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The two of them gazed at each other face to face. Huo Fenglie’s eyes contained so much that Liu Zhenqing felt as if his heart was enveloped and protected by a gentle spring breeze.

“Do you want to know the truth about back then?”

Looking into Liu Zhenqing’s almost dazed eyes, Huo Fenglie suppressed all the emotions in his heart and shook his head gently.

“If you don’t want to say it, I don’t want to hear it. Qing-ge, you said that this is your new life. The past is in the past. Just forget whatever you want to forget.”

It must be said that Huo Fenglie’s answer let Liu Zhenqing breathe a sigh of relief. The moment the topic began, he was mentally prepared to be questioned thoroughly, but he still flinched back in the end. No one would want their junior to see their failure.

“R-right, the cremation?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously, changing the topic.

Huo Fenglie said: “You said you didn’t want a traditional burial method. You said the tomb would be robbed and the body might be exposed to the wilderness a hundred years later, so cremation was the most suitable for you.”

“I said that?” Liu Zhenqing really didn’t remember.

Huo Fenglie nodded.

“The ashes?”

Huo Fenglie’s breath caught, and his eyes flickered as he said: “You said ‘I’ll follow the wind to the end of the world, and follow the sea to drift across the ocean’…..”

“Ah, that does sound like something I would say. Hahaha, not bad, not bad. It’s pretty good like this.”

Huo Fenglie opened his mouth, but still didn’t dare to say more. In fact, there was a third sentence, “and grow together with all things.”

The two casually talked about other things, eventually returning to the carriage.

He Lan watched them return, eyebrows raised and his expression full of teasing. “Yo, you’re back. What kind of beautiful memories are you creating behind our backs?”

Liu Zhenqing felt that among the three brothers, the one who had the deepest misunderstanding about this matter had evolved to the point of directly making fun of them. It was useless for him to explain himself, but Er-gou…..

“Get in the carriage and set off.” As expected, Huo Fenglie offered no explanation and simply got down to business.

The four of them continued south. Although they didn’t know where the money was transported to, among the correspondence and customs clearance certificates, they could temporarily decide on a location and continue the investigation when they arrived.

The carriage traveled forward slowly. It was a long journey, so naturally everyone sat inside.

They talked along the way, from serious discussions about the oddities in the case, to unavoidably talking about Bai Yu and Cheng Xi.

“Is that worthy of being called love?” Qin Yu mocked directly.

Liu Zhenqing also felt nauseous.

He Lan said: “Although I also think that Cheng Xi’s death would be considered light even if he was cut into pieces by a thousand swords, he must have loved Bai-dage. How could a normal person do what he did, ah, freezing a corpse and then trying to marry it.”

He Lan couldn’t help but shiver as he spoke: “I feel that even if I fall in love with someone in the future, I won’t be able to act lovingly toward their bones after they die.”

Qin Yu scoffed coldly and said: “That only shows that your love isn’t deep enough.”

He Lan immediately grabbed the loophole. “Hehe, you’ve fallen into a trap. You just said that Cheng Xi’s feelings are not worthy of being called love.”

Qin Yu quickly retorted: “That isn’t the same.”

He Lan quickly pulled Liu Zhenqing over and said: “What about you?”

“Uh…..” Liu Zhenqing was confused by their argument. He was about to say that a person with deep feelings of friendship would care about the other person’s bones, like Er-gou…..

But before Liu Zhenqing could say anything, the two of them started arguing again. This time, Bai Su wasn’t there to stop the fight. Huo Fenglie didn’t bother to care about them, and Liu Zhenqing’s relationship with them wasn’t close enough for him to intercede, so he could only watch as their quarrel got worse.

And at this time, a strange suspicion flashed through Liu Zhenqing’s mind.

Although he was shocked by the facts before, he did find it a bit strange.

Why…..did Er-gou have such a major reaction to his death, ah?

Now that he thought about Bai Su’s description at that time, it felt inconsistent no matter how he heard it.

That loss of control when facing his grave. 

Just like…..just like…..a description in a storybook.

In a daze, Liu Zhenqing picked up a few storybooks. He had read them before, so he was very familiar with the life-or-death scenes between the male and female protagonists.

The more he read, the more uneasy Liu Zhenqing felt.

After sitting in the carriage for a long time, he became drowsy and fell asleep. When he woke up again, there was a familiar shoulder and a hand at his waist to fix him in position, making him feel as if he was falling into the other person’s arms.

The familiar scent stunned Liu Zhenqing, and he looked up.

Huo Fenglie also had his eyes closed to rest, looking calm and mature.

Liu Zhenqing’s heart skipped a beat, and he glanced to the side. Qin Yu was leaning against the wall of the carriage, sleeping quietly with his arms around himself. He Lan was alone on one side, sleeping with his arms spread out.

Everyone was obviously napping…..

Why was Er-gou holding him, ah?!

Wait, Er-gou hugging him seemed to have happened frequently in recent memory.

He did that when he was a child, but after growing into a teenager, Er-gou was very polite and behaved as he should, so why had he become unruly again now?

With two grown men being so close, it was no wonder that the three brothers always misunderstood them.

Was it because he was careless and didn’t think anything was inappropriate? 

No, with such an analysis, didn’t this mean that Er-gou was treating him…..

Wrong! Wrong! Absolutely not right, ah!

Liu Zhenqing stared at Huo Fenglie’s face, his brain almost falling into chaos. But Liu Zhenqing still firmly believed that he must be thinking too much.

After all, he was ten years older than Er-gou, ah. Er-gou must have always regarded him as his older brother. The closeness now was just a special situation when regaining a lost relative.

Right, Er-gou was inherently slow when it came to emotions. Wasn’t he still unmarried?

Wait, unmarried?! He wasn’t married yet at this age, and still didn’t have a lover. He was really just emotionally obtuse.

Liu Zhenqing’s mind was filled with exclamations and question marks. Suddenly, Huo Fenglie moved, and Liu Zhenqing instinctively closed his eyes.

He could feel Huo Fenglie’s chest quiver slightly, as if he had woken up from a short rest.

He must have turned to look at him, because he felt his breath on his face.

Wait, what was that feeling on his cheek? He had reached out and touched his face!

Why touch it, ah? What was so good about a grown man’s face?

Should he open his eyes to catch him and ask about it?

But…..wouldn’t it be embarrassing if he really did that?

Now he wasn’t sure!

No way, was he coming closer? Why did he feel like that breath was getting closer and hotter?

Was he near? What did he intend to do? Could it be…..Liu Zhenqing suddenly remembered the scene when Er-gou pounced on him under the Heaven’s Blessing Sect’s aphrodisiac and sniffed his body.

Did he want to steal a kiss?!

“Qing-ge?”

There was a soft, muted whisper.

Was he testing whether he was awake? To conveniently steal a kiss? This pup!

Should he open his eyes? Should he…..

“Brother Liu? What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Huo Fenglie suddenly shook Liu Zhenqing hard enough that he couldn’t pretend anymore, and he was forced to wake up and stare at the person in front of him. For a moment, he didn’t know what expression to wear, as if he had peeked into the young man’s mind and seen something he shouldn’t know.

Huo Fenglie said with doubtful eyes: “What’s wrong? I just felt that you’re short of breath, and your cheeks are hot. Is your condition still not good?”

“Ah?” Liu Zhenqing was stunned.

Huo Fenglie reached out and touched Liu Zhenqing’s face again, saying: “It’s red and hot. How are you feeling?”

Liu Zhenqing: ……

“I’m fine, the carriage is probably a little stuffy. I’ll go out and ride on horseback to get some fresh air.” Liu Zhenqing looked calm on the surface, but he was embarrassed inside. He had…..misunderstood.

When they arrived at the town in the evening, Huo Fenglie still gave Liu Zhenqing fish at the dinner table and picked out the bones.

A pair of chopsticks reached toward the small plate, but Huo Fenglie forced them back with a look.

He Lan clamored: “No way, no way, the fish you picked is only for Brother Liu to eat? Do you value the desire of your heart over your friends, ah?”

Liu Zhenqing’s entire body tensed. He hadn’t sensed it before, but now he felt that something was wrong.

And why didn’t Huo Fenglie react to such a statement?

When resting at night, there were two rooms and four people.

“I don’t want to share a room with him.” Qin Yu refused directly. “Get another room.”

Looking aggrieved, He Lan said: “Why? It’s such a waste if two people can’t stay in such a big room.”

Liu Zhenqing: Wait, why do I default to sharing a room with Er-gou?

He hurriedly said: “Brother Qin, how about we room together?”

As soon as Liu Zhenqing opened his mouth, the three people looked at him.

He didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but he felt that Huo Fenglie’s look in his direction was a little different.

Qin Yu did not refuse such an arrangement, and seemed fine with it as long as he wasn’t staying with He Lan.

He Lan put his arm around Huo Fenglie’s shoulders and joked: “I’m sorry, Lao Qin has a conflict with me, which caused your family to be separated.”

Liu Zhenqing: Er-gou, say something to prove your innocence, ah!

He stealthily raised his head to glance at Huo Fenglie, only to find the other’s dark eyes staring at him. Liu Zhenqing was suddenly uneasy.

At nighttime, it was time to rest.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Liu Zhenqing opened it and saw Huo Fenglie standing outside, holding a white porcelain bottle in his hand.

“What is it?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Huo Fenglie said: “I happened to hear that there was fresh milk here.”

After speaking, he handed it over.

Liu Zhenqing took it. It was warm.

That was an old habit of his. It was easy for a noble son to drink warm milk before bed. But nowadays, this kind of thing was not sold everywhere.

Er-gou actually remembered this.

Liu Zhenqing looked up at Huo Fenglie in astonishment, and saw that his black eyes seemed to be softly illuminated by the surrounding candlelight. 

That kind of smile that was rarely shown to others appeared briefly in front of Liu Zhenqing, and the other person said goodnight before leaving.

Liu Zhenqing stood there blankly, holding the porcelain bottle.

Qin Yu saw it and said: “Zhanyuan sent that? What is it?”

“Warm milk.”

Qin Yu was taken aback. “It’s sold here?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded.

Qin Yu seemed to want a drink, so he went out to ask a waiter for some.

After a while, he returned empty-handed.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Qin Yu said with a frown: “It’s not from the inn, but from outside the city. It will take too long to run there. How troublesome. I’m going to sleep.”

Liu Zhenqing: ……

Blushing, he silently drank the warm milk.

What on earth was Er-gou doing, ah!

Liu Zhenqing thought about this problem, tossing and turning all night long. He had intermittent dreams, all of them related to Er-gou. Some were from the past while others were recent, but he couldn’t remember what he dreamed about.

His complexion wasn’t very good when he got up. Before boarding the carriage, a worried Huo Fenglie insisted on taking him to see a doctor.

After Liu Zhenqing said firmly that he could treat himself, and after making sure that he was fine, Huo Fenglie finally obeyed.

Once he got into the carriage, Huo Fenglie directly prepared cushions and blankets for him, including pillows, so that he could have a good rest.

In order for it to be quiet, he took his two brothers out to ride on horseback, which made Liu Zhenqing feel embarrassed.

But in the end, he really hadn’t slept well, so he fell asleep in the shaking carriage. 

He slept for an unknown amount of time, and the carriage seemed to suddenly stop. Liu Zhenqing sat up in a daze.

Just then, there was a knocking sound next to the window. After a moment, the curtain opened and Huo Fenglie peeked in.

“Awake?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded, and Huo Fenglie said at once: “Come out and have a look.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment, then stood and got out of the carriage. As the fresh mountain air came, he saw a beautiful landscape painting.

At some point, their team had reached a forest.

Liu Zhenqing faintly admired the scenery for a moment, and saw Huo Fenglie already standing under the carriage, reaching out to help him.

Liu Zhenqing came down and was about to ask where this place was. The scenery was very nice. He heard He Lan remark from the side. “I initially didn’t know why Zhanyuan had to change the route, but now I understand. The scenery is so beautiful! It’s worth the trip.”

“Qingcheng Mountain is indeed pretty good.”

Qingcheng Mountain?!

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. His eyes widened, and he looked around carefully.

Thunder and lightning flashed in his mind.

The stream, willows, pavilion, and peach grove were an extremely familiar landscape when viewed from a specific angle.

. . . . . . .

When playing in the south, he, Feihan, Xingruo, and Er-gou rested in the pavilion here.

He pointed to the surroundings and said: “The scenery here is unique and beautiful. I am destined for it, this should be my future residence.”

“What kind of destiny?” Huo Feihan asked curiously.

“There are willows (liu) streams (xi) and a pavilion (ting), ah!” Liu Zhenqing pointed them out one by one with a smile. “When I get old in the future, I will come to live here in seclusion and enjoy the rest of my life. Do you want to come with me?”

Li Xingruo: “Then I want that peach blossom grove. I’ll re-plant it with herbs.”

“No way, find another place. The peach blossom grove is beautiful, and the peaches can be eaten. I also want to build a grape trellis and a place to stargaze.”

“You only know how to eat and play,” Li Xingruo said contemptuously.

“Then I…..I want a place to practice martial arts,” Huo Fenglie said.

When the three of them finished speaking, they looked at Huo Fenglie and asked casually: “What do you want?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t answer, but turned to look at Liu Zhenqing.

. . . . . . .

“Doesn’t…..this scenery look familiar?” He Lan said, touching his chin.

“It’s very similar to the courtyard in the General’s Manor,” Qin Yu said directly.

He Lan reacted at once and shouted to Huo Fenglie: “You saw such beautiful scenery and rebuilt it in your courtyard. Tell me, when did you become interested in this sort of thing?”

Huo Fenglie ignored them and looked at Liu Zhenqing with deep eyes and a light smile, saying: “Qing-ge, the scenery is still the same.”

“En…..en.”

He watched as Huo Fenglie leisurely enjoyed the scenery here.

Liu Zhenqing’s forehead was covered in sweat. 

Oops, Boss, Junior Sister.

Er-gou, h-h-he likes me!

All the past inconsistencies between them, now that he thought about them, made him blush. And when he was sick before and Du Dongfeng came to visit him, Er-gou looked unhappy.

If he doesn’t like me, then what? He must like me.

What, what should I do, ah!

We’re both men, and I’m his brother.

Aiya, this is such a big matter, how can I be worthy of the Huo family!

Not good! Really not good!

Although it’s normal for him to fall in love with my charm and good looks, how old was he back then?

And now my face has changed.

No, Er-gou must be sincere. Gender isn’t an issue, and he held my bones. Can there be any problem with my face?

No wonder he treated him so well and trusted him unconditionally. Now wonder he hadn’t gotten married after so long. No wonder…..

The more Liu Zhenqing thought about it, the more of a mess he became. His head was about to explode.

I’m such a sinful man, ah!

But….the corners of his mouth slowly rose when he wasn’t paying attention.

Huo Fenglie looked over and saw Liu Zhenqing’s expression. Thinking that he was happy to be here, he finally felt relieved. After all, Liu Zhneqing had been absent-minded these past few days. He must have been affected by the previous incident, so he brought him here.

Huo Fenglie’s mood changed with Liu Zhenqing’s. He reached out and took the other’s wrist. “Let’s go, I’ll fish for you.”

Liu Zhenqing watched Huo Fenglie take the initiative and had only one thought in his mind.

Fuck! He really unabashedly likes me! Why so unrestrained, ah! Aren’t you afraid I’ll notice?!

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Chapter Fifty-Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Six