Chapter 199 - A glimpse of eight years ago

A six-seater golf cart approached. The driver and the butler bowed to Lu Yin Ze.

The group sat and watched their surrounding with marvel.

The butler beside the driver spoke as a tourist guide.

"The burial site has three sections. Outer, middle, and inner."

The group glanced at the butler.

The butler continued.

"The one you see young masters and young misses is the outer part. The tombstones you are seeing is from the Lu's generation's outer branch. Some of the loyal butlers and proficient maids were also given a chance to be buried here depends on the master's orders." Xiong Zhi understood those 'masters' were the people in the main branch.

"They deserve a land to be rested here, in the great land of the Lu household."

The three looked around. So these tombstones were from the Lu family side branches and the deserved helpers? Even there were hundreds of tombstones here, every tombstone looked expensive and well taken care of. So being placed by your ashes here as resting place was not bad but considered a luxury for the dead. Even they are dead, they still owned two meters of their land.

Xiong Zhi was silent. 

A scene flashed in her mind.

The rain.

The tombstone.

The man.

This place was familiar. Very familiar. 

She was sure she did not visit it before in both lifetimes. Then, it must have happened when she was in 'that' state.

But how come...how come her ashes was here?

The Lu family.

The Xiong family.

What's the connection?

'This not make any sense.'

No one knows what Xiong Zhi was thinking as the butler continued to explain things.

"We are now entering the middle section.."

As the butler said this, the cart arrived at the land where the tombstone was bigger and the spaces between every tombstone were ten meters. Each tombstone has a roof and places for offerings. The pot of ashes was slightly bigger and was placed in a very safe area. 

"This section was for the head of the branches of the Lu family, the Lu family outer members that managed to have a name for themselves, and some mistresses of the Lu Main family."

It took five minutes drive as they arrived at the Inner section.

"Young Masters and Young Misses, this is the resting place of the Main Lu family members, and their official wives." 

The three gasped at the small pavilions that were erected everywhere. This place was wider than the outer section where countless of tombstones was placed. 

Every pavilion was wide as ten meters, and the distance between the other pavilion was twenty meters on each side. This was a privilege given to every member of the deceased Lu family.

The cart moved on to the deeper part of the inner section. Then from afar, they saw two different pavilions.

There was a silver-white pavilion made of marbles. It was designed like a small ice castle. It was very beautiful. Blue roses were surrounding the pavilion. It was bigger than most of the pavilion. The other one was made with silver-blue marble. There were blue roses as well. It was so majestic.

As the cart stopped in front of the silver-blue pavilion, Lu Yin Ze spoke.

"This is the place where my mother rests."

The three bowed towards the pavilion. 

There was no door here but an open space. 

Lu Yin Ze kneeled on the soft pillow. He light an incense and bowed for a long time. He did not visit his mom for eight years. 

Eight years...

He has a debt to his mom for that eight years. 

"Mom.."

His mom's image had been blurry in those times when he was in the hospital. It was only recently when he gathered the courage to look at their family picture that he managed to get his mom's image again. However, even he couldn't remember his mom's face on those times, her remembered her warmth, her small lectures and her last words...

"Yin..Listen..carefully-"

"Y-you're to young to understand-"

"--don't let y-your f-father knows-"

"I am so cruel to force this on you-"

"I know mom..but you don't have a choice. " Lu Yin Ze was answering to the voices in his memories. His young self doesn't understand those last words that his mother gave to him. He only cried and shouted to his mother to not leave him. 

However, as time passed, he began to understand. 

Why he was locked up, why his brother avoided him and started changing, why his father had done those horrible things eight years ago...

Why his mother left him such words...

Those confusing questions were answered one by one. 

The young Lu Yin Ze learned things on his own. He thought he would never come out and carried out her mother's last mission for him. He thought he would be caged not just in the four walls but with the fear that his father and brother caged him in.

He was still weak but he would try. As long as he breathes, he would keep moving. Even he was scared and afraid.

"Mom, I am not yet strong. I now understand that I will never be strong if I remain weak." Lu Yin Ze eyes were down but they were brimming with a will to fight.

"I will do as you asked Mom." Lu Yin Ze could hear his mother's voice.

"Listen carefully, stop your dad and don't give up on your brother. The Lu empire would not break easily.."

"I know mom.." Lu Yin Ze answered once again.

"Please give me strength.." Lu Yin Ze clenched his fist. He knows where to start. 

Lu Yin Ze bowed once again and prayed. His eyes were remained closed as the scene eight years ago was still vivid in his mind.

*****

Eight years ago...that day..*

"Brother! Brother! I caught a dragonfly!" The six-year-old Lu Yin Ze ran to the living room to show his brother the little insect that was glowing in his hands. 

It was a week ago that he was crying so much because his mother went to a beautiful place without him. But then his father get them and brought them to this mansion where they lived together with his mother. His father said that he could meet his mother again in this place. With that assurance, the young Lu Yin Ze forgot his sorrows and return to his playful nature. 

He tried to get his brother out who seems sick and doesn't want to go out. He played alone and found this glowing insect and thought that it might cheer up his brother. So he returned in the mansion when the sun was about to set.

The young Lu Yin Ze failed to notice that there were no servants who called for him even the sun had already settled. He played all afternoon until the sun sets, he just came back from the garden just to show this little thing in his hands.

His shouts on the hallway were the only noise on the villa.

'Bang'

A sharp sound met Lu Yin Ze.

Gasp. 

The butler hadn't even given a chance to let out a scream as a bullet enter his head.

Lu Yin Ze curiously looked at the butler who gasped and fall down on his feet.

Then his eyes turned wide as blood keep coming out from the hole in the butler's head.

"B-blood!" Lu Yin Ze who was shocked by horror knew the color of blood was. It hurts to just scr.a.p.ed your knee and when little blood comes out it was more painful. And to see so much blood made the young Lu Yin Ze turned speechless.

"Young Master!" His nanny ran to him and hide his view with her hug.

"Nanny?" Lu Yin Ze looked up at his nanny who looked disheveled.

"Sshh..Let's go to sleep okay?" His nanny gave him a smile. Even though that smiled turned scarier as both her lips were shaking.

Lu Yin Ze tried to look at the man again.

"Is he okay?"

'Bang' A sharp but not so loud sound echoed again. It was followed by another gasped.

"Nanny?" Lu Yin Ze looked at his nanny with a confused expression as his nanny was visibly trembling in every 'bang'.

"G-go upstairs.." despite shaking, his nanny managed to say these words.

"How about dinner?" The young Lu Yin Ze who could not see the mass execution in the living room aksed innocently.

"Later, okay?" His nanny was crying.

Lu Yin Ze blinked . He was a good child. Even though he don't understand what's happening he nodded. His nanny let go of him. He was about to turn to the stairs when he heard another sharp 'bang'.

Gasp.

This gasped was so near that made the little Lu Yin Ze looked over. He saw clearly his nanny who was kneeling earlier dropped to the ground. Since no one was blocking his view, he could see clearly the mess in the living room.

There was blood everywhere.

The maids and butlers that were alive this morning were lining up on the ground. It turned out that his nanny was on the last line, near the staircase. 

There was a man standing in the living room. That man was holding a revolving gun with a silencer.

Lu Yin Ze knew this man.

"Dad?"

That man, Ming Zhi Yi looked at his son with an amused expression.

"How come you return late?" Then he pointed the gun to little Lu Yin Ze.

Little Yin Ze might be young. But he watched a movie about this. This was a horrible thing and it means death.

"D-dad..why?"

"Don't call me that. You silver brat!" Ming Zhi Yi was frowning. But then he smiled like a crazy man.

"Oh, I forgot. " He ruffled his own hair then smiled gently. His smiles were like how he smiles to his mother and to them. This smile was the smile that Lu Yin Ze was familiar with.

"My child, did your mother told you something before she left?"

*(a/n: refer chap 14)