Click.

The door to the ward opened.

An older man with a slightly tired expression walked out of the ward and was immediately greeted by a tall young man.

“Teacher. How’s it going? Did that student say anything?”

“Shh.”

Teacher Xu put his finger in front of his lips in a shushing gesture. Looking back at the closed door to the ward, he shook his head slightly.

Then he turned and walked toward the end of the corridor, where there was a small open window..

Xu Qinghe came to a stop in front of the window. He watched the bustling street for a moment, then opened his mouth and lamented to the young man beside him: 

“Qiao Yang, ah. That child just had to be targeted by something like this.”

The expression of the young man named Qiao Yang became grim.

He knew better than anyone that his teacher rarely spoke in such a heavy tone.

“I’ve already questioned Classmate Li Xiu. When he was deceived by Grandmother Qi into giving alms to Lord Hong in their home, he didn’t notice anything wrong and just chalked it up to the family’s elder fooling around.”

“How can that be?” Qiao Yang frowned, doubt flashing through his eyes. “Could that kid be lying? What the old woman brought home was…..was ‘Lord Hong.’ That thing is so vicious. An old woman and a kid giving alms are pretty much seeking death. After all these years, how could nothing have happened to this family?!”

Teacher Xu smiled bitterly and lifted a hand to silence Qiao Yang.

“That’s why I said this matter is so difficult to handle.”

The man removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Li Xiu said that Grandmother Qi always told him to see that thing as a relative, and also told him to call it ‘gege.’”

Recalling Li Xiu’s strange, complicated expression when he spoke of his “gege,” Teacher Xu’s heart sank a bit.

“I’m afraid Grandmother Qi’s gone crazy.” Qiao Yang held himself back over and over, but still couldn’t suppress a curse. “The Xiao family has been offering sacrifices for more than a hundred years, and it still hasn’t lost its vicious nature. She thought she could just take home an evil spirit that had wiped out an entire family and simply offer it rice, like she was raising a little two-bit devil from Southeast Asia. Calling it “gege” and treating it as family? Why do people’s brains get so muddled when they’re old…..”

“Whatever the case, Lord Hong actually responded to Li Xiu calling him ‘gege.’”

Qiao Yang hadn’t expected Teacher Xu to say such a thing, and was simply stunned: “How is that possible?”

Teacher Xu put on his glasses and asked: “Why would it not be possible?”

“Qiming has been safe and sound for so long, so how is it that Li Xiu only started running into trouble after he was bullied? Have you still not realized that those kids who encountered accidents bullied Li Xiu before?”

“Ah? Teacher, you—”

“I questioned Li Xiu’s teachers and classmates,” Teacher Xu sighed. “Students like him don’t fare well in Qiming. The missing Wang Rongfa and the dead Song Cheng were arrogant and domineering in school. Oh, right, there was also something wrong with that male teacher named Ou Yang. He probably also thought to put hands on Li Xiu, and was killed for it. Qiao Yang, what do you think this situation is similar to?”

“S-similar to what?”

Qiao Yang was slow to react.

Hating iron for not becoming steel, Teach Xu glanced at him and said in a low voice: “Isn’t this like when a family’s younger brother or sister is bullied, and the older one goes to help them?”

Qiao Yang was speechless: “Ah? Wait, but, those young students are missing or dead—”

“It’s an evil spirit, not a human being.”

Teacher Xu’s voice became extremely serious.

“Therefore, it can’t distinguish between good and evil. Li Xiu was bullied. If he had a living big brother, no matter how unreasonable he was, the most he would do was go to their door and beat up those bullying brats. But when this thing took action…..”

This time, Qiao Yang finally answered: “It just killed them.”

Teacher Xu nodded.

“Indeed. You see, this is the most frightening thing.”

A light flashed through Qiao Yang’s eyes. He looked carefully at his teacher beside him and tentatively spoke: “Then, Teacher, if that’s the case, will it be okay if we wait for that thing to calm down? It seems that all the students who bullied Li Xiu are dead now—”

Before he could finish speaking, Qiao Yang felt pain on his forehead. The always gentle Teacher Xu was currently furious, and smacked the young man in front of him on the forehead, cursing several times. 

“What do you mean ‘is it okay?’ Huh? Those were human lives! Human lives!” Veins popped out on the man’s forehead. “Even then, how could it be so simple? One must absolutely not use human thinking to speculate on such things. That Lord Hong seems to have truly accepted Li Xiu’s wish and become his ‘gege.’ What do you think it will do?”

“……” Qiao Yang covered his head and didn’t dare speak a word.

“It will only do its utmost to kill that student, take him away, and drag him into its world! Don’t you know that a family is uniform? A thing like Lord Hong doesn’t think about humans and ghosts having different paths to walk. It only thinks that since it is family, its family should be the same as it. What is a family if one person is alive and the other is dead? A dead person can’t come alive, but a living person can become a dead one!”

As Teacher Xu spoke word by word, his expression grew increasingly ugly: “The worst thing isn’t that Lord Hong intends to take Li Xiu away. The worst thing is that not only will it take Li Xiu away, it won’t stop there!”

“Ah?”

“Li Xiu said he was tricked into attending school in that world. Well, the classmates he met that time were all paper figure fakes, so he could tell them apart from real ones. So if Lord Hong feels that the paper figures aren’t good enough, wouldn’t he want to bring all of Li Xiu’s classmates over to keep him company? And if there are students, won’t there have to be a teacher?”

Qiao Yang’s face gradually went pale as he listened to Teacher Xu.

Although it sounded extremely absurd, when he considered the things he had been exposed to over the years, Qiao Yang had to admit that Teacher Xu’s words were not nonsense. 

If this matter wasn’t handled properly, the thing that wiped out the entire Xiao family, the thing that was just barely sealed with the help of spiritual masters across the country, might steal away the entire student body of Qiming.

Just to keep its beloved little brother company.

The silence lingering between master and disciple became unusually heavy.

After a long time, Qiao Yang rubbed his face and steeled himself to ask: “What should we do now?” The young man’s eyes flashed with unconcealed worry. “…..We’ve been searching that student’s house for so long. He said Li Yu’s urn is under the bed in the bedroom. We practically dug through the floor below it, but we found no sign of the urn, ah.”

Theoretically speaking, it wasn’t difficult to deal with something like Lord Hong, whose true body was sealed away with only some remnants left outside. All they needed to do was find the ashes stolen by Grandmother Qi. The ashes contaminated by Lord Hong’s aura could be burned clean using Violet Cinnabar True Fire, and once Lord Hong had nothing left to attach itself to, it could no longer cause any trouble.

But as Qiao Yang said, after discovering the problem, Teacher Xu sent people to Li Xiu’s home to collect Li Yu’s ashes, but found that the ashes that had been enshrined under the bed for over a decade had mysteriously vanished.

And Li Xiu didn’t seem like he was lying.

“There’s no other way. We need to find them,” Teacher Xu said in a deep voice.

As he spoke, he turned his head to gaze deeply at the ordinary-looking ward at the other end of the corridor. The frail youth whom the evil spirit regarded as “family” was in that ward.

Teacher Xu inexplicably thought of the question Li Xiu had called out after him before he left the ward.

“Teacher Xu?”

“En?”

“Will it let me go?”

Teacher Xu hadn’t answered the question directly at that time.

He told Li Xiu to rest well and not think too much, and to take good care of his body.

But in fact, the older man knew the answer to Li Xiu’s question better than anybody else.

No, it won’t let you go.

That thing will definitely come back for you.

*

*

Inside the ward.

Li Xiu sat in the hospital bed. After Teacher Xu left, he stared at the tightly closed door for a long time, then shuddered. Perhaps because he was so weak, or perhaps because he had suffered big a blow in life, Li Xiu constantly felt cold.

He used a remote control to turn up the heat, and pulled a blanket over himself.

He’d learned a lot from Teacher Xu today, and his mind was a bit of a mess. In order to calm down, Li Xiu simply picked up the practice questions Teacher Chen had sent over and finished half of them in one go. The high-intensity mental exertion left the already weak Li Xiu dizzy. Unknowingly, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

When woke up with an abrupt start, he found that he had slept until nighttime without realizing it.

It was silent inside the ward, and the night was dark outside the half-closed window.

The needle stuck into the back of his hand before he fell asleep was gone, and the IV had also been removed. Gel pens and the exercise book were neatly placed on the bedside table, and there was also a soft quilt over Li Xiu.

Half-sitting up in the hospital bed, Li Xiu sat and thought for a moment. He vaguely recalled that a nurse-jiejie seemed to have come in while he was sleeping.

She seemed to have called out to him a few times, but Li Xiu was sleeping deeply at that time and didn’t wake up.

Li Xiu took a look at his phone.

The sudden flare of light from the screen hurt his eyes. The time was 3 a.m.

In fact, Li Xiu had guessed that it was around this time before he checked.

Since his hospitalization, Li Xiu would inexplicably wake up at 3 a.m. almost every night.

Today was the same.

He was probably just too anxious.

Comforting himself, Li Xiu gritted his teeth and fell back on the hospital bed.

So cold…..

Li Xiu automatically opened the chat box with Fang Qian’an. Judging from the records, Fang Qian’an had sent a steady stream of nonsense, to which Li Xiu would only occasionally reply with one or two sentences.

It wasn’t like he’d thought Fang Qian’an’s nonsense had any merit before.

But now, he looked at that nonsense for a long time.

Teacher Xu hadn’t elaborated before, but since waking up, Li Xiu could probably guess that the “candles” brought to that other world for light were closely related to a person’s lifeline. In the end, Fang Qian’an had burned the entire candle in order to save him.

Therefore, after they were rescued, Fang Qian’an’s condition was much worse than Li Xiu’s. Since that day, he hadn’t received any messages from Fang Qian’an.

That idiot…..

Was he really okay now?

It was difficult for Li Xiu to hide the worry in his heart. His fingertips tapped back and forth on the dialogue box several times, but he didn’t sent a message.

It was so late.

He thought, I’ll wait until tomorrow. Li Xiu shrank under the quilt. The corners of his eyes felt slightly warm. Li Xiu touched the pillowcase and found that it was damp. Perhaps he’d accidentally cried in his dreams.

The hospital was eerily quiet late at night.

Li Xiu hid under the quilt. Loneliness slowly surged up like a rising tide. He’d initially wanted to sleep a little longer, but after lying in bed for a long while, he still couldn’t fall asleep. He could only open his eyes and stare blankly at the closed door to the ward.

The lights in the hospital corridor were always on, and from Li Xiu’s perspective, he could clearly see the faint light leaking into the room through the crack in the door.

When Teacher Xu was arranging a ward for him, perhaps considering everything he had gone through, he’d specially arranged a ward for him that was closest to the nurse’s station.

In the next few days, this became Li Xiu’s greatest psychological comfort.

…..Though he still didn’t sleep well at night.

Li Xiu should have felt at ease knowing that someone was watching over him just on the other side of the wall. However, even he himself didn’t know why he was in such a cold sweat while lying in bed.

Li Xiu’s heart was beating wildly out of control. His throat was tight and dry, and there was the faint taste of blood on his breath.

He held the quilt in a death grip, a voice inside of him shouting unceasingly.

Something isn’t quite right, he thought.

What was it……

Clearly, everything was the same as before. Clearly, the most difficult time had passed. Clearly, he was lying in a room only separated from the nurse’s station by a wall…..

Li Xiu’s breathing came heavy. His back was wet with cold sweat.

“Huff…..”

“Huff…..”

At this moment, he fixed his eyes on the door — the light under the door dimmed slightly as a figure flitted past.

Li Xiu subconsciously held his breath.

But soon, familiar rapid footsteps passed by the door to his ward.

Ah, that shadow must be the night shift nurse. Another ward must have called for the nurse’s assistance.

Li Xiu realized this belatedly.

He slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

But in the next second, he froze again.

“Huff…..”

There was the sound of breathing.

Li Xiu finally realized why he kept feeling that something was wrong.

It was the breathing sound.

He had clearly held his breath in fear just now, but the sound of heavy, turbid breathing could still be heard.

During the seven days he’d been hospitalized, this sound had been lingering around him faintly, overlapping with every breath of his own. So before, he just vaguely felt that something wasn’t right but couldn’t find the reason.

That accumulated uneasiness forced him to wake up involuntarily every night.

And just now, he finally heard the breathing of someone else who shouldn’t be in the ward.

……The sound was coming from underneath his bed.

Li Xiu clutched the quilt tightly. At this moment, the air inside the ward seemed to freeze.

But through the hospital bed mattress, the sound of breathing at once became extremely loud and clear.

Li Xiu did his utmost to hold his breath so that he could hear more clearly, but holding his breath in a state of extreme fear made his head spin.

Who was it?

No, he should say what…..was under the bed?

Li Xiu covered his mouth. His body shook uncontrollably.

Intense fear paralyzed him, but it was as if there was an invisible whip lashing him, and his survival instincts made him subconsciously want to determine what was under the bed.

“Huff……”

Was it an illusion?

Or was he having a panic attack?

Li Xiu tried hard to calm himself.

However, the faint sound of breathing grew closer. At least, to Li Xiu’s ears. And this time, the breathing he heard seemed…..like it was coming from beside him on the bed.

There was obviously only a narrow gap on that side, so how was someone breathing there?

Li Xiu was currently huddled under the quilt.

He didn’t dare to stick his head out.

Because he felt that if he lifted the quilt, he would see something that he never wanted to face in his lifetime.

Li Xiu’s heart was beating like it was about to burst out of his chest in the next second. He bit his lip, trembling, and then turned his phone to picture mode.

Using his fingertips, he pushed the top part of the phone through the gap between the quilt and the bed.

Then, hiding beneath the quilt, he slowly pressed the camera button.

The phone successfully took a series of photos.

Enduring the terror, Li Xiu slowly pulled the phone back under the quilt.

When he checked the photos he had just taken, Li Xiu shook so much that he almost couldn’t hang onto the phone.

Upon looking at the first photo, Li Xiu didn’t recognize what it was right away — he didn’t see a ghost, male or female, lying on his quilt, nor did he see the masked paper figures that once occupied his nightmares.

In fact, the screen was just a blur of black and red.

The center of the screen was black, with only a layer of scarlet at all four corners. Several pictures in a row were the same. It was almost like there was something wrong with his old phone’s camera.

All of the pictures were so blurry.

Li Xiu stared blankly at the screen of his mobile phone.

The epiphany came abruptly

It was at that moment that Li Xiu finally realized what he was seeing.

No, there was nothing wrong with his phone.

That thing was just too close.

So close that Li Xiu’s phone couldn’t adjust the focus, so when the photos were taken, it was just a mass of black and red.

The black was that thing’s pupil. 

And the red was the white of its eye filled with blood.

“A-Xiu, ah.”

Li Xiu heard a familiar elderly voice.

“A-Xiu, why haven’t you brought your gege food today?”

His grandmother, who had passed away a week ago, urged him the same as always.

But his grandmother’s voice had never been so vague during her lifetime.

A faint corpse-like odor mixed with the smell of disinfectant.

Even wrapped up tightly in the quilt, Li Xiu couldn’t isolate himself from the smell.

…..That was not his grandmother.

---

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Chapter 47 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 49

It was a boring, cliche story.

A swindling charlatan pretending to be involved with the supernatural raised an excellent daughter who was incompatible with her mother.

The daughter was beautiful, intelligent, and had excellent grades. However, the mother always made her playact with her, claiming that her daughter was born to be a “witch.” For this reason, the daughter was bullied and discriminated against since she was a child. She hated it all so much that she even cut ties with her mother. As a result, the daughter completely separated from her mother after graduating university.

Then, the daughter fell in love with a wealthy young man. This love she had never felt before completely confused her mind. She was so deeply in love with him. But then, after many years of dating, the man abandoned this woman from a poor background and chose to marry a well-matched daughter from a wealthy family.

But the daughter was already pregnant with the man’s child.

She chose to give birth to the child named “Li Yu.”

“…..After Li Yu was born, Li Xuelin raised him independently. She occasionally contacted your grandmother during this period, but they parted ways on bad terms. It wasn’t until six years later that Li Xuelin was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Perhaps it was because she had a bad relationship with your grandmother, or perhaps because she worried that your grandmother wouldn’t be able to raise her child well, she chose to let Li Yu return to his father’s family.”

“The Xiao family,” Li Xiu whispered, not waiting for Teacher Xu to continue speaking.

Teacher Xu nodded with a sigh.

The man who had loved Li Xuelin for many years and then abandoned her was the popular young heir to the Xiao family back then.

Although already married, Xiao Weisi had no other children at the time.

From Li Xuelin’s point of view, with the astonishing wealth of the Xiao family, there would be no problem raising an illegitimate child.

She never would have expected that the Xiao family residence was certainly not a good place for such an innocent child with the Xiao family blood flowing through his veins.

“The Xiao family’s prosperity was very ‘unclean.’”

Teacher Xu’s narration echoed in the bright, clean ward.

“…..The earliest records can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. The ancestors of the Xiao family happened to obtain a small red door, with ‘that thing’ sealed inside of it.”

“No one knows which great power sealed it within the door, nor do they know its true name. In the places where ‘He’ appeared, people generally called him ‘Lord Hong.’ He was extremely dangerous, as well as abnormally powerful. Even when he was sealed, he had the magical powers to fulfill the wishes of the Xiao family generation after generation. Relying on the power of what was sealed behind that door, the Xiao family escaped countless natural and manmade disasters throughout history, and the entire family became the richest in the country. However, the blessings from the red door were not free.”

“The Xiao family soon discovered that they must give back as much as they received.….”

“By the time of Xiao Weisi’s generation, the Xiao family had to use their own flesh and blood as a sacrifice to just barely suppress its backlash.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xiu could pretty much guess the rest of the story. His face instantly paled.

Teacher Xu shot a glance at him and continued.

“Karma brought great retribution. As the Xiao family became increasingly prosperous, it became increasingly difficult for their children to reproduce. This generation of the Xiao family had only two living children left. Xiao Weisi’s sister must have sensed something of the dark side of the family. Thus, she eloped with someone just after she came of age, and no news was heard of her again. And the eldest son, Xiao Weisi, was never able to successfully produce a child.”

“But Li Yu returned home.”

“Indeed. Then Li Xuelin sent Li Yu back.”

“Doesn’t the saying go that a tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs? Wasn’t Li Yu that man’s only child? Why…..why did he…..”

Even though he knew everything had already come to pass, Li Xiu still felt that it was unbelievable.

“A man doesn’t give birth to a new life on his own,” Teacher Xu said lightly. “What’s more, under the influence of substantial financial interests and the threat of death, not everyone has the courage to sacrifice themself.”

Li Xiu’s lips moved slightly for a moment.

He thought of everything Fang Qian’an had done in that dark otherworld.

Teacher Xu looked at Li Xiu tenderly: “You are a very good child, and so is Classmate Fang. But for a family such as the Xiao family, which was accustomed to obtaining everything through illegitimate means, it was impossible for them to possess courage like the two of you.”

As long as they worshiped, they could obtain glory and wealth such as others could never achieve in a lifetime. And so what if the one used as a sacrifice was their own child?

As long as it wasn’t them, it was fine.

After a brief silence, Li Xiu’s question sounded in the ward: “What happened then?”

The youth’s face was pale, but his eyes were steady and entirely unwavering.

He revealed a calmness and determination beyond his years: “Since the Xiao family met their fate later, something had to have gone wrong, right?”

Teacher Xu couldn’t help but give Li Xiu a look of approval. When he spoke again, his voice was heavier than ever before.

“You’re very bright,” he said. “Indeed, there was a sizable problem with the Xiao family’s living sacrifice. Because……”

Because when Li Yu was sent back to the Xiao family, the mistress of the family at that time was unaware of this cruel imperative. That arrogant and indulgent daughter of a wealthy family who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth only felt that she had suffered an intolerable betrayal. And her husband’s vague explanation and determination to take the child back at all costs caused her resentment to swell to the extreme. She began to think of every possible way to abuse this illegitimate child a female lover had forced into the Xiao family residence. But at that time, the Xiao family had made no living sacrifices to the red door in a long time. A large number of business problems occurred, and Xiao Weisi was too busy focusing on himself to care about this child who was destined for an early death.

“……Li Yu was sent to the hospital due to severe abuse before the scheduled time of sacrifice, and died from his injuries.”

He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but when Li Xiu heard this, he once again felt a vague and indistinct coldness.

He couldn’t help but give Teacher Xu a careful glance, but the other party revealed no abnormalities.

“Everyone who participated in the human sacrifice back then is dead, and we can only guess what happened. If our supposition is correct, the Xiao family, who were completely at their wits’ end, used Li Yu’s body as a sacrifice.” Teacher Xu pushed up his glasses, saying, “Although theoretically, even using a corpse as a sacrifice wouldn’t result in such a large incident later, you know the end result. The severe backlash caused the red door to open. After Lord Hong walked through that door, the strong yin qi caused the Xiao family tragedy and alerted, well, people like us.”

Li Xiu’s fingertips curled into the quilt.

“We expended much effort to seal that thing back into the red door. However, Li Yu’s body and soul had been thoroughly contaminated by ‘Lord Hong’ and couldn’t be saved. In order to prevent the red door from opening again, or perhaps being taken away by someone with good intentions, only to result in another tragedy, we suppressed Li Yu’s body inside the Xiao Family Villa and sealed the red door under the foundation of the complex…..it was supposed to be a foolproof seal.”

“So what went wrong?”

“Well……”

Teacher Xu’s voice gradually became dry. He removed his glasses and wiped them.

“At that time, the thing inside the red door was too fierce. My sect was short of manpower, so as a last resort, I invited several local Daoist brothers to help out. Your grandmother also came.”

Hearing this, Li Xiu raised his head abruptly and stared at Teacher Xu in disbelief.

Teacher Xu didn’t avoid his gaze.

“This matter was a grave mistake on our part. Your grandmother used some sort of special technique to determine Li Yu’s identity. Li Xuelin had already passed away by then. As an elderly person, there was really no way for her to accept that her own grandson had been suppressed and lost beneath an array, so……so she……stole Li Yu’s ashes.”

*

Twelve years ago—

“Grandmother Qi, are you here to watch?”

A strongly-accented question rang out, but the old woman ignored the man beside her.

Seeing the old woman’s indifference, the man frowned and couldn’t help but try to persuade her several times.

“Aiyo, I’ve also got nothing better to do than than tell you this. Everyone in that villa is a capable person. We were only called here for show. You old woman with your old arms and legs, don’t go forward if you see something. There’s no need.”

It was late at night.

The night breeze brought the faint sound of chanting from nearby. A spiritual master from a famous sect with roots in Miaohong was casting spells inside the villa. The thick odor of cinnabar, blood, and incense ash mixed in the air, making one feel suffocated just by breathing it in.

Indeed, as the man had just called attention to, they were just waiting around. At most, they would simply walk around the villa’s gardens and patrol all night. They weren’t qualified to go farther inside. Naturally, this was for their own good. After all, even countryside practitioners like them could vaguely sense that something in the villa was abnormal.

In the dark night, the old woman slowly blinked her reddened eyes.

Her companion wasn’t like her, and couldn’t see it.

Just beside the wall, a familiar yet unfamiliar form covered her face, weeping with grief and despair.

[“Mama…..Mom…..I’m so sorry…..wuwuwuwuwu…..Mama, save my cub…..”]

[“Mama…..I’ll listen to you from now on…..just save him this time…..”]

[“Mama…..Mama…..”]

As she listened to the increasingly passionate mantra behind her, the old woman’s hands began to shake violently.

In a trance, she seemed to see a small red door appearing behind her daughter’s ghost.

Her withered lips moved, and a hoarse whisper stuck in her throat.

But she knew better than anyone that the thing inside the door could hear it.

It could hear her appeal.

Yes. She understood. There was a price to pay for wishing such a thing.

But she had nothing left.

What was there for her to still worry about?

There seemed to be a voice, whispering to her from inside the door.

---

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Chapter 46 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 48

King Qi was a dissolute womanizer, King Zhao was a treacherous murderer, and King Huai used military might wildly and excessively. These three once plotted against the crown prince and sent Yuan Jue out as a hostage. They contended against each other, and Liu Zhenqing, together with Huo Feihan and some officials loyal to the former crown prince, muddied the waters. They attacked through devious means, wearing them out, before finally — Liu Zhenqing killed them one by one.

This was what history called the troubled times of the Three Kings.

And Yuan Jin was the only son of the warlike, battle-tested King Huai.

King Huai was a man of military exploits and ambition, with a thirst for power. At that time, the Liu clan followed the path of being wise and neutral, as clear as a stream of fresh water, so they naturally disliked these three overly ambitious kings. However, Liu Zhenqing’s aunt was in love with King Huai and insisted on following him.

The late crown prince was still a youth back then. His three strong, young uncles were constantly competing with the emperor, which resulted in many people being implicated. Including Liu Zhenqing’s parents. In the name of not being dragged down in this fight for succession, the conflicts between his grandfather and aunt became increasingly frequent. Finally, when Liu Zhenqing transmigrated, relations were severed with his aunt and it was announced that she had died young. In fact, she had concealed her identity and followed King Huai in obscurity.

Later, as the crown prince grew up and became more capable, the three kings became more attentive to boundaries. But when the prince’s health took a downturn, the struggle for the throne gradually turned chaotic.

On the last night before the death of the Liu family’s patriarch, King Huai returned in secret with Liu Zhenqing’s aunt in order for her to see him one last time. It was the last and first time Liu Zhenqing met that rumored aunt. Because he was already following the miracle doctor at that time, although his aunt concealed her figure, Liu Zhenqing discovered that she was pregnant.

But King Huai seemed to want to conceal the existence of this child, so few people knew about it.

A few years later, his aunt died of illness, and Liu Zhenqing’s conflict with the three kings became increasingly fierce. And when Liu Zhenqing defeated King Huai, the man revealed the whereabouts of Yuan Jin and asked him to safeguard the child for the sake of his aunt.

Liu Zhenqing thought about how the old Liu family patriarch had hesitated to speak to him in the end. He was likely worried that such a day would come and hoped that he would be merciful, but was too embarrassed to open his mouth.

He hesitated again and again, but for the first time, Liu Zhenqing made a decision that went against the security of Great Zhou’s Yuan clan. He told Liu Qiao to send Yuan Jin away.

Liu Zhenqing told Huo Fenglie the truth about that year. Huo Fenglie listened silently, his face gradually darkening. Seeing Huo Fenglie like this, Liu Zhenqing was uneasy.

He knew that Huo Fenglie might not blame him too much, but, after all, he had done something that was completely contrary to the Huo family’s ideals. This likely made him ill-at-ease. Additionally, the three kings only thought about the internal struggles at that time and ignored the external situation. As a result, the two brothers had to remain on the battlefield for a long time, each doing the work of several people while Liu Zhenqing set an orphan of the three kings free…..

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t explain himself clearly. He himself didn’t have a clear conscience, but he had to do this. Fortunately, they learned from Liu Qiao that the problems they’d encountered along the way had nothing to do with Qiao Jin, who was at best a bystander. This was able to mitigate Liu Zhenqing’s guilt.

Looking toward Huo Fenglie, Liu Zhenqing let out a sigh: “I’m sorry. I…..”

But Huo Fenglie abruptly reached out and grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s arm with such force that Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but grimace. Liu Qiao reflexively moved to fight Huo Fenglie off, worried that he would hurt Liu Zhenqing. Even though he was stupid, he still understood that his master’s rescue of Qiao Jin was tantamount to betraying his companions who supported Yuan Jue.

Even Qiao Jin to the side fell silent, just staring at them coldly.

But in the next second, Huo Fenglie could be heard asking Liu Zhenqing half-angrily: “Just for him!”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned, as well as the other two.

This was different from the wrath they had expected.

Huo Fenglie pointed angrily at Qiao Jin beside them: “Just because you wanted to save him and send him away, you made your personal guard leave your side?!”

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly, his expression softening by increments.

Liu Qiao froze. Qiao Jin immediately drew in a breath, but seeing Liu Qiao’s appearance, he didn’t speak and could only grind his teeth.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes seemed to have become two shards of ice. He pointed a finger at Liu Zhenqing and said in a tone of great regret and grievance: “Why? Why didn’t you…..protect yourself?”

Liu Zhenqing took in Huo Fenglie’s aggrieved expression and hesitated to speak. He couldn’t explain the situation back then. If he did, Er-gou would be even more sad.

“It’s just that…..Yuan Jin’s status was special, and he couldn’t be handed over to just anyone. It was all an accident…..an accident.” Liu Zhenqing could only come up with the most superficial excuse. “The three kings had fallen at that time. I had great power and no one could challenge me, so I took it lightly.”

Huo Fenglie stared at Liu Zhenqing, the emotions in his eyes dense and unresolved.

Yes, ah, if Liu Qiao hadn’t obeyed his order to send Qiao Jin off, he would have remained at Liu Zhenqing’s side. Then how could Liu Zhenqing have died? Although Huo Fenglie didn’t interrogate Liu Qiao, the guard bowed his head in guilt and clenched his fists until they shook.

When he saw Liu Qiao feeling so guilty, Qiao Jin was truly afraid of being implicated. Suddenly anxious, he said angrily: “Are you stupid? What do those previous incidents have to do with me and Liu Qiao? His situation back then made it impossible for him to retire after accomplishing his task. Once the three kings were gone, he would be the next one disposed of by the court and the people. Who asked him to pretend to be a traitor when he had no intentions of being one? Such a person was destined to die. It had nothing to do with whether or not Liu Qiao was around. And even if he was, that would be one more person dying in vain!”

Liu Qiao stared at Qiao Jin in shock. He couldn’t help but retort: “The emperor was Master’s apprentice. He knew everything Master did. He respected and relied on Master and would never hurt him. If I could have protected Master back then and prevented an accident from happening…..”

Qiao Jin hated iron for not becoming steel: “Didn’t I tell you? The so-called royal Yuan Clan kills members of their own family. Even if Yuan Jue respected and relied on him, how long could he tolerate an official with such power? One year? Two? When suspicion entered the emperor’s heart, he would have died sooner or later, not to mention that half the things he’s done couldn’t be washed away.”

Liu Qiao was in a daze.

Qiao Jin glared at Liu Zhenqing, saying: “Analyze for yourself whether this is the case, don’t say anything to make Liu Qiao feel guilty! Yuan Jue was taught by you. If he couldn’t even do this, how would he be able to secure his position in the world while surrounded by wolves!”

Liu Zhenqing could only lament that the children of Great Zhou’s Yuan family were born with such keen intelligence.

Just as he was about to respond to Qiao Jin’s words, he heard Huo Fenglie’s low, hoarse voice: “One year or two…..”

At a loss, Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie. Those eyes were full of deep sentiment, full of paranoia as they stared at him intently.

Huo Fenglie could hardly speak, and continued with difficulty: “I was there, ah…..”

Back then, he would have returned from the battlefield and stayed by Liu Zhenqing’s side. Even if he was cast aside when he had served his purpose, even if everyone in the world wanted Liu Zhenqing’s life, even if it was Yuan Jue, Huo Fenglie would have still protected Liu Zhenqing, ah.

He just had to wait a year or two.

Why hadn’t he waited for him? Why had he let himself die so early?

Liu Zhenqing’s heart trembled. He raised a hand to touch Huo Fenglie, but the man turned his head, as if he was so aggrieved that he couldn’t bear his touch.

Liu Zhenqing could only step forward and embrace him, rubbing his back gently as if comforting a child.

“Er-gou, I’m sorry for not waiting for you, but that’s all over. Aren’t I here now? I’m by your side, and I will always be by your side, okay?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t answer, hugging him tightly instead. All regrets had become unspeakable, and all assumptions had become meaningless. It was only that those regrets were buried in their hearts forever, and emerged to sting them from time to time.

Liu Zhenqing comforted Huo Fenglie, then went to Liu Qiao again. He looked at the guard, whose head was lowered, his whole body tense as he clutched his sword tightly. It was just like in the past when he made a mistake and was afraid of being disliked and driven away by Liu Zhenqing.

“Don’t blame yourself. It was a fault in my judgment and had nothing to do with you.”

“Master…..” Liu Qiao raised his head, his voice trembling in despair.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and reached out to touch his head, but was interrupted by Qiao Jin: “He was just following orders. There’s no need for him to blame himself, and he doesn’t need your comfort either. Enough, ah, you’re still trying to have your arms around two men. You already have Huo Fenglie, don’t mess with Liu Qiao! I heard before that you change your loyalty frequently, flitting from one person to another, leaving debts of romance everywhere…..”

While scolding him, Qiao Jin watched Liu Zhenqing defensively.

Liu Zhenqing wore a baffled expression at first, then almost choked when he realized that this misunderstanding still hadn’t been resolved.

What was this? Was his reputation really so bad?

Helpless, Liu Zhenqing was about to explain when he saw Qiao Jin’s serious, anxious look as he tried to shield Liu Qiao. Suddenly, Liu Zhenqing skewed his narrowed eyes as the corners of his mouth rose slightly. Anyone who knew him could tell that he had a plot in mind.

Liu Zhenqing said at once: “Qiao Jin, do you really intend to rebel?”

Qiao Jin’s expression shifted at these words. His hand automatically went to the weapon at his side, and a fierce expression appeared by degrees on his face.

Seeing Qiao Jin like this, he lamented to himself, wasn’t he quite well-behaved as a child?

Liu Zhenqing had only met Qiao Jin once, which was when he succeeded in finding him. He was fair, clean, and cute. At just eight years old, one could already tell that he would grow into a handsome boy in the future.

It was unknown if he wanted to protect his son or if he wanted to seize the throne without distractions, but King Huai rarely saw Qiao Jin. So for Qiao Jin, his memories of his parents were vague and emotionless. He was surrounded solely by servants who took care of him coldly, and he could hardly leave the courtyard to see the people and things outside.

Until Liu Zhenqing showed up and told him that his father was dead and he was to be sent away. His reaction wasn’t much. Without affection, he naturally had no hatred. He had never enjoyed the prestige of the royal family, so he wasn’t unwilling. But he was very clever. He understood that he would die if he didn’t leave, so he obediently cooperated with Liu Zhenqing and was taken away by Liu Qiao.

Because of Qiao Jin’s behavior and reaction, Liu Zhenqing had always felt that this child would live a stable life in anonymity.

He never expected that it would turn out like this.

But the current situation may be a little stranger than Liu Zhenqing thought, strange to the point of simplicity. Perhaps the gods had actually given him a bit of luck.

Qiao Jin looked at him with an emotionless expression when he asked this question. Liu Qiao watched Qiao Jin anxiously, and Huo Fenglie’s eyes were cold.

Qiao Jin knew very well that once he said he would rebel, let alone Huo Fenglie, even Liu Zhenqing, who had coaxed him to call him ‘Cousin’ would kill him for the sake of the overall situation. And Liu Qiao…..Qiao Jin didn’t dare think about it.

“Do you think I’m stupid, making me answer this question? Even if I say I won’t, will you believe it? The blood of rebels and traitors flows in my body,” Qiao Jin said mockingly.

Liu Zhenqing nodded and said: “It’s true that I won’t necessarily believe you. After all, you told Liu Qiao that you intend to seize the throne.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Fenglie revealed his killing intent while Liu Zhenqing suddenly turned hostile, saying in a deep voice: “Liu Qiao!”

Before he could react, Qiao Jin felt an unsheathed sword against his throat again. This time, it was Liu Qiao.

Qiao Jin looked at Liu Qiao with wide, disbelieving eyes. He was simply outraged. Unexpectedly, the thing he’d been most worried about had happened. Liu Qiao really wouldn’t hesitate to take action against him for Liu Zhenqing. In front of Liu Zhenqing, these nine years of companionship were worth nothing!

“You intend to kill me?? You intend to kill me!! Liu Qiao!!”

Facing those eyes full of inquiry and resentment, Liu Qiao was not at all a blockhead, but he did avoid his gaze. In fact, he felt some discomfort in his heart and hoped that Qiao Jin would comply with his master’s wishes and not stir up trouble.

Qiao Jin’s eyes reddened, whether out of anger or grievance. He was trembling. Seeing him like this, Liu Zhenqing felt that he was a little pitiful.

But the more pitiful one was, didn’t that make people want to bully them even more? Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but smile. He took two abrupt steps forward and leaned intimately against Liu Qiao. In the past, because his body was often tired and weak, he would lean on Liu Qiao when he was tired while standing. Thus, Liu Qiao was accustomed to such an action.

But it burned some people’s eyes.

Qiao Jin watched powerlessly as Liu Zhenqing practically embraced Liu Qiao, who showed no reaction at all. He continued to point the sword at him, letting Liu Zhenqing move his hands up and down. This difference in treatment made Qiao Jin’s eyes bleed.

He would find excuses to hug Liu Qiao in the past, but Liu Qiao would impatiently turn away. Liu Qiao was a master among masters. With such sensitivity, he hated being too close to others.

Yet now, Liu Zhenqing’s head was resting on his shoulder.

When he saw Qiao Jin looking as sour as vinegar, Liu Zhenqing was satisfied.

“Have you misunderstood? I only loaned my baobei to you for a while. You’ve had him for many years, and it’s time for me to take him back. What’s so surprising about him killing you? As long as I give the order, Qiaoqiao will naturally obey me,” Liu Zhenqing said matter-of-factly.

“You! What did you say!” Qiao Jin was shamed into anger, but his heart was filled with sadness, as if Liu Zhenqing’s every word transformed into a blade stabbing into him.

“Liu Qiao has already left. Why are you following him so eagerly? You should know he won’t choose you,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Qiao Jin’s face instantly paled, but he made a show of bravery: “You…..you just treat him like a servant, a weapon. You already have Huo Fenglie, what more do you need!”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and reached out to grasp Liu Qiao’s chin, as if he was about to kiss him. He said: “You said it, ah, I like my arms around two men!”

Liu Qiao didn’t struggle. After all, there were so many cases where Liu Zhenqing wasn’t serious and didn’t follow the routine. He was accustomed to it. In any case, his brain couldn’t keep up, so he only needed to go along with it without thinking too much. As Liu Zhenqing approached, he didn’t show a reaction.

But Qiao Jin finally couldn’t endure it any longer and seemed to lose all reason.

“Stop, don’t touch him! What do you want, what do you want!” The stimulated Qiao Jin went wild. As if his treasure was about to be defiled by others, he moved forward desperately, his neck rushing directly toward the tip of the sword.

Liu Qiao noticed and instinctively moved his hand back, not wanting to hurt him.

Taking everything in with a slanted look, Liu Zhenqing made up his mind. Suddenly, the back of his neck tensed and he was directly picked up, his back soon hitting a firm chest.

“What are you doing!” 

The chilly voice reminded Liu Zhenqing that in order to test Qiao Jin, he had ignored Huo Fenglie. Sure enough, there was also a piercing gaze behind him.

Liu Zhenqing quickly turned around and said with a smile: “It’s not real, not real. I was just testing him.”

But Huo Fenglie’s expression was still ugly.

On the other side, Qiao Jin disregarded everything and rushed forward like a mad dog. Liu Qiao had to take action to restrain him.

Seeing that Qiao Jin had lost control in his anger, Liu Zhenqing stopped provoking him and said in a good mood: “Okay, la, I was just teasing you. Don’t you know what the relationship is between me and Liu Qiao? Even if it’s not clear, don’t you know what kind of person Liu Qiao is?”

Qiao Jin struggled for a moment, still unstable. He glared fiercely at the fellow who was trying to steal his person, wanting to pounce on him and bite him to death.

Liu Zhenqing could only say: “What you saw before was that I got a fish bone stuck in my throat, and Liu Qiao used his internal strength to help me. I was just deliberately teasing you. I swear, Liu Qiao is only a family member in my heart, a younger brother!”

Huo Fenglie’s expression improved, but Qiao Jin was still suspicious and regarded him with a tigerish face.

Liu Zhenqing shook his head helplessly: “Qiao Jin, if you really intended to rebel, you wouldn’t have followed Huo Fenglie in the first place. How could you follow your enemy if you want to rebel, unless…..”

It seemed as if someone had pressed the pause button on Qiao Jin’s anger, and his expression changed several times as he stared at Liu Zhenqing.

“Where are you going with this?” Qiao Jin felt like he was being tricked.

Liu Zhenqing tilted his head, saying: “I just want to hear the answer to my original question. What exactly do you want to do, and what do you want most?”

Qiao Jin felt that Liu Zhenqing was truly awful. In just a few moves, he played with people’s hearts and grasped things that Qiao Jin didn’t want to admit.

Seeing that Qiao Jin was still resisting, Liu Zhenqing raised an eyebrow and said directly: “Tell me, you don’t really want to rebel, and you have no interest in the throne. You actually have a single reason for doing this, which is…..”

“Don’t say it!” Qiao Jin was instantly anxious.

Liu Zhenqing looked like he was about to open his mouth again.

Qiao Jin was finally unable to fight: “I’m just going with the trend. If I can’t do it, then forget it, there’s nothing good about being the emperor! Leave me be, I’m still not happy!”

Liu Zhenqing was happy.

Liu Qiao looked around in confusion, but seeing that his master intended to spare Qiao Jin’s life, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Liu Zhenqing regarded Qiao Jin, who was unwilling to be manipulated or take his defeat lying down: “Since you call yourself Qiao Jin now, I’ll assume that the Yuan Jin from back then is dead. No one can prove your royal identity, and you’re now in our hands. I will poison you later to ensure that you’re of use to us and will cooperate with our follow-up actions.”

Qiao Jin gave him an ugly look: “Despicable.”

“Who told you not to call me ‘cousin?’ Why should I look after you?” Liu Zhenqing said self-righteously.

Qiao Jin’s face turned colors. He felt like he was being severely bullied: “I won’t cooperate with you. I’d rather die than surrender!”

Liu Zhenqing clicked his tongue. This brat was certainly rebellious…..well, so were both of his parents.

“Isn’t it good to live? Only by living will you have a chance to realize your dreams,” Liu Zhenqing teased.

Qiao Jin turned his head unyieldingly. He hated Liu Zhenqing. Even if Liu Zhenqing gave him a chance to live, he would know that it was Liu Zhenqing who allowed him to live such a life. And Liu Qiao still belonged to him…..he didn’t want to listen to Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing saw that the brat was in a raging temper and seemed like he wouldn’t listen to his words at all, so he could only hold off.

“Liu Qiao, take care of the injury to his neck.” Liu Zhenqing motioned for Liu Qiao to take him farther away. He needed to discuss this with Huo Fenglie.

Liu Qiao nodded, then grabbed Qiao Jin and walked toward the stream.

Qiao Jin’s neck had been sliced by Qiao Jin’s sword due to his impulsiveness, and was still bleeding slowly.

Liu Qiao maneuvered him toward the creek and took out some golden wound medicine, saying to him: “Take care of it yourself.”

Qiao Jin gave him a fierce glare and refused to take it: “Wouldn’t you like it more if I died? Then you could fly away with your master!”

Liu Qiao looked at him in bafflement: “I don’t want you to die. Didn’t you inflict this wound on yourself?”

Qiao Jin choked. But he felt a little better. At least Liu Qiao said he didn’t want him dead.

But in the next second, he heard Liu Qiao say: “And whether or not you die, I’ll follow Master.”

Qiao Jin froze. He no longer knew how to vent the anger in his chest that was about to explode.

“In your eyes, that Liu Zhenqing is a treasure, and I’m a weed on the roadside. Even though we’ve been together for so many years, you’ve never had me in your heart!” Qiao Jin’s voice was so furious that it shook.

He knew he shouldn’t have asked this question, because he already knew the answer. But he was still unreconciled, and could only glare at Liu Qiao with aggrieved stubbornness.

Liu Qiao asked in confusion: “Why are you always competing with Master?”

Qiao Jin said angrily: “Don’t you know why?”

Liu Qiao decisively shook his head.

Qiao Jin almost vomited blood. Unable to bear it anymore, he abruptly took action and grasped Liu Qiao’s chin. Without waiting for Liu Qiao to react, he moved to kiss him. But in the next second, he was knocked away by Liu Qiao’s palm and fell into the stream.

Qiao Jin sat blankly in the water, looking at the unhappy Liu Qiao on the bank.

Liu Qiao said with a frown: “You tried to bite me? Are you a dog? Stop messing around. If I really take action, you’ll have a hard time.”

Qiao Jin stood up tremblingly. Looking at the senseless Liu Qiao, he no longer knew what to say.

But Liu Qiao was still thinking about Liu Zhenqing’s previous words, and persuaded: “I advise you to think clearly. Since Master made this proposal, he will spare your life. As long as you cooperate obediently, Master will still consider you his cousin and treat you well.”

“Who cares?” Perhaps he had been hit too many times, because Qiao Jin now seemed numb and frustrated.

“Can’t you just listen to Master? At any rate, he saved your life.” Liu Qiao frowned as he watched the soaked Qiao Jin walk to his side. He looked truly pitiful, like a drowned dog.

In the end, he was the child he had watched grow up, and Liu Qiao did his best to sincerely persuade him. He didn’t want Qiao Jin to stand on the opposite side of his master. He hoped that Qiao Jin would be obedient and live a good life.

Qiao Jin hated the way that every time Liu Qiao opened his mouth now, it was about Liu Zhenqing. He seemed to be more spirited than when he was following him, and even spoke more. He scoffed self-deprecatingly: “You want me to listen to him? Okay, ah, just kiss me and I’ll listen.”

Qiao Jin was taunting him with all his might. He had tried his utmost to get close, but it was still misconstrued as an attack. He was very tired.

But in the next moment, Liu Qiao asked: “Really?”

Qiao Jin was stunned for a moment. He turned his head instinctively and, before he could react, a kiss fell onto his lips.

Qiao Jin was dumbfounded.

Liu Qiao pulled back after kissing him. He couldn’t believe it was so simple, and asked: “So now you’ll behave? You should have said so earlier.”

Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched where he was hiding behind a tree, and he couldn’t laugh or cry. He couldn’t bear it any longer. He shook his head, thinking that Liu Qiao was not enlightened at all. And there was simply no way to enlighten him. Should he give him some corrective education, ah? How could he just casually kiss a person?

---

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Chapter One Hundred Nineteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One

“Fang Qian’an, don’t talk nonsense…..who wants you to stay for me…..wu…..”

Li Xiu hugged Fang Qian’an. For the first time in his life, he was being protected by someone like this.

Unknowingly, his tears wetted the neck of the former school bully.

When he noticed that Li Xiu was crying again, Fang Qian’an finally stopped huffing and puffing.

“Hu…..”

The sound of Fang Qian’an’s breathing in the corridor echoed along with the sound of Li Xiu trying to hold back his sobs. But other than that, everything looked the same as before.

The former school bully’s impotent rage hadn’t draw attention from any demons or monsters.

The darkness was still so heavy.

The corridor was still so long.

Fang Qian’an and Li Xiu still couldn’t find the exit on this path.

There was only a little bit of candle left, and it was about to be extinguished. But now that the matter was over, neither Fang Qian’an nor Li Xiu said anything more. Li Xiu didn’t even struggle to get down from Fang Qian’an. On the contrary, he used nearly all his strength to embrace the trembling boy beneath him.

In silence, both of them stared intently at the dim light of the candle.

Now that it had come to this point, all they could do was wait quietly, wait for the last moment……

[“A-Xiu, ah.”]

At this moment, an incredibly old voice sounded from the darkness.

Startled, Li Xiu raised his head and looked forward in astonishment.

“Grandmother?”

A hazy, familiar figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

The old woman stood shakily in the distance, holding onto the wall with a candle only as long as a thumb in her hand.

But the light of the candle was able to illuminate half the corridor.

His grandmother reached out and called to Li Xiu.

[“Why are you playing outside so late, child, seriously……”]

[“A-Xiu, follow Grandmother.”]

The old woman’s form appeared extremely thin and stooped. Under the candlelight, that craggy face looked bloodless and vaguely gloomy.

Fang Qian’an shook in fear when the old woman appeared. He tightened his grip on Li Xiu warily and took a reflexive step back.

Unlike Fang Qian’an, Li Xiu stared at the extremely familiar figure and called out.

“Grandmother?”

“Fang Qian’an, don’t be afraid, that’s my grandmother….right, my grandmother came to pick me up, she knows this stuff. She must be trying to find me!”

Li Xiu spoke in a murmur and nudged Fang Qian’an.

This kind of feeling was really mysterious. After encountering so many ghosts, Li Xiu was already frightened.

However, the moment he saw his grandmother, he had a strong intuition in his heart — that person was truly his grandmother.

“A-Xiu, is that really your grandmother? Are you sure?”

Fang Qian’an was still very vigilant after hearing Li Xiu’s assurances. His face was tense, his body trembling slightly. He was obviously very frightened.

“I’m sure.”

Li Xiu subconsciously placed a gentle hand on Fang Qian’an’s shoulder to calm his fear.

“Also, making this decision now can’t make things any worse.” Li Xiu’s tone suddenly became firm.

Fang Qian’an settled down upon hearing his words.

“All right.”

The young man pushed Li Xiu up on his back hard and staggered toward the old woman. 

“Hello, Grandmother.”

In the swaying candlelight, Li Xiu heard Fang Qian’an give a shaky greeting to his grandmother.

“I’m A-Xiu’s friend. I just swore a few times out of anger, don’t worry about it.”

Li Xiu: “……”

His grandmother didn’t respond to Fang Qian’an’s disorganized greeting.

In fact, there was always a distance between her and Li Xiu. No matter how far Fang Qian’an walked, she held the candle steadily and stood in the same position not far away.

The only change was the candle in her hand, which burned brighter and brighter, and gradually became increasingly short.

Poof—

At this moment, the small candle in Fang Qian’an’s hand was finally extinguished.

However, there was still a faint light in the corridor.

It was the candle in this grandmother’s hand.

[“A-Xiu, hurry up, it’s time to go home…..”]

Li Xiu’s grandmother gestured for him to continue forward.

*

*

Ding dong—

Qiming Secondary School, the building complex.

Hearing the sound of the elevator in the distance, two young teachers hurriedly rushed toward it from the other end of the corridor.

It was a pity that they didn’t catch this elevator and could only complain again and again, pressing the down button next to the elevator while looking at the time.

A teacher muttered anxiously to his colleague: “It’s so irritating! What is going on in the school these days, ah?!”

“It’s time for the examination papers to come out. Why are we not allowed to enter or exit the complex or use the elevator after seven o’clock in the evening? Are we still supposed to do this job?”

“Haha, there’s been a lot of trouble lately. I mean, several students have had accidents.”

The older teacher knew of some of the gossip circulating in Qiming. Her face was a little unnatural at this time, and she just typed casually while keeping an eye on the time on her phone.

It was now 6:45 in the evening.

“Fortunately, there are still fifteen minutes left. No matter what, we can still make it before closing time—”

She breathed a sigh of relief, and just as she was about to speak to her colleague, the elevator chimed again.

Ding dong—

The metal elevator doors slowly opened.

Immediately after, two students fell out and startled the teachers.

The two boys were obviously in a bad state. Both of their faces were deathly pale, lacking any blood at all, and their lips had begun to turn gray.

“Help……”

The teachers heard one of the boys let out a thin groan, and after that, he immediately fell to the ground and fainted.

*

*

A week later—

The First People’s Hospital of City A.

In a neat, bright single ward, a thin boy sat on a hospital bed in a light blue hospital gown. The hospital bed was not very spacious, but when the young man sat on it, he was so thin that it seemed as if he could be directly swallowed by the thin quilt.

Li Xiu looked at the class notes and exercise books on the bedside table and whispered to the person visiting at his bedside:

“Thank you, Teacher Chen.”

The young female teacher frowned slightly and looked with distress at Li Xiu on the bed. She tried hard to adjust her tone and said as calmly and briskly as possible: “Ai, there is nothing to be grateful for. As a teacher, I am happy to see students working so hard.” After a pause, she couldn’t help but add, “But now, ah, Li Xiu, your priority is to recover from your illness. Your grades have always reassured the teachers, but your progress has slowed down slightly during the past week. This teacher believes you can catch up soon. Just take a look at these notes and exercises, don’t tire yourself out just to keep up with your studies…..”

Listening to Teacher Chen’s nagging instructions, Li Xiu smiled at her with difficulty.

“En, I understand. I don’t feel tired…..in fact, I feel more relaxed when doing these exercises.”

Teacher Chen wanted to persuade him again when she heard Li Xiu’s response, but when she thought about what had happened to this student, she didn’t know what to say.

At this moment, there was a series of knocks at the door.

After receiving permission, a thin, gentle middle-aged man walked inside. Teacher Chen turned around, and when she saw the man, a trace of discomfort flashed across her face. She had heard some vague, bizarre rumors during this time. And it was not unusual for school leaders who were usually arrogant to bow down to the “teacher” who practiced feudal superstitions in this school.

Teacher Chen left quickly upon Xu Qinghe’s arrival.

Li Xiu’s expression was a bit complicated when he saw Teacher Xu. He greeted him softly, then pursed his lips. Compared to their first meeting, Li Xiu was much more quiet now.

Seeing Li Xiu like this, a faint, bitter smile appeared on Teacher Xu’s lips.

He pulled out a chair and sat next to Li Xiu.

“How are you feeling today?” he asked softly.

Li Xiu was silent for a few seconds before giving a dull reply: “…..Fortunately, not as cold as before.”

Upon hearing this, Teacher Xu reached out to touch Li Xiu’s forehead, then made a few gestures toward his shoulders and wrists before sitting back down as if relieved.

“Indeed, the yin qi has dissipated a lot. Now the main thing is to recuperate.”

“En.”

“I was initially the most worried about you, but I didn’t expect that you would recover faster than Classmate Fang. Judging by the current situation, you may be able to be discharged from the hospital before him.”

Li Xiu, who always seemed extremely taciturn, finally took the initiative to speak to Teacher Xu after hearing about Fang Qian’an: “Fang Qian’an……”

“Don’t worry, he’s fine. It’s just that the yin energy in his body is dissipating slowly.”

Recalling the person he met in the high-end ward of the private hospital not long ago, the bitter smile on Teacher Xu’s face grew more obvious.

“…..The young man is as energetic as a husky. There is absolutely no problem with him.”

Li Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.

The ward immediately fell silent again.

Teacher Xu looked at Li Xiu, and a flash of guilt passed through his eyes: “I’m sorry about your grandmother. If I had known things would get so serious, I would have been more careful about you and Classmate Fang.”

When he heard this, Li Xiu’s hand shook and accidentally knocked the notebook off the bedside table.

After a long moment, he suppressed his emotions and said, “En.”

A week ago, when Li Xiu finally woke up from his coma, the first news he received was that…..his grandmother had passed away.

The old woman with Alzheimer’s disease had died quietly in her bed due to a sudden heart attack. When people from the school had gone to inform her about the situation, the old woman on the bed was already cold all over.

It didn’t seem like a death worthy of surprise.

But Li Xiu knew very clearly that his grandmother had died to save him.

His grandmother, who used mystical tricks to fool people, turned out to really understand such things, ah…..therefore, when he and Fang Qian’an were almost stuck in the otherworld, she chose to show up in such a way and leave with them.

But why hadn’t Grandmother said more at that time?

Even then, he didn’t have time to say “goodbye” to his grandmother.

Li Xiu tried his utmost to control his emotions. After all, he had cried too many times in the past few days. However, when he heard his grandmother mentioned, hot, astringent tears accumulated in his eyes uncontrollably.

Teacher Xu sat silently beside the bed, waiting for Li Xiu’s subtle, suppressed sobs to stop.

After a long while, the older man sighed. He leveled his gaze at Li Xiu and said word for word: “Logically speaking, you shouldn’t be agitated at this time, but the situation is indeed a bit troublesome now…..Classmate Li Xiu, I must confirm with you now. How long have you been feeding “that thing” placed under the bed? Who told you to do this?”

“That thing?”

Li Xiu stared blankly at Teacher Xu. It took several seconds before he realized what he was talking about.

“You mean, Gege?”

Teacher Xu’s eyes darkened upon hearing the address “Gege.”

“Yes, that…..gege you provide for every day.”

Li Xiu’s breathing grew faster than before. 

He came to a vague realization.

“I-it started when I was very young,” Li Xiu murmured. “I always thought it was just my grandmother’s superstition.”

Noticing the odd look on Teacher Xu’s face, a terrible thought suddenly passed through Li Xiu’s mind.

“Teacher Xu, Grandmother’s death, could it be that……what happened to us is related to my gege?” Li Xiu stammered out.

Teacher Xu was silent.

After thinking for a long moment, he took out a yellowed photo and placed it gently in front of Li Xiu.

“Do you recognize her?” he asked.

Li Xiu glanced at the photo and his pupils suddenly constricted.

The photo was that of a young woman. She was very beautiful, with dark features and long hair, and even the pixels of an old-school camera couldn’t hide her astonishing beauty.

However, perhaps because her eyes were so dark and she wasn’t smiling at all, her beauty was mixed with an indescribable gloom: this was completely different from the sweet, gentle girl in the fantasy.

Yes, this was precisely Li Xiu’s “Mother.”

When he realized this, Li Xiu’s eyes fixed on the woman’s clothing and couldn’t move away for a long time.

He was shocked at his own slowness.

Why hadn’t he recognized her?

His “mother” was the guest who always came to his grandmother.

Although Teacher Xu had raised the question, he didn’t actually need Li Xiu to answer.

Observing Li Xiu’s expression, he took the initiative to explain: “Her name was Li Xulin. She was your grandmother’s only daughter.”

“Li Xuelin had a child, and named him Li Yu. If that kid was still alive, you really should call him…..gege.”

---

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Chapter 45 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 47

By the time they got back, a thick layer of clouds had accumulated in the sky, blocking out the sun. Howling wind mixed with a persistent cold, and it looked like it would rain heavily.

Sure enough, during dinnertime, there came the sound of rain beginning to fall. The wind drove heavy raindrops onto the windows, making the glass grow damp and blurry.

He Chuzhou got up halfway through to close a half-open floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony.

Pei Xi followed him with his eyes. When he opened the curtains, he saw that it was dark and cold outside.

He hated rainy days.

The waterlogged ground seemed to be a channel to another world, and the moment he stepped on it, countless hands would reach out to pull him in.

The sound of rain was mostly blocked by the walls and window panes, as were the sounds of branches swaying and rubbing together.

But it was still detected by Pei Xi’s sensitive hearing, putting him on edge and lowering his spirits.

“Do you not like the vegetables?”

He Chuzhou misunderstood, and replaced the plate of vegetables in front of him with a plate of different vegetables.

Pei Xi could only try his best to ignore his weather-induced restlessness, lower his head, and continue to eat.

After dinner, He Chuzhou continued his work in the study.

There were many overseas companies among He Group’s partners. There was a big time difference between them and China, so He Chuzhou had to compromise when it came to scheduling the time for such meetings and discussions.

It was all settled around seven or eight o’clock in the evening. He also had a meeting at two in the morning, which was five in the morning in the other location.

Pei Xi saw He Chuzhou coming out of the kitchen to the study and got up to follow him.

When he was discovered at the door, He Chuzhou turned sideways and looked at his face under the hallway lights.

Pei Xi raised his eyes to meet He Chuzhou’s. Their tips drooped slightly and his collarbones held two shadows, making him look thin and fragile.

He Chuzhou’s heart was given a blow. He said in a very soft tone: “Are you not going back to your room to rest?”

Pei Xi momentarily didn’t know how to answer.

He Chuzhou smiled, features handsome and eyes bright: “I’m almost finished handling your work for today. You look pretty tired. Go and rest first, don’t forget the doctor’s advice.”

This was pretty much pushing him away.

He Chuzhou asked him again to go back and rest. He couldn’t lose face by going in and insisting on staying with him, so he could only turn around and go to the bedroom.

There were no lights on in the guest room. The door was dark, in stark contrast to the bright study, which made him walk slowly.

“Hey, Pei Xi, wait,” said He Chuzhou.

Pei Xi stopped instantly and turned around, only to hear He Chuzhou say: “You go sleep in the master bedroom. I’ll take the guest bedroom so that I can handle business tomorrow.”

Pei Xi “……”

Taking a deep breath, he entered the master bedroom.

It was only separated from the study by a wall, which was somewhat better than the guest bedroom.

He had a feeling that he might have some bad dreams tonight. He locked the windows, drew the curtains tightly, and turned on the air conditioner. He left the lamp at his bedside on and tossed and turned, not wanting to go to sleep.

But he still couldn’t resist the onslaught of tiredness, and fell into an extremely unstable state of sleep.

Sure enough, as soon as he shut his eyes, he had returned to that rainy morning.

The vase smashed at his feet was the second one Pei Zhen had broken in two days.

Yesterday, he had come back from school with a competition trophy in his hand. He did nothing but stand in the entrance hall, and Pei Zhen went crazy.

Pei Zhen smashed the vase next to the projector, grabbed the fragments with his hands and threw them directly at him. After he was stopped by a panicked servant, Pei Yansong went downstairs to look. He comforted Pei Zhen and told him to quickly go back to his room.

Then, a little while later, he was called into Pei Yansong’s office and told that he was to be sent away.

The child who cried got the sweets, and the child who didn’t cry, even though he was sensible, was burdened with all kinds of grievances and humiliations just because of that sensibleness.

He realized that he was dreaming, but he couldn’t wake up and had no control over his body. The scene changed, and he was trapped in a cold, dark hallway.

There was a violent storm outside, and in front of him was the closed door to the study. He knelt on the floor alone in his own home, striving to gain a little sympathy from his biased father.

In the study.

He Chuzhou finished negotiating with his overseas partner and exited the online meeting. There was a window lingering in the center of the screen that showed that a compressed file was being received and was at 68%.

It should take another couple of minutes.

The rain was coming down harder outside. The night wind blew, accompanied by muffled thunder, and lightning split the sky in bright, intermittent flashes.

Summer was over, yet there were still thunderstorms.

After some thought, he got up and left the study. When he pushed the door open and entered the master bedroom, he stepped very softly to avoid waking Pei Xi, who was already soundly asleep.

The bedside lamp shone brightly, allowing him to see the thin, tightly pursed lips of the person sleeping. His eyebrows were furrowed too, and it was unknown if he was having a nightmare.

“Why aren’t you sleeping well, ah…..”

He Chuzhou frowned, considering whether or not to wake him up.

After hesitating for a long while, he finally just stretched out his hand to rub between Pei Xi’s eyebrows. Putting a palm against his cheek, he whispered in comfort: “It’s okay, it’s okay, nightmares go away.”

Seeing Pei Xi’s features gradually relax, he retracted his hand and tucked in the quilt for him, then left silently.

Thunder struck when he returned to the study, so loud that it sounded like it was rolling across the roof of the house.

He hissed and hurried over to check on the computer. When the download was complete, he shut the computer down and unhooked the network cable. It couldn’t break, or it would be troublesome to repair later.

Just as he was about to turn the lights off and leave, a figure rushed in unexpectedly. As if equipped with an automatic navigation system, he jumped straight into his arms.

He Chuzhou subconsciously caught him. Turning his head, he could only see one side of his head buried in his shoulder from this angle.

“Xinxin?” He Chuzhou probed.

Pei Xi gave a low hum, hugging him tightly as he responded in a hoarse voice: “Why haven’t you gone to bed after working so late?”

“I just finished speaking with a foreigner,” He Chuzhou responded, wondering whether he had been woken up by the thunder or a lightning strike.

But one thing was certain – he wouldn’t be sleeping in the guest room tonight.

“Come on, let’s go back and go to sleep.”

He raised his lips and rubbed Pei Xi’s back. Muffled thunder sounded, and Pei Xi subconsciously trembled against him.

He Chuzhou seemed to have received his answer, and grasped the back of his neck in amusement: “Our Xinxin really is a child at heart, ah, still afraid of thunder.”

He directly picked this person up and took him back to the bedroom, then placed him in bed and got in after him: “Okay, okay, I’m here to stay with you. Go to sleep.”

Pei Xi nestled into his arms without responding.

He Chuzhou rubbed his back over and over again, thinking that he had coaxed him to sleep. He yawned and was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep, when a pair of dark, alert eyes looked up from his arms.

He Chuzhou stifled his yawn midway: “Why aren’t you asleep?”

Pei Xi said: “I can’t sleep.”

He Chuzhou: “Can’t sleep?”

Pei Xi nodded and asked: “Are you going to sleep?”

Lightning flashed, followed by thunder a second later. Pei Xi shrank into his arms slightly, his clear eyes staring straight at him with a pitiful look.

He Chuzhou: “……”

Three minutes later, he returned from the living room and got back in bed, holding a tablet with Pei Xi’s head and shoulder resting on his chest.

He put two bluetooth earbuds on Pei Xi, and yawned where the other party couldn’t see him: “Okay, choose whatever you want to see.”

Pei Xi took off an earbud and offered it to him.

He Chuzhou: “I don’t need it. If you wear them, you won’t hear the thunder outside.”

Pei Xi: “But aren’t you going to watch it with me?”

It didn’t matter to He Chuzhou: “I can just read the subtitles.”

Pei Xi lowered his voice as he held the earbud: “Do you want to sleep?”

“I don’t, how could that be possible? I have enough energy to run ten laps on the Second Ring Road.”

Thunder cracked above their heads, and He Chuzhou quickly put the earbud in and covered Pei Xi’s ears.

There was a strong sense of security in those broad, dry palms. The warm sensation made Pei Xi blink.

He picked a very new movie, an art house film. The plot wasn’t very good, but the production was. The scene of the empty town was beautiful, and the sound of the wind blowing through the grass allowed Pei Xi to endure the protracted plot.

It was unknown how long the storm went on, but it seemed that Pei Xi hadn’t heard thunder in a long time.

He Chuzhou kept covering his ears with both hands to block out the noise. He could only hear the dialogue in his left earbud, the characters’ speech deliberately slowed down.

— I want to be with you, but I want you to be with the person you love the most. I wish you a lifetime of happiness.

— So my giving up isn’t because I quit.

— I’m also very selfish, just fulfilling my own wishes.

Pei Xi frowned upon hearing this.

Were they crazy? What was this nonsense?

If you couldn’t be with the person you liked, it was because you weren’t good enough or didn’t work hard enough. This was just searching for some weird excuse.

He wanted to complain to He Chuzhou, but when he looked up, he saw that the person beside him had already fallen asleep. His eyes were closed, his breaths long.

Even though he was so tired, he’d still helped to cover his ears.

Pei Xi smiled silently, reaching out to gently remove He Chuzhou’s earbud and turn off the tablet. The room was only illuminated by a dim desk lamp.

There was no more thunder outside, but rain was still falling. The dense atmosphere at last contained the scent of autumn.

He pulled down He Chuzhou’s hand and tugged up the blanket. Lying on He Chuzhou, he leaned closer and secretly kissed the corner of his mouth.

It was rare for him to like someone.

So he wanted to be together with the person he liked.

He felt they must be together no matter what.

*

*

He Chuzhou went to sleep late and woke up late. When he opened his eyes in the dim room, he was alone in bed.

Hadn’t he watched the movie until very late last night? Why had he gotten up so early?

Rubbing his temples, he glanced at the time and got out of bed. As soon as he left the room, he heard the sound of a door opening in the hallway downstairs.

The first to come in was He Xingxing, whose paws had been wiped clean. When he saw He Chuzhou on the second floor, he rushed up in excitement, tail wagging.

Then Pei Xi came in, raising his eyes to follow He Xingxing. The moment their eyes met, he looked away.

He walked to the kitchen and set a plastic bag on the table, containing the breakfast he had picked up while walking He Chuzhou’s dog.

He Chuzhou leaned against the railing, looking down with a lazy smile. Having just woken up, his voice was hoarse, but had a certain charm: “It’s such an honor to eat the breakfast President Pei personally brought for me.”

Pei Xi ignored his poor mouth and took the food out of the bag, placing it on the table.

He Chuzhou rubbed He Xingxing’s doggy head and went downstairs: “He Xingxing just frolics around when he goes out, and isn’t easy to walk. You should leave it to me in the future.”

“It’s fine,” Pei Xi replied calmly.

Their eyes met inadvertently when He Chuzhou took a seat, and Pei Xi was the first to look away in the next second.

He Chuzhou, holding a spoon: “ ? ”

Was he still not in his right mind? 

If not, then why did he feel like Pei-calico’s eyes were so…..shy and guilty?

---

T/N: I haven’t forgotten about this story! But the next time I’m tempted to pick up three ongoing translations at once, someone please smack me on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.

---

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Chapter 35 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 37

“A-Xiu, what are you…..fuck, fuck, fuck—”

Fang Qian’an was in the front while holding Li Xiu. Feeling the loss of strength in the boy behind him, he quickly turned around and grabbed him.

Then, he met the densely packed eyes of the paper figures.

A series of curses burst from the young school bully’s mouth, and he was so frightened that he nearly fell to his knees.

Not long ago, there was obviously just darkness around them. Even Fang Qian’an didn’t know when these paper figures had appeared. Fang Qian’an was still afraid of ghosts. If he had seen these things at a normal time, he would have been so frightened that he hugged Li Xiu next to him while crying.

But right now it was not business as usual.

Li Xiu had just been frightened terribly. There was no blood in his face, and he looked as if he would collapse with a breeze.

Fang Qian’an only took a light glance at Li Xiu’s face, and his heart, which had shrunk into his throat, was forcefully pulled down and stuffed back into its original position.

Fang Qian’an gulped and mustered the courage to comfort him.

“Don’t be afraid. Seriously, don’t be afraid. There’s nothing to be afraid of, they’re just a bunch of paper people. I could tear these things apart with my hands on the way…..”

However, his vibrato voice seemed to be unconvincing, because as he spoke, Li Xiu’s face became more pale.

The youth clung tightly to Fang Qian’an’s arm, and the corners of his eyes that were stained red by tears were now filled with moisture.

“F-Fang Qian’an.” Li Xiu’s voice was as tiny as a mosquito. “Do you get the feeling that they…..that they’re moving?”

Li Xiu could no longer determine the boundary between reality and illusion.

It was so scary. So bizarre.

The eyes on the faces of those paper figures were obviously so crudely drawn, but Li Xiu still felt that the way they were staring at him was very creepy.

Just like some kind of living things.

Moreover, during this few-minute pause, he felt that there seemed to be more paper figures — it seemed as if they were moving toward him and Fang Qian’an at a very slow speed.

When he expressed his suspicion, he clearly felt every muscle in Fang Qian’an’s body tense.

Cold sweat dripped down the school bully’s forehead and neck.

Rustle—

Rustle—

In the darkness, there was a sound like papers rubbing against each other.

Fang Qian’an held the candle high and glanced at the paper figures.

“I-it’s okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of, really nothing to be afraid of. Right, put this on—”

After a brief hesitation, Fang Qian’an seemed to suddenly think of something. He pulled off the paper mask he was wearing and quickly put it on Li Xiu’s face.

The paper mask looked exactly like the faces of the paper figures, with some rough cracks at the neck.

It was as if someone had just torn it from the neck of a paper figure.

There were also two blood-red blush spots on the mask, as well as a bright grin that extended to the ears. The only difference was probably the two rough holes dug for the eyes.

It was strange to say, but although the paper mask looked scary, once it was put on, the feeling of being stared at by countless people instantly vanished.

The subtle rustling in the darkness also stopped at once.

Li Xiu turned to Fang Qian’an in surprise and said in a panicked voice: “Wait, this mask? You gave me your mask, so what are you going to do?”

“I came to find you, and I have a candle in my hand. Teacher Xu gave it to me. The paper figures seem to be afraid of it,” Fang Qian’an said to him very stiffly.

As if either comforting Li Xiu or talking to himself, Fang Qian’an turned his head, clenched Li Xiu’s hand tightly, and walked step by step out of the circle of paper figures.

“These paper figures won’t notice you if you’re wearing the mask, so they won’t be a big problem for the time being. A-Xiu, come on and follow me, we need to get out of here fast. As long as the candle doesn’t go out, we’ll definitely be able to leave. We’ll definitely get out…..”

His back was completely drenched in cold sweat.

Li Xiu’s lips closed for a moment, and he felt as if his throat was blocked by something. There was obviously much to say, but when he opened his mouth, his mind went blank.

Not long after he put on the paper mask, those strange paper figures no longer appeared around them.

As they moved forward, Li Xiu’s eyes unknowingly adapted to the extreme darkness of the environment.

The flame of the candle in Fang Qian’an’s hand would occasionally flare up. In the strong firelight, Li Xiu also saw the situation around him more clearly.

Only then did Li Xiu realize how strange the place they were in was.

Everything that caught the eye had an air of familiarity. The more Li Xiu observed, the more familiar it felt, and he finally returned to his senses in a cold sweat — the place they were in was just like the Xiao family villa.

When did they get to the Xiao family villa? 

No, this wasn’t the Xiao family villa at all.

Li Xiu’s doubts quickly dissipated as the two of them fumbled forward. After walking for a long time, Li Xiu discovered that this place “appeared” very similar to the Xiao Family Haunted House, but when he looked a little closer, he found that everything here was just an imitation.

Even though the real Xiao family villa had been abandoned for more than a decade, its former luxury and decadence still could not be concealed.

And in this place, there was a feeling of crude, rushed work everywhere.

The most important aspect was that the furnishings here were all made of paper.

Yes, made of paper.

There was no telling how long this rice paper had spent in the darkness, but it was beginning to turn yellow and was falling off in some places, revealing the blackened bamboo strips and straps inside.

He and Fang Qian’an were currently walking in a “Xiao family villa” with paper furniture placed everywhere.

Li Xiu paused slightly upon realizing this.

If the layout here was really the same as the Xiao family villa, then he should be in…..the dining room now?

Li Xiu abruptly looked in a certain direction, and the candle in Fang Qian’an’s hand flared up at that moment.

There was a flash of dark green light, and Li Xiu saw three figures sitting upright in the dining room.

A paper man, woman, and old person.

Unlike the rough paper figures upstairs, the ones in the dining room were lifelike, no different than real people. The only flaw may be that on the neck of one paper figure, the bamboo strips must have rotted over time and broken, leaving the man’s head hanging on his chest.

In the illusion he had experienced before…..his “father” had his head lowered at all times.

But at that time, Li Xiu hadn’t felt that there was anything wrong.

In front of the three paper figures were three bowls of uncooked rice.

At an empty seat, there was an empty plate.

On that plate were squares and circles cut out of paper. 

On the thin pieces of paper, there was a pile of dust.

…..Like the ashes of something.

Li Xiu recalled everything he had experienced in the illusion, and his whole body instantly felt chilled to the bone.

If he hadn’t instinctively resisted and not eaten his so-called “breakfast” at that time, would Fang Qian’an still have been able to find him?

The candle flare only lasted for a moment.

Very soon, Li Xiu was surrounded by thick darkness again.

But Li Xiu had a strong intuition that at this moment, the three paper figures were quietly sitting in their seats, staring unblinkingly at them outside the dining room. 

Li Xiu’s breathing became very rapid in the darkness.

“Follow me, don’t be afraid.”

Fang Qian’an tightened his grip on Li Xiu.

The former school bully’s strength was so great that Li Xiu could practically hear the crunching sound of his elbow joint being grasped.

It hurt, but this pain actually made Li Xiu alert.

He shuddered and quickly turned his head away from staring at the things in the dining room.

The disabled boy suppressed his trembling and whispered to the boy beside him: “Let’s go, Fang Qian’an. Quickly.”

. . . . . .

Ten minutes later, Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an stopped again.

There was a heart-wrenching pain in Li Xiu’s lame leg, which had already been overstressed, and the experience of running fearfully through the dark had exhausted Li Xiu’s remaining strength.

Just at this moment, the candlelight flickered again.

Li Xiu turned his head and met three pairs of dull eyes staring at him unblinkingly from the dining table.

They had returned to their original position.

The path was obviously very simple.

Not long after passing through the dining room, they could see an imitation door. After pushing it open, there was no garden like the real Xiao family villa, but instead a long, narrow corridor. It was an office corridor that could be seen everywhere in the building complex.

There was a tile floor, with rows of locked offices on either side.

The corridor did have many forks, but Li Xiu and Fang Qian’an had never turned a corner.

They kept walking straight ahead.

However, it was so dark around them.

When they noticed, they found that they were standing in the replica villa full of paper furniture again.

A similar process was repeated several times, and in the end, even Fang Qian’an with his amazing physical strength had become extremely weak.

The boy stared at the darkness before him and muttered with a pale face: “A ghost maze.”

Li Xiu was currently being carried on Fang Qian’an’s back — since a while ago, he couldn’t walk any longer. This haunted house, that is to say, this darkness seemed to have some special magical power that could quickly drain a person’s strength and energy. When Li Xiu could no longer walk, Fang Qian’an simply carried him on his back.

However, after countless repetitions, they still couldn’t find a way out.

The candle in Fang Qian’an’s hand had almost burned out. The originally long, slender flame was now short, the light so dim that it was difficult to get a clear glimpse of the path.

“Are you kidding me…..how can I lose to something like this…..”

Li Xiu vaguely noticed that Fang Qian’an’s mood wasn’t right.

The youth lowered his head and said word by word:  “Fang Qian’an.” He patted the boy weakly. “Put me down. Leave me and go on alone.”

“You shut up.”

He cursed rudely at Li Xiu. The tall boy was currently stooped over, and had to press one hand to the wall to move forward.

“You weigh as much as a small chicken, so don’t make it seem like I can’t carry you. What go on alone, why would I come all the way here just to chat with you and then go back by myself? Don’t you think that kind of behavior would be sick?”

“You go back first…..its objective is me. You still have time to run away now.”

Li Xiu disregarded Fang Qian’an’s scolding. He struggled, trying to jump off Fang Qian’an’s back.

Fang Qian’an angrily tightened the grip on his thigh.

“Fuck me, I’m already here. Li Xiu, can you stop fussing?!” the boy growled through gritted teeth.

“……Isn’t there a time limit?”

In the next second, he heard Li Xiu’s question.

“W-what?” Fang Qian’an stuttered and paused.

Not long ago, the boy had been frightened to tears from an illusion, but now his voice was so numb that it was almost indifferent: “Fang Qian’an, there’s a time limit for the two of us to get out of here, right?”

“What are you talking about again? Damn, even after spending all this time talking nonsense with you, maybe I can find a way out—”

“The candle.” Before Fang Qian’an finished speaking, he was interrupted by Li Xiu. “The candle is the time limit, right? Fang Qian’an, you’ve been staring at the candle. The more the candle burns, the more anxious you become…..tell me, what will happen if we don’t find an exit before the candle burns out?”

*

[“Classmate Fang Qian’an, I must warn you. What you’re doing is extremely dangerous.”]

[“That ‘thing’ wants Li Xiu so much that even the red rope I gave him couldn’t stop that bastard from taking him away…..if you go, it is very possible that you’ll be included with Li Xiu.”]

[“If it refuses to let that person go, you may not be able to get out either.”]

[“…..The time I can maintain an exit is limited. This candle is your timer.”]

[“If the candle burns down before you come out, then you really won’t be able to escape.”]

*

“Nothing’s going to happen.”

Fang Qian’an spoke stiffly in the darkness.

“Li Xiu, stop twisting the fuck around, okay? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to twist on the body of a boy my age?”

Fang Qian’an said this deliberately in order to change the subject.

Li Xiu indeed stopped moving.

Enduring the fear of the deadline, Fang Qian’an said word by word: “Seriously, it has nothing to do with the candle. It’s just that when the candle is extinguished, it’ll be dark all around. That’s it.”

But after his words fell, Fang Qian’an heard the youth’s tremulous whisper in his ear.

“Fang Qian’an, lie to me and you’re a puppy.”

Fang Qian’an stared closely at the dying candle in his hand with warm eyes. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid, but……

“If I lie to you,  I’m a puppy,” the boy echoed.

But Li Xiu still refused to let him off. 

“Not only a puppy, but also impotent,” the boy said in his ear.

“……”

“Fang Qianan, swear again that if you lie to me, you’ll become impotent.”

“……”

Fang Qian’an took a deep breath and abruptly came to a stop.

He stared intently at the darkness in front of him that seemed like it would never end. The intense unwillingness, anger, and fear turned into a roar.

“Fuck your mother, you shameless bastard! If you want to keep someone, you can keep me! Why are you taking A-Xiu! He’s not even a fucking adult yet! He still has to take the university entrance exam—”

“Fang Qian’an?”

Li Xiu’s voice was drowned out by Fang Qian’an’s increasingly crude and furious curses.

“He’s just a skinny little chicken. Even if you eat him like ribs, you won’t be able to chew a few pieces of meat, right? What kind of man are you, bullying such a weakling! Fuck, you’re not even a human being! Stop bullying him, can’t you just let him go to school? Come at me if you have the guts! If you take me, I’ll have enough meat for you!”

Li Xiu listened to Fang Qian’an’s fury in astonishment, and his eyes reddened in the darkness.

“Fang Qian’an, don’t be like this, don’t talk nonsense…..”

He hugged Fang Qian’an unconsciously, trembling in panic.

“Do. Not. Bully. Him!”

In the thick darkness, Fang Qian’an roared over and over, like an echo.

---

The author has something to say:

The self-esteem of high school boys is like…..

I can be a puppy.

But I can’t be impotent.

---

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Chapter 44 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 46

Li Xiu gasped violently and slowly opened his tear-filled eyes.

He was lying on the ground.

A boy was panting on top of him, holding his hands above his head with one hand, while the other remained against his lips. A paper mask hung diagonally from the side of his face, with many cracks and rips at the edges that had been inadvertently torn during Li Xiu’s wild struggle.

Li Xiu stared at the familiar face for a long moment, then murmured hoarsely:

“Fang…..Fang Qian’an?”

Fang Qian’an was still looking at Li Xiu anxiously, as if he was still worried about him.

It wasn’t until he heard this call that he breathed an instant sigh of relief. His whole body lost strength, covering Li Xiu.

“Fuck me, you’re awake. You finally fucking woke up…..”

Fang Qian’an spoke several curses in one breath.

“Don’t you know you scared me to death? Li Xiu, I really…..my life was really going to be in your hands…..”

After a few seconds of this, the former school bully vaguely felt that something wasn’t right. After Li Xiu called his name, he made no other sound.

“Hey, A-Xiu, don’t scare me. Are you not awake yet?”

Fang Qian’an’s voice began to shake. He reached out and carefully touched Li Xiu’s face, only to find that the boy’s skin was ice-cold.

“A-Xiu? Speak, little ancestor, don’t scare me—”

Just as Fang Qian’an was flustered and uncertain about Li Xiu’s situation, the latter’s next action nearly made him lose his mind.

Li Xiu actually reached out and opened his clothes.

The boy’s fingers were slightly cold, but the pads were unexpectedly soft. He simply put his hands under the hem of Fang Qian’an’s clothes and touched from his waist to his lower abdomen in an almost crude way.

Fang Qian’an’s breathing suddenly became extremely rapid, and his whole body froze in place as if he had been hit by an immobilizing spell.

“A-A-Xiu, that, wait, waitwaitwait—”

His brain was like a boiling kettle beginning to puff out steam. With the knowledge that something was clearly wrong, Fang Qian’an hesitated for a long moment before reaching to grab Li Xiu’s wrists.

“Y-You stop touching, wait a minute, fuck—”

But such a simple thing turned out to be extremely difficult to do.

Fang Qian’an never expected that there would come a time when his entire body would go weak at someone’s touch.

Fortunately, just before Fang Qian’an’s head could explode, Li Xiu finally found what he was looking for.

“It’s really you…..”

Li Xiu clung to the red rope around Fang Qian’an’s waist. After touching the familiar knot tied by his own hands, he finally let go and fell softly into Fang Qian’an’s arms.

“Wu…..Fang Qian’an…..aren’t you done being a school bully…..wuwu…..why did you delay coming here until now, ah…..”

Feeling the boy’s hot body temperature, Li Xiu could no longer contain his emotions and hugged Fang Qian’an as he cried embarrassingly.

“S-sorry, it’s my fault, I was late. Please stop crying first, ah…..”

Fang Qian’an gingerly held the frail boy trembling in his arms, regretting that he had chosen the cool guy route and never bothered to learn those tricks for coaxing people. Now, facing a Li Xiu who was so terrified that he had a nervous breakdown, all he could do was fret.

Fortunately, Li Xiu’s breakdown only lasted a short while. After crying, the accumulated fear and anxiety flowed out of his body with the tears, and Li Xiu gradually regained his proper calmness.

He noticed the darkness around him and Fang Qian’an, so thick that it was like a physical wall, enveloping them layer upon layer. The only light used to illuminate the space between the two of them was provided by a white candle flickering on the ground.

The candle looked ordinary. It was almost half burned, and the wax oil continued to flow down and accumulate at the bottom in a gray-brown mass.

The incredible thing was its flame, long and thin with a faint greenish hue at the top, which caused the light it emitted to also be slightly green.

The air here was also very murky, with a strong earthy smell.

Li Xiu’s mouth was currently filled with the taste of blood, and a faint stinging pain reminded him of the wound on the tip of his tongue. He finally recalled that just as he left the illusion, Fang Qian’an put his fingers into his mouth. This wasn’t to pull out his tongue, but to prick the tip of his tongue with something.

It was after this that Li Xiu finally came to his senses.

“Um, are you in pain? Is anything wrong? Teacher Xu said that blood must be drained from the tip of your tongue to drag you out of the illusion.”

Fang Qian’an had been observing Li Xiu, and now hurried to give an explanation.

“Teacher Xu? Teacher Xu is here? Wait, where are we right now?”

Li Xiu composed himself and quickly inquired about the situation.

Fang Qian’an appeared tense. He pulled Li Xiu up from the ground, then carefully picked up the candle and held it firmly in his hand. After taking a deep breath, the boy lowered his voice and said seriously: “It’s a bit troublesome to talk about. A-Xiu, you were brought here because you were entranced by a ghost. But don’t be afraid, A-Xiu. No matter what you see, don’t be afraid and don’t run around. We don’t have much time. We need to get out of here quickly…..”

*

Fang Qian’an had been in the hospital when he received Li Xiu’s call.

His nominal biological father was lying on the hospital bed with his head covered in bandages, cursing at him. A lawyer was also called over. Reportedly, Fang Chengke had finally made up his mind to sever the father-son relationship with Fang Qian’an.

Of course, similar things had happened several times before, so Fang Qian’an didn’t pay much attention at the time — firstly for the reason that the law did not support the severance of a paternity relationship between a biological father and son. Secondly, because Fang Qian’an knew very well that there was no way his dear father would be willing to part with his mother’s money.

Although, even Fang Qian’an didn’t quite know how rich his mother in the mental hospital was. She could even make Fang Chengke like this, still drooling over it and unwilling to let go.

As it happened, he received the phone call while sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the intensive care unit, wandering on a mental journey.

Although Fang Qian’an had rushed to school as fast as he could, Li Xiu was still missing when he arrived.

This disappearance could not be explained by science at all.

According to school surveillance, Li Xiu seemed to be sleepwalking at that time, wandering around the school complex. Then, he walked into a closed corridor and didn’t come out again.

But the end of the corridor was sealed, with nothing there except for a mirror.

“I kept asking the idiots at school to think of a way, but they weren’t worth a fart.”

Fang Qian’an’s voice was a bit hoarse in the darkness.

It was the kind of hoarseness people got when they finally relaxed after being overtired.

Fang Qian’an hesitated for a moment before finally voicing part of his anxiety at the time.

“I also called the police, but they couldn’t explain how you disappeared. At that time, I…..my mindset collapsed, let me tell you…..”

And just as everyone was at a loss for what to do, Teacher Xu, who had been asked to deal with the Xiao Family Haunted House, appeared in the gloomy office.

*

Not long ago—

“This can be really…..tricky.”

When Teacher Xu saw the surveillance video showing Li Xiu’s disappearance, a trace of alarm appeared on his usually calm face.

It was certainly not a good thing for Qiming Secondary School to have students disappear one after another. However, it was not until this moment that Xu Qinghe realized that things might be worse than the worst-case scenario he had imagined.

And he didn’t conceal this at all.

“That mirror is not an ordinary mirror, but rather an extremely important lens.”

The solemn-faced middle-aged man explained frankly to the boy overflowing with anger in front of him.

Teacher Xu told Fang Qian’an in a concise manner that the entire Qiming Secondary School, along with this building and the Xiao family villa, were actually Feng Shui layouts specially designed to suppress certain things.

But now, because the seal on the Xiao family villa was disturbed previously, the formation became unstable. Li Xiu was likely taken away by “that thing” during this period.

“Taken away? What do you mean, taken away? Fuck, now you’re telling me a ghost has taken away a living person? Didn’t you say before that as long as he studied hard, nothing would happen? That guy was thinking about going to politics class even after he hit his head. Didn’t he do just as you said? But now he’s still been taken away! He’s so weak and he has a lame foot, what did a ghost take him away for…..fuck…..”

Fang Qian’an nearly kicked the office table to pieces.

He was obviously only a high school student who had just come of age, but his anger was so strong at this moment that he was like a demon, causing Teacher Xu’s other students to step forward intentionally or otherwise to stop him.

Teacher Xu couldn’t help but watch Fang Qian’an, looking tired and helpless.

“Time is short, but we might also be able to bring him back.” The man’s voice was hesitant.

“Only…..it could be dangerous.”

Teach Xu let out a soft sigh and picked up Li Xiu’s personal information he had acquired from the school before. After reading for a minute, the man’s brow furrowed more and more.

Going to the otherworld to bring a person back was extremely dangerous, but the most difficult part of the matter was the birth of the orphan Li Xiu — there was no blood relationship to link to, and if others rushed forward rashly, it was likely that they too would be trapped in the darkness of the otherworld.

“If that really won’t work, a person who is close to him might barely be able to do it, but…..”

But the only person who could be considered close to Li Xiu was an old lady who was currently suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. 

The more he thought, the more solemn Teacher Xu’s expression became.

Suddenly, a boy’s hoarse and constrained question came from the side:

“What about a friend?”

“Hm?”

The veins in Fang Qian’an’s neck throbbed slightly, and his fists were clenched. He stared at Teacher Xu and said word for word:

“Will a friend work?”

*

“……Then the old man said I could give it a try if I wanted to.”

In the darkness, the boy lowered his voice and gave a calm explanation.

“So I followed the method he gave me and found a way to come over. You don’t know how troublesome it was, running back and forth through the school corridors in the middle of the night, turning left and right. It made me dizzy.”

“Fang Qian’an…..”

“Anyway, when you get out this time, you have to treat me to dinner no matter what, Classmate Li Xiu. Your body can no longer make up for my sacrifice.”

As Fang Qian’an spoke, he pulled Li Xiu step by step into the darkness.

“You’re already so timid, so don’t look around. Just follow me.”

It would have been fine if Fang Qian’an hadn’t said that. But after he stressed it so seriously, Li Xiu couldn’t restrain himself in the end and looked around them in the weak candlelight.

In the next second…..

If Fang Qian’an hadn’t been holding onto him so tightly, Li Xiu would have fallen to the ground in terror.

Paper figures.

Countless paper figures stood densely around him and Fang Qian’an, two spots of red roughly painted on their pale faces. The eyes were two dark, empty pinpoints, but when he looked at those pinpoints, there was a sense of fear similar to looking at a living creature.

At this time, all of the paper figures were grinning from the corners of their mouths to their ears. They just surrounded Li Xiu, smiling silently in the darkness — just like the classmates who had smiled warmly at Li Xiu.

In a daze, Li Xiu could even hear a lingering call coming from the mouths of the paper figures.

[A-Xiu—]

---

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Chapter 43 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 45

Under the cover of night, the two people who had been traveling for some time finally stopped to rest.

“Master, I’m not tired.” Liu Qiao still wanted to carry Liu Zhenqing on his back and continue on the road. Since his master wanted to go back, it must be done immediately.

“Not tired? I’m tired just looking at you.” They had been running for several hours. Liu Zhenqing patted Liu Qiao on the shoulder and said: “It’s fine, your qinggong is so fast. How could ordinary people catch up?”

Liu Qiao naturally listened to Liu Zhenqing’s words. He helped him sit down and said with a smile: “Master, there’s a stream nearby. I’ll catch fish for you.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded with a smile and watched as Liu Qiao bounded over to the stream with brisk steps. In fact, Liu Qiao had a reticent and prudent disposition and rarely smiled, a bit similar to Huo Fenglie. But looking at Liu Qiao like this, only then did Liu Zhenqing feel that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Perhaps some people didn’t need the kind of freedom that he cared about.

When Liu Qiao returned, Liu Zhenqing asked: “What have you been doing these past years?”

Liu Qiao thought it over while grilling fish for Liu Zhenqing, then said: “There was nothing in particular. You know I’m slow-minded, so I usually did whatever Qiao Jin said. He’s very smart.”

This was the strangest thing to Liu Zhenqing. “Why did you stay with him for so long?”

The secret order he’d given Liu Qiao back then was to escort the eight-year-old Qiao Jin away from the capital, choose a place as far away as he could go, find him a good family, and help Qiao Jin conceal his identity and live a stable and happy life.

Liu Qiao explained innocently.

In fact, the order issued by Liu Zhenqing had been very difficult for the one-track Liu Qiao. But Bai Yu had told Liu Qiao before that if he encountered a problem that required some brainpower, to ask him. Liu Qiao was headed south anyway, so he went to find Bai Yu. 

As a result, he heard news of Liu Zhenqing’s death halfway and someone immediately began to pursue them. Once he got rid of the assassins, he placed Qiao Jin at an inn and returned to the capital alone.

Liu Qiao didn’t dare look at Liu Zhenqing while explaining this, because he had disobeyed his master’s orders. But when he heard that something had happened to Liu Zhenqing, how could he still perform any task? Thus, he immediately returned to the capital after getting rid of the assassins. He happened to meet Song Xingmu while viewing Liu Zhenqing’s grave, and after being seriously injured, he had to recuperate for a year.

“A year later, I went back to find Qiao Jin working at that inn.”

Liu Zhenqing said in surprise: “He waited for you?”

Liu Qiao nodded, feeling a little dazed as he thought about it. When he left that year, he had promised Qiao Jin that he would definitely come back. After all, the two of them had been chased by assassins many times and been through thick and thin together. The child was very dependent on him. When he saw that he was going to leave, he grabbed Qiao Jin’s sleeve and told him with tears in his eyes to come back soon. But they didn’t expect that it would be a year later.

The child who was somewhat quiet and reserved when they first met had become bad-tempered a year later. It was said that while waiting for him, he ran out of money and had no adult to look after him, so he suffered a lot. But even so, Qiao Jin insisted on staying and waiting for him.

Because Liu Qiao had been Liu Zhenqing’s greatest confidant, he would naturally be exposed and hunted, so there was no way to arrange a life in seclusion for Qiao Jin, and he could only take him to hide here. Liu Qiao intended to separate from Qiao Jin. After all, the assassins were after him, and almost no one knew of Qiao Jin’s existence. However, Qiao Jin refused to let him go and alleged that he hadn’t completed his master’s order, so they relied on each other for survival. After some time, they discovered a group of rebels left behind by the Three Kings.

Liu Zhenqing immediately asked the question that concerned him the most: “Do they know Yuan Jin’s identity?”

What Liu Zhenqing was most afraid of was that in sparing Yuan Jin’s life, he gave the rebels someone to support, which caused all of these problems.

Liu Qiao shook his head: “Yuan Jin is very smart. He said that his identity must be kept secret to prevent others from taking advantage of him.”

Liu Zhenqing was instantly even more puzzled: “Then why did you two still maintain contact with them?”

Liu Qiao said with some chagrin: “It was Yuan Jin who discovered that those rebels were being used by someone to rebel against the emperor, and he wanted to infiltrate them. By coincidence, people in the capital sent a person to replace Crown Prince Qiao An. Yuan Jin left no stone unturned to kill that man and replaced him. We came directly to Western Shu, then contacted the rebels as comrades.”

Liu Zhenqing said in bewilderment: “And you weren’t discovered?”

Liu Qiao said with a nod: “He has been sending messages and communicating with the people in the capital, and hasn’t been discovered.” Liu Qiao also couldn’t quite understand how, but in any case, Qiao Jin had dealt with it perfectly.

“So you don’t know the identities of the people in the capital?” Liu Zhenqing surmised that because the other party was also concealing their identity, they didn’t find out in time that their subordinate had been replaced.

“I only know that their influence must be enormous.” Liu Qiao lowered his head and said, “I’m sorry, Master. When I saw how Yuan Jin wanted to deal with them at first, I really believed that Yuan Jin had discovered this potential danger and wanted to help Great Zhou’s Yuan clan deal with it. I didn’t expect…..”

“You didn’t expect that he had other intentions and wanted to be the oriole lurking behind?” Liu Zhenqing sighed. He didn’t know whether Qiao Jin had made this kind of choice out of discontentment or revenge. When he first sent the child away, he hadn’t felt that there was any unwillingness or hatred in his eyes. He’d thought that Qiao Jin would choose to live a stable life.

Upon seeing Liu Zhenqing sigh, Liu Qiao nervously said: “Master, I didn’t handle things well. What do you want to do about him? I promise to get it done.”

“Of course I hope he doesn’t…..follow in his father’s footsteps.” Liu Zhenqing smiled helplessly and said: “I hope he lives well. But it’s a pity that he may not be obedient, and then blood will flow again.”

Liu Qiao immediately clenched his fist and said: “Don’t worry, Master. I’ll send you back to General Huo in a while, and when it’s safe, I’ll sneak back in and kidnap him. He can’t beat me. If he’s disobedient and wants to rebel, I’ll just lock him up.”

Liu Zhenqing: ……

This simple, straightforward Liu Qiao was really amusing. Getting Qiao Jin to this point would certainly not be simple, but in Liu Qiao’s opinion, it could be resolved so easily. This proved that to Liu Qiao, Qiao Jin was as easy to deal with as a child. Was Liu Qiao too naive, or had Qiao Jin never given him reason to think he was hard to deal with?

“We need to make Qiao Jin’s identity clear to Fenglie first when we get back, and then discuss what to do,” Liu Zhenqing murmured. 

Liu Qiao glanced at him.

Liu Zhenqing noticed his gaze and said with a smile: “Is there something you want to say?”

Liu Qiao blinked and said: “So Master really is with General Huo.”

Liu Zhenqing choked for a moment and looked at Liu Qiao with discomfort. 

Liu Qiao lamented: “Master mentions General Huo a lot when he speaks. It’s strange, didn’t Master say that he wanted to marry the most beautiful girl in the world? 

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Is Fenglie not beautiful?”

Liu Qiao thought to himself, could a man be described as beautiful? If so, he thought his master’s previous appearance was the most beautiful, and then……Qiao Jin would be the second most beautiful, Song Xingmu third, and General Huo just barely made fourth. 

“As long as Master likes him,” Liu Qiao said.

Liu Qiao placed the grilled fish on leaves and was about to remove the bones, but was stopped by Liu Zhenqing. “I’ll eat it like this. It’s too troublesome otherwise.”

Liu Qiao still cautioned him: “Master, be careful with your food.”

Liu Zhenqing seemed to no longer be used to anyone but Huo Fenglie picking out his fish bones. While eating the freshly-grilled fish, he asked: “Has Qiaoqiao met anyone he likes over the years?”

Liu Qiao shook his head without hesitation. Those black and white eyes, as clear as a child’s, seemed to be incapable of possessing that kind of emotion.

Liu Zhenqing said helplessly: “You’re still not enlightened, ah. Finding a wife for you will be a big problem in the future.”

Liu Qiao said at once: “I don’t want to start a family. I want to follow Master forever.”

Liu Zhenqing was instantly moved, but he still felt distressed that this child would never grow up.

Just as he was thinking, there was a sudden pain in his throat. His face reddened and he began to cough.

Liu Qiao also discovered the problem right away. His master had a fish bone stuck in his throat again, and it was all his fault for not handling it well. Seeing that Liu Zhenqing was in great pain, he immediately scooped this person up in his arms and squeezed him. He hit Liu Zhenqing’s back and injected his internal force, one hand supporting Liu Zhenqing’s slender neck.

Instantly, Liu Zhenqing felt much better and felt that internal force helping him swallow the fish bone.

He was just about to say he was fine when Liu Qiao’s expression changed, and he instantly stood up with Liu Zhenqing in his arms.

Liu Zhenqing glimpsed the flash of a figure where they were just sitting, and a person alighted on the ground.

When he took a closer look, Liu Zhenqing was instantly shocked. Before he could speak, he saw that person approach with a dark expression, then reach out to grab him without saying a word.

Although Liu Qiao recognized this person too, he still instinctively protected Liu Zhenqing from him.

At the same time, rapid panting sounded nearby. “You…..what are you doing?!”

This tone sounded as if the person had stumbled upon an adulterer, utterly confusing Liu Zhenqing in the midst of this chaotic situation.

Why?

Why had Huo Fenglie appeared here?

And why had Qiao Jin appeared here too?

When he saw that Huo Fenglie was already encroaching, Liu Qiao instinctively leaped backward with Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing could only shout: “Stop!”

With instinctive obedience, Liu Qiao and Huo Fenglie instantly stopped.

But the fellow panting over there was not so obedient. He rushed up and grabbed Qiao Jin’s arm, eyes fixed on him, and used his greatest internal force to yank him away: “You’re actually hugging him!”

Liu Zhenqing was naturally thrown away, and Huo Fenglie stepped forward to catch him.

Liu Zhenqing tried to push Huo Fenglie away so they could talk, but he was hugged tightly in the next second. Those taut arms turned into shackles, as if to imprison Liu Zhenqing, and the more he struggled, the tighter they grew.

He shouted impatiently: “Er-gou!”

He really wanted to ask why the general who guards the country was here alone. He couldn’t be here to save him, that was completely ridiculous, ah! He was currently in command of a 50,000-strong army, so he should have acted according to the other party’s wishes and slowly arranged a rescue. Why was he here?

Huo Fenglie was in a trance as he held Liu Zhenqing. His pupils quivered in response to Liu Zhenqing’s cry, but this time, he seemed to be rebellious and disobedient. He hugged him even more tightly, burying him firmly in his arms. He lowered his head to bury his face in Liu Zhenqing’s hair, inhaling at once. Only when his nose was full of Liu Zhenqing’s scent did Huo Fenglie finally feel the first breath of life in two days.

On the other side, Qiao Jin wanted to question Liu Qiao, but found that the man’s gaze didn’t fall on him at all. He was currently staring at Liu Zhenqing, and that worried look near instantly made Qiao Jin lose his composure.

“Liu Qiao!” Qiao Jin shouted, then coughed suddenly as if about to hack up blood. He directly fell to his knees, his vision went dark, and he passed out.

Only then did Liu Qiao finally notice him. He immediately supported Qiao Jin and frowned as he investigated his state. It seemed…..he had exceeded his limits using qinggong to get here.

And Liu Zhenqing felt like he was going to be injured by this hug, and couldn’t help but say: “Er-gou, let go, ah, you’re going to suffocate me to death!”

Liu Zhenqing patted Huo Fenglie on the back, and he relaxed somewhat. He lowered his head and stared at Liu Zhenqing’s face intently, still not saying a word. From the looks of it, he appeared to be frightened.

Please, he should be the one who was frightened, ah! Liu Zhenqing said helplessly: “Why are you here? You should know that they kidnapped me to threaten you, so I would have been fine. And you could basically guess that Liu Qiao was the one who took me away. I was prepared to go back, but then you showed up. Wait, since you came here with him, did you go over to the palace first? And then turn around and come back?”

When Liu Zhenqing analyzed this, he felt stupid. Looking at the dust covering Huo Fenglie’s body that he’d had no time to brush away, he could tell how hard he had been running around.

“You…..you…..” Liu Zhenqing was so distressed that he didn’t know what to say.

Huo Fenglie suddenly said in a hoarse, dry voice: “Qing-ge, I lost you again.”

Liu Zhenqing was startled. He looked into Huo Fenglie’s dark eyes that seemed like the bottom of an abyss, an abyss that often contained such an aura of despair. At this moment, Huo Fenglie’s body was trembling slightly.

Liu Zhenqing understood that his disappearance had truly terrified him.

He couldn’t bear to see Huo Fenglie like this, and disregarded the unhappiness and doubts before their separation. Now that things were like this, could Er-gou still say that he didn’t like him?

Liu Zhenqing held Huo Fenglie’s face, stood on tiptoe, and coaxed the puppy dog.

The startled puppy was instantly confused by such an action. When he felt the softness leave his lips and looked at this person so close at hand, Huo Fenglie seemed to be stimulated, and could no longer maintain his reasoning. The arms around Liu Zhenqing’s waist suddenly lifted him with force, and the lips that had just separated pressed together again.

Liu Zhenqing was stunned as Huo Fenglie used his big hand to forcibly hold the back of his head.

A nearly suffocating kiss commenced.

It wasn’t until Liu Zhenqing felt like he couldn’t breathe that he stopped him. Liu Zhenqing’s eyes were misty, and he looked at the person in front of him through blurry vision. The corners of his mouth slowly rose. He hadn’t expected Er-gou to be so bold as to take the initiative, so bold that his own legs were weak.

Now that he was certain that the person before him was at his side, Huo Fenglie sobered up. When he could react, he felt uncomfortable under Liu Zhenqing’s teasing gaze. He keenly sensed someone coming and turned around to look.

Liu Zhenqing followed his line of sight and saw Liu Qiao holding up the unconscious Qiao Jin, looking at them with a pure expression.

Liu Zhenqing: ……

“Ahem, Qiaoqiao should avoid this kind of scene in the future.” Liu Zhenqing educated him with well-meaning words.

Liu Qiao nodded: “Understood.”

Liu Zhenqing glanced at Qiao Jin and asked: “What’s wrong with him?”

“He fainted from exhaustion,” Liu Qiao said.

Right, how could Qiao Jin’s qinggong keep up with Huo Fenglie’s unless he was desperate?

“Say, what’s going on? Why did you act so impulsively?” Liu Zhenqing said, giving Huo Fenglie a serious look. When he realized Liu Zhenqing was missing, he had acted almost without reason, entirely on instinct.

“I just wanted to find you as soon as possible,” Huo Fenglie answered automatically. Seeing that Liu Zhenqing didn’t look happy, he quickly added: “I knew you were taken away by Liu Qiao, but I tortured Qiao An and confirmed your suspicions that they’re working together, so I was a little worried. I also arranged for the army to be on standby. I didn’t neglect them. Then I snuck to the place they were keeping you and apprehended the King of Western Shu. I only heard then that the two of you had gone missing together, so I came here.”

Liu Zhenqing gave a sigh, then asked: “Then why was the King of Western Shu alone….”

Huo Fenglie said: “I was certain you weren’t there, and I couldn’t be bothered to care about him. He could catch up by himself later.”

Dumbfounded, Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “You still have sense. If you directly captured and killed the King of Western Shu, it would be troublesome later on.” After all, they had seen through the opponent’s game. If things broke down at this point, it would cause a chain reaction to their detriment. 

Huo Fenglie was somewhat embarrassed. In fact, he hadn’t had the extra brainpower to think about this issue at the time.

Just as they were talking, Qiao Jin awoke with a start. When he saw that Liu Qiao was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed his wrist, asking angrily: “You want to leave me alone again? You don’t want me anymore! You followed Liu Zhenqing before, but who are you following now? Am I so unimportant in your heart? Anyone can take you away from me? Who do you think I am!”

Qiao Jin practically roared. Liu Qiao was yelled stupid, and Liu Zhenqing was also a bit shocked as he witnessed all of this. Looking at Qiao Jin’s reddened eyes, although his expression was fierce, why did he seem like a wolfdog with its tail between its legs? It felt almost as if he was aggrieved and about to cry. Was this still the unruly, arrogant King of Western Shu Liu that Zhenqing had met? 

“Answer me! Why did you betray me! Why do you want to follow him? Do you know nothing? You hugged him and wanted to kiss him!” Qiao Jin roared out again, holding onto Liu Qiao tightly with both hands.

Liu Qiao wore a foolish expression, as if he didn’t understand what the other was saying at all. He didn’t respond, but looked toward Liu Zhenqing instead, as if waiting for orders.

In Qiao Jin’s eyes, this reaction made it seem as if Liu Qiao belonged to someone else’s family, and he was just an outsider. This utterly snapped his last nerve.

Suddenly, Qiao Jin looked at Liu Zhenqing with eyes filled with murderous intent.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed as he instantly guessed something. Perhaps after being together for nine years, the bond between them wasn’t very deep in Liu Qiao’s eyes, but Qiao Jin felt the opposite. After all, he had changed his surname to Qiao.

Maybe things would be easier to handle than he’d thought.

“I’ll kill you!” Qiao Jin’s expression was fierce as he faced Liu Zhenqing with Huo Fenglie beside him. Daring to say such a thing, he must be completely irrational with fury.

But before he could take action, two swords were suddenly placed against his neck.

Huo Fenglie placed the sharp blade against his neck, but Qiao Jin ignored it in order to look at Liu Qiao’s sheathed blade resting on his shoulder.

“You would do this to me for him…..” Qiao Jin glared at Liu Qiao in near disbelief.

Liu Qiao felt a moment’s guilt when he was inexplicably glared at, but after some thought, he still said confidently: “If you hurt him, I will kill you.”

Qiao Jin was stunned.

Liu Zhenqing glimpsed the heartbroken look on Qiao Jin’s face.

Qiao Jin stared at Liu Qiao with aggrieved misery, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it. But then his eyes suddenly flashed and he turned his head at once to look toward the distant Liu Zhenqing. He looked back at Huo Fenglie, his eyes growing wider and wider.

“You…..you’re…..Liu Zhenqing?”

Liu Zhenqing was astonished.

Huo Fenglie’s expression shifted, and he immediately began to exert strength. Liu Zhenqing’s identity could not be known to untrustworthy people. Regardless of the consequences, Huo Fenglie felt that Qiao Jin must die in order to protect Liu Zhenqing.

And upon noticing Huo Fenglie’s action, Liu Qiao raised his arm and blocked the Chunjun Sword with his scabbard. Huo Fenglie regarded him with a frown.

Liu Qiao glanced at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Qiao Jin with a frown and asked tentatively: “What did you say?”

Qiao Jin recovered from his shock and said with utmost certainty: “Stop pretending. The only person these two would do such a thing for is Liu Zhenqing !” He abruptly looked at Liu Qiao. “I absolutely don’t believe that there is anyone in this world you would do this to me for other than Liu Zhenqing! Only Liu Zhenqing could cause you to leave me so easily.”

The shock of Liu Qiao’s departure was finally resolved.

That’s right. I could only be Liu Zhenqing, ah.

No matter how unbelievable, it was the only possibility.

Seeing Qiao Jin’s determined expression, Liu Zhenqing sighed in the end and said: “Then…..what should you call me? It’s too disrespectful for you to call me by name.”

Qiao Jin gave a ferocious laugh: “I had a mother, but not one to educate me. I had a father to raise me, but not to control me. What rules can I follow?”

“Oh? I thought it was Liu Qiao who taught you discipline? Was he not very good?” How could Liu Zhenqing be ridiculed by a little brat?

Qiao Jin was instantly stifled. Sure enough, Liu Zhenqing was looking at him with displeasure.

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes and asked again: “What should you call me?”

“I…..I won’t call you anything! What are you pretending for! You even killed my father! You left me homeless. Look at who’s sitting on the throne of the Zhou Dynasty now.”

Liu Zhenqing, who wanted to improve their relationship, wore a stiff expression when these words were spoken.

And Huo Fenglie was taken aback upon hearing this, his gaze shifting uncontrollably as he looked at Qiao Jin.

Noticing the change in Huo Fenglie’s aura, Qiao Jin turned with a mocking smile and pointed at Liu Zhenqing, saying: “You think he’s so loyal and patriotic? Back then, he went behind the backs of your Huo family and the emperor he was loyal to and secretly sent away the remnant of those rebels, me. I am the only son of King Huai, one of the Three Kings at that time, Yuan Jin! And also the only son of Liu Zhenqing’s paternal aunt!”

Huo Fenglie froze, looking at Liu Zhenqing in disbelief.

Liu Zhenqing gave a sigh.

Just as Qiao Jin vented his grievances, Liu Qiao to the side slapped him on the back of the head, saying: “Didn’t I tell you? Since Master’s aunt is your mother, you should call him Cousin!”

---

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Chapter One Hundred Eighteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty

Li Xiu followed Li Yu to school.

The weather was gloomy along the way, the sky gray. Li Xiu glanced through the car window and felt short of breath.

The car continued to turn corners.

Li Xiu felt faintly uncomfortable, and could only lean his head on the window and take short breaths.

It was strange. Li Xiu had already vomited his breakfast, but there was still a lingering taste of paper in his mouth that made his stomach churn from time to time. In order to divert his attention, Li Xiu could only place all of his focus on the view of the streets outside.

How odd…..

Were the roads from home to school always so narrow?

The sense of dissonance that had been lingering since this morning became even stronger at this moment. And just as Li Xiu was staring out the window, a tall figure suddenly broke into his field of vision.

It was a boy wearing a strange paper mask.

The mask was crudely made and very strange.

The face was white, except for two bright red spots on the cheeks.

The eyes were partially hollowed out, making them seem particularly deep and vacuous.

He was standing amidst the crowds on the street. Through the mask, Li Xiu could clearly sense that the boy’s eyes were staring directly at him.

Wait. Who was that?

Li Xiu initially thought he had seen wrong due to his dizziness, but when the vehicle passed an intersection in the next second, the boy appeared again.

This time, he seemed to be closer to Li Xiu.

The corners of the paper mask’s mouth were curved, almost reaching below the ears.

“Huh?”

Li Xiu’s back tensed. He sat up from the car window.

Li Yu beside him had been watching Li Xiu intently since they got in the car, and asked worriedly: “What happened? Do you feel uncomfortable?”

Li Xiu turned his head with some alarm, but after seeing Li Yu, he shook his head at the unexplainable event: “Ah, I’m fine. A little motion sick.”

“Seriously, you didn’t eat anything this morning and you’re feeling uncomfortable now?”

Li Yu reached out helplessly and gave Li Xiu’s head a gentle rub.

Li Xiu didn’t respond to his gege, turning his head to look out the window again. The strange figure had vanished.

This should have been a good thing, but Li Xiu’s heart clenched uncontrollably.

“A-Xiu.”

Li Yu’s call sounded beside him again.

“Why are you upset?”

“Ah?”

Li Xiu’s mind was full of thoughts about the boy he’d just seen, and it took a moment for him to respond. He didn’t understand what Li Yu was talking about.

“A-Xiu’s brow is all furrowed.” Ice-cold fingers reached over to touch Li Xiu’s brow, rubbing it gently.

The young, handsome brother looked unblinkingly at Li Xiu. His tone was slightly confused: “I don’t know what I should do to cheer you up.”

His face was obviously handsome and cold to the utmost, but at this moment, it revealed an unprecedented helplessness in front of Li Xiu.

Li Xiu was so stimulated by his gege’s sadness that he stammered as he explained.

“Ge, why are you saying this so suddenly? I’m not upset, it’s just…..uh, I’m not in a good mood today.”

“That’s good.” Upon hearing Li Xiu’s words, Li Yu smiled as if relieved.

He took Li Xiu’s hand and pressed it gently against his lips, the kiss falling as light as a feather.

“However, if A-Xiu still has any desires, you must tell your gege. Gege will give it to A-Xiu, no matter what it is.”

The brother’s cold lips fell on the side of Li Xiu’s palm, arousing a thin layer of goosebumps.

Li Xiu resisted the urge to yank his hand back, shaking his head in a fluster.

“I-I don’t have any other desires, ah. Life is really good now. Dad, Mom, Grandmother, and Gege, everyone is living a happy, peaceful life together…..” As he spoke, Li Xiu’s voice went lower.

He looked at Li Yu and asked out of nowhere: “Speaking of this, what’s your desire, ah?”

Li Yu’s movements paused.

He tilted his head, regarding Li Xiu with a very strange look.

“My…..desire?”

Li Xiu blinked.

“Um, yes, ah. Gege is always trying to make me happy and such. I also want to do things for Gege sometimes, although I’m still a student now. B-but didn’t the teacher also say it won’t be a problem to recommend me for North Beijing University? After going to university, I should be able to do something for you, right?”

Under Li Yu’s intense gaze, Li Xiu’s voice grew smaller and smaller, and he became increasingly guilty.

He didn’t know why, but although Li Yu looked the same as before, with that doting look and slight smile, the aura exuded by the other party made him feel shaky and ill at ease.

“So cute.”

After a moment of silence, an enamored, trembling sigh escaped from the gap between Li Yu’s bright red lips.

“I really like A-Xiu.”

“Ge?”

“A-Xiu is the first human to ask me this question. For so many years…..”

Although he looked like a teenager, Li Yu’s current tone made it sound like he had lived for a very long time.

Facing the still confused Li Xiu, Li Yu suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged him tightly.

He buried his face into the side of Li Xiu’s neck. At that moment, Li Xiu’s whole body trembled — he almost thought Li Yu intended to bite him.

But after waiting for a long moment, the sting of that absurd intuition did not arrive as expected.

Li Yu maintained that position, breathing thickly and deeply in the crook of Li Xiu’s neck. Li Xiu could feel him shaking violently.

“Ge…..Yu-ge?”

His brief fear faded away and was replaced by confusion. 

Li Xiu gently nudged his brother’s body without pushing him away.

“Don’t always compel me like this, ah…..”

Li Yu finally spoke up, speaking vague words that Li Xiu didn’t understand.

“I really want to swallow you whole. But, will you cry? Although it’s very cute, I would still feel bad…..”

“Forget it.”

With Li Xiu at a loss, the private vehicle finally arrived at school after countless turns.

Li Xiu was sent right to the door of his classroom by Li Yu. His care for Li Xiu had indeed reached a meticulous level. At first, Li Xiu thought his gege’s excessive concern was unnecessary. It wasn’t until he came to the door of the classroom and saw his classmates sitting there neatly, listening intently, that Li Xiu realized his legs were weak.

Was this…..social anxiety?

Li Xiu’s footsteps came to a hesitant stop at the door of the classroom.

“A-Xiu, don’t be afraid.”

A pair of hands were placed gently on Li Xiu’s shoulders, ice-cold breath next to his ear.

Li Xiu said to him with soft affection: “Your classmates all really like you, don’t they?”

Relying on his gege’s support, Li Xiu mustered the courage to enter the classroom step by step.

“Li Xiu, good morning.”

“Li Xiu, I’m really glad to see you.”

“Li Xiu…..”

As soon as he entered the classroom, everyone greeted Li Xiu enthusiastically.

And after a brief trance, Li Xiu was also confused about his previous fear and hesitation. Yes, ah, his classmates were just as enthusiastic, cheerful, and easy to get along with as his gege said. But why had he been so scared just now that he couldn’t even walk into the classroom?

Li Xiu arrived at his seat and set down his school bag, only to find that Li Yu was still standing at the door of the classroom, staring at him.

“I’ll pick you up after school,” Li Yu said, waving at him with a smile.

“Oh, okay…..”

Li Xiu signaled his understanding.

“Wa, Yu-ge likes you so much, doesn’t he?”

After hearing the conversation between the brothers, a classmate with a vague face spoke to Li Xiu.

“It seems like your ge wants to be by your side at every moment.”

“Is that surprising? Li Xiu is so cute, it’s normal for his ge to want to grow on top of him,” someone else echoed with a smile.

Facing the chattering classmates, Li Xiu smiled stiffly.

“We’re family, it’s normal for us to be close.”

It was odd.

Why were his classmates saying such strange things?

And why were they all gathering together around his seat?

As he thought, Li Xiu’s eyes inadvertently glanced at his warm and friendly classmates. Suddenly, behind everyone, he glimpsed a familiar face.

That boy — that boy wearing the paper mask.

Through the eye holes dug in the mask, Li Xiu could see the boy’s bloodshot eyes.

He stared at Li Xiu with an extremely sharp gaze.

Li Xiu’s breathing stagnated at once.

Bang—

Li Xiu shoved the table and instinctively stood. The loud noise seemed to startle the others.

“Wa, Li Xiu, what’s wrong?”

“Li Xiu?”

“Why did you suddenly lose your temper, ah?”

But when Li Xiu stood up and looked in the boy’s direction, he was no longer there.

Li Xiu stood in a daze for a long while, completely ignoring the inquiries of the students around him.

He almost couldn’t breathe.

The strange feeling that had been looming in Li Xiu’s heart since that morning was almost driving him insane.

Li Xiu’s bafflement and confusion lasted until the teacher showed up for the lecture. In Li Xiu’s impression, he had always been the kind of person who could concentrate easily. No matter what happened in real life, as long as he picked up a pen and a textbook, he could dive into an ocean of knowledge without distractions. But this time, Li Xiu found that his self-perception was inaccurate. The teacher was obviously giving a lecture, but he still couldn’t concentrate on it.

The muddleheaded Li Xiu accidentally dropped his pen on the floor and automatically bent down—

At this moment, he seemed to see the students’ feet pointing backwards, then turn toward the blackboard with a swish.

Everything happened very quickly. So quickly that Li Xiu couldn’t tell whether the scene he had just witnessed was an illusion or reality.

In extreme panic, Li Xiu stood abruptly and apologized to the teacher, then rushed out of the classroom.

He leaned against the corridor railing, breathing heavily.

His entire back was soaked in cold sweat, the muscles spasming slightly due to the excessive tension.

He breathed in the fresh air outside the classroom for a long while

Li Xiu regained his senses with difficulty, no longer frightened and panicked to the point that his brain shut down.

His classmates were obviously so kind and lovely, and they all liked him so much — no, no, concentrate. There was something wrong with them, their feet, their feet just now were backwards, right? How could a normal person be like that?!

But his gege said they…..

Li Xiu bit his lip hard, using the pain to try to avoid the distraction.

It just so happened that at this moment, he inadvertently raised his head and looked toward the nearby teaching building.

His pupils immediately narrowed.

Why…..was his home next to the school?

It had taken so long to get to school by car, but now, he could clearly see his brightly-lit home from the school corridor.

That villa was so close to the school, so close that he could even clearly see the expressionless figures standing motionless in the windows of his home.

Dad.

Mom.

Grandmother.

Their faces were pressed against the window glass. As if they were aware of Li Xiu’s gaze, they suddenly raised their heads and rushed to smile at Li Xiu with the exact same expressions.

“No—”

Li Xiu was so frightened that he stepped back repeatedly.

Then, a pair of hands were suddenly placed on his shoulders.

Li Xiu turned his head at once. Then, he met the gaze of a paper mask with a large grin.

“Wu…..”

Li Xiu’s scream was muffled by that pair of hands before he could make a sound.

He could smell the strong odor of blood from the other party’s palms. Fear swept over him. Li Xiu struggled desperately, but under the grip of this masked person, his movements were weak.

He was dragged into a run by the other party, and the surrounding illumination became very dark.

“Help…..wu…..let go…..I…..”

Li Xiu screamed, trying his utmost to break away from this strange and terrifying existence.

He felt the masked man cover his face with his hand, squeeze his fingertips through his lips, and vigorously jab the tip of his tongue as if trying to dig it out.

Help!

Helphelphelp…..

Help me…..

Li Xiu was unable to resist, and with the tingling sensation on the tip of his tongue, he burst into tears.

“A-Xiu…..A-Xiu! Wake up! Fuck, don’t bite me, ow ow ow…..”

“Shh…..Shhhh…..”

“Hiss, ow, forget it. You’re impressive, just bite. Can you just keep quiet…..”

“Fuck, A-Xiu, I’m telling you…..if this continues, I’m going down with you…..”

In the haziness, a familiar voice pierced the barrier of confusion and reached Li Xiu’s ears.

---

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Chapter 42 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 44

Like a rusty robot, Li Xiu slowly looked around.

The inner walls of all elevators in the complex were made of stainless steel. Although they couldn’t reflect every detail of a person like a mirror would, a shadowy reflection could still be seen when a person walked in.

Li Xiu was currently standing in the middle of the elevator, watching shadows emerge around him.

The shadows reflected in the stainless steel plating were too blurry. No matter how Li Xiu kept his eyes wide open, he could only see distorted figures that were unlike living people, along with blank faces as pale as paper.

“Wu…..”

A short whimper escaped Li Xiu’s throat.

He knelt weakly on the floor. His body had no strength at all.

Accompanied by an ominous electrical sound, the incandescent lights on the ceiling suddenly flickered, then went out completely.

A deathly darkness completely filled the space around Li Xiu.

There was something there. Ice and moisture, dry skin wrapped around thin bones…..countless dead hands stretched out from this darkness, tightly grasping the youth where he was curled up in the elevator, shaking with fear.

“Save…..wu…..save me…..”

Someone was jostling Li Xiu’s shoulder.

“A-Xiu? A-Xiu, what’s wrong with you, ah?”

A hoarse, familiar voice sounded in his ears.

With great effort, Li Xiu opened his eyes with difficulty while sobbing, then saw his grandmother’s kind and worried face.

“Did our family’s A-Xiu have a nightmare today? Why are you still crying?”

Seeing Li Xiu wake up, the grandmother appeared relieved. She opened her lips and smiled at Li Xiu.

“I—”

Li Xiu sat up at once, gasping for air. He stared in shock at the old woman by his bedside. His head felt as heavy as stone, and his blood felt like it had been stuffed into a freezer and frozen, even now unable to pump adequately to his heart.

His entire body shivered with cold. His heart beat extremely fast.

“A nightmare…..”

Li Xiu stared at his grandmother and sluggishly repeated her words.

His grandmother gave him a look of understanding, and said half lovingly and half as if she had a headache:

“Sure enough, oh, you’ve been under too much pressure from studying, haven’t you? A-Xiu, ah, this isn’t what Grandmother told you to do. Your grades are good enough. In fact, you don’t have to work so hard.”

“Forget it, get up quickly. If you don’t get up, you won’t have time for breakfast. For students your age, ah, the most important thing is to ensure good nutrition. Otherwise, reading so many books every day, what will you do if your brain doesn’t have enough energy…..”

The old woman chattered habitually, patted the school uniform that had been prepared for Li Xiu beside the bed, and then walked out the door.

As his grandmother vanished, Li Xiu looked around and realized that he was lying in his room.

Tall floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the morning sun to pour into the luxurious bedroom. Li Xiu sat on the bed, looking around the octagonal room. The dressing table next to the bed gave him a slight feeling of unease. He stayed there for a long while, covering his head with a muffled groan.

His head hurt…..

How odd…..why did he feel like his room was unfamiliar?

“A-Xiu, ah, hurry up!”

While he was thinking hard, his grandmother called from outside the door again.

Li Xiu rubbed his temples. Then he staggered out of bed, donned his school uniform, and walked out.

When he went downstairs, Li Xiu saw breakfast neatly arranged on the dining table.

The runny yolk of a sun-cooked egg was placed on golden, crispy bread fried in butter. Smoked ham sizzled on the plate, emitting the enticing aroma of oil. 

His grandmother poured milk into a glass and pushed it toward Li Xiu’s plate. When she saw Li Xiu, she immediately waved and called for him to quickly come down and eat.

“What are you looking at, ah? A-Xiu, isn’t this your favorite breakfast?”

A gentle woman prompted Li Xiu from the dining table.

The woman was young and beautiful. When Li Xiu looked at her, he vaguely felt that she was somewhat familiar.

Beside the woman sat a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes. From Li Xiu’s perspective, the man’s face couldn’t be seen at all. He could only see that the man had his head lowered as he took big mouthfuls of the food in front of him.

Opposite the woman was a tall young man.

Following the woman’s gentle call, he also turned his head to look at Li Xiu, who was hesitating on the stairs.

“A-Xiu, why are you dawdling, ah? Come on, why are you always so muddle-headed when you wake up?”

Similar in age to Li Xiu but slightly larger in stature, the boy gave him a helpless look. Although he was scolding him, his tone was rather doting. He stood up as he spoke and walked straight to the stairs, then took Li Xiu’s hand and led him directly to the table.

“Eat quickly! Otherwise you won’t grow taller, ah.”

The boy pressed Li Xiu into a seat and rubbed his hair.

Li Xiu braced himself, and when he glimpsed the boy’s face, he finally returned to his senses and said automatically:

“Fang Qian’an……what are you doing…..wait…..”

“Fang who?” However, after hearing his words, the boy stared blankly for a moment and then looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Hey, A-Xiu, are you actually asleep?”

Lowering his head, he approached Li Xiu and gently touched the boy’s forehead.

He stared into Li Xiu’s face and said as if in jest: “You even called me by the wrong name?! Wait, are you trying to make me angry on purpose?”

But when Li Xiu heard what he said, he couldn’t help but shudder. Before his brain had time to function, his lips were moving automatically: “Li Yu…..”

“En?”

The boy still seemed dissatisfied. His cold hands directly grabbed Li Xiu’s face, forcing him to look at him awkwardly. 

Li Xiu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and when he spoke again, it was with a much crisper: “Yu-ge.”

At this moment, the nightmare that had been lingering in his mind when he woke up that morning instantly faded, and he finally woke up.

Damn, what was happening with him today? How could he feel like his home was so strange, and not even greet his family?

“Dad, Mom, good morning.”

Li Xiu struggled out of Li Yu’s arms and quickly greeted the other two people at the dining table.

“Good morning, A-Xiu. Aiya, really, Xiao Yu, you’re this old and still acting like a primary school student. Don’t bully A-Xiu.”

His Mom smiled as she lectured, looking at the two sitting closely together at the table.

“That’s right, ah. Yu-ge, you only know how to bully me!”

Li Xiu immediately seized the opportunity and stood up, leaning toward the boy as he continued his Mom’s scolding.

“I bully you? Hey, aren’t you mistaken? It’s obviously you who bullies me every time.” Li Yu turned his head to look directly at Li Xiu, his tone particularly aggrieved. “You’re just relying on my affection for you and becoming more and more lawless.”

In the midst of the quarrel, Grandmother appeared to helplessly smooth things over.

“Okay, okay, the two of you will sleep in the same bed from now on, bullying or no bullying.”

Sleep in the same bed? What was this?

Li Xiu subconsciously stared, and even such a movement didn’t escape Li Yu’s sight.

The boy stretched out his hand beneath the dining table and lightly touched Li Xiu’s palm. 

“Don’t be shy,” Li Xiu heard Li Yu whisper to him.

“It’s not time yet.”

What did that mean, “not time yet?”

Countless doubts ran through his mind, but like raindrops falling into a lake, they disappeared in an instant, leaving only hazy ripples.

Every time Li Xiu tried to think carefully, his thoughts would scatter uncontrollably.

“A-Xiu, eat quickly!”

His grandmother urged him at this time.

“Ah ah ah, I know, I know.”

Li Xiu instantly forgot what he was thinking about just then.

He spoke perfunctorily and then looked down at his breakfast.

It had to be said that just looking at today’s breakfast made a person excited. Li Xiu began to eat at once with no hesitation.

However, the moment the breakfast entered his mouth, Li Xiu grimaced.

Wu, it tasted terrible.

They looked so delicious, but now the sun-cooked eggs and toast in his mouth were completely tasteless, just like chewing scraps of paper. Li Xiu forced himself to chew for a long time, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t swallow the sun-cooked egg toast in his mouth.

Finally, Li Xiu gave up resisting the inexplicable instincts of his body and put a tissue to his mouth, spitting out all the food.

The happy laughter and chatter at the dining table stopped abruptly.

Along with the deathly silence came three extremely sharp gazes.

“A-Xiu? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?”

“A-Xiu? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?”

“A-Xiu? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?”

Three identical inquiries came from the mouths of the mother, father, and grandmother respectively.

Li Xiu covered his mouth, his entire body stiffening.

“I…..I just…..ah, don’t have an appetite today.”

His heart beat wildly.

He began to break out in a cold sweat.

Li Xiu didn’t know why he would be afraid like this when his relatives were obviously just caring about him.

As he spoke, Li Xiu subconsciously looked at the dinner plates in front of his parents, and only then did he realize that they were completely different from his sumptuous breakfast. His mom, dad, and Yu-ge all had bowls filled with uncooked rice in front of them.

……Something was wrong…..no, wasn’t this just his parents’ daily meal? Why did he feel like something was wrong?

Li Xiu shivered. When he looked up again, he found that he had been in a daze for such a long time, but his mom, dad, and grandmother’s dark eyes had never moved away the whole time.

From beginning to end, they stared at Li Xiu.

“A-Xiu, why aren’t you eating?” they continued to ask.

“I-I’ll eat…..” Li Xiu stammered, and forced the remaining food on his plate into his mouth.

But this time, whether or not it was because he was so nervous, he found the food even more unpalatable.

The harder he tried to swallow, the stronger the inexplicable feeling of nausea and resistance became.

In the end, Li Xiu even accidentally retched.

He spat everything out. Li Xiu’s body was shaking slightly, physiological tears filling his eyes.

“S-sorry, I really…..can’t eat……” Li Xiu said softly.

Chills wracked his body one after another. Even though this was clearly just a small thing, his voice was filled with an involuntary sobbing tone.

Yu-ge stared at Li Xiu for a long moment, then let out a seemingly helpless sigh.

“Ai, forget it, forget it. It’s really not a big deal if you don’t eat.”

At the same time his voice fell, the other three people at the dining table also withdrew their deep, dark gazes. Just like before, they were still kind and gentle.

His mom feigned anger, scolding lightly: “You indulge him even when he won’t eat. Really, Xiao Yu, I don’t know where you got your subservient personality…..”

To the side, his dad lowered his head and complained softly in a voice everyone could hear: “He gets it from me.”

His grandmother sighed repeatedly and gave Li Xiu a look of great disapproval: “Really, how can he not eat? If he doesn’t eat, how will he endure you in the future…..Xiao Yu, you will regret this sooner or later.”

At this time, Li Xiu had already been drawn into Li Yu’s arms, cold hands stroking gently over his back.

As if shy, Li Xiu lowered his head, using Li Yu’s figure to avoid the eyes of his parents.

But only he himself knew how scared he was now.

Wasn’t there something wrong? 

Why couldn’t he hear Yu-ge’s heartbeat?

“What are you thinking about?”

A slightly hoarse whisper sounded.

Li Xiu huddled in Li Yu’s arms. He was startled, and when he looked up again, he forgot where his fear had come from.

“It’s nothing,” the youth murmured, his watery eyes becoming somewhat hollow.

“……I just woke up today feeling a little flustered and short of breath.”

Li Xiu rubbed his temples with a dazed appearance.

Li Yu stared greedily at Li Xiu in his arms, his bright red lips grinning wider and wider.

“Don’t be nervous, A-Xiu…..Gege has always liked A-Xiu the most…..” he said softly.

“Yu-ge won’t get angry if you’re a little bit willful.”

---

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Chapter 41 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 43