Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Ming Fei Yu was angry again.

His face changed almost instantly.

Because Xie Zhigui's "I don't know" had snapped some restrained cord within him, and long-accumulated disappointment and rage burst forth like a dam breaking.

He stared at him for a long time, from his amber-tinted pupils to his sharp, cutting lips—each feature a weapon. Suddenly, he stood and swept everything off the table with a crash.

"Xie, Zhi, Gui!"

Ointment splattered onto Xie Zhigui's face, but he didn't so much as frown, calmly wiping it away with his sleeve and sitting quietly, without a word.

He knew what Ming Fei Yu wanted to hear, but he couldn't say it, and he had already prepared himself for the backlash of anger.

Yet Ming Fei Yu hated this unflappable demeanor the most, finding it more detestable than deceitful innocence!

He rushed over and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly.

"Xie Zhigui, are you really clueless, or just pretending to be?"

Xie Zhigui glanced aside, silent.

It was clear he was planning to play it cool as a first response, to later find a way to soften and appease him, thus diminishing the big issues to nothing.

Ming Fei Yu couldn't help but laugh with vexation; Xie Zhigui was all too familiar with this foolproof tactic.

With no outlet for his seething anger, yet unwilling to lash out at Xie, he often had no choice but to swallow it back, feeling it scorch his heart and inner organs with pain.

But as he fumed, a sudden, strange smile broke through. "Do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"

Xie Zhigui sensed the underlying meaning in his words but persisted, "If I say I don't know, then I simply don't know."

His gaze towards Xie was calm and serene, "No matter how many times you ask, you will receive the same answer: I am not the person you are looking for."

He had said this countless times before.

"Stop dwelling on the past, stop confining yourself within self-drawn boundaries."

"And stop probing indirectly; you'll only be disappointed."

Ming Fei Yu's gaze was sharp as a knife, cutting into him; clearly understanding, yet unwilling to let go.

Xie wished to withdraw his hand, but Ming Fei Yu's grip was too strong, reddening the skin on his wrist. He sighed softly, "Can't you move forward?"

"I can't!" Ming Fei Yu replied, somewhat out of control, his grip suddenly tightening, making Xie Zhigui's bones seem to crackle.

"Hiss."

Seeing Xie Zhigui's pained expression, Ming Fei Yu didn't know if it was feigned or real pain.

He was not resigned.

After all his efforts, after such a long wait, how could he settle for a farewell? How could he give up without gaining his beloved's heart?!

Even if all the gods and Buddhas stood before him, he would defy them all, battling his way through brambles and blood to reach his lover's side. To kneel on one knee before him, with hands stained in blood, carrying him over mountains of corpses and seas of blood to bring him home.

If his lover is scared or unwilling to follow, that's no issue; he doesn't mind resorting to certain methods.

Without waiting for Xie Zhigui to react, Ming Fei Yu leaned in to whisper in his ear, a spellbinding curse, a gamble with their lives.

"Don't even think about leaving, unless I die."

Having laid down those words, Ming Fei Yu released his hand and left with a sweep of his sleeve.

Xie Zhigui seemed frozen, not moving an inch.

His obstinance is now a frightening thing to behold.

Only a few steps outside the door, Ming Fei Yu stopped under the eaves, vexed by his thoughts. Turning back, he saw Xie Zhigui sitting quietly inside, rubbing his wrist and watching his departing figure. Even when Ming Fei Yu looked back, Xie Zhigui only briefly met his gaze, offering no explanation or words of retention, serene as a detached Buddha.

Nothing is more distressing than dealing with someone naturally indifferent. No matter the appeals or the stairs provided for descent, he refuses, sitting aloofly above, looking down upon the masses, unwilling to grant the slightest mercy.

Ming Fei Yu's lips moved slightly: "Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

Even a single word to keep him, or a look that would soften the blow, would suffice.

But Xie Zhigui remained as calm as before, his faint voice reaching across the space: "Don't let the wound touch water."

Ming Fei Yu gave a self-mocking tug at the corner of his mouth.

What kind of response was that? Was it dismissive or pitying? To say it was concern seemed too slight, yet to call it politeness felt too noncommittal.

Unable to let go, unable to sever ties, it's like holding on by a thread of lotus fiber, tantalizing the other's heart with itchiness, but only to look and not touch, for touching would break it.

Standing in the light, Ming Fei Yu still felt a chill in his limbs; he was disheartened once again.

Then, as if making a decision, he looked at Xie Zhigui and said with deliberate emphasis: "I won't touch you, but I won't swallow this grievance either."

His words seemed calm, yet they were laced with anger and determination. Xie Zhigui slightly furrowed his brows, but his emotions remained largely unswayed.

He didn't believe Ming Fei Yu could cause any real trouble under the promise of not laying a finger on him.

Watching Ming Fei Yu storm off, and as his figure vanished from sight, the breath Xie had been holding in could no longer be sustained.

Like a drowning man losing the last bit of air in his lungs, his face turned deathly pale, needing to prop himself on the desk to prevent falling off the chair.

He had been enduring pain all along.

He arched his back in extreme discomfort, head resting on his arms, gasping for air.

"Ah ha, ah ha—"

He tugged open the buttons tight under his neck forcefully, hoping to alleviate some of the pain.

Ever since he woke from the dream, it wasn't long after Mingfei Yu grew close to him that his head felt like it was about to explode, as if something was trying to break through his skull and bore out.

After a while, he caught his breath, barely able to crawl up; weakly, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. A large, sweat-soaked dark stain on the desk served as a reminder of the agony he had just endured.

Gazing out at the sun-drenched, empty room beyond, he felt a twinge of relief that Mingfei Yu hadn't seen him in such a state—hiding in the shadows, shivering with fear like a creature that dreaded the light.

His limbs still trembling, he mustered the strength to stand up, first closing the main door and then approaching the mirror. Pushing aside his obstructive hair, he gazed intently into the eyes of his reflection.

He always felt there was something off with his body, as though more than one soul was vying for control.

The moment his soul shattered last night, it seemed another spirit tried to rush in, to replace his weakened self and take possession of his body.

After staring for too long, he could vaguely discern another figure within those eyes.

As time elapsed, it seemed as though something was slowly emerging from the mirror, the contours outlined by a dark mist shifting from blur to clarity. The instant it took form, Xie Zhigui's heart felt as though it was being clenched—his breath halted.

Then, that dark shadow darted behind him, and without allowing him any reaction, it flashed a sinister, eerie smile, its hands cruelly clenching his throat.

Xie Zhigui awoke with a start, wanting to run, but it felt as if his feet were being pulled by something.

It took all his strength to move his legs, to flee from before the mirror.

With his soul still unsettled, he leaned against the wall, one hand gripping the window ledge, sweat pouring down, his gaze unfocused and scattered, his chest heaving with physiological ferocity. Subconsciously, he hugged his arms, now goose-fleshed, his mind a tangled mess.

Was that person, could it be, that person just now?

Xie Zhigui's face was ashen, pale as paper.

It was a good while before the sensation of being strangled vanished from his neck, and then, cautiously, he edged forward a little to look into the mirror once more.

This time, the bright mirror reflected only him, and there was no wound on his neck.

Could that shadow have been a hallucination?

But the moment he touched the spot where he'd been gripped, he felt a soul-shuddering pain that almost made him lose his balance, forcing him to quickly support himself on the window ledge again.

No, that was no illusion. That shadow wasn't after his body, but his soul!

It aimed to extinguish his soul to fully claim his body!

A massive panic surged through him like electricity, from the soles of his feet throughout his body, and straight into his brain, making every vein, every spine segment, every fingertip numb with shock.

Something vile has awakened.

And it comes with ill intent.

Xie Zhigui suddenly sensed something and abruptly looked up, his gaze fixed intently on the corner that never saw sunlight—a haven of perpetual shadow.

In a haze, it seemed as if the shadow stood there, beckoning to him, mouthing words that looked like, “You will never be rid of me,” with a smirk that was both smug and nauseating.

Rage and fear almost obliterated his reason in an instant; he wanted to charge forward and scatter the shadow into nothingness, but when he blinked and looked again, there was only emptiness—as if everything had been an illusion.

Whether it was real or not, only Xie Zhigui knew for certain.

Unconsciously, his fingertips had dug deep into the wooden window frame, breaking off inside due to the excessive force, bleeding onto the wall, tracing a line of blood that pooled into a small puddle on the floor, yet he was utterly oblivious to the pain, his eyes fixed on that corner with an icy, penetrating chill like never before.

His eyes reddened, fists clenched, he vented his frustration by slamming them hard against the window sill.

Clang! The wood caved, leaving a small crater.

Outside, the sun illuminated the pulsing veins on his forearms.

"Bastard!" he cursed vehemently.

——

By noon, the familiar wisp of smoke was notably absent from above the wooden cabin.

Mingfei Yu, tossing the rocking chair into the yard with a clatter, glanced at the firmly shut door of the house, snorted, then indolently reclined upon it.

He didn’t bother with lunch, and the specters that might have approached were scared off by a mere look from him.

Mingfei Yu shook his head helplessly. Foolish bugs, can't you grasp the situation? Your master has just been infuriated by the man inside, who hasn’t even apologized yet. What does it look like, scurrying to cook for him?

If they went, it would be like admitting defeat, forever doomed to be led by the nose, never to turn the tables.

No! This time he must not go, no matter what; he must hold out until Xie Zhigui comes to seek peace first.

Inside the courtyard, the rocking chair creaked rhythmically, while Mingfei Yu lounged in the sun, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed in feigned slumber.

Suddenly, the large door creaked open behind him, and Mingfei Yu's eyelids twitched.

Had he given in so quickly?

As footsteps drew nearer, Mingfei Yu steeled himself, resolving that no matter how Xie Zhigui pleaded or played the martyr, he must not soften; skipping one meal wouldn't starve him, but any pity would surely make all the indignities he suffered come to naught in the end.

Today it would be cooking and laundry for him, tomorrow it would be letting him walk all over him, and eventually, it would be flaunting dominance right over his head, completely disregarding him!

So, before Xie Zhigui could approach, he turned over, presenting his back to him, to avoid the trap of being swayed by his pitiable appearance.

The sunlight above was blocked by a shadow, and after a long moment of stillness, Mingfei Yu knew that Xie Zhigui was standing behind him, watching; he cracked open his eyes slightly.

Xie Zhigui gently pushed his shoulder: "Mingfei Yu, I know you're awake. Get up for a bit, I need to talk to you."

As soon as Mingfei Yu sensed a hint of grievance in his voice, he immediately closed his eyes again: No way, definitely another ruse to lure me into the kitchen with feigned misery.

Then Xie Zhigui pushed him again, this time with a sense of urgency: "It really is important, can you just listen to me?"

Still, Mingfei Yu made no sound.

Xie Zhigui, staring at his rigid back, knew too well that he was still in a huff, deliberately ignoring him, and that saying more would be pointless; he withdrew his hand.

He gave him one last look: "Don't regret this."

At that moment, Mingfei Yu hadn't realized the gravity of the situation, only feeling that Xie Zhigui was bluffing, yet a vague worry began to stir.

Then, hearing the footsteps fading away, Mingfei Yu abruptly opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw Xie Zhigui already walking out of the yard.

His worry had turned into reality.

He couldn't sit still any longer; he quickly turned over and sat up.

"Where are you going?!"

As if he hadn’t heard Mingfei Yu's questioning from behind, Xie Zhigui continued on with a somber face, walking towards the woods.

Seeing this, Mingfei Yu panicked, flashed forward, and grabbed his wrist, forcing him to stop and turn around.

"What are you doing?!"

Xie Zhigui cast a cold glance, "I thought you were deaf and couldn’t hear?"

"I..."

Mingfei Yu suddenly realized that he had been outmaneuvered by Xie Zhigui once again.

The so-called cold war strategy had failed before it could even take off; Xie Zhigui wasn't flustered, yet he found himself in a panic first.

Under Xie Zhigui's bright, snowy gaze, he could only laugh at himself in self-derision.

Xie Zhigui's tone was impatient: "Let go, you're hurting me."

Mingfei Yu loosened his grip slightly, but didn't let go, and Xie Zhigui immediately started to struggle.

"Stop wasting your strength, you won't shake me off. Let's go home."

Mingfei Yu began pulling him back.

But to no avail.

Xie Zhigui stood as if his feet were nailed to the ground, hard to budge, while his other hand clung to him, his eyes seeming to hold an unspoken message.

The two remained at an impasse for a while.

Mingfei Yu sighed first, afraid of hurting him, and loosened his grip, then folded his arms and stood firm, his gaze sweeping over him from head to toe.

"Speak. What was it you wanted to tell me just now?"

Xie Zhigui's tone was resolute: "I need to go back."

Mingfei Yu's expression changed in an instant.

But this time he didn't back down, repeating: "I need to go back."

It really couldn't be delayed any longer.