Ch. 120 – Trust
Early in the morning.
The moment the first ray of sunlight streamed through the window, Feng Ye opened his eyes.
His eyes didn’t contain the slightest haze of first awakening, only clarity.
He had been awake for a long time.
But he had pretended to be asleep, because…..
Feng Ye gingerly moved Hao Chen’s arm away from where it was draped over his chest. And after sitting up, he moved Hao Chen’s leg, which was thrown across his own.
He had been affected by the incident with Ling Yun. It was true that he had acted without hesitation in the moment, but he wasn’t nearly as unruffled as he appeared on the surface.
It could have been that the inner turmoil had left him more emotionally fragile than usual the night before. He couldn’t quite say what had come over him. It was like being drunk. He had allowed Hao Chen to embrace him, and had even held him back.
Then, since they couldn’t just keep standing in the wind the whole night long, the two of them lay down in bed together and quietly fell asleep.
Feng Ye hadn’t slept for long, simply dozing for about four shichen before a chaotic dream jolted him awake.
It wasn’t the same dream as before, nor was it the work of that demonic creature. His overly jumbled thoughts in the waking world had just manifested as a dream.
He felt an unfamiliar weight pressing down on him when he woke, and upon opening his eyes, he found Hao Chen pressed tightly against him.
The fish was demonstrating his usual lack of sleep etiquette, clinging to him like an octopus. His face was also pressed to the side of his neck, each puff of breath fanning over his sensitive inverse scale and sending goosebumps across his entire body.
At this realization, Feng Ye wanted to jump right out of bed and shove this clingy person away from him.
This was his instinctive reaction, but when he came back to his senses and remembered what had happened the night before, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.
What exactly…..was going on between him and Hao Chen?
He found it difficult to put into words.
Hao Chen said he liked him…..but did he actually like Hao Chen?
To some extent, this was a trickier matter than even Jianmu. No matter how complex and mysterious the history of Jianmu was, he knew where to seek the clues that would provide him with an answer.
But he had absolutely no point of reference for determining whether or not he liked someone. This was a question without a common answer, and Feng Ye didn’t know how to find the solution.
In the past, Feng Ye would have decisively answered in the negative.
He was well-aware of his trust issues, and knew that it was highly unlikely that he would ever fall for someone.
Hao Chen could be counted as a rare friend, but he was still not an exception to this rule.
Feng Ye had drawn a circle around himself. Inside it was his safe territory, and outside it was everyone else. Nobody was allowed inside. In fact, if outsiders even approached its boundary, his tension and unease would surge. His hackles would rise, the scales all across his body bristling in his most ferocious and terrifying threat display.
Just like his coldness from last night, when Hao Chen first tried to reach out and touch him.
And yet, Feng Ye had released his hand after Hao Chen asked him that question.
Hao Chen’s question was perfectly asked. If he had added a single extra word, had he asked, ‘did it hurt you,’ Feng Ye might not have answered or let go.
He wouldn’t acknowledge his pain in front of someone else, but this question and its answer hadn’t specified the person who had suffered. This made it easier to explain later on, or to simply deny everything.
So Feng Ye allowed himself to show this slightest of vulnerabilities. He opened his circle a tiny crack – and then this fat fish wiggled through and embraced him.
The warmth was addictive. Out of control, he slowly returned the embrace, holding on tighter and tighter.
Afterward, they once again lay down in bed together. Feng Ye couldn’t say for sure how many times they had shared a bed, and the mood was different each time.
When he thought back to the previous night, Feng Ye had no way of pushing this fish off the bed with a clear conscience.
To use him and then discard him….wouldn’t that make Feng Ye a total scumbag? Hao Chen’s breathing was deep and steady as he slept, and Feng Ye didn’t want to interrupt the fish’s pleasant dreams.
But going back to sleep was impossible.
The breaths puffing against his sensitive spot were torture. If it had been anyone other than Hao Chen, Feng Ye would have kicked them away already.
This thought brought Feng Ye up short. It turned out that his feelings toward Hao Chen were special after all.
This situation had him at a complete loss. He had absolutely no experience when it came to handling such things, and from the moment he woke up until the break of dawn, he futilely wracked his brains for an answer.
When dawn came and it was time to get up, Feng Ye decided to leave and take a stroll outside. He would be able to clear his head and remove himself from the torment of his current situation.
So after carefully rearranging Hao Chen’s limbs, Feng Ye held his breath and observed him. The rhythm of Hao Chen’s breathing hadn’t changed at all. He seemed to be deeply asleep.
Feng Ye prepared to leave with peace of mind, but just before heading out, he noticed that the window was still open.
He had been sitting by the window and enjoying the breeze when Hao Chen came in last night, and neither of them had remembered to close it before going to bed. It had remained open through the night, pouring cold air into the room.
Both he and the fish had thick hides, and a bit of cold wind was nothing to them.
In the past, it never would have occurred to Feng Ye to close the window for Hao Chen’s sake. But not only did it occur to him now, he even walked all the way there from the doorway to close it.
The sky was overcast, and perhaps because the sun had yet to rise completely, it gave off a slight feeling of gloom.
The room suddenly grew dim with the closing of the window, and Feng Ye felt his way out in the darkness.
When he was outside with the door fully shut in front of him, Feng Ye breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally escaped that confusing situation.
Even after leaving the room, he didn’t let down his guard. He descended the stairs on light feet, fearful that the slightest noise might awaken the sleeping fish.
What he failed to see was that as soon as the door closed, Hao Chen also opened his eyes.
He sat halfway up in bed and pressed a hand to his forehead, staring in the direction Feng Ye had gone with an unreadable expression.
When Feng Ye reached the lobby on the ground floor, he discovered that the innkeeper had arisen even earlier than him.
The man was busily tending a fire in order to cook breakfast. After all, with an ingot of gold and a pearl in his pocket, he knew that he must serve these four guests well.
Therefore, he got up very early in the morning before the four of them awoke, but Feng Ye was an unexpectedly early-riser. The rice had just been put into the pot, and the buns were still being assembled when he made his way down.
“Up so early, honored guest?” the innkeeper asked Feng Ye.
“En, I got up to stretch my legs,” Feng Ye said with a smile.
The innkeeper was a little surprised. Yesterday, this person had been cold and silent, but he was much easier to get along with today.
He didn’t dwell on this new development, but instead focused on doing his job well. He carried a plate of meat filling toward the back, saying: “Please sit and wait a short while, honored guest. Breakfast is in the pot and will be ready in no time.”
Feng Ye nodded: “Thanking the innkeeper for his hard work.”
“Just doing my job!” the innkeeper replied without complaint.
If it got him gold and pearls every day, forget getting up early, he wouldn’t even bother to sleep!
The innkeeper headed to the back courtyard where the kitchen was located, and Feng Ye sat down at a random table near a window. He rested his chin in his hand and gazed outside.
The inn was located on the market street, and there were already a few pedestrians out and about even on such an early, overcast morning. They were all street vendors, scrambling to set up their stalls in the prime spots in order to make a living.
The faint clatter of pots and pans reached his ears. The innkeeper was hard at work in the kitchen. It was just an ordinary morning, and this was just an ordinary market town. So ordinary, in fact, that it didn’t even have an official name. Just like similar places elsewhere, it was tranquil and unchanging.
Feng Ye’s unsettled mind was suddenly very calm. As he watched people passing by on the street, a smile unknowingly appeared on his lips.
This unchanging tranquility that could even be called tedious…..was exactly what he had been working so tirelessly for. When tracking down Jianmu and locating the Living Soil, his only goal was to eliminate this hidden threat and restore peace to the mortal world.
Feng Ye had only been sitting by the window for a short while when he heard another set of footsteps coming down the stairs.
He turned his head toward the stairwell, and his newly-settled heart sped up again. If it was Hao Chen coming down, how should he face him…..?
As Feng Ye wrestled with his anxiety, the person came into view at the top of the stairs. It was Cao Zirui.
Feng Ye was a little surprised, and so was Cao Zirui when he caught sight of Feng Ye.
He had heard all about Feng Ye’s behavior from Fang Yang, and knew that this person hated waking up so much that he wished he could kill every rooster in the sect.
For him to wake up this early today, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Cao Zirui’s expression didn’t change much from its usual iciness, but Feng Ye still caught a hint of shock in his eyes, as well as…..wonder.
Why so shocked? Feng Ye pondered this briefly, and decided that it must be due to Fang Yang spreading rumors. Although it wasn’t really a rumor, as he indeed tended to wake up very late. But that was just because he was out playing the thief at night. He wasn’t actually obsessed with sleeping, unlike that fat fish from the North Sea.
“Good morning, Feng-shixiong.” Cao Zirui took the initiative to greet him.
“Good morning,” Feng Ye returned with a smile. Explaining the whole situation would be inconvenient, so he could only ignore the look of wonder in Cao Zirui’s eyes.
Fang Yang was the only person Cao Zirui was close with. Although the four of them were traveling together, it was rare that Cao Zirui spoke to Feng Ye or Hao Chen.
He never had much to talk about with the boy. Feng Ye assumed that this simple greeting would be the end of it, but to his surprise, Cao Zirui made his way over to him as if he had something to say.
Cao Zirui did indeed have something to say, and asked as he sat down across from Feng Ye: “Where does Feng-shixiong plan to go next?”
Their journey through Longqiu was over, with both Jianmu and the Living Soil now in their hands. Then as for what remained…..
“I’m planning to go to the Northern Territories,” said Feng Ye.
Although he had already confirmed that the problem lay with the Living Soil, Feng Ye still wanted to take a look at the snowy mountains in the north, which were the source of Xuanming Water.
While the Living Soil was at fault for Jianmu’s connection to the Emberless Horizon, it might not be the only factor. It was better to be on the safe side.
In any case, it wouldn’t take much effort. The hundred-year mark would arrive in just a few days, which was enough time to make the journey at a leisurely pace.
Cao Zirui frowned upon hearing this, looking somewhat disquieted.
Feng Ye studied his expression, and Cao Zirui spoke up again before he could inquire: “Feng-shixiong, I plan to go straight back to the sect.”
“Back to the sect?” Feng Ye was a little surprised.
“En.” Cao Zirui nodded with a serious expression. “The matter of Ling Yun…..I must report it to my shifu.”
There were indeed magic tools for transmitting voice messages, but this matter was simply too complicated, and couldn’t be explained in a handful of words. Cao Zirui needed to go back and explain the situation in person.
There was nothing wrong with this course of action. The problem was…..he and Feng Ye would no longer be heading in the same direction.
It wasn’t like he had never gone out by himself before, but things were different now. He was carrying two immensely valuable things with him – Jianmu and the Living Soil.
And those with their eyes fixed on these treasures were waiting for their chance to strike. Setting out alone would be very dangerous for Cao Zirui.
“Isn’t it too dangerous for you to go back alone?” Feng Ye cautioned him.
Cao Zirui fell silent for a moment. His brow was still furrowed, and there was some hesitation in his eyes.
But very soon, this hesitation vanished as he seemed to come to a decision. He suddenly unfastened the small jar containing Jianmu he had been carrying on his back, then placed it and the storage bag containing the Living Soil onto the table.
Under Feng Ye’s stunned gaze, he pushed both items forward.
Then Cao Zirui solemnly requested: “I am unable to keep them safe. Troubling Feng-shixiong to safeguard them for me.”
Feng Ye couldn’t be more astonished: “You trust me?”
Cao Zirui wasn’t like Fang Yang. He wasn’t so naive. Given the extraordinary abilities Feng Ye had demonstrated over the past few days, it would be impossible for Cao Zirui not to be suspicious.
“Feng-shixiong is not a bad person,” Cao Zirui answered with certainty. Someone who had saved him so many times could not be a bad person. Besides, if Feng Ye truly wanted Jianmu for himself, he could have taken it at any time.
So he looked Feng Ye in the eyes and said earnestly: “I trust Feng-shixiong.”
Feng Ye looked back at him in silence. The trust in Cao Zirui’s eyes was boldly and courageously unconcealed, making him the complete opposite of Feng Ye.
Feng Ye suddenly smiled. Then he agreed: “Alright. I’ll keep it safe for you.”
Consider donating via Kofi here.
Chapter 119 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 121
