“Hurry, hurry! We are just waiting for the two of you to start the feast!” The moment they stepped through the doors, Bai Yingfei eagerly dragged Qingmo and Suyu toward the front hall.
Chanchao had not gone out today, arriving early to wait here for Qingmo.
Qingmo looked toward the empty seat beside the primary host’s position. “Just waiting for the two of us? Which one of us are you planning to put in that seat next to you?”
Bai Yingfei pursed his lips, looking somewhat sheepish. “That is a surprise I prepared for you.”
More like a fright!
Qingmo’s vision went dark as he guessed correctly nine times out of ten. The very thing he dreaded most had happened. “Do not tell me you want to bring a member of the Witch Clan into the family.”
“How did you know… Ah no, have you two met already?” Bai Yingfei widened his eyes. Having his prepared surprise spoiled like this made him look thoroughly asking for a beating in Qingmo’s eyes.
“Hah.” Qingmo clenched his wrists, pulling out a strand of zither wire, and said with a sinister tone, “We are about to meet right now. Let me test first whether this fellow can take a beating.”
Seeing him stir up killing intent, Bai Yingfei hurriedly grabbed his arm. “Do not be like this! Zhiqiang is a really good person! Truly, extremely good!”
“Why does that line sound so familiar?” Qingmo’s face darkened as he turned to look at Suyu.
The latter obediently sat in his own seat and nodded. “He is indeed very good.”
Could brain-dead lovers just go die?!
This was supposed to be a family banquet. Aside from that so-called surprise, it was just the three of them, yet Bai Yingfei had still hired a troupe of dancers to perform.
Beautiful, meticulously dressed maidens of various colors took the stage one after another, only for the opening performance to be suddenly interrupted by a voice: “Apologies, I am late.”
Everyone turned to look as a man in flowing red robes slowly stepped into the hall. His hem fluttered with his movements like a dancing scarlet butterfly, appearing so abruptly that it instantly made the beauty of the surrounding dancers pale in comparison.
“Just this? A Witch Clan high priest?” The man was bewitchingly beautiful, yet Qingmo deliberately put on a disgusted expression while feeling that his silhouette looked increasingly familiar.
It seemed they really had met. Last night when he climbed onto the roof to count stars, this person was that fleeting figure in the flowerbed.
Qingmo appraised the red-robed man before him. The silver threads embedded in the man’s sleeves brushed against one another during his movements, emitting a faint, crisp sound that shone dazzlingly under the blazing red candlelight.
“His sleeves are flashing into my eyes.” Qingmo raised a hand in mock grievance to block the reflected light, noticing that the red-robed man was also appraising him.
Their gazes locked, yet neither made the first move, resembling hunters waiting for the right moment.
With his eyes squeezed shut and heart hardened, Bai Yingfei rushed forward to stand in front of Yue Zhiqiang. “We are planning to get married next month!”
His acquaintance with Qingmo had been a chance encounter, strictly speaking, they were only friends. But the guidance throughout his growth had long caused him to view Qingmo as an elder figure. This was the first time he had made a decision concerning the rest of his life behind Qingmo’s back.
Though he spoke with outward firmness, if Qingmo truly disapproved, he would be completely at a loss.
Qingmo was so enraged by this statement that he nearly choked. The child had grown up and could no longer be reined in; what could he do?
“Fine, I will not meddle in your affairs.” He rubbed his face, unwilling to face reality, and clutched his head in an existential crisis. “I wish you happiness.”
No fight broke out, which was an exceptionally good start. Bai Yingfei tugged and shook Yue Zhiqiang’s arm, leaning in close to whisper something into his ear.
After listening, Yue Zhiqiang pondered for a moment, then poured a cup of wine and walked over to Qingmo. “Young Master Qingmo, I am Yue Zhiqiang. Yingfei says you are a very important person to him, so I offer this cup to you.”
Qingmo did not even want to raise his head; he actually wanted to hurl the wine pot directly at the man’s face. However, upon catching sight of Bai Yingfei’s expectant little gaze, he half-reluctantly, half-irritatedly groped around the table for a cup.
A cup filled to the brim with clear wine was pressed into his hand.
He looked up to catch Suyu’s gaze and muttered a low word of thanks.
As the first notes of music struck up, the dancers were finally able to display their art.
Three rounds of drinks later, the banquet’s atmosphere grew lively, and the grievance in Qingmo’s heart dissipated by more than half.
“Ah, the Witch Clan… Sigh!”
He muttered sighs to himself until Suyu turned to look at him. “You do not need to worry too much. From my observation, that High Priest treats City Lord Bai quite well.”
He motioned for Qingmo to look over. Indeed, the two figures in the primary seats were whispering softly to each other. Most of the time, Bai Yingfei was chattering endlessly, while Yue Zhiqiang simply tilted his head to listen patiently, occasionally picking out food to pile onto the small mountain of dishes in front of Bai Yingfei.
The affection in Yue Zhiqiang’s eyes when he looked at Bai Yingfei did not seem fake.
Yet Qingmo understood nothing of these matters. Seeing the two of them acting so intimately only stirred up his anger further, giving him the distinct feeling of a homegrown cabbage being dug up by a pig.
He snatched all the wine from Suyu’s table. “I am going to drink myself stupid! Once I wake up, this will all just be a dream!”
This wine was hardly intoxicating, and coupled with Qingmo’s extraordinary alcohol tolerance, not only did he fail to get drunk, but he caught a peculiar scent hanging in the air.
He twitched his nose, suspecting Suyu right away. “Did you change the prescription for your medicine? Why is it so fragrant?”
Puzzled, Suyu raised his arm to sniff his own sleeve, encountering only a light, bitter medicinal scent. “I did not. It is the same as before.”
“Then you must be hiding a sachet on your body again!” Stoked by the alcohol and stubborn pride, Qingmo lunged forward for a frantic pat-down. Suyu, powerless to resist, could only let him grope about. Even though Suyu nearly grew aroused from the contact, they found no trace of any so-called sachet.
With slightly flushed cheeks, Suyu grabbed Qingmo’s mischievous hands. “Stop searching, I am not carrying any sachet. Are you perhaps a little drunk?”
“I am not drunk!” Qingmo argued, pulling his hand away to grab Chanchao in a desperate bid to prove his innocence. “You, smell him! Has his scent changed?”
Chanchao was right beside Qingmo and close to Suyu as well, yet apart from wine and faint medicine, he detected no other aroma.
Chanchao could not possibly lie, plunging Qingmo deep into self-doubt.
Yet the moment he looked up, the sky fell.
As the finale approached, numerous dancers fluttered their skirts, swaying their bodies as lightly as tender willows in the wind. After performing a bow, they gracefully exited the stage. Bizarrely, however, they had all transformed into skeleton forms, their stark white bone frames draped in gorgeous, flowing robes, as they filed past in an orderly line.
Faced with this horrifying sight, everyone else present acted completely normally.
He rubbed his eyes hard and tugged at Suyu. “Suyu, did you just see…”
“What?” The voice answered from a bald, bare skull. Even transformed into a skeleton, Suyu’s skull looked somewhat whiter than ordinary skeletons.
“Nothing.” Qingmo swallowed his words, then looked toward Chanchao, Bai Yingfei, and the musicians preparing to take the stage, all of whom appeared as stark white bones.
He poured himself a cup of wine to calm down. When everyone else is abnormal, the only one who seems normal is the most abnormal one of all.
Something must have gone terribly wrong.
Seeing that his complexion looked poor and noting his bizarre behavior just now, Suyu asked with concern, “Qingmo, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Your complexion is terrible.”
Everyone around him had turned into skeletons. Overwhelmed by confusion far greater than fear, Qingmo wobbled to his feet. “I am fine. I must truly be drunk and need some fresh air to sober up.”
“Lord, be careful.” As his footing staggered and he nearly fell, Chanchao stepped in at the right moment to support him.
The skeletal fingers gripping his arm tightly instantly triggered memories of the twenty-three corpses in the mass grave. An icy chill surged straight from the depths of his heart, and without thinking, he shoved Chanchao away with all his might, screaming in alarm, “Do not touch me!”
Under the forceful push, Chanchao released his grip and was forced to retreat. Though a skull could show no facial expression, his heart must have felt deeply wounded.
Hearing the commotion over here, Bai Yingfei paused his whispering. “Qingmo…?”
Unwilling to let anyone notice his abnormality, Qingmo wearily pinched the bridge of his nose. “It is fine. The after-effects of this wine are too strong. I am going outside to get some air.”
Bai Yingfei flashed a mouthful of white bone-teeth with a grin. “You are done for already? And here you were bragging to me about how much you can drink!”
Even transformed into a skeleton, he was still as punchable as ever!
Qingmo hurried out into the courtyard. The cool night breeze swept away the heavy fragrance lingering in his nose, clearing his muddled head significantly.
Standing alone in the dark night, he took a deep breath. Gazing up at the starry sky, he still felt an inexplicable heaviness.
Life and death, past grudges and old ties, things that ought to have drifted away like smoke had instead transformed into stars in the night sky, forever watching over and oppressing him.
Starlight could be used to guide the way, but it could also serve as a reminder of the darkness of the past.
While lost in thought, someone suddenly approached from behind and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
At this moment, Bai Yingfei had returned to his normal appearance. Relaxing his guard, Qingmo was sneakily pulled behind a large tree by the younger man, who checked to ensure no one else was around.
“Um, are you still angry about Zhiqiang’s matter? I originally wanted to tell you beforehand, but I did not know…”
Unable to explain what had just happened, Qingmo interrupted him. “Putting that aside for a moment, let me ask you: if I had disapproved, would you still have chosen not to be with Yue Zhiqiang?”
After a long silence, he shook his head and whispered, “No.”
“There you go!” Qingmo straightened Bai Yingfei’s shoulders, looking straight into his eyes with earnestness. “Since it is something you have already decided upon, you do not need to care too much about others’ feelings, not even mine. You must make yourself happy first.”
With a stinging sensation in his eye corners, Bai Yingfei sniffled. Every single hurdle he had encountered along the road in the past had been guided by Qingmo in this exact manner. He had thought he had grown up and could stand entirely on his own two feet, yet he still found himself completely overwhelmed by his senior’s tolerance and understanding.
Suyu had followed them out as well. Standing beneath the eaves and watching Bai Yingfei pull him into a hug, he thought to himself that if he did not intervene now, who knows what might happen next.
“City Lord Bai.” His sudden appearance startled both of them.
“Why do you walk without making a sound?” Qingmo complained.
Suyu cast a meaningful glance his way before turning back to Bai Yingfei. “Your mother once requested the jurisdiction of the Spirit Illusion Bureau’s garrison in Chizhou from me, but I did not grant it back then.”
Wherever the Spirit Illusion Bureau was stationed, demonic beasts were sure to follow. In those days, Chizhou was a remote, backward little place with inconvenient transportation, making it truly unsuitable for housing demonic beasts.
Under Bai Yingfei’s surprised gaze, Suyu continued, “However, after walking around the city today, I feel that Chizhou has honest folk customs and its people live in peace and contentment. The outside world should be allowed to see the beauty here. Naturally, consider this your wedding gift as well. What do you think?”
Bai Yingfei was naturally more than willing. Guarding Chizhou City for hundreds of centuries, the Bai clan had endured immense hardship with each successive generation just to avoid being swallowed up by other cities, yet they had always marched toward a brighter future.
“Thank you, Demon Lord!” Overwhelmed with emotion, Bai Yingfei bowed deeply in a formal salute.
Curving the corners of his lips, Qingmo gave him a pat. “Half of the Twelve Prefecture Cities did not even get this opportunity, so you brat better count your blessings!”
With the banquet interrupted, they had lost the mood to continue. After Bai Yingfei discussed things further with Yue Zhiqiang, the gathering was ended early so Qingmo could return and rest properly.
On the way back to the courtyard, Qingmo felt sluggish in the legs, and since his state had not fully recovered, he walked with a slight wobble. Just as Suyu reached out to steady him, Chanchao bent down and hoisted him onto his back.
Lying across Chanchao’s back, Qingmo swung his legs slightly and asked with hesitant caution, “Chanchao, are you still mad?”
“No.”
“You say no, but your face is puffed up like a steamed bun.” Reaching out, Qingmo poked Chanchao’s cheek, pondering how best to explain. “I was not doing it on purpose just now. It seemed I might have been drugged, and seeing you turn into a skeleton gave me a fright, which is why I pushed you away.”
“Drug?” Chanchao turned his head, his irritation vanishing without a trace, leaving only worry for Qingmo. “Does the Lord feel any discomfort anywhere?”
Qingmo shook his head. “I am fine now.”
Frowning, Suyu asked, “Your strange behavior earlier was because you saw Chanchao turn into a skeleton?”
“Not just him. You too, everyone except me turned into piles of bones.”
It was a blessing that it was him, a veteran of countless bloodbaths who had seen every horror imaginable. If this scene had been inflicted on any normal person, they would have been frightened out of their wits.
Recalling Qingmo’s earlier inquiry about whether he had changed his medicine prescription, Suyu found it difficult not to link the two events. “Qingmo, when you asked me about the prescription, was it because you smelled something suspicious?”
Resting his head down, Qingmo answered in a listless voice, “A peculiar fragrance. Thinking back now, it was vastly different from the sachet you usually wear.”