Chapter 6: Despair

Dugu Baitian's heart was bitter to the extreme. He returned to his room like a walking corpse after the sudden turn of events. He couldn't believe that Yue'er, who had once sworn eternal love with him, would be so fickle towards him. He couldn't accept this fact. He went into the kitchen, grabbed a jar of wine, returned to his room, broke the seal of the wine, and drank the entire jar in one gulp before lying on the bed, drifting into a deep sleep.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the three brothers from the Sutu clan rushed to Dugu Baitian's house.

"Baitian, wake up, wake up!" They shook and nudged him until Dugu Baitian finally woke up.

Sutu Miyue said, "Brother-in-law, don't sleep anymore. My sister cried all night and packed her things early this morning. She's leaving to go back to Wushuang Empire."

Dugu Baitian sat up in shock.

Sutu Haoyue said, "Baitian, you need to go after her quickly, or else it will be too late."

Dugu Baitian sat on the bed in a daze, recalling the words he said to Sutu Mingyue last night.

"Yue'er, you don't need to blame yourself. We were young in the past and didn't understand what love truly meant. Love is not only a commitment, but also a responsibility. It requires two hearts to be together forever.

Go back to Senior Liu's side. Although I only glanced at him, I can feel that he truly loves you and can bring you happiness. Go, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

He lay back on the bed and slowly closed his eyes. She left like this, not only because he had hurt her heart, but also because she had truly fallen for that Senior Liu.

Sutu Aoyue anxiously called out, "Baitian, hurry up and get up, or it will be too late."

The three of them pulled him up from the bed.

Dugu Baitian angrily said, "Let go of me. Her affairs have nothing to do with me. I've severed ties with her, and we have no relationship anymore."

The three of them were stunned, looking at him as if he were a stranger.

"Brother-in-law, do you really not love my sister anymore?"

"She has already fallen for someone else."

"But last night, she clearly told the three of us that you don't love her anymore."

"I want a complete love. If a love is already divided in half or stained, it's better not to have it at all. If it continues, it will be a twisted love that will end in endless pain. In that case, it's better to end it early."

The three brothers from the Sutu clan fell silent.

"Your timing is perfect. We didn't settle things yesterday, so let's continue today, right here in my backyard."

Dugu Baitian forcibly dragged the three of them to the backyard.

The three brothers from the Sutu clan didn't use fancy moves or strong internal power. They fought with Dugu Baitian using brute force, just like they did when they were kids.

"Clang clang clang clang"

The yard resounded with noise.

Half an hour later, all four of them were lying on the ground, with bruised faces.

After a while, Dugu Baitian struggled to stand up, swaying, and looked at the swollen cheeks of the three of them, laughing loudly twice, then burst into tears, and then fell silent, turning and walking towards the room.

The three of them looked at each other in silence, then turned and left.

In the following days, Dugu Baitian seemed to have really fallen in love with martial arts, practicing with his father all day. Of course, they were only basic martial arts moves.

In recent years, as Dugu Baitian grew older, his body became stronger and tougher. He would only fight with his gangster friends once every ten days or so, mainly because after each fight, the gangsters would need to "rest for a few days". Now he would find them to fight every two or three days, and the gangsters would complain endlessly.

In addition, due to the turmoil caused by Sutu Mingyue, Sutu Jingyun specially allowed Sutu Haoyue and his two brothers to come out once a week to accompany Dugu Baitian to fight and relieve boredom.

Dugu Baitian was numb to himself. Every time he dragged his bruised and battered body back home, he felt like the wounds in his soul were healing a little.

Finally, after getting drunk one time, he was carried into a brothel by a group of his gangster friends. In a daze, he felt someone taking off his clothes. He slapped out with a "snap", hitting the person's face.

"Ah!"

A scream.

Dugu Baitian opened his eyes and saw a glamorous girl. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mudan."

"Where is this?"

"This is Lichun Courtyard."

"What? This is a brothel?"

"Yes, yes," Mudan stammered as she looked at Dugu Baitian's angry face.

At first, Dugu Baitian was angry, but then he let it go. Although these gangster friends were not very upright, their friendship with him was genuine. Their relationship had been built from childhood to adulthood. They must have thought he had been through too much suffering these days and wanted to help him "relax", but they had gone too far.

"Your name is Mudan?"

"Yes."

"Besides sleeping with guests, what other services do you have here?"

"Accompanying guests to drink, playing music and singing for guests."

"Alright, then play and sing a song for me."

Mudan held a pipa and played and sang:

"Endless yearning, in Chang'an.

Autumn tears fall on the golden well, faintly cold in the light frost.

The lonely lamp is dim, and thoughts are desperate, sighing as I gaze at the moon behind the curtains.

Beauty is like a flower in the sky.

Above is the vast sky, below are the rippling waves of green water.

Long roads and distant skies, bitter souls flying, dreams unable to reach the mountain pass.

Endless yearning, breaking my heart and liver."

The song was mournful, and Dugu Baitian felt great sorrow in his heart, which stirred up the threads of his melancholy thoughts. After listening to this song, he was moved, feeling much better in his heart, as if the song had sung to his heart.

From then on, Changfeng Town had another wanderer who often lingered in the Lichun Courtyard. Those who were familiar with him knew that Dugu Baitian only drank and listened to music in Lichun Courtyard. Those who didn't know him thought he had completely turned into the king of hooligans in Changfeng Town.

Finally, the news reached his home, and his father scolded him severely. Chen Ting gently touched the scars on Dugu Baitian's body, feeling extremely distressed.

"Child, only when you have experienced being loved and loving others, and learned what you need, will you find the person most suitable for you, someone you can spend your whole life with. But sadly, in real life, these three people are usually not the same person; the one you love the most often doesn't choose you; the one who loves you the most is often not the one you love the most; and the one who lasts the longest is often neither the one you love the most nor the one who loves you the most, but the one who appears at the most opportune time.

Ideal and reality are hard to coincide. You are too sensitive, you need to learn to change. You are not an ordinary person, don't forget what your grandfather told you. You may have to walk a difficult road in this lifetime, or maybe a bright path that no one has ever walked before. You are destined for greatness in this lifetime, and you may have to experience various hardships. How can you be immersed in sorrow for trivial romantic affairs every day?"

These words stirred up a storm in Dugu Baitian's heart, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. "Mother, I understand."

"Go then, your grandfather is waiting for you in the backyard."

Dugu Baitian's grandfather, Dugu Feiyu, was nearly seventy years old, with white hair and a youthful appearance, as if he were an immortal, exuding an otherworldly aura.

"Grandfather, you're looking for me."

"Hehe, good grandson. I heard that you've become proficient in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling recently. You've really surpassed me in my prime."

Dugu Baitian couldn't help but blush.

"I only want to tell you one thing. When you were born, a dazzling blood-red light shot up to the sky, and you were born with blood in your hand. Your left hand is 'Bai' and your right hand is 'Tian'. Your name is born with it. This means that you may experience many things in the future. Don't be disheartened because of a small heartbreak."

...

Ps: Lichun courtyard: 立春院, a really famous name of some brothel