Chapter 0158 Old Scores

Chapter 0158 Old Scores

In the inn, the waiter sighed and sat down.

This was an inn located on the official road, far from any village or town. All the food in the inn relied on the old innkeeper's family for cultivation, or they would go to the city every one or two months with an ox cart to purchase supplies, which took two days and two nights each way. This showed just how remote this place was.

In such a remote location, it was unrealistic to expect many guests. The people who usually stopped here were either traveling merchants or heavily cloaked men; there were hardly any regular travelers. The waiter had worked here for six years, and this was the first time he had seen someone who looked like a noble young master come in, only to leave after half a night.

Just half a night... How much must they have disliked this place!

So not only did Xiao Rong feel that his life was over, but the waiter also felt the same way...

In an instant, he even thought about changing jobs. There was no future here; perhaps he should try his luck in the city!

And just as he was seriously considering this major life decision, the door suddenly opened, and the waiter looked up to see Xiao Rong returning.

The waiter was stunned at first, then delighted. Just as he was about to get up to greet him, he noticed that Xiao Rong was leading someone behind him. The man was dressed as a martial artist, but unlike any martial artist the waiter had ever seen. When he glanced over, the waiter felt as if his head was about to explode.

Xiao Rong didn't say anything to the waiter. He simply pulled out a piece of gold from his waist and placed it on the counter, then smiled at the waiter before quickly leading the man upstairs.

Xiao Rong headed straight for his room, and the man followed him inside. The waiter watched them, puzzled, not understanding what was happening. After a moment, he grabbed the gold, intending to return it to Xiao Rong. After all, he had only rented one room and already paid for it; there was no need for additional payment. Moreover, this was a piece of gold, enough to cover the cost of renting the entire inn for two months.

However, the next moment, another sound interrupted the waiter's actions.

Footsteps came from behind, and the waiter turned to see a group of men carrying swords and knives entering. They all had solemn expressions and silently found seats without saying a word.

There were only two tables on the first floor, which quickly filled up. Those who arrived later had to stand, but they didn't complain, instead, they stood quietly, deep in thought, as if something significant had just happened.

One of the seated men had red eyes and kept sniffing. After three sniffs, the person next to him couldn't take it anymore and glared at him.

The man who was glared at shrank back, then defiantly straightened his neck again. The one who glared looked annoyed but seemed to be holding back from saying anything.

This was the new commander of the personal guards recommended by Dong Fang Jin after his promotion. General Dong had once said that being a commander required a strong heart, but he never imagined it meant being strong in this aspect.

Feeling out of place among his colleagues was already frustrating enough, but the waiter's constant staring made it worse.

He couldn't dampen his colleagues' spirits, but could he not dampen the waiter's?

"Get lost."

The waiter: "Sure thing."...

Xiao Rong had originally planned to travel day and night, but now he had changed his mind and returned to the room. Since the room was small and had no seating, Qu Yunmie and Xiao Rong sat together on the bed.

Qu Yunmie still felt a bit embarrassed, having cried pitifully earlier. He gathered his courage and looked up at Xiao Rong, who had been watching him all along.

Late night, alone, candlelight, warmth.

Everything was perfect, and Qu Yunmie's heart stirred. He slightly opened his mouth, about to speak, when the snoring from the next room started sounding like sawing wood.

Qu Yunmie: "..."

After a moment, the sound stopped, and Qu Yunmie tried to speak again. But the sawing resumed.

Xiao Rong held back a laugh, and seeing this, Qu Yunmie's face darkened. After a moment of silence, he clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall. The wooden wall cracked instantly, and mud fell off, but fortunately, it didn't collapse.

The snoring from the next room abruptly stopped. Xiao Rong stared at the long crack in the wall and said after a while, "A piece of gold is still too little..."

Closing his jaw, Xiao Rong glared at Qu Yunmie. "Look at what you've done!"

Qu Yunmie felt a bit guilty but then argued, "I am the ruler of the world. Can't I afford to pay for a wall?"

Xiao Rong: "Ha, now you remember you're the ruler of the world. Why didn't you think of that when you were sleeping under a tree!"

Suddenly, the sound of an old door creaking came from outside. The two inside immediately fell silent and looked towards the source of the sound, which was the next room.

As soon as they stopped arguing, the creaking paused for a few seconds before resuming, but this time it was slower, hesitant, and full of self-deception.

After the long sound ended, a series of hurried footsteps followed, indicating that the person would never return here again.

Xiao Rong: "..."

Qu Yunmie: "..."

After a moment of awkward silence, Xiao Rong broke the ice. "See, this is why the emperor shouldn't leave the palace. It's too easy to scare others."

Qu Yunmie's face flushed, and after a while, he said, "That's other emperors. I won't confine myself to the palace."

Xiao Rong raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to tour the east, west, south, and north?"

Qu Yunmie looked at Xiao Rong and then lowered his gaze. "No need for such extravagance. Just bring four or five guards and go quickly."

Xiao Rong asked, "Where?"

Qu Yunmie: "To wherever you want to go."

He had no habit of traveling and had no concept of tourism. He could spend his whole life in Yanmen Pass or Chenliu. He said this for Xiao Rong's sake, knowing how happy Xiao Rong had been these past few days.

Xiao Rong could live happily without him, and this realization had deeply affected Qu Yunmie. He hadn't slept for two nights and then watched Xiao Rong enter a brothel.

When one is pushed to their limits, their heart becomes numb. So that night, Qu Yunmie managed to fall asleep. His mindset was, if it has come to this, what else is worth caring about? Sleep, sleep...

Xiao Rong was touched by Qu Yunmie's gentle gesture, and his heart melted. He moved closer to Qu Yunmie, leaned up, and pecked his lips. Qu Yunmie looked at him, feeling a bit nervous, and licked his lower lip.

Xiao Rong smiled again and leaned in, taking the lead. His movements were gentler than Qu Yunmie's, though a bit unsatisfying. However, the buildup made the experience deeper. At that moment, Xiao Rong bit him, causing Qu Yunmie's body to tense up instantly.

Xiao Rong was retaliating for the roughness of their first kiss, which had almost made him push Qu Yunmie away. Now, when Xiao Rong did it, Qu Yunmie reacted completely differently, wanting to meld Xiao Rong into his body.

Xiao Rong let him do as he pleased, not rejecting him. Meanwhile, his hands were moving aimlessly. Qu Yunmie didn't realize what was happening at first, but when his belt was undone, he realized his outer robe had already been removed, and his inner robe was halfway off.

Qu Yunmie: "…………"

Staring blankly at his exposed waist and abdomen, Qu Yunmie abruptly sat up and put his clothes back on in a second.

He also said to Xiao Rong: "No!"

Xiao Rong: "???"

The latter breathed slightly heavily as he sat up in bed. One hand supported his upper body while the other casually rested by his side: "No?"

Xiao Rong's tone rose, his speech slow. The moisture on his lips came from Qu Yunmie, the wrinkles in his clothes were caused by Qu Yunmie, the figure in his eyes and the one he indulged in—all were Qu Yunmie.

Qu Yunmie now understood why sages were so revered. Controlling one's desires indeed deserved worship!

But Qu Yunmie still didn't plan to follow his heart. He took a deep breath. Tonight, he would be a sage too.

"Yes, no. Unmarried coupling is not blessed by heaven and earth; we can't do this."

Xiao Rong: "…………"

He slowly said, "You weren't this righteous before."

Every time, he tried to skirt the boundaries, testing his limits step by step. If it weren't for him stopping, they wouldn't know how many times they had coupled without marriage.

Qu Yunmie looked at him, still with a righteous expression: "That was because I didn't know I could still get married."

Xiao Rong: "…………"

He angrily said, "Didn't you tell me that you always wanted to marry me!"

Qu Yunmie fell silent: "Of course, I did, but after thinking about it, it was just that."

Xiao Rong's hot and cold attitude made him feel like he was daydreaming nine out of ten times, and only one out of ten times did he think he might have a chance.

After hearing his answer, Xiao Rong was somewhat taken aback. When his emotions surged earlier, he had apologized to Qu Yunmie. But now that the emotion had subsided, Xiao Rong didn't want to bring up the past. He had prepared for their separation but never for a lifelong commitment. Looking back, those times were both awkward and sweet, like embarrassing history left on social media—unpleasant to recall, but nice to revisit occasionally if no one else noticed.

Pursing his lips, Xiao Rong reluctantly stretched out his foot and kicked Qu Yunmie's buttocks.

Qu Yunmie: "……"

He turned around and saw Xiao Rong looking at him with some resentment but not saying anything.

Qu Yunmie's mind was also in turmoil. Being a sage wasn't easy, especially after being tormented by Xiao Rong so many times. He feared that if he said this, Xiao Rong might suddenly stand up in anger and declare that they wouldn't marry, and he wouldn't return.

So he couldn't quite read the meaning behind Xiao Rong's gaze. After pondering Xiao Rong's past behavior, Qu Yunmie blinked and then extended his arms toward him.

Xiao Rong looked at him coldly, but after two seconds, he still crawled over.

After a brief entanglement, they lay down to rest, kicking away the dirt beneath their feet. Xiao Rong curled his legs and lay in Qu Yunmie's embrace.

He whispered, "I just think that since we've pledged our love and agreed to marry, doing certain things now or later is the same. But if you want everything to go smoothly and according to plan, I'll listen to you."

Xiao Rong's head moved with Qu Yunmie's breathing. Qu Yunmie didn't speak but held him tighter, feeling the pressure on his shoulder. Xiao Rong smiled: "I've already said that I'll treat you well in the future. Although we're both men, after the ceremony, there's no difference between us and a real couple. I want to live a good life with you. The saying 'closest and most distant are spouses' doesn't apply to us. We've walked the most unfamiliar path together, and from now on, we'll be the closest, with no more distance."

Qu Yunmie was deeply moved. He kissed the top of Xiao Rong's head and said hoarsely, "Okay."

Hearing this heartfelt "okay," Xiao Rong suddenly got up from him, pressed his chest, and looked into his eyes: "Can you promise me one thing?"

Qu Yunmie was startled, and his subconscious told him something was off, but he couldn't bear to leave Xiao Rong's sight, so he fell into the trap without hesitation.

He nodded firmly: "Tell me."

Xiao Rong smiled lightly: "Don't mention the past anymore, and don't bring up old grievances. Okay?"

As Xiao Rong spoke, his right hand gently caressed Qu Yunmie's flat chest. The places his palm touched felt tingly, and Qu Yunmie's blood rushed to a certain area, making his brain even less functional.

Qu Yunmie immediately agreed: "Okay!"

Xiao Rong smirked. By now, Qu Yunmie was already distracted. He wanted to lean in for another kiss, but Xiao Rong smoothly lay down, taking most of the blanket with him. No more touching, no more cuddling. Xiao Rong wrapped himself tightly and said to Qu Yunmie, "Wake me up tomorrow morning."

Then, one, two, three, he fell asleep.

Qu Yunmie: "…………"