The two of them silently looked at each other. Xiao Rong bit his lower lip and when he finally let go, Qu Yunmie’s attention naturally shifted to his lips, which were surprisingly bright red, like blood.

As those lips parted and closed, his words remained indifferent. “I’m tired.”

Qu Yunmie’s response was, “Do you want to go back and rest?”

Xiao Rong slightly lowered his eyes, nodded, then began walking outside.

His leg muscles trembled, and with the effect of alcohol, Xiao Rong couldn’t even walk in a straight line. His steps were always crooked, but his attention wasn’t entirely on his feet. He kept a vigilant eye on Qu Yunmie, ready to slap him away if he tried to help him.

However, Qu Yunmie never touched him. He remained silently behind him. Every time Xiao Rong took a step, Qu Yunmie mirrored him, stepping to the side that Xiao Rong tilted, preventing him from falling.

On the gravel road, two long, distorted shadows overlapped, with the smaller one always wrapped inside the larger one, like water blending together.

…

Though it was still the tail end of summer, the night had already become quite cool. Wearing just a single layer of clothes wasn’t enough, a jacket was necessary to feel comfortable. Ah Shu, holding the jacket that Chen Shi had made for Xiao Rong a few days ago, stomped his feet to shoo away the mosquitoes trying to bite him while craning his neck to look outside, wondering when Xiao Rong would return.

Finally, Xiao Rong appeared in Ah Shu’s line of sight. Ah Shu was delighted and was about to run over when he saw the long tail hanging behind Xiao Rong.

Ugh, the King is back again.

Xiao Rong’s face looked a little unusual. As Xiao Rong passed in front of Ah Shu, he smelled a faint trace of alcohol. He widened his eyes in surprise, and in the next moment the world before him blurred, and his arms suddenly felt empty.

The jacket he had been holding was smoothly taken by Qu Yunmie. With a gentle shake, Qu Yunmie took a step forward and draped the jacket over Xiao Rong’s shoulders. Xiao Rong glanced at the extra piece of clothing on him and the hand that had arranged it.

Even then, he said nothing. After a brief pause, he turned his gaze forward again.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them entered Xiao Rong’s bedroom, and Ah Shu silently stood in the cool wind. Somehow, he felt a bit unhappy.

“Hmph.”

Annoying.

…

If he were sober, Xiao Rong would definitely take a bath before going to bed. However, right now his mind was foggy, and he felt angry, restless, and an intense, unfamiliar emotion that seemed to collide violently in his heart, like a frightened zebra running amok on the African savannah. He couldn’t ignore it, no matter how hard he tried.

His heart felt like a boiling kettle, but outwardly, Xiao Rong remained eerily calm. The only abnormal thing was that no matter what Qu Yunmie did, Xiao Rong stared at him without blinking.

Qu Yunmie hadn’t sent someone to bring any hangover soup. Although he hadn’t thought about it in detail, he instinctively didn’t want anyone to disturb their night together, so he simply poured Xiao Rong a cup of tea. After handing the tea to Xiao Rong, Qu Yunmie sat down on the edge of the bed, reached out, and took off Xiao Rong’s shoes.

If Qu Yunmie were as strong as an ox, then before he got sick, Xiao Rong was like a deer in strength. Xiao Rong was tall for a dancer, barely fitting within the required criteria for his audition. He worked hard to transform his weaknesses into strengths.

What Xiao Rong was most proud of wasn’t his face but his legs. He knew his legs were exceptionally long, even compared to models, and if his upper body strength had been better, he would have focused on ballet.

…

Later, he worked hard lifting weights, the true reason being to compensate for this shortcoming. Although heaven had been very kind to Xiao Rong, giving him many talents and advantages that others didn’t have, as Xiao Rong himself has said, he is a very vain person. He can’t stand any shortcomings in himself, so he is always obsessively trying to eliminate his weaknesses.

Yet now he had a massive weakness that couldn’t be eliminated in the short term, and this weakness was in the very legs he valued the most. He stared at them for a long time, somewhat confused.

Xiao Rong: “…”

He pursed his lips, quickly pulled his legs back, leaving his hands empty. Qu Yunmie looked up and saw Xiao Rong glaring at him warily.

Qu Yunmie paused and asked Xiao Rong in his usual calm tone, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Xiao Rong replied, “I can’t sleep with you here.”

For some unknown reason, Qu Yunmie suddenly laughed. “So, you want me to leave?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He fell silent again.

The room became quiet, and one of the candle wicks broke off, causing the flame to flicker violently for a moment. The passage of time seemed to become tangible, as if it were reminding Xiao Rong that the night wouldn’t last forever—it would eventually pass.

Suddenly, Xiao Rong spoke, “Do you keep your promises?”

Qu Yunmie, who had been looking at the flickering candle, turned his head back and replied, “Yes.”

Xiao Rong furrowed his brows. “I don’t think so.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

Xiao Rong continued, “You said before that in war, there’s no such thing as being unscathed, but swords have no eyes. Maybe tomorrow, you’ll die outside.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

…

The next day, the army will have just set out. Even by nightfall, they wouldn’t have left the boundaries of Chenliu.

After a brief silence, Qu Yunmie said, “I won’t die.”

Xiao Rong looked at him with disbelief. “How do you know?”

Qu Yunmie replied, “I just know.”

Xiao Rong stared at him for a long while and then gave him four words: “Stubborn and self-willed.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

That was the first idiom Xiao Rong had used to scold him, and also the first one Qu Yunmie had heard him repeat.

Qu Yunmie opened his mouth to argue, but seeing Xiao Rong’s expression, he didn’t know what to say. In the end, he just sighed deeply.

Little did he know, Xiao Rong even had an issue with his sigh. Hearing it, Xiao Rong immediately questioned, “Why are you sighing? Did I say something right, so you don’t know how to brush me off now?”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

He had never been so wronged in his life.

With no choice, Qu Yunmie glanced at Xiao Rong. He didn’t really want to explain, but if he didn’t, even when he sobered up tomorrow, Xiao Rong would likely still hold a grudge against him.

He could only tell the truth. “I really don’t know why I’m so certain, but seeing you tonight… I feel like I must do this. I have to come back alive. Otherwise, you’ll hate me to the bone.”

Xiao Rong nodded vigorously, as if hammering garlic. “Yes, if you die, I won’t let you go even as a ghost.”

Qu Yunmie couldn’t help but smile. This was the second time he’d heard Xiao Rong say that. Xiao Rong said it very seriously, but for some reason, every time Qu Yunmie heard it, he wanted to laugh. However, after laughing, a sour and itchy feeling would rise in his chest, making him uneasy.

He explained to Xiao Rong why he was sure he wouldn’t die outside, but he didn’t explain why he sighed.

The reason he sighed was that he suddenly had a premonition that attacking the Xianbei might be the last time he would fight recklessly with his life on the line.

Xiao Rong himself didn’t feel anything. He thought his gaze was fierce, that he was especially harsh with Qu Yunmie tonight, but if he looked in the mirror, he would see how helpless and clingy his eyes were. With him looking at Qu Yunmie like that, Qu Yunmie almost had second thoughts about attacking the Xianbei.

He couldn’t stand seeing Xiao Rong like this, so he thought he might not be able to do it again.

As the candle silently burned, Qu Yunmie covered Xiao Rong with the blanket, then whispered his assurance: he would come back, he would win, he would write to him every day to let him know he was safe, and he would never fail him—never.

Whether those words would come true or not, at least for Xiao Rong at that moment, they had an effect. Xiao Rong slowly lay down, and no longer looked at Qu Yunmie. Qu Yunmie, watching his half-closed eyes, suddenly asked, “You didn’t deceive me, did you?”

Xiao Rong lifted his eyelids, confused by what Qu Yunmie meant.

Qu Yunmie said, “You told me I would definitely return. When I do, will you be here waiting for me?”

Xiao Rong slowly blinked twice, then, as if annoyed, turned over and faced away from Qu Yunmie. Before Qu Yunmie could say anything, he heard Xiao Rong grunt in a muffled tone.

“Hmm.”

……

After leaving Xiao Rong’s room, Qu Yunmie returned to his own quarters. The moon, which had been hanging low earlier, was now high in the sky.

Since he could remember, he didn’t know how many times he had slept under the wind and stars. Memories related to the moon were plentiful. He had killed under its light, traveled through the night, and had even once lay on the ground, complaining that the moonlight was too bright or too dark.

That would never happen again, because from now on, whenever he saw the moon, all he would remember was tonight and the person who had danced with a sword for him.

The next day, he had to march, but right now, he didn’t feel sleepy. If nothing unexpected happened, he might stand there for a long time, replaying that graceful and extraordinary figure in his mind over and over. The unexpected did happen.

Tonight, the moonlight was perfect, and Mijing couldn’t sleep. So, he brought a lantern outside, looking for a clean place to meditate. As he walked, he didn’t notice Qu Yunmie standing motionless in the middle of the road. Mijing, too focused on looking for bugs on the ground, didn’t notice the person across from him. If the lantern hadn’t collided with Qu Yunmie, Mijing might’ve ended up in a more intimate encounter with him.

Just thinking about it made both of them shiver.

Mijing: “…”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

In the silent night, the only sound was the crickets chirping, and even the frogs had found a place to sleep. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, each following the principle—if the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move.

Finally, Qu Yunmie broke the stalemate and asked Mijing, “Do you want to have a drink?”

Mijing: “…”

…

In the pavilion by the artificial mountain, Mijing placed his lantern on the stone table. A monk doesn’t drink, and a general going to war doesn’t drink either. So, between them was not a wine jug but a pot of tea.

The night breeze brought a coolness, and the charcoal fire, which had earlier made them feel hot, now became a good source of warmth.

It was Qu Yunmie who brewed the tea. He skillfully added ingredients, occasionally checking the fire’s heat. He was warm to the touch, and though he didn’t usually drink tea, that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to brew it. When he was young, Gao Xunzhi was very busy, and little Qu Yunmie would sit nearby, making tea for him.

This scene should’ve been quite pleasant, especially since the King’s looks were so striking. When he wore scholar robes, Xiao Rong couldn’t take his eyes off him. His scholarly tea-brewing hobby, with every movement full of grace, made him even more charming.

The person sitting opposite him, however, was Mijing. This couldn’t even be considered giving flirtatious looks to a blind person—it was more like giving them to a blind bear.

……

 

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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