Qingce was a peaceful region, with flowers that seemed to bloom brilliantly year-round save for winter. Now, as the coldest season of the year arrives, the trees that were always filled with Wulian flowers were bare. Flecks of blue littered the ground, decorating the plain white snow.
In the early morning, few people had awoken, but the snow on the bridge already had footsteps.
“Shijie!”
The loud, excited voice was one Qin Siyi hadn’t expected to hear. She paused and slowly turned. A heavy weight fell against her, making her stumble back. The only reason she hadn’t completely fallen was because she had grabbed onto the bridge’s railing. Qin Siyi looked down at the high ponytail that nearly brushed her chin. Her hand lightly patted the silky white clothes beneath her and she let out a soft sigh.
“How did you find me?”
Shan Yu peeled back. Her face was red from the coldness. “I’ve been looking for you for an entire year! What do you mean how did I find you?”
“An entire year?” Qin Siyi echoed, appearing surprised. She hadn’t even realized a year had already passed.
“An entire year without one letter from you. Do you know how worried Ye-shishu, Jiu-shishu, and Da-shixiong are?!” Shan Yu exclaimed. “They thought you died or something.”
Knowing the characters of those three individuals, Qin Siyi only chuckled. “You’re so dramatic.”
Shan Yu puffed out her cheeks and harrumphed. “I don’t care. You come back with me for New Year’s!”
“I’m busy.”
“Too busy for your own sect?” Shan Yu asked. “What could you possibly be doing?”
“There’s a case of missing young men. I’m investigating it right now,” Qin Siyi said.
“But that won’t take three months, will it?” Shan Yu pointed out.
“I’m still looking for Shizun.”
“Do you have any clues? Any leads? Is there anything that should be urgently followed?” Shan Yu asked.
Qin Siyi lowered her gaze and shook her head.
“You’re avoiding us.”
“I’m not avoiding you.”
“Then, who are you avoiding?” Shan Yu pressed.
“…Shan Yu, we just reunited. Are you trying to make me angry?” Qin Siyi asked.
Shan Yu glared at her. “It’s been a year. You haven’t gotten any more clearheaded from then?”
“Shan Yu.”
Shan Yu pouted. She averted her gaze as she took a breath to calm down. Seeing her like this, Qin Siyi turned to leave, but her next words made her stop.
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.
“Do you think Shizun would want to see us like this?”
“Yo mbegrf cba.”
Vtjc Te geyyfv ja tfg cbrf, jr lo vblcu rb kbeiv ufa glv bo atf rbeg offilcu. Vtf kjamtfv Hlc Vlsl kjix oegatfg jkjs jcv teoofv.
Hlc Vlsl ofia atf ybvs rijw lcab tfg jujlc, yea rtf wjcjufv ab ygjmf tfgrfio lc alwf. Vtf uijcmfv yjmx ja Vtjc Te jcv ogbkcfv. “Ljnf sbe ugbkc ajiifg?”
“Of course,” Shan Yu clicked her tongue. Her arms tightened their grip around Qin Siyi’s waist as she pouted. “Shijie, why are you walking off again?”
“I said I’m not going back with you,” Qin Siyi said, trying to pry Shan Yu off of her.
Shan Yu placed her chin on Qin Siyi’s shoulder. “Then, I won’t go back either.”
Qin Siyi froze. “What?”
“I’ll follow you,” Shan Yu said, grinning. “I always wanted to go on a mission with you, Shijie. Let’s go together this time.”
Qin Siyi averted her eyes. She sighed and pushed Shan Yu away. “You’re too close.”
Shan Yu purposefully stumbled back a few steps, her large eyes appearing rather puppy-like as she followed Qin Siyi. “Is it not good for me to be close? I used to cling to you all the time when we were kids.”
“You’re nineteen now. Why are you bringing up things that happened when you were seven?” Qin Siyi scoffed.
“The age of three determines how you’ll be at eighty; the age of seven determines how you’ll be for life,” Shan Yu recited. She grinned. “So, what makes you think I’ll be any different from how I’ll be from when I was seven?”
Qin Siyi scoffed. “Then, do you think I’m like how I was as a kid?”
Shan Yu hummed for a moment before nodding. “You are!”
Qin Siyi’s brows furrowed. “I am? How?”
“Well, look at how far we’ve walked from the bridge,” Shan Yu said, pointing back. She grinned. “You said you don’t want me to follow you, but I’ve followed you for this long, and you haven’t hit me. Even if your temperament changed, you’re still my kind and patient Siyi.”
Qin Siyi faltered. She glared at Shan Yu. “Call me Shijie.”
Shan Yu laughed. “See? Still the same.”
“Do you want me to beat you for you to listen?” Qin Siyi rolled her eyes. She began walking again. It was hard to ignore the new warmth at her side and the extra noise by her ear, but when she stepped back from her annoyance, she found that she didn’t quite mind.
“But you won’t,” Shan Yu sang, so confident in her analysis. “At least not with me.”
Qin Siyi glanced at Shan Yu. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m your Shan Yu,” she said, poking her cheeks cutely.
“My Shan Yu isn’t taller than me.”
“I’m only taller by three centimeters. Don’t be so stingy,” Shan Yu clicked her tongue. She happily walked beside Qin Siyi for a moment before leaning over again. “Hey, I ended up actually growing taller than—Ow!”
Snow didn’t fall heavily in the south like it did in Qingce, but it did rain a lot. Today was one of the few days of the winter months that it wasn’t raining in Xinggang City (星港城). Still, the grounds had yet to dry and the skies were beginning to cloud over.
Gui Linghuo looked out from the balcony, at the people scurrying to their jobs before the rain began. He carefully took a sip of his tea and turned his attention back to the storyteller down below. The old man, with white beard in hand, told a riveting retelling of what happened during the decade of war. The common people listened with rapture, but Gui Linghuo only found it mildly amusing.
He let out a soft sigh through his nose and fiddled with the folding fan by his side. He unfolded it, but without the flourish its original owner had, and gently turned it in his hands.
Despite Shan Yu’s words a year ago, Gui Linghuo had left the peak multiple times. He realized remaining in one place wouldn’t help anyone, not even himself. Li Fangyin had suggested using Gui Yin’s natal weapon, Fenghua, to track him down. But no matter where Gui Linghuo went, Fenghua remained silent. It was as if Gui Yin was no longer in this world and had taken Fenghua’s spirit away with him.
“Is Shizun really gone?” Gui Linghuo whispered.
Of course, the folding fan didn’t respond.
“Hey.”
Gui Linghuo looked up.
The handsome man smiled at him, pushing aside his wide sleeves as he sat down across from Gui Linghuo. After placing the order with the waiter, Li Fangyin turned back to Gui Linghuo, but paused when he saw his beverage.
“Tea? I thought we were going to drink today,” Li Fangyin said, frowning.
“I was going to set off again after meeting with you,” Gui Linghuo said. He gently folded the fan back up and set it to the side. “I can’t travel if I’ve consumed alcohol.”
Li Fangyin clicked his tongue. “Don’t be like that. I came all the way from the north just to spend time with you! I even escaped my father’s clutches and you’re going to tell me you won’t even let me stay at your Shuangye Peak for a spell before you leave?”
“You can stay,” Gui Linghuo said, sipping at his tea. “I just won’t be there.”
“Why would I stay there without you?” Li Fangyin asked. He sighed and propped his head up. “Where are you going this time?”
“Devil’s Desert,” Gui Linghuo said. His fingers habitually rubbed the side of the fan. “I’ve already looked everywhere around the upper realm except there. Maybe I’ll discover something new.”
Li Fangyin watched him silently for a moment before humming. “That would be nice. A change of weather, as well. I’ve only been in the south for a few days, but it seems like the rain just won’t stop.”
“It always gets like this around this time of year,” Gui Linghuo said, glancing out again. “It’s a miracle there are never floods.”
“Miracle or a god’s blessing?”
“If there was a god that magical, I would have prayed to them already,” Gui Linghuo said. He took another sip of tea and hesitated for a moment. “You…how are you?”
Li Fangyin raised a brow. “Linghuo, we saw each other just three months ago. I know what you’re asking, but do you think my answer would change?”
Gui Linghuo’s brows furrowed.
Li Fangyin let out a long sigh. “She was my little sister, but I’m clearheaded enough to not go around blaming someone who just happened to be on the same scene. I know whose fault it was and it certainly wasn’t yours. Or do you think I’m a liar and I’m just waiting for your guard to be lowered to get my revenge?”
Gui Linghuo shook his head. “I would never think that about you, Li-ge.”
“Li-ge again. Just call me Fangyin,” Li Fangyin sighed. He thanked the waiter who stopped by with his wine and glanced at Gui Linghuo again. “Have you thought about…finding another person?”
Gui Linghuo’s head shot up. His expression was several parts devastated, several parts disappointed. “It’s only been a year. How could I—”
“It was just a suggestion,” Li Fangyin said. “It’s just…hard to see you like this.”
Gui Linghuo averted his gaze. “Like what? I don’t think there’s anything wrong.”
Li Fangyin glanced at the black veins peering out from Gui Linghuo’s sleeve. He tilted his chin. “Have you gotten that looked at?”
Gui Linghuo readjusted his wide-sleeves and glanced at Li Fangyin. “I’m fine.”
“Actually fine or pretending to be fine?” Li Fangyin asked. “You and I both know that about your condition. Have you been cultivating recently? How are you heart demons?”
Gui Linghuo pursed his lips. “I haven’t been cultivating recently. I’ve only been meditating, but even then I can’t seem to clear my thoughts.”
“It’d be odd if you could,” Li Fangyin said. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a bottle. He slid it over. “Take these every time you try to cultivate.”
“What’s this?” Gui Linghuo frowned.
“You could call them suppressants. It helps calm your mind and drowns out your anxiety. You don’t like incense, right?” Li Fangyin said. “These are a good substitute.”
Gui Linghuo’s thumb brushed against the pill bottle. “Thank you, Fangyin.”
“No need to thank me,” Li Fangyin said, waving his hand. He smiled sadly as he observed Gui Linghuo.
When the pair first met, he was still a child, dressed in Yunjing Pavilions turquoise and yellow robes. His hair had been pulled up into a stubby ponytail. Now, his hair was pulled into a half-bun. The wide-sleeved robes that he had once mocked were always pressed neatly before he wore them. By his side was never his sword anymore, but a folding fan that didn’t even belong to him. If he didn’t know any better, from a far, Li Fangyin might even mistake him for Gui Yin.
Sometimes, he wondered if that was on purpose. But he never had the heart to ask. If Gui Linghuo realized he was so obvious, he would feel upset, wouldn’t he?
“Stay a few more days,” Li Fangyin said, sighing as he dumped Gui Linghuo’s tea out the window and poured him some of his wine instead. He set it down in front of the younger man. “I get so bored up at Yin Hua Palace. You won’t make me go back there so soon, will you?”
Gui Linghuo glanced at the wine and back at Li Fangyin.
“We don’t even have to go back to Shuangye Peak. We can stay here and drink away our days,” Li Fangyin said. He smiled. “What do you say? And it’s my birthday soon.”
“Your birthday is in the summer,” Gui Linghuo said, taking the wine and drinking it all in a gulp.
Li Fangyin laughed. “So, you remember my birthday, but what about yours?”
Gui Linghuo paused.
“It’s in a week,” Li Fangyin said, pouring Gui Linghuo another cup. He waved the waiter down to order some more and turned back to Gui Linghuo. “Take a break and relax with me. Who knows? Maybe after you’ve calmed down, something good will happen to you.”
Gui Linghuo took the second cup and downed it again. He placed it back down and rested his head against his hand. “Just this week.”
“Just this week,” Li Fangyin promised.
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
thank you for r e a d ing
good work Shan Yu for not only finding Qin Siyi but also for growing taller uvu
and the boys here breakin my heart, ough;;;
shan yu’s achieving all her life goals, good for her– the boyz……………………………………yeah…
💕💕
thanks for reeadd
Poor Gui Linghuo
From the start i shipped these 2 cuties together but then Fangyin’s sister jumped out, out of nowhere… Now she’s gone (I’m sad, but i never really liked her). Can i shipp them together again pretty please?!