was bigger than her face, and pretended to eat.
Jing Li's face was pale. Thank goodness there isn't a mirror in the dining hall.
Zhao Layue left the dining hall and returned to the study, where she sat cross-legged in the very spot where the begonia tree had once stood, then closed her eyes.
The Unthought Sword emerged soundlessly.
The beautiful twilight shone on her