Gui Yin hadn’t expected Erlang to answer his question. He awkwardly grasped onto the edge of the handkerchief. There was nothing wrong with learning this bit of information, but Gui Yin felt as if he had impeded on something important.
“I see,” Gui Yin hummed. He carefully tucked Erlang’s handkerchief away, but waved off the hand that came to take the dirty one. “You obviously treasure your cleanliness. There’s no need to take this.”
Erlang chuckled, watching as Gui Yin simply burned it with a snap of his fingers. “I’ll buy you a new one later.”
“If you so wish to,” Gui Yin said, glancing at Erlang, before continuing down through the cave’s tunnel.
Erlang glanced at Gui Yin, a small smile on his face as his gaze lowered. How odd it was for him to bring up his mother. Fate truly does pull people to do things uncharacteristic to them.
“Erlang?”
Erlang looked up.
“Are you okay?” Gui Yin asked.
He wasn’t sure what Erlang had done back at the pool of blood, but it must be some kind of tracing or tracking technique. Since Gui Yin wasn’t knowledgeable about this power, he wondered if it might have taken a toll on him.
When the question fell on Erlang’s ears, however, he thought Gui Yin assumed he was emotional about his mother. He lightly nodded.
“I’m fine. I’m just…thinking.”
“Oh. Well, you shouldn’t worry too much. I’m sure, no matter what it is, we’ll be fine,” Gui Yin said, turning to face the front again.
Erlang glanced at him. He hummed.
After a few more steps, Erlang spoke again: “Gui-xiong, do you ever get resentful?”
“Resentful?” Gui Yin echoed in confusion. He looked at Erlang. “What’s this all of a sudden?”
“People may think that taking care of others and being empathetic are instinct to some, but the truth is it isn’t. It’s a habit that’s formed,” Erlang said. His gaze was casual—almost lazy, even—yet Gui Yin felt as if he was completely seen through. “Do you ever get resentful that you had to form such a habit?”
Gui Yin silently held Erlang’s gaze. Eventually, he chuckled. “It’s because you’ve told me so much about your childhood and your mother, so you’re trying to get something from me to even it out, right?”
Erlang smiled. “You see? Even this is something you saw through.”
“Well, there’s nothing I can’t talk about,” except the things he’s forgotten, “so, it’s fine to ask.”
“What were your parents like?”
“As you may have guessed,” Gui Yin said. “I was not the oldest, but I wasn’t the youngest. There were many children after me and the few before me had already gotten my parents’ attention. I was expected to look after the younger children. When I left, only my youngest sister cried on my behalf. Everyone else just felt that I was abandoning the family. In reality, I just wanted to live my life.”
In fact, “Gui Qinle” was similar to the twenty-first century’s “Gui Yin”. The only difference was Gui Yin had been the eldest child of a broken marriage. And all the siblings that came after were only half-siblings. Just like in this reality, only his youngest half-sister had become upset when Gui Yin broke away from the family.
“Do you miss her?”
“My little sister?”
Erlang nodded.
“What’s the point of missing someone who’s been dead for centuries?” Gui Yin chuckled.
Or someone who you won’t ever see again?
“I miss my mother sometimes.”
Gui Yin looked at Erlang.
“When it’s thundering or when it’s too hot. Sometimes when a candle’s light flickers out. Sometimes when I hear a crow’s cry,” Erlang said. He met Gui Yin’s gaze. “Even if it’s been centuries, if a person meant a lot to you, you’ll remember them. That’s what makes a person ‘human’.”
Gui Yin heard himself chuckle. “To think you’re the one to discuss what is and isn’t human with me.”
“Is it odd?”
“No. I just have a new perspective on you, Huigu Palace Lord,” Gui Yin said, with a small smile. He glanced at Erlang and added: “It’s a good one.”
“I hope it keeps improving. I would like to be by your side for a very long time,” Erlang sighed.
“Continue speaking like that and our time will be cut short,” Gui Yin scoffed lightly.
Erlang smiled to himself. The silence stretched on until Gui Yin spoke again.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“I miss her,” Gui Yin admitted. “She was the only person who saw me as an individual before I became a cultivator. Of course, I miss her. But I heard she lived a good life. And that’s all I could ask for.”
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Gui Yin looked up at the hole. There was enough light to still light up the room, but it wasn’t enough for an adult man to go through. He let out a light scoff and then turned towards the paths before them. He stepped forward, looking down the three open pathways. He turned to Erlang.
“Which do you think we should choose?”
Erlang gave a fleeting glance to the doors and then back to Gui Yin. He smiled. “I don’t know.”
Despite himself, Gui Yin was surprised. He didn’t believe in all the foolish things about “fate” and “the stars” that Erlang had talked about, but it was completely out of character for him to admit it so quickly. There was no dancing around, no suggestion or allusion. Just a straight forward “I don’t know”.
Gui Yin looked at Erlang skeptically. “You do know something.”
“I really don’t,” Erlang shook his head. “You make the decision, Gui-xiong.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because my luck has always been bad. This kind of thing is a guessing game, which requires luck. You have more than I do, so you should choose.”
Gui Yin was speechless. “Erlang, you…”
“Yes?”
“…You look like a man of evidence and reason, but you actually have a lot of superstitions.”
“It is always better to believe something is real, than to write it off as false,” Erlang said. He raised a hand and gestured towards the three entryways. “Gui-xiong, if you please.”
Gui Yin glanced at Erlang skeptically as he walked up to the entryways. Although they had gotten to know each other better the past two days, Gui Yin still got an itchy feeling as if Erlang was constantly trying to set him up. Yet at the same time, he knew that if he truly fell into peril, Erlang wouldn’t just let him die.
What an odd man.
“Have you chosen?” Erlang asked.
“The happiness in your voice is grating on the ears,” Gui Yin drawled.
Erlang chuckled. He took a step closer so that he was just behind Gui Yin. “I’m just excited to see what sort of adventures you’ll take us on.”
Gui Yin threw an irritated glare over his shoulder, but Erlang still shamelessly smiled. He turned back to the entryways and frowned. They were all identical. There was absolutely nothing different about them, from the size of their openings, to the way the dirt laid on the ground. Gui Yin lowered his gaze and took a step closer.
It was as if nothing had passed through here before.
“This cave is messing with us,” Gui Yin muttered. He looked around, but was interrupted by Erlang.
“If there was another way, I would have suggested we take it,” Erlang said. He tilted his chin towards the doors. “But these really are the only way to advance.”
Gui Yin glanced at Erlang. He finally sighed, grabbed the man’s wrist, and pulled him towards the door furthest left.
“Gui-xiong, what is the meaning of this?” Erlang asked, swaying his arm that Gui Yin gripped.
“I’m scared that you’ll run off when I walk towards a door,” Gui Yin explained.
Erlang pouted. “You still don’t trust me.”
“I trust you, but I trust you in the same way I trust that a nonpoisonous snake won’t kill me.”
It won’t kill him, but it’ll definitely still bite him.
Erlang laughed. “In fact, this is actually a good idea.”
They had just passed through the door when Gui Yin felt himself fall back slightly. He glanced over and watched Erlang tying their hands together. He frowned deeply and looked at Erlang.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“This cave is strange and seems to have a mind of its own,” Erlang explained. “If we aren’t tied together, it might try to tear us apart. At least if we’re tied like this, and the ribbon suddenly falls, we’ll know to be vigilant of each other.”
Gui Yin could feel Erlang’s skin against his. He glanced down subtly. Even though Erlang’s hand was soft, it was still riddled with scars. The scars, although old, were still clearly visible. Now faded to a strange paleness, it gave Erlang’s hand an unfortunate texture. Gui Yin’s fingers twitched slightly, not because he wanted to tear away, but because he wanted a better feel.
“You know too much about me,” Erlang said, twisting their hands so that his fingers interlocked with Gui Yin. “I’ll tell you about these scars another day.”
Gui Yin scoffed. His gaze drifted over to Erlang’s right hand. “That one’s fine.”
“It is.”
Gui Yin glanced at Erlang. “You really won’t tell me?”
“Won’t tell.”
“It’s because I won’t tell you about myself, right?”
Erlang shrugged. “Even if you told me something else, who knows if I’ll tell you.”
“You—”
“We have a long road ahead of us, Gui-xiong,” Erlang said. Gui Yin looked at Erlang’s mischievous smile. “There’s no need to hurry.”
Gui Yin was slightly indignant, but he said nothing else in protest. Their fingers were only loosely linked. There was no power behind their hold, but Gui Yin felt his skin burning.
As they had expected, the entry to this tunnel closed up as soon as they stepped in. Gui Yin let out a soft sigh, but set the Night Pearl ahead of them again. The tunnel was narrower, compared to the one they were previously in, but they could still walk beside each other. The caveat to this was that their shoulders brushed against each other constantly, making it a little awkward.
“Are you still thinking?” Erlang asked in amusement.
“I am,” Gui Yin shamelessly admitted.
Erlang chuckled. His fingers flexed against Gui Yin’s hand. “It’s not even an interesting story. I’ll tell you next time.”
“If it’s not interesting and you’ll tell me anyway, can’t you just tell me now?” Gui Yin asked.
Normally, Gui Yin was quite reasonable and level-headed, however when it came to a person purposely withholding information they didn’t need to, Gui Yin’s curiosity would be difficult to contain. Erlang met Gui Yin’s irritable gaze. There was a trace of a pout on the man’s lips. Erlang’s lips twitched slightly. He shook his head and turned away.
“If I tell you everything, then you won’t find me intriguing anymore.”
Gui Yin scoffed. He pettily pinched Erlang’s palm and turned away. “I don’t find you intriguing in the first place.”
“Liar.”
“You’re a liar.”
Erlang pursed his lips to hold back his laughter, but Gui Yin could see his shaking shoulders out of the corner of his eyes. He frowned and elbowed the other man irritably. Erlang choked out a laugh. He looked at Gui Yin with a dimpled smile, his eyes curving into crescents.
“Gui-xiong, you’re very amusing,” Erlang said as he lightly cleared his throat.
“Hah. Amusing, huh?” Gui Yin smiled sarcastically.
Erlang averted his gaze. Amusing was the right word, but Gui Yin was also endlessly interesting.
As the pair walked, Gui Yin found that they were slowly being squeezed together. At first, it was barely noticeable, but soon Erlang had slipped in front of Gui Yin. Their hands were still interlocked. Eventually, the roof became lower and lower and lower.
“Are you claustrophobic?” Gui Yin asked.
“Maybe a little,” Erlang replied, a forced smile tinging his voice.
Gui Yin frowned. He tugged on Erlang. “Let’s stop a moment.”
The two men froze in place. Gui Yin looked behind them. All he could see was a long stretch of darkness. If he peered in front, it was about the same result, only with the Night Pearl hovering a few feet ahead. A low hum left Gui Yin.
“I’ll be fine,” Erlang reassured Gui Yin.
He looked at the other man skeptically.
“Well, even if I wasn’t, it’s not like there’s anything we could do,” Erlang pointed out. He held up their hands. “Besides, since we’re tied, I know I won’t be abandoned in this tight space. That’s already helpful enough.”
Gui Yin felt his heart twinge. Sob stories were a dime a dozen in Jianghu, but the casualness that Erlang spoke with made him feel upset. For a moment, the image of a young boy overlapped with the strong man in front of him. He stilled in surprise.
Erlang raised a brow. “Gui-xiong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Let’s keep going then. Maybe we’ll make it out sooner.”
“I don’t know about that. I have a feeling the hallway is tightening because they want us to separate,” Erlang said.
“And if we get separated here, the chances of us making it out will grow slimmer,” Gui Yin said.
Erlang nodded. He looked down the tunnel. “But we’re going the right way.”
“…How do you know?”
“The stars.”
“We’re in a cave.”
“The stars don’t just exist in the sky, but also in our hearts,” Erlang said.
“You’re so romantic,” Gui Yin monotonously drawled.
Erlang chuckled. He looked back at Gui Yin with a dimpled smile. “Does this side of me make your heart flutter?”
“Your smile makes my heart flutter more,” Gui Yin said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
Erlang laughed even harder. Gui Yin scoffed lightly as the man in front of him nearly keeled over from amusement. He momentarily glanced down at their hands and then at the walls closing in on them.
“Erlang, wait a moment.”
Erlang paused. At this point, they couldn’t turn around anymore. At the moment, Erlang could only glance over his shoulder. Then, he felt the silk around their wrists come undone. The warm hand left his and there was a sudden drop in temperature against his palm.
“Gui-xiong—”
“We have to separate, or else we’ll be squeezed to death,” Gui Yin explained. “Don’t you already feel the walls loosening around us?”
Erlang frowned. He could shift just the slightest, his shoulders already only just barely brushing the walls of the cave as he looked at the man behind him.
“But we’ll be separated this way.”
“But we’ll just find each other again. You get the claw and I’ll make sure I don’t lose you,” Gui Yin said. “Simple.”
Erlang stared at Gui Yin.
There was a long silence between the two men. In their time together, Erlang had only been suave and charming. This was the first time Gui Yin had seen disbelief and even a little bit of judgement on his face. The urge to laugh almost took hold of Gui Yin, but he managed to hold back, and met Erlang’s disbelief with a questioning look.
“How do you know you won’t lose me?” Erlang asked. At this point, even without moving, Erlang was able to completely turn around. His strong brows were tightly furrowed. “This is dangerous. I can’t let you take that kind of risk. How about we try and find a way out first, then I will proceed on my own.”
“Why? Do you think I’m incapable of handling a situation like this?”
“It’s far too risky.”
“Then, why are you staying?”
“If I don’t make it out alive, then Huigu Palace has others to look after it. If you don’t make it out alive, then what will your children do?” Erlang asked. “I’m a replaceable existence. You are not. Besides, I’ve said it before—if you die, I won’t live very long either.”
“That’s just,” silly. Gui Yin wanted to say it was silly, but the word died in the back of his throat. He shook his head and glared at Erlang. “Replaceable existence? Need I remind you that you still owe me four favors? If you die here, who am I going to go to get repaid? Shall I wait till our next life?”
Erlang’s serious expression faltered.
“In this entirety of the Three Realms, there is only one you. You’re not replaceable,” Gui Yin said.
After a moment, Erlang let out a short scoff. The serious atmosphere dissipated. “You don’t even want me to repay you.”
“You have to show more persistence! Maybe I’ll agree one day,” Gui Yin said, teasingly patting Erlang’s chest as he walked past him. He spread his arms, allowing his fingertips to graze the wall. “Look—it’s already expanded this much. I’m sure it’s thought that it’s outsmarted us.”
A small smile reemerged on Erlang’s lips. He let out a sigh and continued forward. “Then, shall we?”
Gui Yin hummed and the pair continued their journey once more.
Before long, the pair came upon a split path. Gui Yin glanced between them and then looked to Erlang. “Do I choose again?”
“If you want a higher chance of survival,” Erlang said, with a short nod.
Gui Yin shook his head. “Superstitious.”
“We can try it next time—when the stakes aren’t as high.”
Gui Yin frowned. He looked behind him. “Do you know something that you aren’t telling me?”
Erlang smiled. He pressed a finger to his lips. “Heaven’s Will.”
Gui Yin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and chose a random path to walk down. Since he took the lead, he failed to notice the odd, twisting shadows that appeared on the ground, just at the edge of the Night Pearl’s illumination. Erlang glanced down. The shadows hesitated to approach, writhing uncomfortably for a moment, before dashing off into the darkness again.
personally i don’t resent having to learn How to Care. it’s a worthwhile effort, and i find care feels more heartfelt when empathy isn’t instinct. idk, maybe that’s my autism akxajxbsj
i feel like most people have to learn how to care. it just depends on the balance of putting yourself first vs putting others first that starts getting a little rocky. erlang brought it up bc GY seems to overly put others first, which is where resentment might start forming uwu
thanks for R E A D!
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
THANKS for the READ
love in the air~ (even if it is slow burn)
Thanks for the chapter!!!
Poisonous snakes won’t kill you, either. Just don’t eat them, and you’ll be fine. It’s only venomous snakes that you have to be more careful with, since they might bite you if mishandled.