Chapter 320: The Meeting (3)

Chapter 320: The Meeting (3)

After Qiu Sinian led Helian Che into the county office, he quietly slipped away.

He knew that in his lord's heart, he still held a soft spot for that blood bond.

Earlier, when Qiu Sinian still had his tongue, he'd gone to the market with his lord, and they'd run into a pair of young brothers.

The brothers were similar in age, and the younger one had a mild pollen allergy—still several yards from the flower shop, he was already teary-eyed and sneezing nonstop.

His older brother, meanwhile, kept a sharp watch on every corner of the street, staying alert, eyes and ears peeled, on the lookout for any flower seller or shop that might pop up. At the first sign of trouble, he'd carefully cover his younger brother's mouth and nose with a handkerchief, covering him completely, no gaps.

At that time, Le Wuya had stared at those brothers, eyes full of longing.

He said softly, "I used to have a big brother too."

As the youngest surviving son of his own family, Qiu Sinian felt a twinge of sadness too.

His lord indeed had two elder brothers, and in childhood they'd been thick as thieves, but life had forced them to go their separate ways.

Qiu Sinian tried to console him: "My lord, Qingming Festival is approaching. If it's truly not possible, why not head home for a visit?"

Le Wuya kept staring at the brothers, shaking his head: "No need."

And the younger brother, not knowing how lucky he was, complained: "Brother, I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm six already... quit carrying me... achoo!"

His older brother, being easygoing, pressed the handkerchief over his mouth and nose: "Alright, alright. Come on, let's go—we'll grab some candy and head home, alright?"

Le Wuya was so jealous his face scrunched up ugly. Pissed off, he bought a pot of lilies and stormed home.

On the way back, he grumbled bitterly: "I should have had a big brother."

Back then, Qiu Sinian didn't get why his lord said that.

He should have had a big brother, indeed.

It wasn't until later, after he'd lost his tongue and slowly wised up, that he mulled over the past and slowly pieced together that ache for family his lord had no place to put.

As for this Helian guy—whether he meant well or not, it was hard to tell.

But a big guy like him, hauling a fancy gold flower basket smaller than his palm, stomping around the county office looking for a way in—if you tried to say he was here to kill his lord, that just wouldn't hold up.

He'd keep an eye on things from the shadows.

...

All the government offices in Dayu were laid out pretty much the same, and Helian Che quickly found the main courtyard.

Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

He thought he heard Le Wuya.

But the sound was worrying—choppy, whiny, mixed with little sobs, like someone was getting messed with.

Helian Che's heart jumped and blood rushed to his head. Without stopping to think, he dashed to the window in a few strides.

By the time he figured out what that sound was, it was too late.

He stood there frozen, face slowly turning red, hands shaking like crazy.

The folks inside heard the noise from outside and went dead quiet.

Rufeng, who'd been tucked in a corner snacking, froze mid-bite.

After all those years with Xiang Zhijie, his ears and instincts were anything but ordinary.

He caught the heavy footsteps, got up at once, hand on the short dagger at his waist, and hurried toward where Helian Che was hiding.

Helian Che was too big to hide easily. Desperate, he gritted his teeth, shoved the window open, and jumped inside.

The second he got in, he came face-to-face with Xiang Zhijie.

Xiang Zhijie stood in the middle of the room, clothes a mess, showing off a chest red from pinching—muscular and fine—heaving fast, with a bright smear of lipstick at the corner of his mouth.

After making sure there wasn't another woman in the room, Helian Che's head buzzed, veins bulging on his forehead.

His voice came out through gritted teeth: "I remember you."

Xiang Zhijie said calmly: "Yes. At the lantern festival, I'm the one who wore matching masks with my teacher."

Helian Che: "You're that old coot Xiang Zheng's kid?"

A flicker of regret crossed Xiang Zhijie's face: "Yes. That was me too."

Xiang Zhijie: "Anyway, hey there, big brother."

Helian Che's fists clenched, palms and knuckles itching to smash Xiang Zhijie's head into his own chest.

Just then, Rufeng, who'd found nothing outside, knocked on the door: "Master, hold on a moment. Something's not right."

The room wasn't big, and there weren't many places to hide.

Xiang Zhijie could feel the guy wanted to rip him apart, hesitated a beat, then pointed at the tall wardrobe by the bed.

Rufeng outside got no answer, and his knocking got more insistent.

Helian Che, even with his eyes blazing, knew getting caught now would be a big deal.

He held back the urge to beat Xiang Zhijie senseless, strode to the big wardrobe, and yanked it open.

...Le Wuya, crouched inside, nearly tumbled out headfirst.

Their eyes met.

Even for someone as shameless as Le Wuya, meeting his own big brother like this—lips a little swollen, hair a mess—was enough to make him blush.

And when he saw what was inside, Helian Che nearly ripped the wardrobe door clean off.

Le Wuya snapped out of it, flashed a suck-up grin, scooted over on all fours, then patted the spot he'd cleared, motioning for him to get in quick.

Helian Che's eyes were practically shooting fire.

But the knocking outside got more urgent, no time to waste.

Radiating murderous energy, he stepped into the wardrobe in one go.

Xiang Zhijie came around from behind, and through the gap in the wardrobe, snuck Le Wuya a yellow banana: "Teacher, a little snack to hold you over."

Le Wuya almost laughed at his polished, thoughtful gentleman act. He took the banana with both hands, then used his thumbs to grab Xiang Zhijie's sleeves, tugging him in, and looked up with a grin: "You wanna squeeze in here too?"

Zhi Jie smiled and shook his head, then leaned down and kissed the top of Le Wuya's slightly damp hair.

Helian Che watched, his head spinning. Before the two could continue their silent exchange of glances, he reached out, slapped his hand over Zhi Jie's mouth, shoved him out, and slammed the wardrobe door shut from inside with a vicious click.

At that very moment, Ru Feng pushed the door open.

Ru Feng walked in, saw his master in such an undignified state, and didn't bat an eye: "Master, where is Lord Wenren?"

Zhi Jie lied without batting an eye: "He had business and slipped out through the window."

Ru Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

That explained the noise from earlier.

He tucked his dagger back into his waistband and covered it with his clothes: "Thank God."

Zhi Jie: "Don't talk bad about my teacher."

Ru Feng: "Why would I talk bad about him?"

"And don't talk bad about me either."

Ru Feng spoke bluntly: "I'm just scared you'll get so worked up you kick the bucket in bed, and then how am I supposed to explain that to Jiang He and His Majesty? 'Sorry, everyone, my bad—our precious Sixth Prince got himself seduced to death by some demon?'"

The demon in question, crouched in the wardrobe, felt pretty innocent.

When you're embarrassed, you always find ways to look busy.

Le Wuya sat quietly in the corner of the wardrobe, fiddling with the beads on his braid for a bit before snapping back to reality. He took a bite of the banana, found it sweet, and broke off half to hand to Helian Che.

Helian Che's hands were clenched so tight he couldn't open them. He shot Le Wuya a death glare.

But the second the glare left his eyes, he regretted it—scared of hurting this hard-won brotherly bond. So he redirected his anger, glaring through the wardrobe door with fire in his eyes at Zhi Jie on the other side.

Seeing Helian Che wouldn't take it, Le Wuya just shoved the banana into his mouth.

Helian Che shot him a look, accepted the feeding with indignation, and then shoved the golden flower basket he'd made himself into Le Wuya's arms.

...When they fought later, he'd better not mess it up.

Le Wuya took the gift, examined it over and over in the dim light coming through the cracks, totally delighted, and smiled at him with squinted eyes.

Helian Che took a break from being angry to smooth Le Wuya's messy curls and re-tie his loose braid.

Zhi Jie was long used to Ru Feng's sharp tongue: "You can leave now."

Ru Feng: "Need your bandages changed?"

"Don't bother."

"Then I'm off. Try not to overdo it."

Once the footsteps outside faded away, Zhi Jie went back to the wardrobe and let out a barely audible sigh.

When he opened this door, he was probably going to get his ass kicked.

But the wardrobe was so cramped and stuffy—he couldn't stand to let his teacher suffocate in there.

So, after bracing himself, he opened the wardrobe door.

Sure enough, the second the door swung open, Helian Che came charging out, sleeves rolled up and fists clenched, like a titan on the warpath.

"Bro, bro! Calm down!" Le Wuya, seeing things go south, immediately scrambled onto Helian Che's back, arms and legs clinging: "I wanted it! I really did!"

Helian Che's anger burned even hotter: "Do you know who he is?"

Le Wuya, perched on his back, said with total confidence: "I taught him. How could I not know?"

Helian Che: "..."

He slowly turned his head: "You taught him?"

"My student." Le Wuya introduced him, not without pride. "Zhi Jie—Xiaoliu of the Zhi family."

Helian Che: "..."

If he remembered right, under Dayu's laws of propriety, this was a huge ethical violation.

And the teacher, who had the duty of moral instruction, would be held even more responsible.

Helian Che's gaze swept over the Jing tribe ornaments jingling on Le Wuya—clearly worn willingly—and the thought of his little brother facing punishment suddenly cooled his urge to press the issue.

Le Wuya keenly sensed the murderous intent fading from his brother and immediately pressed his advantage, shamelessly clinging to Helian Che's back and wheedling: "Bro, you've got both a brother and a sister-in-law now. Aren't you happy?"

Helian Che: "..."

He'd gone from being alone to having four extra people in one go—a real population boom in the family.

But not only was he not happy, he really wanted to punch someone.

Le Wuya seized the moment, sliding down from Helian Che's back while shooting Zhi Jie a look:

What are you standing there like an idiot for? Butter him up!

Zhi Jie got it right away and promptly handed Helian Che a cup of hot tea: "Please, have some tea, Brother."

By Helian Che's true nature, if that cup didn't end up—cup and all—splashed across Zhi Jie's face in the next second, it was already a testament to his restraint.

But with a living, breathing brother beside him, clutching the little flower basket he'd made, spouting praise like it was going out of style, Helian Che had to focus on keeping his lips from twitching. So he just took the cup and took a reluctant sip.

Seeing Zhi Jie standing there all meek and downcast, Le Wuya shamelessly defended his own: "Bro, look, he's still injured. And it was to save me that he..."

The unfinished words got the point across well enough.

Helian Che let out a heavy grunt through his nose: "...Then sit down."

No sooner had Zhi Jie sat down than Le Wuya gave his knee a not-so-gentle kick.

The two exchanged a look.

Le Wuya: Say something nice.

Zhi Jie: Got it.

Zhi Jie cleared his throat: "Bro, I have a question. Can you tell me my teacher's birth date and time?"

Le Wuya: "?"

That's what he calls saying something nice?

Besides, didn't you already know...

The next moment, it suddenly dawned on Le Wuya, and the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably.

Attaboy.

Helian Che was utterly bewildered and frowned warily. "What are you doing?"

"Allow me to explain, Brother." Xiang Zhijie sat there properly and quietly, then dropped a bombshell of a statement. "In our Great Yu's wedding rites, there are the 'Six Etiquettes.' My teacher and I have already gone through the Nacai and Wenming steps. The next step is the 'Naji' ceremony, where my teacher's birth date and time must be matched at the ancestral temple and divined before heaven, before we can move on to Nazheng and Qingqi."

Helian Che was at a loss for words.

The murderous intent he'd suppressed earlier surged back with a vengeance. He wished he could grab this wretched brat right now, wind up, and chuck him out the window.

Seeing Helian Che's knuckles start cracking, Le Wuya moved to defuse things with his usual cajoling, but Helian Che flipped the script, grabbing him by the collar and demanding, "He—he's the guy you meant? The one you said you'd be a pawn for?"

Zhi Jie froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up brilliantly, and a faint blush crept across his cheeks.

Le Wuya said openly, "That's right."

Helian Che gritted his teeth. "And that flower crown—you made it for him too?"

Le Wuya nodded eagerly, bobbing his head like a chicken pecking at rice.

Helian Che's voice trembled. "You... you're doing this with him... is it to get back at him?"

"Yeah." Le Wuya said cheerfully, "I'm going to love him like crazy! I'll make him unable to leave me in this life, the next life, and every life after!"

Helian Che was speechless.

Le Wuya wasn't about to hide it.

When he loved someone, he'd shout it from the rooftops—he wanted heaven and earth's blessings, and his family's blessings too!

Helian Che let go of Le Wuya's collar.

Seeing his resolve so firm, despite his grief and anger, Helian Che felt a faint glimmer of consolation—a hope that he would find happiness and support.

But he immediately squashed that flicker of hope.

...Damn these Great Yu folks!

He cursed inwardly for the umpteenth time.

...Damn this Great Yu brat who stole his little brother!