Qingmo slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.
The nightmare that had plagued him for days had vanished, yet not entirely. The large white cat that had appeared in his dream visited once again, its long, fluffy tail held high.
The cat was like a fluffy, soft cotton cloud. It meowed to greet him, then emitted a tiny, contented purr.
Qingmo’s heart melted. Unable to put it down, he scooped up the cotton ball, buried his face in its fur, and inhaled deeply over and over again.
“Why does it smell like medicine?”
He grabbed the white cat’s paw and gave it a squeeze. The bone structure was full and sturdy, yet it retained a soft, plump texture. No wonder it felt so solid.
Qingmo unconsciously hummed twice, poked his head out from under the blanket, and, completely lost in the dream of the big white cat, wrapped both paws tightly around Suyu’s hand, rubbing his face back and forth against it with a besotted expression.
After trying unsuccessfully to pull away a few times, Suyu pinched Qingmo’s cheek with his other hand and said loudly right beside his ear, “Qingmo, wake up.”
“Mmh, just a hug, let me hug a bit longer.”
The request was fine, but unfortunately, the timing wasn’t quite right.
With half the blanket kicked down to the foot of the bed, Qingmo groggily opened his eyes, flashed a wide grin at Suyu, and then rolled over and closed his eyes again. “Morning.”
Suyu sighed helplessly. “What on earth did you dream about to make you smile so happily?”
“I dreamed,” Qingmo muttered, his voice muffled as his forehead pressed against the pillow, “I dreamed that the little hairball turned into a huge, chubby cat, super fat, well-built, and wonderful to pet.”
A chubby cat. Super fat and well-built.
What kind of descriptions were those?
If Qingmo were to turn around right now, he would undoubtedly see Suyu’s temples throbbing and his face covered in dark lines.
After finishing breakfast, Qingmo dragged Bai Yingfei over to interrogate him. “Fess up! What kind of trouble did you stir up this time?”
“As if!” Bai Yingfei shook him off, looking all mysterious. “I have a terribly important major event to tell you! I’ve specially prepared a grand dinner, and you’ll find out all about it when the time comes!”
Qingmo rolled his eyes. “Let’s see what kind of ridiculous stunt you can pull off this time.”
When Suyu walked over, he happened to bump into Bai Yingfei. After exchanging polite pleasantries, Bai Yingfei took his leave. Suyu turned to look at the idle Qingmo. “How do you plan to investigate that blood-stained skeleton?”
The latter flashed an obedient, ingratiating smile. “I’ll leave everything to you.”
You never listen to me when it’s something good.
“You don’t look the least bit anxious. I suppose you already have a plan?”
Qingmo chuckled, sprang up to his feet, and stopped keeping Suyu in suspense. “Chizhou is a small place. We can just stroll openly through the streets, making it as public as possible. The culprits are bound to make a move.”
It was a terrible idea, but one had to admit it was effective.
The last time Suyu had visited Chizhou was thirty years ago. Time had slipped away in the blink of an eye; the scenery in the city seemed to have changed a great deal, yet at the same time, it felt entirely as it had in the past.
While Suyu was standing there reminiscing, Qingmo had already blended right in, chatting warmly and enthusiastically with the townspeople.
Because of Bai Yingfei, Qingmo frequently came here for short stays, and almost every shopkeeper on the street recognized him.
“Young Master Qingmo! These are freshly picked fruits. Care to take some back with you?”
“Don’t mind if I do!” Qingmo took a hearty crunch out of a fruit, but knowing he couldn’t just take people’s things for free, he tossed down some coins and dashed off.
Suyu followed him all the way from one end of the city to the other. Qingmo still had plenty of energy to spare, but Suyu was already exhausted and panting heavily.
Fearing that they would tire out and die before even drawing out the enemy, Qingmo suggested, “There’s a teahouse around here. Let’s head inside and rest for a bit.”
With the long journey and the bumpy ride along the way, that old chronic ailment of his was bound to flare up. Suyu pressed a hand to his chest and coughed lightly, the corners of his eyes turning a delicate, alluring red with involuntary tears. He cut a deeply pitiable figure. “Cough, cough. Alright.”
Upon entering the teahouse, they ordered a pot of clear tea and a plate of small pastries. Right next door was a specialty shop selling jade accessories; it seemed they had recently acquired some sort of rare treasure and had set up a stall right outside the storefront, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
“Celestial Mountain white jade bracelet? Bah, just some trinket meant to coax young girls.” Qingmo caught a snippet of the chatter and wasn’t terribly interested.
Suyu’s tea-drinking motion froze mid-air, and he lost himself in a momentary daze. “This bracelet…”
“Hmm?”
With a somewhat downcast expression, he said, “I used to have one of these bracelets.”
Qingmo took it for granted. “Since the real one is already with you, whatever he’s selling over there must be a fake.”
“Not necessarily.” Suyu shook his head. “The white jade bracelets originally came in a pair. Back then, I only managed to find one to coax him into a good mood. Later on, when I wanted to find the other one as well, he no longer wanted it.”
“Who? That ugly…” Qingmo hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth, nearly letting slip what he shouldn’t have. “Your little lover? So picky, it’s a miracle you have such a good temper.”
If it were him, if he ever ran into a lover like that, he would have kicked them flying long ago. An ugly demon always liked to make a fuss.
“It was my fault.” Lost deep in the sea of romantic sorrow, Suyu always took the blame upon himself whenever something went wrong. “When we first met, he was actually very easy to coax. He was obedient and sensible, afraid of causing me trouble, and whenever he was wronged, he never complained, he just carried it all on his own.”
Whenever he spoke of that person, a sea of gentle, tender spring water always lingered in his eyes, and his voice was so soft and cautious, as if he were afraid of startling something delicate.
However, good times never lasted, and that person hadn’t stayed by his side for long. “It’s my fault for being reckless and arrogant back then; I hurt him terribly.”
Qingmo had already filled in the rest of the story in his mind: A dignified Demon Lord lowered his status to chase after someone, only to be repeatedly rebuffed. Meanwhile, outsiders who didn’t know the truth spread rumors that some hideous monster didn’t even deign to look at him.
Right now, he actually felt a bit of sympathy for that ugly monster.
“So you’re saying you’re the heartless scumbag.” Qingmo wore an expression of sheer disbelief. “What on earth did you do to him that made him hate you so much?”
Suyu once again raised a hand to touch the side of his face, a look of deep guilt in his voice. “I pushed him too hard, and he mutilated his own face because he just wanted to leave.”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Qingmo choked violently on his tea, coughed for a long while, and used his sleeve to wipe away the moisture. “You look all scholarly and refined, but I really underestimated your capability!”
Truly, you couldn’t judge a book by its cover. It turned out the ugly monster was the one who had suffered miserably as the victim! He deeply repented and apologized for all the bad things he had ever said about him!
The white jade bracelet exhibition had concluded, and the shop assistant was running back and forth packing up the stall. Because the shopkeeper had asked for an exorbitant price, naturally no one in such a small place could afford it, and the crowd simply dispersed after having their fill of the spectacle.
Qingmo turned his head to survey the surroundings, plotting some little scheme in his mind. He told Suyu, “Wait here for a moment,” and temporarily stepped away from the teahouse.
Before long, he returned holding an exquisitely crafted brocade box.
Suyu guessed what it was, though he wasn’t entirely certain. “This is?”
“The Celestial Mountain white jade bracelet.” Qingmo wore a triumphant grin, weighing the bracelet in his hand. “That shopkeeper really dared to open his mouth wide and ask for a fortune, but fortunately, I know how to bargain. Here, take it back, make a pair, and go coax your person.”
Earlier, when he went to buy the bracelet, the shopkeeper had intended to keep it as a town-shop treasure and never expected it could actually be sold, which was why he had quoted such an inflated price. After Qingmo put on a display of intimidation by borrowing the tiger’s might, the shopkeeper had reluctantly parted with it.
As for Qingmo himself, he had almost been trapped in the middle of a circle of young girls who chased after him to ask which lover he was buying it for, until he finally shut them down with a single line: “I’m buying it for a colleague.”
A wave of warm emotion coursed through the depths of Suyu’s heart. He felt a mix of bittersweetness and joy, looking at Qingmo in silence for a long time, completely at a loss for words, or rather, unsure of how to respond.
Whether in his past life or the present one, he was always the one in debt.
“Thank you.”
“A thank you is the cheapest thing in the world.” Qingmo rested his fingertip on the edge of his teacup, spinning it in circles. “It’s better to build ten temples than tear down a single marriage. I hope I get to drink your wedding wine soon.”
Another day of doing good deeds and accumulating good karma.
The two of them were prominent heavyweights whose reputations shook the Six Realms; what kind of rare treasures and pearls hadn’t they seen? Although this bracelet was a valuable item, intrinsically it didn’t catch their eye. What was truly worth cherishing was simply the emotional bond it represented.
Seeing Suyu take out the bracelet, which was warm, moist, and delicate in its white jade craftsmanship, Qingmo suddenly felt that something wasn’t quite right. He asked, “Wait, so your beloved is a woman?”
These days, cross-species romances were a dime a dozen, and gender hardly mattered anymore; he simply had never delved into whether that beloved of Suyu’s was a man or a woman.
Suyu looked somewhat troubled. “He is a man. The bracelet was a token from when we first met.”
“How did you two meet?”
“At a South Wind Pavilion.” (T/N: A euphemism for a male brothel.)
Qingmo’s eyes widened in shock. If he hadn’t been afraid of startling passersby, his eyeballs probably would have popped out right then and there.
He let out an involuntary gasp, shouting, “You actually went to a place like that?!”
You can know a person’s face, but not their heart. Who would have thought Suyu was such a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Was he out of his mind?!
A buzzing filled his ears, and Suyu instinctively covered his sides. “I only went there that once, and then I met him.”
And from that moment onward, love and hatred had intertwined, too tangled to ever be unraveled again.
As the two of them hid away in the teahouse to slack off and rest, the owner of the adjacent jewelry shop poked his head over to peer at them. Qingmo thought the man had changed his mind and wanted to buy back the bracelet, only to see the proprietor walking over carrying a bundle of incense sticks.
“Patron, you left rather hurriedly just now. You forgot to take the complimentary blessing incense.”
Buying such an expensive bracelet only came with this measly freebie? Qingmo pushed it away in disdain, only to hear the shopkeeper continue: “Don’t underestimate this incense! Today is the prayer ceremony at the sacrificial altar. If you go and burn a stick later, it guarantees all your wishes will come true!”
Go on, keep bragging, Qingmo thought. If it were truly that miraculous, he’d wish to never have to work a day in his life!
Despite these thoughts, out of courtesy for the shopkeeper’s good intentions, Qingmo accepted them anyway. “When was a sacrificial altar built in Chizhou? How come I didn’t know about it?”
“Not long ago. It was just completed last year, personally directed by the High Priest of the Witch clan. On the first and fifteenth of every month, commoners are allowed to go in and offer prayers.”
“The Witch clan?” The expression on Qingmo’s face cracked for a split second. He tossed the blessing incense back onto the table and waved a hand to shoo the shopkeeper away.
“How unlucky! Why on earth did a Witch clan altar have to pop up here!”
Back in the day, he had blown up at least eight altars just like that one within the Witch clan territory, which earned him a spot on the Witch clan’s permanent blacklist.
Suyu had heard a thing or two about the past grievances between the Witch clan and the Ghost Fiends, but he felt that this mysterious High Priest was even more suspicious. “The City Lord’s Mansion should know about this altar.”
This naturally made Qingmo think of that important matter Bai Yingfei kept harping on.
“Shall we go check out the altar?” Suyu picked up the bundle of blessing incense and suggested.
“No.” The refusal was crisp, decisive, and left zero room for negotiation.
“I am utterly incompatible with anything related to the Witch clan.” Qingmo rubbed his temples with two fingers, looking indescribably defeated. “I have a gut feeling that brat Bai Yingfei has prepared a massive surprise waiting for me.”