Chapter 109: Childhood Sweethearts (2)

Chapter 109: Childhood Sweethearts (2)

At just that one sentence, Le Wuya went quiet.

The next second, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You don't believe me?" Pei Mingqi grew anxious, even willing to embarrass himself. "I... I never married. When you mentioned exchanging birth certificates during the raid on the Chen family, I didn't even know what that meant. I had to ask Deputy General An what it was—"

Le Wuya nodded. "I believe you."

Knowing Pei Mingqi was the type to stubbornly keep explaining, hopping around in a frenzy, Le Wuya countered: "Then do you believe I'm the same as you?"

This time, it was Pei Mingqi's turn to go quiet.

All the words in his heart slowly settled back down, and in an instant, several flowers bloomed, eager to burst open.

He tested the waters: "You mean, you and the princess..."

"Brother and sister, just thrown together. The one up top just wants to plant a spy next to me—whether we're husband and wife, siblings, or even mother and son, he wouldn't give a damn."

Pei Mingqi's eyes lit up as he stammered: "So, so you're saying, you're... that..."

"'That I'm into men'?" Le Wuya knew at a glance what he was trying to say.

He nodded without hesitation: "It's true."

Pei Mingqi's cheeks turned red, and he twisted his hands behind his back: "Oh, I see."

Le Wuya ducked his head.

When Pei Mingqi had plopped him on the table earlier, he'd nearly knocked the fruit platter off with his butt.

He grabbed a big apple from the platter and held it out to Pei Mingqi: "Deputy Magistrate Sun, whatever else you might say about him, is nothing if not thorough. Knowing I was coming back, he had everything ready—this apple's still got dew on it."

Pei Mingqi was about to take it happily when Le Wuya grabbed a small knife and pointed it at him: "You savage. Gonna bite into it raw? Let me peel it for you."

The knife fell in steady rhythms as Le Wuya patiently peeled off a long, thin ribbon of apple skin.

Watching him bow his head to peel the apple, Pei Mingqi's eyes and heart were full of laughter, about to spill over.

Back in the capital, he'd heard Taoist Master Lu explain that when the jar holding the little crow's soul shattered, it meant the soul had found a dying person with a matching birth chart—borrowing their body, transferring the soul, and the one who came back to life was the real Le Wuya.

At that time, Pei Mingqi had felt light as air, as if lost in a fog, always thinking he was dreaming.

But even dreaming of Le Wuya a thousand times, he never dared to dream of Le Wuya coming back from the dead, afraid that if his wish was too big, the gods would think him greedy and ignore him.

He offered awkwardly: "Little crow, your hands are as nimble as when you were a kid."

Le Wuya curled his lips: "You don't even need to say that."

"But you've always been a lazybones." Pei Mingqi was itching to tease him. "You used to pester me to peel apples for you, and make me braid your hair."

"I am lazy." Le Wuya admitted openly. "...And I wanted to stick to you."

Pei Mingqi's heart skipped a beat: "You..."

Le Wuya cut off a piece, tasted it himself, nodded in satisfaction, then speared another piece and held it to Pei Mingqi's lips: "Eat."

Pei Mingqi, thinking about those words "stick to you," suddenly went quiet.

He took it and took a dainty, delicate bite of the apple's tip: "You became Wen Ren Yue—so what happened to the original one?"

Le Wuya: "When I got there, he was busy hanging himself."

Pei Mingqi: "I'll put up a tombstone for him, offer sacrifices all year round, and burn paper money every month."

"That's fine." Le Wuya said. "He comes to me every day now—looks like he's in for a long life. At the rate you're burning paper, by the time he dies and goes down below, he'll probably be a rich old man."

This was a bit confusing, and Pei Mingqi was puzzled for a moment.

It wasn't until he took the second piece of apple from Le Wuya that it hit him: "...He became Scholar Ming?"

He couldn't help but furrow his brows, fighting a brief internal battle against his disgust for "Ming Xiangzhao," before admitting honestly: "Then I'll build him a living shrine."

Le Wuya: "If you don't want to, you don't have to force yourself."

"Hmph." Pei Mingqi took a crisp bite of the apple. "This general knows how to repay kindness and settle scores."

He chewed for a moment, then thought of something else: "And what about Scholar Ming?"

Le Wuya gave him a brilliant smile.

He hadn't misjudged—Little Phoenix really was a good phoenix.

He was the first to ask about what happened to the real Ming Xiangzhao.

He fed himself a piece of apple: "Falsely accused of treason by Master Chen, he died of illness in prison."

Pei Mingqi furrowed his sword-shaped brows and went quiet.

"What are you thinking?" Le Wuya asked.

"I originally thought dismembering Master Chen was too harsh." Pei Mingqi said. "Now it seems he deserved worse."

The two chatted for a long while, finally finishing the apple that was as big as a small melon.

Le Wuya also finally understood why there was such a clear difference in strength among his soul, Wen Ren Yue's, and Ming Xiangzhao's.

That Taoist Master Lu seemed especially good at dealing with spirits. According to him, ordinary mortals who hadn't cultivated the Dao would, after death, be "like a lamp that's gone out"—no more thoughts, just meant to turn into a wisp of smoke and be reborn.

Thanks to Taoist Master Lu's meddling, Le Wuya's soul had been preserved with Daoist arts, carefully nurtured for four years—so of course it was exceptionally strong.

Wen Ren Yue had been half-dead from hanging, teetering on the edge of life and death. Le Wuya's soul, uncontrollable, sensed the call and burst out of the jar without ceremony, shoving him straight out of his body.

Wen Ren Yue was a living soul, not a dead spirit, and shared the same birth chart as Le Wuya. Nourished by Le Wuya's strong soul, he could barely hold his human form together.

As for Ming Xiangzhao, he was completely spent, like a lamp that had burned out.

Once Wen Ren Yue's living soul entered the body, he naturally faded into nothing.

In the apple-scented room, Pei Mingqi inexplicably felt his mouth go dry.

He wet his lips, wanting to go deeper, get closer.

He tested the waters: "Little crow?"

"Hmm?"

Pei Mingqi's eyes burned with intense fire and light: "Let's not talk about anyone else—just you and me, okay?"

"Good." Le Wuya's gaze dropped, resting on Pei Mingqi's chest. "Let's talk about us."

Before Pei Mingqi could figure out how to start, Le Wuya spoke first: "What exactly was the price for keeping my soul alive?"

Pei Mingqi hesitated for a moment, then answered, "...Nothing."

It really was nothing.

To be precise, it had only cost him a few favors owed here and there.

Moreover, that Taoist Master Lu was a recluse, a man unbound by this world's conventions. If he were to offer him gold and silver as thanks, it would only be an insult to him.

Le Wuya watched his expression closely.

After a moment, he said, "Let me ask it differently. Little Phoenix, what do you think it cost to keep my soul alive?"

Earlier, while fleeing from the villagers of Yin Village, Pei Mingqi's hesitations and deliberate evasions were clearly meant to keep his distance.

But since returning to the capital, he had suddenly changed his demeanor, hugging him and clinging to him.

Unless Er Ya had possessed him, there must be a hidden reason.

Pei Mingqi was a man who spoke plainly, a terrible liar. Under Le Wuya's relentless questioning, he quickly fell apart and confessed everything.

After hearing it all, Le Wuya closed his eyes and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "...Twelve years."

Worried he might be upset, Pei Mingqi hastily tried to comfort him: "No, no, it's fine. It was my own foolishness—I was too dumb to see the Taoist Master's good intentions. Look..."

He showed off his arms and legs like a kid showing off a new toy. "I'm totally fine."

At that, for some reason, Pei Mingqi suddenly felt shy.

He asked softly, "Wuya, do you know why I held onto your soul?"

"I know," Le Wuya said quietly. "I know."

Pei Mingqi was about to smile when he suddenly felt something was wrong. He waved his hands in explanation: "I'm not saying this to ask you for anything, I... I mean to ask, I—"

The words got all jumbled up, stuck in his chest, making his heart thump like a scared rabbit.

"Feel it." Pei Mingqi grabbed his hand and pressed it against his chest. "...Feel my heart. You know it, don't you?"

Le Wuya gazed at him intently, his own heart as clear as day:

This wasn't a threat.

He had no idea whether Le Wuya would ever wake up, yet he'd foolishly, without a second thought, traded his own years for Le Wuya's life. Was that merely to hold it over him once he revived?

Mencius said: Hear his words, look into his eyes—how can a man conceal himself?

"I remember what you said." Seeing that Le Wuya offered no resistance, Pei Mingqi's emotions settled somewhat, and he finally got his words out in order. "I wanted to come to you early, not make you wait too long. But I was afraid that if I died young, the Pei family would have no heir, so I had to raise my younger brother first, then come to you with my head held high."

"I don't want to come to you all gray-haired."

Pei Mingqi said earnestly: "To marry you, I must be young and handsome. Otherwise, how could I ever match you?"

Le Wuya raised his hand and, very solemnly, stroked his hair without saying a word.

At first, it felt nice.

But slowly, his smile faded.

Though Pei Mingqi was often slow, at this moment, a bad feeling crept into his chest.

—Tonight, Le Wuya might not say what he wanted to hear.

"The little phoenix loves the little crow, and the crow knows. The crow loves the little phoenix so much, he wants to fly with him to the ends of the earth."

Le Wuya's tone was calm: "...But Le Wuya isn't the little crow you love."

Hearing this, Pei Mingqi's heart flared up in anger, and he rushed to argue: "How can you say that?! I!..."

He was furious, desperate, but Le Wuya stayed calm, pressing a finger to his lips: "Little Phoenix, don't rush to declare your heart. Listen to me first, alright?"

Pei Mingqi huffed and fell silent.

He wanted to hear what kind of nonsense Le Wuya would come up with.

"'Who am I?' Since learning of my origins, I've been thinking about that question. Am I Le Wuya, Helian Ya, or the little crow?"

"Later, I figured it out. I'm always me—only my identity changes. Look, Damuqi was my rival, but not a mortal enemy. I harmed him so readily just to earn merit and reward."

"No!" Pei Mingqi couldn't hold back any longer and fiercely retorted, "He was our enemy, deserving of eradication. You did nothing wrong!"

"Then do you remember Venerable Kui? He taught us archery and horsemanship from childhood. He was easygoing, always smiling warmly. He even carried me on his back to the lantern festival as a child. You always respected him deeply. When I was cheeky with him, you scolded me."

Pei Mingqi gritted his teeth. "...I remember."

"Venerable Kui—I killed him. No one framed me. I did it myself."

"You must have had a reason!"

Le Wuya let his legs dangle from the edge of the tall tea table, languid: "Yes. There was a reason. Do you want to hear it?"

Pei Mingqi suppressed the churning in his heart: "Tell me."

"Venerable Kui's hometown was in Jinli County. After retiring from office, he could have reached home in at most two days. He arrived at Xingzhou, the capital of Jindeng County, where the prefect hosted him and had him stay at the government residence."

"I happened to be nearby on imperial orders. I snuck into the Xingzhou government office, wanting to surprise him and show off my skills."

Le Wuya gazed ahead, a smile at his lips, telling the story slowly: "I got a bit lost and found the study. To my surprise, Prefect Ren Lai of Xingzhou was in a private discussion with our teacher, talking about Yining County, which borders Jindeng County."

"The magistrate of Yining County was a bit like me now—in short, a thorn in his superiors' sides. This prefect had a mind to deal with him."

"He didn't say it outright, only that Yining County might see a plague in the coming days—typhoid fever—and urged the old man to stay at the prefectural residence, advising him to quickly bring his family from Jindeng County to enjoy a few months of leisure in the capital."

To anyone versed in officialdom, the implication was as clear as day.

Even Pei Mingqi was shocked: "He wanted to..."

Le Wuya nodded once.

Pei Mingqi's face turned pale: "And the teacher... agreed?"

Le Wuya didn't nod this time, only stared into the empty distance.

Before his eyes appeared that good-natured old man, stroking his beard and smiling gently at him: "You Que, your archery is unmatched. You'll surely accomplish great things in the future."

Le Wuya lowered his head and said softly, "...Old Geezer, you lost your integrity in your twilight years."

Pei Mingqi paced anxiously back and forth: "Why? Why?!"

Le Wuya laid out the pros and cons for him one by one: "The teacher has already retired. For a commoner to oppose an official is unwise; sharing the same mentor as Ren Lai, exposing him would be fratricide among fellow disciples, bringing no benefit; his retired life has just begun, and he wants to spend a few peaceful years as a respected elder at home—why offend the county magistrate? He's good-natured; when others make demands of him, have you ever seen him refuse?"

Pei Mingqi had dealt with plague outbreaks before and had witnessed the horrors of corpses lining the roads and the wailing of the living filling the markets. He was so angry he nearly wept: "Are these reasons? Those are human lives! If the epidemic spreads, how many counties would suffer, not just one or two?"

Le Wuya: "So, I killed the old man."

Pei Mingqi fell abruptly silent.

Facing Venerable Kui, he still had the heart to question.

But facing Le Wuya, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

After a long silence, he said softly: "Wouldn't it have been better to kill the culprit Ren Lai instead?"

Le Wuya shook his head: "No. Not at all."

"First, in officialdom, once you're out of power, you're forgotten. If Ren Lai died, I'd have trouble getting away clean. He's a sitting official; if he died under mysterious circumstances, the emperor would be furious and demand a thorough investigation. But if the old man died, they'd investigate vigorously for a while, and then let it go."

"Second, under Ren Lai's jurisdiction, if the old man died, Ren Lai would bear primary responsibility and would inevitably be stripped of his post. For a scum like that, making him lose his position and become a commoner is more painful than killing him."

"Third..."

Le Wuya licked his lips: "...I don't know Ren Lai, but I know the old man. ...The old man, he disappointed me."

"I waited three days for Venerable Kui, waiting for his decision. Whether he reported the matter or returned home on his own, I wouldn't have acted," Le Wuya said. "...But three days later, I saw his family arrive."

"That very night, I made my move."

He used the archery skills Venerable Kui had personally taught him to send the old man off himself.

Looking at Pei Mingqi, Le Wuya flashed a grin: "If you were me, what would you do?"

Pei Mingqi was dazed for a moment.

His tone and expression were exactly like the time when, in their youth, he had grabbed him and asked, "What if he were Damuqi?"

"If it were me..."

"If it were you, you'd find Venerable Kui, open your heart to him, persuade him until the old man was overwhelmed with shame and tears, and then join forces with him to expose Ren Lai and see him get what he deserves."

Le Wuya answered for him, then reached out and tapped his chest: "See, I told you, you're a good phoenix."

He pointed to himself again: "I'm a bad crow. When I found out Venerable Kui had lost his senses, all I thought was: since you treat human lives like weeds, why can't I treat yours the same?"

Pei Mingqi resisted stubbornly: "You have your reasons..."

Le Wuya: "Then do you like my reasons?"

Pei Mingqi said nothing.

That silence was answer enough.

The old Le Wuya might have been hurt by this.

But the reborn Le Wuya was remarkably calm: "Little Phoenix, you just care about me and want to protect me. You've done nothing wrong. But I'm truly not the little crow you imagine."

"So do you understand me now? Didn't I tell you back then, 'For you, I'd return to the capital, even if it meant dying on the road'?"

"I thought, if I were struck by arrows and died at Tongma, died in your arms, that would be the best ending."

"At least then, I loved you most, loved only you."

Pei Mingqi slowly crouched down by the table and wrapped his arms around his waist.

He was a thousand times unwilling, ten thousand times resentful, but many words of defense he couldn't bring himself to say.

Perhaps... Le Wuya was too eloquent.

Once words passed through his lips, they became irrefutable truths.

Pei Mingqi looked up at him, pleadingly and earnestly, his eyes still holding light, though its meaning had grown far more complex.

"I can get to know you slowly." Pei Mingqi's eyes gradually reddened. "I could fall in love with the little crow—why can't I fall in love with Le Wuya?"

Le Wuya's heart ached uncontrollably.

But only for a moment.

Their problems had always existed; if they avoided them, they would only fester like abscesses until things became irreparable.

He leaned down and cupped Pei Mingqi's face: "Little Phoenix, you're truly rare—unchanged from past to present."

"If I were intent on deceiving you, playing the role of a kind and sensible person before you, you'd absolutely fall for it. But one day, when you discovered I'd fooled you, you'd be heartbroken and disappointed, and I'd carry guilt for the rest of my life. By then, we wouldn't be loving each other—only tormenting each other."

Le Wuya pressed his forehead against his: "So maybe... let's just forget it. Don't love me anymore."

Pei Mingqi murmured: "...Even if I counted ten thousand more stars for you, it wouldn't work?"

Le Wuya's heart was as hard as iron: "I don't want stars."

He straightened up: "I want you to be well, unchanged for ten thousand years."

The demand was almost unreasonable.

But he had the confidence to make such a request of Pei Mingqi, because they were childhood friends who had grown up together, closer than blood.

Pei Mingqi repeated: "So... this is how we end?"

Le Wuya still smiled carelessly: "Mm, what do you think?"

A long silence.

A silence so long it felt like a hundred years had passed.

After the silence, Pei Mingqi took his hand and interlaced their fingers—his left hand with Le Wuya's.

"As long as you're alive, that's enough." Pei Mingqi's gaze was clear and steady. "Go make your waves. If you're Nezha stirring the sea, I'll be your Red Armillary Sash; if you flood Golden Mountain, I'll be your little green snake. Just don't leave without telling me again, alright?"

Le Wuya was amused by his silly metaphors and gave a light nod: "Alright."

Pei Mingqi stood up, resuming his upright yet bashful demeanor: "The city gates are closed, so I'll find a room for the night?"

Le Wuya nodded with a grin: "Sure."

...

Pei Mingqi hurried off.

The door clicked shut.

Le Wuya picked up the long, unbroken strip of apple peel from a moment ago.

He'd heard that if you could peel an apple in one unbroken strip, your wish would come true.

So, as a child, he'd secretly practiced, going through countless apples until he'd gotten it down.

Holding up the apple peel, he made a solemn wish—to stay with Little Phoenix for a lifetime, until they grew old.

Little did he know, his lifetime would only last seventeen years.

So much for that saying.

Even so, when he'd peeled a complete apple peel just now, he'd still made a quiet wish:

May they stay best friends for ten thousand years, true to each other till the very end.