Su Yu took Fusang out of the capital when the skies brightened.
They arrived quietly, and they left quietly as well.
Su Yu was not at all reluctant to leave the capital, and he never even glanced back at this magnificent city.
What he left behind, along with his blood-related family and the wealth and prestige at his disposal, was the dust behind the rolling carriage.
They traveled to Jiangnan and settled in a remote and magnificent mountain forest.
They worked very hard to build a tiny house in the mountains, similar to the one they had in Cangshan.
Fusang planted two peach trees in front of the home, and thanks to his past experience, the seedlings thrived this time.
As before, Su Yu painted and wrote for the inhabitants of the town to make some money, and in his leisure moments, he cuddled with Fusang to read and tell stories.
Everything appeared to be back to normal, relaxed and uninhibited.
Except for the years that slipped silently through their fingers, time passed too happily for them to notice.
Several years passed in the mundane world, but it was only a blink of an eye for a fox who had cultivated into a demon.
But for a mortal, it was his entire life.
Fusang always looked young and sharp from spring to autumn, year after year.
Su Yu, on the other hand, had quietly aged with time. Even though he had been blessed by the years and his appearance had not suffered greatly, he no longer possessed the peerless talent of the handsome gongzi of old.
Su Yu’s eyes dimmed for a moment when he spotted his hair graying.
The bleakness in his eyes grew as he noticed the charming young man next him, who was still youthful and beautiful.
Fusang stood there quietly watching, a burst of indescribable pain welling up in his heart.
He would be young forever and live in the world forever, but he would have to watch the person he loved the most grow old.
It was a kind of torture for him and Su Yu.
But there was nothing they could do.
Time is unstoppable, and no one can resist it.
Su Yu’s body was steadily aging, his vitality was fading, his health was deteriorating, and he began to suffer from illness.
Su Yu stated that he wished to return to Cangshan.
The two finally returned to their hometown after more than a month of rushing.
Cangshan Town appeared to be the same as previously. It was still a typical small town, backward and mundane, but full of the calming daily life of the regular people.
The hawkers and booths openly advertising on the street were likewise well-known.
Fusang felt as if he was back in time when he saw the familiar street.
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.
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He had some heartfelt regrets as well.
If Su Yu hadn’t been together with him at the time, he would have married and had children long ago, and he would have been surrounded by his descendents.
Rather than growing old alone while his lover remained youthful, as he was now.
Fusang shut his eyes.
“SangSang…” Su Yu stroked the top of his head with a large warm palm and quietly said, “SangSang, let’s go home.”
… … …
Despite the passage of several decades, the modest thatched cottage remained intact.
The two peach blossom trees outside the house were flourishing and nearly as tall as the house.
But it was a shame it was late autumn. There were no beautiful peach blossoms to be found, only bare branches.
Fusang simply cleaned up the house and moved in with Su Yu.
It was like returning to the time before they left, as if nothing had changed.
Fusang returned to the top of the mountain the next day, hoping to see the bamboo spirit.
However, no one was there.
Only then did he remember that the bamboo spirit had once indicated that he could turn into a human shape in a few decades. He assumed that the bamboo spirit had already transformed into a human form and had left Cangshan…
Su Yu’s health kept deteriorating since they returned, and he sometimes had to lie down in bed all day.
It became more serious when winter arrived.
Fusang made a fire, sat next to his bed, and read to him.
The youth’s clear and sonorous reading voice was occasionally mixed with a few hurried and urgent coughs.
The man lying on the bed looked haggard. He shut his eyes tight and endured the pain of illness.
Fusang was distressed when he saw Su Yu coughing violently. He assisted him in sitting up and returned from outside the door with a boiled medicinal concoction.
The thick black medicinal soup was served in a white porcelain bowl and had a bitter and unpleasant odor that made people sick.
However, the two of them appeared to be used to the smell.
Su Yu drank it without even a frown.
Fusang watched that and felt bitter in his heart, and his eyes became wet.
“SangSang…” Su Yu raised his head and softly called.
Fusang couldn’t take it any longer and threw himself into Su Yu’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
There were only a few feeble sighs in the dimly illuminated cottage.
***
Su Yu’s condition worsened. He had to sleep for the majority of the day practically every day, and his alert hours were dwindling.
Fusang asked the doctor to make a diagnosis. The doctor sighed deeply and recommended Fusang to start preparing as soon as possible.
Fusang’s eyes widened, and he asked in puzzlement, “What preparation…”
The doctor simply sighed and shook his head, carrying the medicine box on his back, and took his leave.
It was self-evident what Fusang needed to prepare in the absence of acupuncture and medication.
By the time he understood, the doctor had already gone a long way.
Fusang collapsed to the ground with a pallid face and uncontrollable tears streamed down his eyelids.
At this very moment, he finally understood why the bamboo spirit had strongly discouraged him from being with Su Yu.
He was not at all concerned that the mortal might deceive him.
Rather, he was afraid that Fusang would love too deeply, and he would have to watch the person he loved age and die over time; he, on the other hand, would be left all alone in the world and would only be able to eke out a solitary existence with the memories for a few decades.
Live for hundreds of thousands of years.
This was undoubtedly a torturous ordeal.
What a pity he understood it too late.
Cangshan was blanketed with snow on the day Su Yu left.
When Fusang pushed open the window, a cold wind swept in, bringing fluffy snow with it, making him shiver.
Su Yu was leaning on the bed, gazing out the window at the pristine white snow, and there was a spark of clarity in his eyes, which had been befuddled for a long time.
“SangSang, come.” He waved at Fusang with a smile.
When Fusang noticed his complexion was good, a pleasant surprise flashed in the fox’s eyes, and he hurried over.
“SangSang, do you remember, it also snowed the first time we met…”
Fusang laid next to him, listening to Su Yu recount their history.
Fusang’s tense heart relaxed when he saw Su Yu’s complexion was much better at this time, possibly because he had been feeling anxious for several days.
He was leaning forward on the side of Su Yu’s bed and unknowingly fell asleep.
Half-asleep, he felt his hand being tightly gripped, and he could hear Su Yu calling out to him in a barely audible voice.
The voice sounded urgent, and was filled with an unwillingness to part.
“SangSang…”
Fusang awoke with a jolt when another blast of wind blew in from outside the window carrying the fine snow.
He didn’t know when Su Yu had closed his eyes, but he’d kept his former position of leaning on the bed and appeared tranquil as if he’d dozed off.
Except for his lips, which were colorless.
“Are you sleeping, Su Yu?” Fusang inquired, his voice hoarse.
Nobody in the room responded to him.
He probed the man’s breath with quivering fingertips and shrank back as if scalded.
He couldn’t stop crying and drowning himself in tears.
His Su Yu had left him all alone.
The snow outside the window was becoming heavier and heavier, as if to bury all the grief there.
***
Fusang erected a tomb for Su Yu beside the peach tree they planted together back then.
The bamboo spirit, which he hadn’t seen in decades, had also returned.
He had already assumed human shape and appeared to be a tall and gorgeous young man.
The bamboo spirit couldn’t stand it when he saw Fusang’s depressed expression and said, “If you love him that much, you can wait for his reincarnation.”
For a brief while, Fusang was distracted: “Reincarnation…”
“Yes, every mortal reincarnates. You can track down his reincarnation, and when he matures, you can rekindle your bond with him.” The bamboo spirit elaborated.
Fusang remained mute.
“I’ve made a lot of friends over the years. Maybe I can go to hell to help you find out…”
“No need…” Fusang shook his head. His face was pale and he looked on the verge of collapse as he said in a raspy voice, “Let him live a normal life. I shouldn’t be in his life in the first place…”
“And it isn’t him, even if it is his reincarnation…”
His Su Yu had left and would never return.
“Just wait, I’ll ask someone to make some inquiries, and I assure you I will gain the knowledge of your Su Yu gongzi’s reincarnation!” exclaimed the bamboo spirit in distress. He couldn’t bear seeing Fusang’s haggard and despondent demeanor.
Regardless of whether Fusang responded or not, the bamboo spirit left in a hurry.
Fusang dismissed the words of the bamboo spirit. He stroked the fox jade pendant on his chest, lay alongside the fresh grave, closed his eyes, and slipped into a heavy sleep.
Su Yu feared being alone the most. He wanted to accompany him.
Its been a while since i cried so hard reading a novel. ;A;
Thank you for the translation!!
I feel like I might have been better off if I hadn’t started reading this while it was unfinished. I’m 100% sure it’ll be a HE but l o r d. Rn it hurtssss. Did not expect to end up crying halfway through my breakfast. Just goes to show how taken I am with this story. Short but powerful 🥲👍
Thank you for new chapter. I’m sob so much
Wuwuwuwuwu
This is so sad! ಥ_ಥ I know that moment has to come, but still! I feel like crying ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚
Thank You for the new chapter (｡’▽’｡)♡
Aaaaaaaahhhh 🥲🥲🥲🥲
It hurts. Wuwuwu😭
I… D*amn… It’s really hard to control the tears swelling in my eyes..
I don’t recommend reading this chapter with Dir En Grey’s “Ain’t Afraid to Die” in your earphones. A painful experience, I must say.
i did not expect to cry in reading this omg TT thank you for this chapter~
😭😭😭 NOOOO
This caught me off guard. I was so entertained watching their moments together as they strengthen their relationship. So much so that I forgot that everything has an ending, and that time is slipping in our hands much faster than we originally thought. It is inevitable that this story would touch my heart and my life, to an extent. ❤
Thanks for picking this story up to translate!
❤
OMG what a great translation; but I can’t stop crying. What a great love story. I hope the next chapter will be a positive one. Thank you for your hard work. You gave us exceptional read. Thank You!!
I knew that it’s inevitable that it’ll come to this. Human x Non-human relationships will always hurt :(( And it is true that although the soul is the same, the breathe/being isn’t the one you’re accustomed to anymore 😞
Damn thats hard
dang it …I knew this was gonna hurt
❤️❤️❤️
Rip my heart out why don’t ya. 😭😭😭