Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Xie Zhigui awoke the next day and lay in bed for three days, during which Xie Qingyuan knelt by his bed, repenting nonstop.

Xie Zhigui grew somewhat annoyed with her continued apologies, coaxing her with a hoarse, painful voice, "Cough cough, I don't blame you, stop crying."

Xie Qingyuan lifted her eyes, swollen from three days of weeping, and sobbed, "Do they look puffy?"

Xie Zhigui nodded helplessly: "Truly, they do."

Xie Qingyuan's tearful gaze met his, and as she leaned in closer, she asked again, "Would you lie to me?"

Xie Zhigui found this most unbearable, like a large, hot-tempered golden retriever, suddenly looking pitiful, kneeling and imploring with a 'woof' for forgiveness. If you don't forgive her, she keeps nuzzling against you with her big head.

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Alright then, let's talk seriously," Xie Qingyuan said, wiping away her feigned tears.

"Why were you calling out Ming Fei Yu's name in your dream?"

Xie Zhigui was startled, "What?"

I, called out for him? ...And Xie Qingyuan heard it?

This was dire, Xie Zhigui's mind went almost blank.

Xie Qingyuan stood with her hands on her hips, staring at him as she demanded sternly, "Tell me, you dream about him, call out his name but not mine. Is he that important to you?!"

"Since when have you held him in such deep regard!"

Yun Song returned with the medicine just in time to overhear their conversation. He stopped at the doorway, silently observing the confrontation between the two inside.

"It doesn't matter," Xie Zhigui replied softly, clearly lacking conviction.

Xie Qingyuan seized his hand, demanding, "If it doesn't matter, then why can't you look me in the eyes and say it?!"

With Xie Qingyuan's imposing presence and Xie Zhigui's guilt, he found himself unable to speak and could only turn his head away to avoid her gaze.

"Speak up! Why are you suddenly mute!"

At this moment, Yun Song stepped through the doorway, advancing toward them, "Uncle Master."

Xie Qingyuan turned around, shouting impatiently, "What is it!"

Yun Song said, "The master summons you."

Xie Qingyuan asked, "What for?"

"I'm not sure, but perhaps you should go first; the master is waiting."

"Tsk."

Xie Qingyuan could only reluctantly let Xie Zhigui off for the moment, glaring at him, "I'll deal with you when I get back!"

It wasn't until she had stormed off that Xie Zhigui dared to breathe a sigh of relief, flexing his wrist. Xie Qingyuan's grip was surprisingly strong; had she pressed him further, and had he not been able to explain himself, he feared his bones might have been crushed by her grasp.

"Time for your medicine, Brother Xie," Yun Song said, presenting the medicine bowl to him.

The medicine had cooled and was ready to drink.

"Thank you."

"Of course."

Yun Song stood by the bed, waiting for him to take his medicine, with a piece of sugar in his hand to counteract the bitterness.

As Xie Zhigui drained the medicine and his brow furrowed slightly, Yun Song instructed, "Open your mouth."

"Hmm?"

Lost in a daze, Xie Zhigui felt the sugar slip into his mouth, Yun Song’s fingertip lingering on his lip for a moment, his pupil reflecting Xie’s puzzled and startled expression.

Yun Song's fingers were cool, his smile faint.

Xie Zhigui cast a surprised glance at him, questioning internally why he chose such a tender, affectionate method to feed him.

But considering Yun Song was but an underage child who had spent years cultivating in the mountains, lacking awareness of boundaries, Xie Zhigui thought any overreaction on his part might frighten the boy, so he chose to remain silent.

After all, during his illness, it had been Yun Song who tirelessly cared for him; he owed him gratitude.

Xie Zhigui took Yun Song’s hand, guiding him to sit beside him: "Thank you for helping me out just now."

Yun Song grasped his hand in return, smiling, "I’m glad I could be of assistance to you, Brother Xie."

Xie Zhigui glanced unintentionally into his eyes, and for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a strange pattern there, snake-like or maybe butterfly-like, vivid and dangerous, but when he looked again, it had vanished.

A chill suddenly took root in Xie Zhigui’s heart; he paused his breath and looked down to find Yun Song’s thumb subtly stroking the back of his hand.

Regardless of whether Yun Song did it intentionally, Xie Zhigui gently withdrew his hand this time.

“What’s wrong, Brother Xie?” Yun Song asked, looking bewildered.

“Do you know Ming Fei Yu?” Xie Zhigui quickly scanned his face, trying to catch any slight shift in expression.

“I do,” Yun Song replied with alacrity.

Xie Zhigui looked at him in surprise, "What?"

Yun Song continued, "My father belonged to that clan. He broke the clan’s rules in pursuit of my mother and was later punished upon being captured. My mother couldn’t raise me, so after I was born, she sent me back to the clan. I lived there until I was about ten, and then I met Uncle Master. She understood my situation and brought me to the Taoist temple."

"I see."

"Brother Xie, why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"It’s nothing, just curiosity."

Xie Zhigui’s breathing slowly normalized. For a moment there, he had seen the shadow of Ming Fei Yu in Yun Song, coupled with his intimate gestures; he had momentarily thought that it was Ming Fei Yu himself in disguise sitting next to him, which had caused his nervousness.

Since they were kin, it made sense they would evoke a similar aura.

On second thought, if Ming Fei Yu had really pursued him, Xie Zhigui reckoned he wouldn't be lying here in peace. He touched his neck; there was no soreness from a bite, allowing him to relax completely.

He smiled, "Could you please pass me my phone?"

Yun Song replied, "Just a moment, brother."

Xie Zhigui took the phone, mentally preparing himself for a minute before turning it on.

With the messages and calls during his sickness, he expected his phone to be bombarded to bits.

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked his phone—indeed, it was as expected.

Xie Zhigui tensed, imagining Ming Fei Yu's impatience on the other end.

"Yun Song, I need to make a call to a friend, could you step out for a moment?"

Yun Song asked with a smile, "Are you calling your girlfriend, Brother Xie?"

"No, it's not," Xie Zhigui replied.

"Oh?" Yun Song pondered, "Then... could it be a boyfriend?"

Xie Zhigui paused for a few seconds, then faced his curious gaze, "Why does a kid like you ask so many questions?"

"Just asking," said Yun Song, "I'll be off then."

Yun Song left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

What an odd way this child speaks and acts, Xie Zhigui thought, shaking his head.

Never mind him, the real challenge was placating the one on the phone.

As soon as the call connected, Xie Zhigui could hear that Ming Fei Yu was upset. Days without a word would worry anyone, and knowing he was at fault, Xie Zhigui could only explain and try his best to appease him.

After nearly five hours of talking, his throat raw, Ming Fei Yu’s anger finally subsided.

"If you do this again, I'll appear before you," Ming Fei Yu warned him.

Xie Zhigui responded anxiously, "Please don't come!"

Ming Bandit Yu sneered coldly, "So, you're that averse to seeing me?"

Xie Zhigui hastened to explain, "It's not that, I'm just worried you might frighten my classmates. They're all just ordinary people and can't handle such scares."

"Then you must keep your promise to me!"

Xie Zhigui, weary, closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry, A'Yu, it's my fault, I..."

Before he could finish, the call on the other end was disconnected.

He didn't snap back to reality until the screen's glow had faded to black.

This was the first time Ming Bandit Yu had hung up on him without even inquiring about his illness.

Not a single word.

He intended to call back, but hesitated and didn't press the final button to reconnect.

Perhaps it was for the best — Ming Bandit Yu gradually losing patience with him, losing interest, realizing that investing time and energy in him wasn't worthwhile, then cutting her losses, returning to Mount Wu, and from then on, becoming strangers to each other.

Yes, such an outcome would be better for them both.

He would continue being an utterly ordinary university student, and Ming Bandit Yu would go on living his long life in the depths of Mount Wu.

This was the destiny they were originally set on.

But why is there a faint sense of loss and sorrow, like countless tendrils piercing deep into the heart, incessantly drawing blood?

The dim room fell silent for a long while, so long that Xie Zhigui, maintaining one position, seemed to turn into an ice sculpture. Eventually, he tossed his phone to the foot of the bed, lay down himself, and covered his head with the blanket, out of sight, out of mind.

Before long, he poked his head out from under the blanket, gazing blankly at the ceiling as the wind outside battered the window with snowflakes, every sound reaching his ears.

He thought it impossible to fall asleep tonight.

Truly, it was vexing.

——

In the end, Xie Zhigui brushed off the incident of calling out Ming Bandit Yu's name during his illness, claiming he had a nightmare where Yu was chasing him.

Xie Qingyuan chose to trust him, convinced that her brother wasn't so foolish as to be lovestruck to the point of romancing a monster.

Sometimes, Xie Qingyuan couldn’t help but turn Xie Zhigui's face towards her, admiring it from left to right like a piece of art, and would remark, "Thank goodness you're so reserved; otherwise, I'd be worried sick."

"Huh?" Xie Zhigui didn't follow her train of thought.

"I mean, if you were even slightly more approachable, you'd have countless admirers, and I'd have to constantly worry about someone deceiving you."

“……”

Before he could reply, Yun Song chimed in with a chuckle, "Uncle Master is overthinking it; perhaps it’s Xie Brother who might deceive others."

For some reason, the look Yun Song cast his way sent a wave of unease through him. Though his expression was smiling, his eyes were devoid of any mirth. Xie Zhigui could only manage a glance before uncomfortably looking away.

Xie Qingyuan, ever oblivious, noticed nothing and assumed the role of the elder, chastising Yun Song, "Why are you still here? Don’t tell me you're shirking your training under the guise of taking care of my brother?"

Yun Song looked troubled, "Uncle Master, it’s not that I don’t want to leave; I can’t go back."

"Why can’t you go back?"

"The room I stay in has fallen into disrepair over the years, and it collapsed under the weight of the snow the other day. Now, I don’t even know where to live."

Xie Qingyuan pressed on, "Can’t you find someone else to stay with for a few days?"

Yun Song replied awkwardly, "Uncle Master, they... they aren’t very willing to take me in."

Xie Qingyuan recalled that due to Yun Song's half-demon status, he sometimes faced ostracization from his peers, observing him now looking like a bullied, pitiful little cabbage too scared to speak up.

Xie Qingyuan raised her voice, "Did they hit you again?"

Yun Song remained silent.

Instantly, Xie Qingyuan rolled up her sleeves and stood up, anger surging, "Alright then, those little brats, daring to bully a fellow sect member! I’ll teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

"Uncle Master, please wait!"

Yun Song hurriedly blocked her path, and Xie Zhigui quickly pulled her back as well.

"Sister!"

"Uncle Master!"

"Tch, let go of me! Let go!!"

The situation became chaotically frantic for a moment.

It took considerable effort to finally push the person back.

Yun Song hurriedly reassured, "It's not what you think; they didn't bully me."

"Really?" Xie Qingyuan asked skeptically.

Yun Song nodded, "It's just that I don't get along with them. It would be presumptuous to suddenly ask to stay."

"So what will you do now?"

Yun Song hung his head in silence once again.

Xie Qingyuan initially wanted to offer him to stay with her, but considering her possible snoring at night and the tendency to kick off the covers, she realized it would be a torture for Yun Song.

What should be done then?

After a moment, Xie Zhigui turned to look at Xie Zhigui.

He had a bad feeling.

Xie Qingyuan suggested, "How about you make do with him for a while? After all, he has taken care of you for so long, it hasn’t been easy."

"No, I..."

Just as Xie Zhigui was about to refuse, Yun Song sat down, grasped his hands, and gratefully said with a smile, "Thank you, brother. I'm very quiet when I sleep; I won't disturb you."

Yun Song's face was a picture of sincerity, leaving no room for criticism. Xie Zhigui found the words stuck in his throat like a fishbone.

He looked to Xie Qingyuan for help, but she seemed pleased, patting Yun Song, "That's great. I’ll help you move your luggage over then, looks like you’ll be staying here for a month or so."

"Thank you, Uncle Master, thank you, brother."

Neither of them gave him the chance to refuse.

Xie Zhigui: "..."