Chapter 172

Chapter 172

The daily grind of firewood, rice, oil, salt, and simple meals. Su Ying had been cultivating for over seven hundred years, dreamed of ruling a region or becoming an immortal, but never once imagined he'd one day live a mortal's life and actually enjoy it.

It had been over a month since they got back to Anmen Village. They'd reclaimed the abandoned fields, and Shen Qichi had resumed his old trade as a teacher in the village school, while Su Ying kept on as his teaching assistant, though far busier than before. Now, Shen Qichi's name had gotten around; every village for miles knew Anmen Village had a teacher who'd produced a new top scholar in the exams, and they were fighting to send their kids to him.

The load on Shen Qichi had gotten heavy, and Su Ying had to go out early and come back late with him, doing his best to help with the tough workload. On days off, he'd also go up the mountains with Shen Qichi to pick herbs and treat minor injuries and illnesses for the villagers.

Free time was scarce. The initial newness wore off, and Su Ying soon got fed up with how little time they had alone. One night, as they were about to turn in, with their clothes half off, an urgent knock at the door cut them off.

A village kid had caught a chill and was burning up with fever, carried by his mom to Shen Qichi. Su Ying hid behind the bamboo curtain in the study room, watching Shen Qichi gently diagnose and prescribe medicine. His arousal just wouldn't go away, so he took matters into his own hands, using a little spell to fix the kid's problem. The woman went on about him being a divine healer and left, overjoyed and crying with gratitude.

But Su Ying's victory didn't last long, as he had to deal with Shen Qichi's cold attitude for days and a month-long ban on using any demon magic. After that, he didn't dare mess with Shen Qichi's business using spells, instead grabbing every chance to whisk him away—into the mountains or to the county town—anywhere far from village nonsense.

Time flew, and soon summer was just a sliver.

One day after class, Su Ying was organizing the exam papers he'd just collected at the school when Xiao Min called him over.

"Assistant Su, you heading home?"

Su Ying nodded. "A Chi should be back soon; I gotta cook dinner."

Though this was nothing unusual, Xiao Min still found it weird to see Su Ying, with his cold, otherworldly vibe, talking about everyday stuff.

"Mind walking with me a bit? I got some scrolls to drop off to Brother Shen."

Xiao Min's place wasn't on the way to Shen Qichi's little courtyard. Su Ying took a detour and waited at Xiao Min's door for a bit before Xiao Min finally came out with a bundle of scrolls. Just as Su Ying was about to leave, Xiao Min asked how he was doing at the village school and whether he had adapted.

As Shen Qichi's friend and the school's sponsor, Su Ying answered patiently and chatted a bit longer before Xiao Min let him go. By the time he got home, it was half an hour later than he'd planned.

But the person he thought was still on the road was there, unexpected. The little courtyard was all lit up, with several red wooden chests neatly set out in the yard, their lids open, showing red candles, red paper, and red robes.

Su Ying froze in the doorway. Shen Qichi, who was checking the stuff, felt him there and turned around, putting down a golden candlestick. He smiled warmly. "You're back?"

The red robes were finely embroidered with gold thread. Su Ying was still dazed. "Weren't you at Li Zhangting's place?"

Recently, Li Zhangting had come south on business and stopped by Fengtou County for a few days. Today, he'd sent a carriage to pick up Shen Qichi for a visit. Shen Qichi had left the school stuff to Su Ying and gone, saying he'd be back late.

"Yeah, and I asked him for some advice while I was at it." Shen Qichi pointed at the chests. "Help me carry these in, then try on the robes to see if they fit?"

A long-buried promise came back to Su Ying's mind. Dazed, he forgot his magic, bent down, and carried all the chests inside with sheer strength, refusing Shen Qichi's help.

Shen Qichi let him be, leaning against the doorframe with a smile as he watched the snake demon, at a loss amid the pile of chests. "I've already picked a date. For the next few days, you'll help me write the invitations every evening."

Even on the actual wedding day, Su Ying felt as if he were in a dream. Shen Qichi, in his wedding robes and golden crown, was breathtakingly beautiful. Su Ying moved mechanically, completing the simple ceremony with clumsy grace.

There were few guests: Li Zhangting's family, Xiao Min's family, and all the villagers of Anmen. Amid the sweet dizziness, Su Ying noticed that the villagers looked just as bewildered as he felt, as if they hadn't expected Master Shen to suddenly marry his distant relative and assistant.

Li Zhangting and Xiao Min, however, showed no surprise, drinking and offering hearty congratulations.

They had helped a great deal with the wedding. As Su Ying followed Shen Qichi to toast them, he heard Shen Qichi ask, "Brother Xiao, you don't seem surprised at all?"

Xiao Min laughed heartily. "Brother Shen, when have you ever hidden anything?"

Shen Qichi turned to look at him, his eyes glistening with wine, the tips of his eyes flushed red, and that small mole like a smear of rouge. Su Ying lost all ability to think, staring intently back at him. The red candles flickered, the double-happiness window cutouts bright as blood, and the crackling of the flames seemed to slow. With a roar in his mind, Su Ying finally fully realized he was marrying Shen Qichi.

All the wine he had drunkenly consumed surged within him. His heart pounded like a drum, and an unprecedented heat exploded from his demonic core like fireworks, spreading through his limbs. He felt as if he were floating, and he gave Shen Qichi a foolish, beaming smile.

Shen Qichi froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, gazing at him tenderly and intently, silent affection flowing in his eyes.

*

After the wedding, Su Ying spent a period of time so happy he couldn't find his bearings. When the honeyed bliss began to fade, he belatedly noticed that the number of students at the school had dwindled. The children who had come from afar, sent by their parents, had quietly withdrawn.

At first, Su Ying paid it no mind, until one day he saw a burly man from a neighboring village dragging a crying child who refused to leave the school, shouting, "No matter how good Shen Qichi is, he's a sodomite who takes men. What good can you learn from him?"

With a snap, something in Su Ying's mind broke. In a blank haze, he didn't know what he did until a strong force grabbed his arm and turned him around roughly, snapping him back to reality.

He met Shen Qichi's worried eyes. A few steps away, the burly man looked terrified, shielding the sobbing child in his arms, watching him warily. The child's sharp cries echoed through the village, drawing a crowd.

Su Ying's lips moved, his robes fluttering without wind, his anger palpable. Shen Qichi's dark eyes locked on him, then he suddenly pressed Su Ying's head into his neck, his warm hand stroking Su Ying's tense back.

"Good A Ying, don't be angry, don't be angry."

Su Ying bit his lower lip, tasting faint blood, realizing his venomous fangs had emerged. He turned his face into Shen Qichi's neck, took a deep breath, and slowly calmed down.

"What happened?" Shen Qichi asked softly, his hand still soothing him.

"He insulted you," Su Ying said, trembling slightly, the barely quelled anger threatening to erupt again.

Shen Qichi paused. Su Ying flinched at that pause, a deep fear and unease rising within him—fear that Shen Qichi would pull away because of others' gossip. He wanted to pull back to see Shen Qichi's expression, but then wrapped his arms tightly around him instead.

"Because of me," he said.

Shen Qichi patted his back. "It's not because of you. Don't overthink it."

Su Ying lifted his head from Shen Qichi's neck, pulling back slightly but keeping his hands on Shen Qichi's waist, stubbornly retorting, "No, it is because of me. He insulted you for marrying me, and many children stopped coming to the school because of it." He bit his lip, letting his fangs pierce through. "Men being together is wrong, isn't it?"

Shen Qichi's pupils contracted. He touched Su Ying's lower lip with his thumb, freeing it from the sharp fangs. Glancing at the onlookers with varied expressions, he took Su Ying's hand. "Come home with me first, okay?"

Su Ying didn't resist and followed him home. Shen Qichi locked the door and led Su Ying to sit on the bed. The blood on his lip had stopped, and Shen Qichi leaned in to kiss the wound. Su Ying trembled slightly, turning to look at him.

Shen Qichi held his cold hand. "A Ying, the mortal world has many rules—some written, some unwritten. Men marrying is uncommon, but not unheard of. Rarity doesn't mean it's wrong. What's between us—don't listen to others."

"But you love teaching. It's what you love most now." Shen Qichi had ambitions; failing as an official, he taught to cultivate a good one. Though he never said it, Su Ying knew.

"Wrong," Shen Qichi said with a faint smile, looking at Su Ying, his warm, spring-like eyes seeming to hold only the demon before him. "This is what I like to do, but not what I most want to do, nor what's most important."

Su Ying was baffled, once again frustrated by his incomplete understanding of Shen Qichi.

"What I most want is to be with you," Shen Qichi said, gazing into his eyes, softly but unwaveringly. "As long as I'm with you, no matter when or where, everything I do is what I love."

All Su Ying could do was stare at him dumbly.

"A Ying, remember this." Shen Qichi freed a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Su Ying's ear. "The world isn't all good deeds and kind words; there are also foul talk and vile acts, gossip and slander. I can't teach you everything, whispering in your ear what to heed and what to ignore. You must learn to judge for yourself, to know right from wrong, reward and punishment, good and evil. Likewise, you don't have to follow me in everything. You can handle things your own way, as long as it doesn't harm others or defy heaven's laws."

Su Ying didn't fully understand, but that night, while Shen Qichi slept, he transformed into his demon form and sneaked into the homes of all the children who had withdrawn from the school because of their marriage, erasing everything Shen Qichi had taught them from their memories.

When he returned, Shen Qichi was still asleep. Su Ying guessed he didn't know what he had done and decided not to tell him.

After this incident, the school stabilized. The number of students returned to normal, and Anmen Village became the quiet, harmonious place it once was, as if everyone had accepted his relationship with Shen Qichi after a brief shock.

Days of chickens and dogs, mulberry and hemp, lanterns at dusk—life was so peaceful it was unbelievable. The children Li Man and Shi Tou, once mere toddlers, had silently grown into tall youths. Li Qiao, once in his prime, now stooped with age. The school's students changed batch after batch, but Su Ying remained year after year, sitting with Shen Qichi beneath the sage's seat, teaching and passing on knowledge.

"Brother Shen, you're still as radiant as ever. You haven't changed all these years," Xiao Min said one day, gazing at Shen Qichi for a long time.

Su Ying stood behind Shen Qichi. The candlelight cast deep shadows on Xiao Min's wrinkled face, and Su Ying suddenly realized Xiao Min's temples were white.

Shen Qichi didn't answer, but that night after bathing, he sat for a long time before the bronze mirror. Su Ying sat on the bed's edge, waiting. "What are you looking at?"

Shen Qichi picked up a wooden comb, running it through his hair. "Looking for white hairs. I'm at that age now."

Su Ying stood up abruptly, walking behind Shen Qichi to anxiously sift through his hair. After a long moment, he sighed in relief.

"There aren't any." He embraced Shen Qichi from behind, resting his chin on Shen Qichi's shoulder. "You don't have any white hairs."

Shen Qichi placed his hand over Su Ying's and smiled faintly.