Tonight’s nightscape remained hazy, a light mist veiling the long streets and small alleys.
Chu Liuxiang stood before the second-floor window. He had already waited for two days, yet during these two days, he had not seen that person from his dreams again.
By day, he actively searched, scouring the entire small town without finding a trace.
By all rights, he ought to have left. But without finding that person, he was simply unwilling to depart like this.
“Ding-ling-ling!”
The crisp, pleasant chime of a bell suddenly rang out.
Chu Liuxiang jerked his head around and looked down toward the corner of the street below.
The light mist was dyed in pale moonlight as a white-robed figure slowly emerged from within the haze.
Tonight, he carried no umbrella, holding only a dim yellow lantern in his hand. A gentle breeze brushed past his cheek, lifting a strand of hair at his temple.
Perhaps sensing Chu Liuxiang’s gaze, the stranger slightly raised eyes steeped in deep sorrow, as though filled with endless, silent resentment.
That sudden flash of haunting grace made Chu Liuxiang leap straight down from the second-floor window without a second thought.
“Young Master Mu Qing.”
Unexpectedly, the moment the man glanced at him, his brows furrowed. He promptly lowered his eyes and quickened his pace forward.
Chu Liuxiang hurriedly gave chase. “Young Master Mu Qing, please wait!”
Su Yu said in a low voice, “Stop following me.”
Having spoken, he hurried forward with swift steps.
“Young Master Mu Qing?”
Chu Liuxiang pursued him relentlessly. Seeing that the person ahead was already using light-footwork skills to fly far into the distance, he hurriedly employed his own light-footwork to give chase.
Pursuing him all the way, they exited the town and arrived in the desolate wilderness of the outskirts.
Seeing the man heading up into the mountains, Chu Liuxiang hastily caught up. “Young Master Mu Qing!”
Su Yu looked back at him, his expression complex, before turning around and disappearing into the overgrown mountain trail.
Looking at the empty path overrun with thorns and weeds, Chu Liuxiang looked up at his surroundings. The night breeze was slightly chilly, rustling the treetops.
In the desolate wilderness, the eerie cries of night owls echoed from time to time.
However, having traveled the martial world for many years, Chu Liuxiang was not intimidated by such noises at all. Instead, it stirred his curiosity. Gathering the hem of his robe, he walked up along the trail.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, he spotted a dilapidated temple standing not far ahead.
The temple doors were decayed and broken, thickly covered in spiderwebs. The ruined walls were draped in climbing vines, and under the moonlight, the ancient earthen color of the crumbling walls was faintly visible.
A gust of cool wind blew past, causing the battered temple doors to creak. It sounded like an ungreased axle twisting with a coarse, grating noise.
Chu Liuxiang’s eyes flickered slightly, and he stepped inside.
Weeds grew in wild abundance throughout the courtyard, and the blue floor bricks were cracked and fractured, with swaying weeds pushing through every crevice.
Chu Liuxiang’s ears twitched slightly, and following the slight movement he heard, he walked toward the rear courtyard. Upon arriving, he froze. Compared to the decay and ruin of the front yard, the rear yard unexpectedly contained several intact rooms.
Some green bamboo was planted along a pebble pathway. As the night wind gradually picked up, the bamboo grove swayed with a rustling sound, adding a layer of quiet tranquility to the back courtyard.
The window of one of the rooms was suddenly blown open by the wind, and in a single glance, Chu Liuxiang saw the person inside hanging a lantern.
An unwitting smile touched his lips, and he walked forward with swift steps. “Young Master Mu Qing.”
To his surprise, upon seeing him, the man’s expression turned to utter shock. “How did you get here?”
Not understanding why he reacted this way, Chu Liuxiang spoke the truth: “Young Master Mu Qing refused to stop, so I had no choice but to follow.”
“You!” Su Yu seemed about to say something, but his expression suddenly shifted to intense alarm. He rushed to the window, threw it wide open, and urged, “Get in here quickly!”
Chu Liuxiang was bewildered, but before he could react, Su Yu caught him by the wrist and pulled him inside.
With an anxious expression, Su Yu dragged Chu Liuxiang over, stuffed him into a wardrobe, and put an index finger to his own lips, whispering, “Don’t make a sound.”
Chu Liuxiang became even more curious. Yielding to Su Yu’s push, he slid into the wardrobe, but while Su Yu was not paying attention, he quietly pushed the door open just a sliver.
Outside the door, branches swayed, casting hideous, mottled shadows across the doors and windows.
A gust of wind suddenly slammed open the room door, and a woman of extraordinarily striking beauty walked in from outside. She wore a bright red dress, and her vibrant red-lacquered nails accentuated her pale, slender fingers.
“You’re back.”
Su Yu slightly lowered his eyes and let out a soft “Mm.”
“Where is the item?” The woman in red extended her hand toward Su Yu. “After being busy for these two days, don’t tell me you returned empty-handed again?”
“I…” Su Yu kept his head down in silence, afraid to speak yet unable not to answer. “I failed to get it… Ah!”
Chu Liuxiang forcibly stifled the urge to charge out, his eyes glued to the figure who had collapsed to the ground.
“Useless trash!”
The woman in red glared at Su Yu, her eyes blazing with fury. “You can’t even handle a tiny matter like this! What good are you?!”
Su Yu clutched his face, not daring to argue, standing in place with a look of deep sorrow.
“Don’t you dare…” The woman in red suddenly halted her words. Her nose twitched twice, and her expression instantly changed. “Is someone here?”
Her sharp gaze locked onto Su Yu. “Did you bring someone back with you?”
“No!” Su Yu shook his head repeatedly. “It might just be that I just returned, so the human scent clinging to me hasn’t dissipated yet.”
“Is that so?” The woman in red slowly walked toward Su Yu.
Under her piercing gaze, Su Yu raised his head without a single trace of panic in his eyes. “It should be so. Besides, in the dead of night, who would have the courage to come here?”
The woman in red glanced around the room, finally fixing her eyes on the only wardrobe capable of hiding a person. She gave Su Yu a look and slowly approached the wardrobe.
Inside his sleeves, Su Yu’s hands clenched nervously. Just at that moment, wild winds howled outside the room. The nervous anxiety in his heart suddenly eased a bit.
Frowning tightly, the woman in red said to Su Yu, “Hmph! You had better think about how you are going to explain this to the Master.”
Satisfied as she watched Su Yu’s face turn deathly pale, the woman in red curled her lips into a smirk and left in a hurry.
Only after she had been gone for quite a while did Su Yu walk toward the wardrobe and open the doors. “You shall stay here temporarily tonight. Leave tomorrow as soon as day breaks.”
Chu Liuxiang ignored his words, his eyes fixed entirely on Su Yu’s face.
Noticing his gaze, Su Yu hurriedly turned sideways to avoid his eyes.
“How is the injury on your face?” Chu Liuxiang asked softly.
Su Yu shook his head. “I am fine.”
Chu Liuxiang reached out to grab his hand, but as if startled, Su Yu hurriedly pulled his hand away. Though it was only for a split second, Chu Liuxiang still felt a bone-chilling coldness from the touch.
“My apologies.” Before Chu Liuxiang could dwell on it, he simply looked at Su Yu with concern. “I only wanted to check the injury on your face.”
The delicate face was fair and smooth, yet carried a hint of fragile paleness. Pitch-black eyes were set against the pale face, the pupils deep and quiet like an ancient well. Yet, they unexpectedly carried a sensation of being on the verge of tears, making one instinctively want to pull him into an embrace and gently comfort him.
“Sleep here tonight,” Su Yu said softly. “And leave tomorrow.”
“Young Master Mu Qing…” Chu Liuxiang wanted to say more, but he saw that Su Yu had already walked out.
Lying on the bed, Chu Liuxiang tossed and turned. The events of this night had practically reshaped his worldview, causing the things he had firmly believed in to collapse in an instant.
What was Young Master Mu Qing supposed to get? And who was the Master mentioned by the woman in red?
Chu Liuxiang pulled out the painting from his robe. Though the facial features were identical, the feeling they gave off was worlds apart.
Human scent? What did ‘human scent’ mean? Chu Liuxiang furrowed his brow in deep thought. Looking at the yellowed portrait, he suddenly sat up. This painting had already yellowed; judging by the degree of damage on the scroll earlier, it must have been several years old.
So why was Mu Qing completely identical to the portrait in this painting, showing no change whatsoever? Could it be that Young Master Mu Qing and that woman were both not human?
He suddenly recalled touching that bone-chilling skin earlier. How could a normal person be like that?
Chu Liuxiang watched for a long while. Seeing that Su Yu was not returning, he got up and walked out.
Just as he opened the door, he saw Su Yu about to push the door open and enter.
“Young Master Mu Qing.” The corners of Chu Liuxiang’s lips curved slightly upward.
Su Yu gave him a glance, lowered his head, and walked inside. Chu Liuxiang closed the room door to keep the night wind out.
“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Su Yu asked.
Chu Liuxiang replied, “Without Young Master Mu Qing here, I cannot fall asleep.”
These words sounded somewhat inappropriate and frivolous. What did he mean by being unable to sleep without Mu Qing present? Did he need to hold Mu Qing in his arms to fall asleep?
The moment the words left his mouth, Chu Liuxiang felt it was somewhat improper. Just as he was about to apologize, he saw Su Yu looking at him in silence. A moment later, Su Yu suddenly reached out and unfastened his own belt.
Chu Liuxiang was instantly startled. He hurriedly pressed down on Su Yu’s hands, his brow tightly furrowed. “Young Master Mu Qing, what are you doing?”
Su Yu bit his lower lip tightly, a sense of humiliated self-pity seemingly hidden deep within his eyes. “Didn’t you want me to sleep with you?”
“When have I ever had such an intention?” Chu Liuxiang could not help raising his voice. His deep voice grew slightly louder, carrying displeasure amidst its majesty.
“I was merely worried about your safety, which was why I had no mind for sleep.” His voice suddenly softened again, resembling the gentle whispers of a lover.
Su Yu raised his eyes. Through the moonlight filtering in from outside the window, Chu Liuxiang seemed to see a faint sheen of tears and sorrow in his eyes.
“We merely met by chance. We cannot even be considered acquaintances. Why would you worry about me?”
Su Yu’s voice was filled with bewilderment, a confusion so profound it made one’s heart ache for him.
Met by chance? Not acquaintances? Chu Liuxiang wanted very much to say, “We are intimate every night, have you forgotten?” But looking at the tearful eyes of the person before him, he could not bring himself to say anything.
“It seems I have brought you trouble, so naturally I would worry about you.” With extremely gentle movements, Chu Liuxiang tied his somewhat loosened belt back up for him. The waist was very slender, exactly as it was in his dreams.
Su Yu turned his body around, facing away from him. “As long as you don’t run around recklessly, you won’t bring me trouble.”
Chu Liuxiang looked at the person turning his back to him; even his shadow seemed to carry a sense of desolation. He could not help taking two steps forward. “May I ask why that lady earlier wanted to hurt you?”
Su Yu turned his head to look at him. “Do not ask about things you shouldn’t ask. Leave first thing tomorrow morning. Do not come here ever again in the future. We will not meet again, nor do you need to know too much.”
“Young Master Mu Qing!” Chu Liuxiang wanted to say more, only to see that Su Yu had already turned his head away and was no longer looking at him.
Seeing that Su Yu was thinly dressed, Chu Liuxiang took off his own outer robe and draped it over him. “If you do not wish to speak of it, I simply won’t ask. It’s just that the night wind is chilly, so take care not to catch a cold.”
Su Yu raised his eyes to look at him, his lips tightly pressed as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he said nothing, merely lowering his eyes and saying, “Thank you.”
Chu Liuxiang originally had no feeling of sleepiness. Yet, for some unknown reason, as he sat on the chair watching Su Yu, he unconsciously slumped onto the tabletop and fell into a deep sleep.
Su Yu glanced at his handsome side profile. Taking off the outer robe draped over himself, he draped it over Chu Liuxiang instead, then silently pushed open the door and walked out.
Early the next morning, Chu Liuxiang was awakened by the glaring sunlight.
When he clearly took in his surroundings, his expression instantly changed drastically. The room that had been intact, clean, and undamaged last night was now decayed, ancient, and crisscrossed with spiderwebs everywhere.
Only the table he was currently leaning on remained as clean as before.
Chu Liuxiang sat up straight, and the outer robe draped over him fell to the floor. He picked up his robe. Everything from last night was not a dream, so why was everything before his eyes so completely different? Could it truly be that he had merely experienced a strange dream inside a ruined temple?