Xia Qing’s breath froze, looking at her in disbelief, he asked haltingly, “Do you want me to take out the Ananda Sword now?”
Xue Fuguang: “Yes, it’s rightfully yours.”
Xia Qing was so anxious that he didn’t know how to communicate with her: “No, not now.”
Xue Fuguang’s gaze was calm: “Why not? You are the master of the Ananda Sword. You have been holding it since you were five years old, never letting it go for ten years, not even for eating or sleeping. Xia Qing, you are its only owner, and someday you will have to pick it up again.”
Xia Qing said, “But definitely not now.”
Xue Fuguang: “Why?”
Xia Qing grabbed his hair, feeling a surge of sadness in his heart, and said bitterly, “I’m not worthy.”
Xue Fuguang frowned.
Xia Qing had already restrained his emotions, speaking quickly, “I’ve had dreams about your little junior brother. The old man said that once you pick up the sword, you can’t put it down, right? The price is too heavy, I… I don’t want to bear it for now.”
Xue Fuguang obviously didn’t expect this reason, and chuckled suddenly, “Forget it, I won’t force you. I’ll open the mustard for you. If you encounter danger, just crush the leaves.”
She slowly infused the lotus-green spiritual power into the leaf, and soon the intricate patterns on it became increasingly chaotic, branching out like a spider’s web, tearing apart.
Xue Fuguang said, “You cultivate the Supreme Path of Forgetting Emotions, unaffected by reincarnation. If you pick up the Ananda Sword again, you can restore all your cultivation.”
“Oh.” Xia Qing dryly responded, reluctantly taking the leaf back.
Xue Fuguang quietly watched him for a while, sitting against the light, her gray-white long hair scattered on the lotus-green robe, blurry and distant.
She immersed herself in memories, her voice drifting like smoke in a dimly lit room.
“I remember the first move of the Supreme Path of Forgetting Emotions is ‘Heaven and Earth in Chaos.’ So the master asked you to see flowers, see grass, see mountains, see seas, see everything in the world. You were so small back then, like a white dumpling, yet you could sit alone on the rocks for seven days and nights. I still remember, when you first came to Peng Lai, you were particularly aloof and didn’t like to talk, but later you became a bit more lively, enjoying not only sword practice but also daydreaming alone.”
“The master said you were the most suitable person for the Supreme Path of Forgetting Emotions, yet every time he entered the world, he liked to take you with him. I didn’t understand back then, why, if it’s the Supreme Path of Forgetting Emotions, you still had to frequently engage with the worldly desires. Later, I understood that Supreme Path of Forgetting Emotions isn’t about being heartless. It’s just not being bound by emotions, not being hindered by them. Serenity without being moved by emotions, as if forgotten.”
Xue Fuguang said, “Not being bound by emotions, not being hindered by them. So, my junior brother, what is it that almost makes you unwilling to confront the sword demon?”
Xia Qing stood up from his chair, holding the leaf, and in the golden light of floating dust, he softly replied to Xue Fuguang, “It’s myself.”
He took a few steps outside and saw several children playing by the field edge.
Just past the early spring planting season, the wind swept across the wilderness like a green wave.
Some children jumped into the field to catch tadpoles, while others sat by the road swinging their tiny, soil-stained feet, playing with dogtail grass, laughing joyfully. Unlike the merfolk in Ling Guang City, who were born into servitude or sold to pleasure houses for entertainment, in this idyllic village reminiscent of a peach blossom spring, they retained the carefree innocence of childhood.
The oldest among them, a merchild sitting on the edge, with hair tied in a small braid, held a leaf in hand, probably bored and gazing intermittently at the sky while humming an off-key tune.
The boy squatting to catch tadpoles shouted loudly, “What are you humming! It’s awful! Sing something else, sing something else!”
The boy with the braid retorted, “It’s not awful! My grandpa used to hum this tune to put me to sleep when I was little.”
“It’s awful! You scared away my tadpoles.”
Rolling his eyes, the boy replied, “It’s because you’re clumsy and can’t catch them!”
Unconcerned, he continued to play the leaf.
Though the tune was off-key, Xia Qing still recognized it; it should be the one played for him on the boat in the reed marsh while observing the scene.
Clear and melodious, it sounded like a distant story being gently told.
“Does this tune have a name?” Xia Qing walked over and asked.
The boy was startled, almost dropping the leaf. After seeing it was a handsome young man, he swallowed nervously and said, “Yes, my grandpa said… it’s called Lingwei.”
Xia Qing clicked his tongue softly.
He earnestly observed the merchild and asked, “Has your grandpa ever told you about Lingwei?”
The boy mumbled, “No.”
Xia Qing: “Hmm?”
The boy said, “He never wanted to tell me stories of the sea, saying I was still too young. But before I even grew up, he was killed by humans.”
Xia Qing froze. In this world where the merfolk were regarded lower than livestock, he couldn’t even ask how he died.
Standing in the wind, his large gray robe billowing, black hair brushing his fair face, he looked at people with eyes like wind and frost.
After a while, Xia Qing curiously asked, “I am a human, and yet you’re willing to talk to me?”
The boy seemed to stare at his ears for a long time before saying, “Even though you’re a human, you’re brought back by Fairy Fuguang. I believe you’re not a bad person.”
Xia Qing smiled, his lips curling up. “Oh, I see.”
Feeling a bit gloomy after leaving Xue Fuguang, Xia Qing didn’t feel like going back to see Lou Guan Xue too early. So he casually sat beside the boy, reached out to pick a leaf from the field embankment, and started playing the tune “Lingwei.”
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.
Ktf mtlivgfc mjamtlcu ajvqbifr yfibk ijeutfv lcmfrrjcais. “Dgbatfg, sbe qijs kbgrf atjc tlw.” Wlj Hlcu rqja bea atf ifjo, rjslcu, “Lf’r boo-xfs, atbeut ws qijslcu rbecvr yjv, wlcf lr atf mbggfma bcf.”
Ktf ybs klat atf ygjlv kjr ecmbcnlcmfv. “Tbe’gf islcu!”
Coafg yflcu vlrmbegjufv ys akb qfgobgwjcmfr, Wlj Hlcu ujnf eq jcv jrxfv, “Lbk vlv sbe jii fcv eq lc atlr nliijuf?”
A group of children, now inquisitive and curious, became interested in Xia Qing and immediately began chattering away, each sharing their own stories. When they were brought here, they were still young and had no concept of death, suffering, or separation. Speaking of the past, their eyes remained clear and innocent.
There were those who lost both parents and nearly starved on the streets, others who were almost sold into the black market as slaves, and some who were rescued from the horrors of war by kind souls amid massacres and bloodshed.
Most of those who rescued them were disciples of the Shangqing Sect. In today’s world, with the complex relationships between aristocratic families and cultivation sects, the Shangqing Sect truly stood as a beacon of purity.
Xia Qing began to doubt the Xuanyun Sect of Huaijin Changzhou he had seen last time, suspecting it was self-proclaimed as the number one sect under the Yan family’s reputation.
One person said, “The brothers and sisters from the Shangqing Sect are very kind. They often bring us delicious food.”
Another added, “But they haven’t been coming lately. I heard that many merfolk outside have recently contracted a madness illness, and they’re busy dealing with it.”
“A madness illness?”
“Yeah, that’s right, a madness illness. I’m not sure of the specifics. Some merfolk suddenly go berserk and then die violently.”
“When they go crazy, their ears become pointed, their eyes turn red, and their nails even grow long. I heard their skin changes too! They look like monsters.”
“Wow! It really sounds like monsters. It’s so scary!”
Children’s conversations always tended to wander off-topic. Through their tangents, Xia Qing learned many things he hadn’t encountered in Ling Guang. Eventually, when the adults called them back for dinner, the children left, laughing and joking.
Only Xia Qing and the boy with the braid remained. He glanced at him and asked, “Everyone was sharing their past just now. Why didn’t you say anything?”
The boy’s lips tightened. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Xia Qing chuckled. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t.”
The boy then resumed playing the tune with the leaf.
Although Xia Qing didn’t have much musical talent, his memory was exceptional. After hearing Lou Guan Xue play once, he could recall the melody quite well and offered some pointers, “This part should be raised, and slow down a bit.”
The boy glanced at him, puffed up his cheeks, and indeed slowed down.
The wind rustled through the wheat fields like the sea. On the other side of the countryside, golden rapeseed flowers bloomed, while smoke rose in the distance, mingling with occasional dog barks and rooster crows.
Under Xia Qing’s guidance, the boy intermittently finished playing the tune. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “My family was originally in the capital of Liang Kingdom.”
Xia Qing paused, then nodded.
The boy continued, “When Chu Kingdom invaded Liang Kingdom, they massacred the entire capital. My grandfather dug a small pit for me to hide in, covered the entrance with bodies to evade the search. I stayed in that pit for three days and three nights until the fighting subsided. In truth, I should have died from hunger during that time, but I was lucky to encounter disciples from the Shangqing Sect.”
Xia Qing nodded in understanding.
The boy said, “Both of my parents are merfolk. When I was very young, I always wondered why humans treat merfolk as slaves and why we have to live on land. My grandfather said it’s because the merfolk made a mistake and can never return to the sea. I asked Fairy Fuguang what mistake the merfolk made, and she said it was a path chosen by the merfolk themselves.”
“She said everything humans are doing to the merfolk now is the result of the merfolk’s actions a hundred years ago. Now, it’s just a reversal of roles, with debts and grievances reincarnating.”
As he finished speaking, a hint of confusion appeared on his still youthful brow.
Xia Qing shook his head in disagreement. “That’s not true. You don’t deserve to bear the consequences of the mistakes made by your ancestors a hundred years ago.”
The young merboy paused, then nodded. “I know. Fairy Fuguang also told me the same thing later.”
Finally, Xia Qing asked, “What’s your name?”
The young merboy replied, “My name is Lingxi.”
After bidding farewell to the boy named Lingxi, Xia Qing returned and recounted everything he had seen during the day to Lou Guan Xue.
He mentioned the name of the tune and also talked about the merfolk getting the madness illness. Of course, he omitted Xue Fuguang’s peculiar conversations because mentioning them would surely give people goosebumps.
Lou Guan Xue spent the day resting in his room, his black hair loosely tied up, and the sickly pallor in his eyes and brows slightly faded.
Xia Qing always thought he knew everything, so he asked, “Do you know what that madness illness is?”
Lou Guan Xue replied indifferently, “You’ll know when you see it.”
Xia Qing: “Huh?”
The villagers were still very welcoming to them. Since Lou Guan Xue rarely left his seclusion, everyone assumed Xia Qing had a bedridden wife.
The villagers enthusiastically sent all sorts of things, chickens, vegetables—nothing was too trivial. What was surprising was that they even sent cosmetics and accessories bought from the market, thinking that a woman’s complexion mattered the most, and every woman loved beauty. They believed his wife would definitely use them once she recovered!
Xia Qing was bewildered when receiving these items, but since people were insistent, he couldn’t refuse and had to accept them. The more he thought about it later, the more amused he became. He couldn’t help but laugh all the way home.
“Lou Guan Xue, look at the great stuff I brought back for you!”
Xia Qing was eager to see Lou Guan Xue’s embarrassed expression. So, he didn’t bother to go around the fence and instead entered through the front gate, jumping through the window like a carefree wanderer, full of energy and enthusiasm.
Lou Guan Xue glanced at him coolly.
Xia Qing, full of malicious intent, dragged Lou Guan Xue to the dressing table.
Xue Fuguang had also put thought into it. The room they were given to stay in was like a bridal chamber, fully equipped.
Although the bronze mirror was cheap, it reflected clearly. Xia Qing emptied out all the rouge and scented oils from his sleeve onto the table, with a somewhat self-deprecating tone, “Thanks to you, now the whole village knows I have a bedridden wife. They’re afraid you’ll look haggard after falling ill, so they specially sent these things to me. It’s the villagers’ goodwill, and we can’t just ignore it, can we?”
Lou Guan Xue sat before the mirror, his robes white as snow, his black hair like silk draped down. He listened to Xia Qing’s chatter without saying a word, his expression as cold as frost.
Xia Qing remained calm. After all, in this world, he had seen all sorts of eccentricities from Lou Guan Xue. Having endured so much from him, he now finally saw hus embarrassed, and he didn’t feel anything special—just a sense of satisfaction, satisfaction to the heavens.
Xia Qing opened a bottle of osmanthus oil, the kind contemporary women liked to use. The overwhelming scent made him dizzy, but he endured it, waving his hand to disperse the smell quickly, pinching his nose as he said, “Since they’ve given it, it’d be a waste not to use it. You sit down, I’ll do your makeup. We can’t just disappoint their goodwill, can we?” He elongated the last two words.
Lou Guan Xue didn’t seem angry, only lazily asking, “Then why isn’t it me doing your makeup?”
Xia Qing playfully tousled his hair, pouring the osmanthus oil as if it cost nothing, and said sincerely, “Because you’re beautiful, and because your current identity is my wife.”
With Lou Guan Xue’s level of intelligence, he didn’t need to ask what “wife” meant. He simply stared at Xia Qing’s face in the bronze mirror for a long time before letting out a soft laugh.
The scent of osmanthus oil was truly overwhelming.
Xia Qing felt like he was ascending to heaven just from the smell alone. He untied Lou Guan Xue’s emerald hairband and, having nowhere to put it, simply wrapped it around his own hand. Lou Guan Xue’s hair was of excellent quality, cool as water as it flowed through his fingers. Now, with a whole bottle of osmanthus oil poured on it, the once “clear and cold, noble and elegant” scent instantly became suffocating and vulgar, as if it belonged to the lowest class of brothels.
“Here, let’s try this pearl flower!”
“This flower hairpin looks nice too!”
Xia Qing didn’t know how to start a fire in ancient times, so how could he possibly know how to do makeup? He was just fooling around, holding a bunch of stuff in his hand, randomly sticking them into Lou Guan Xue’s hair and haphazardly pasting them onto his forehead.
Of course, Xia Qing didn’t have any malicious intentions. He just wanted to see Lou Guan Xue embarrassed. If Lou Guan Xue wasn’t happy, he would be! However, Lou Guan Xue just sat in front of the mirror, expressionless, which immediately dampened Xia Qing’s enthusiasm.
“?” Xia Qing had a sudden inspiration and picked up another piece of red paper. “This! Your complexion really doesn’t look good. Do you want to apply some lip color too?”
Lou Guan Xue lifted his gaze and looked at Xia Qing expressionlessly.
Xia Qing brought out an old saying, “Since we’ve taken everything out…”
After a while, Lou Guan Xue slowly revealed a smile, dispelling the coldness, shining like jade, decadent yet enchanting.
He took the red paper and said, “Alright, husband.”
Xia Qing: “…………”
Damn! He wanted to stop now. Isn’t this just making things worse for himself?! But jumping out the window now would seem cowardly, so he silently started arranging the flower hairpins.
The flower hairpins bought from the market were not luxurious items like those used by noblewomen in Ling Guang, adorned with gold leaf, pearls, or iridescent shells. They were simple scales dyed in fish-like patterns. They were small and delicate, shaped like plum blossoms. Xia Qing struggled with them, unable to stick them properly. In this position, the two of them were very close, and Xia Qing felt a bit embarrassed, so he chatted with Lou Guan Xue intermittently, trying to break the awkwardness.
“Xue Fuguang seems to have left yesterday, and I heard there’s been another outbreak of madness in the nearby town.”
Lou Guan Xue: “Hmm.”
“After the merfolk go mad, they become extremely violent and addicted to killing. The magistrate has started searching house by house and plans to gather all the merfolk together as a precautionary measure. Ling Guang City is in chaos because of your disappearance. The magistrate probably doesn’t dare to report any bad news to the Yan Lan Yu at this time. They can only wait for the situation to calm down before dealing with it.”
Xia Qing thought for a moment and complained, “Also, about what you said last time, does it mean that the outbreak of madness among the merfolk will continue to happen recently? Will I see it?”
Lou Guan Xue said, “That’s not madness.”
Xia Qing: “Huh?”
Lou Guan Xue said lightly, “The awakening of the soul in the pagoda will naturally affect the merfolk.”
Xia Qing’s flower hairpin was crooked immediately.
“The awakening of the soul in the pagoda? Is there god locked inside?”
Lou Guan Xue smiled mysteriously, “Wasn’t what I said that night clear enough? The ancestors of the Chu country died tragically due to the theft of souls.”
Xia Qing: “…”
To avoid appearing foolish, Xia Qing held back his shock and squeezed the crooked scale in his hand, asking, “Do you know everything?”
Lou Guan Xue said indifferently, “If I didn’t even know this, I would have wasted all those years in the Chu Imperial Palace.”
Xia Qing suddenly remembered and brought up an old matter, saying, “But you lied to me in the Zhai Xing Tower, saying there was a great demon inside.”
Lou Guan Xue paused for a moment, then casually replied, “Hmm. But I probably didn’t tell you any truth inside the Zhai Xing Tower.”
Xia Qing: “…” Indeed, inside the Zhai Xing Tower, there was only the innocent and delicate puppet emperor who feared pain and suffering.
Lou Guan Xue’s calm admission was so composed that Xia Qing didn’t know how to respond—there were too many points to criticize, but he didn’t know where to start.
Xia Qing sighed softly, “Xue Fuguang warned me to be careful of you, and it seems he was right.”
Lou Guan Xue chuckled softly.
Xia Qing continued, “Lou Guan Xue, do you still hate Yan Lan Yu?” Otherwise, he couldn’t find any other explanation for that deeply repressed hatred.
Lou Guan Xue lifted his gaze, gave Xia Qing a deep look, then withdrew his gaze, smirked, neither confirming nor denying, and lazily replied, “Perhaps.”
Xia Qing spoke up, “Don’t use ambiguous words!”
Lou Guan Xue responded readily: “Alright, I hate her.”
Xia Qing suddenly felt a sense of being brushed off, he tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Are you lying to me again?”
Lou Guan Xue: “I won’t lie to you.”
Xia Qing was shocked: “How could you calmly say those words? From the beginning, you just wanted to use me, right, brother?”
Lou Guan Xue reached for the red paper with his fingers, looking quite amused: “Why are you so fixated on what happened at the Zhai Xing Tower?”
Xia Qing: “…”
Because Xue Fuguang’s words had a powerful impact on him, making him angry whenever he thought about it.
Lou Guan Xue’s eyes were dark and clear, staring at his ever-changing face, then slowly smiled and said softly, “I guess it’s because you also said these things to her when you were with Xue Fuguang.”
Xia Qing froze in place. Are you really that smart?!
Lou Guan Xue said, “Then she persuaded you to leave me, and she was surprised that you were still willing to protect me after I took advantage of you the first time.”
Xia Qing looked numb, “Your Majesty, some things don’t need to be spelled out.”
Lou Guan Xue: “Actually, I was surprised too.”
Xia Qing stared at the red paper in his hand, changing the subject, “Could you please stop talking and put on your lipstick quietly?”
Lou Guan Xue glanced at him, chuckled lightly, took the paper slowly, but still continued, “Xia Qing, I am indeed dangerous.”
His thin lips pressed on the red paper and then released.
Casually, he said, “If it weren’t for you stumbling into my barrier by accident, the day I break the barrier myself will be the day you perish.”
Xia Qing froze, feeling a slight chill at his fingertips.
Lou Guan Xue said lightly, “Initially, I really wanted to let you go. But you chose to stay at the Feng Yue Tower, chose to come back to the Glazed Tile Tower. You rejected the Ananda Sword but chose to accept it, rejected the entanglement yet chose to protect me in this way.”
With that, he put down the red paper, his lips stained red like blood, alluring and extravagant, and smiled at the about-to-explode Xia Qing, “Don’t rush. I haven’t finished yet.”
Xia Qing took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic and restless mood, standing coldly on the side.
Suddenly, Lou Guan Xue said, “But what surprises me more is not your choices, but my own.”
Xia Qing froze, meeting his deep and icy gaze, almost instantly recalling Lou Guan Xue’s words from their encounter in the Zhai Xing Building.
All that he had done, in a sense, wasn’t it all about “meticulous care” and “unwavering devotion”?
“…Isn’t it so difficult to be a good person these days?”
He still held the flower hairpin, maintaining the posture leaning against the dressing table, his hazel eyes quietly gazing downward.
Lou Guan Xue said, “I don’t actually like having someone around. Letting you go back then was actually giving you a lifeline.”
“But that night at the Feng Yue Tower, I unexpectedly didn’t kill you and even let you stay, how strange.”
“Even afterwards, giving and taking, answering every question.”
At this point, Lou Guan Xue chuckled lightly, as if amused by some ironic thought, his tone cold, “Playing the flute, cooking… I never thought I’d serve someone like this.”
Xia Qing stood still. His initial agitation dissipated completely upon hearing these words. He felt lost, not knowing what Lou Guan Xue was trying to say.
Lou Guan Xue was adept at reading people’s minds. He propped his chin, tilted his head, and smiled, “Do you want me to continue?”
Xia Qing’s thoughts were tangled like a ball of yarn, his gaze wandering, staring at Lou Guan Xue’s lips, stained red like blood on the paper, captivating on this face.
No, don’t, I don’t want to hear it.
Xia Qing lowered his head, withdrew his gaze, and changed the subject, “I find that the color of this red paper suits you quite well.”
Lou Guan Xue stared at him for a moment, chuckled twice, light and cold. But this kind of smile lasted only for a moment. He quickly stopped smiling, his expression becoming indifferent. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Xia Qing’s wrist, exerting force, pulling Xia Qing forward.
Xia Qing widened his eyes.
In his nose was the scent of osmanthus oil mixed with a cold breath, rich and vulgar, as if diving straight into a world of fireworks, surrounded by love and passion.
His lips were kissed, cold and dominant.
Xia Qing’s dilated pupils stared blankly.
In his ear came Lou Guan Xue’s low, hoarse, and chilly voice, “I think, perhaps it suits you better.”
AHHHHHHHH OH MY GOD MY PRAYERS WERE HEARDD!!!!!!!! FIRST KISS 43 CHAPTERS IN BUT IN NO WAY AM I MADD IM ACTUALLY SO HAPPY!!! THANK YOU TRANSLATOR YOURE AN ANGEL!!!!!!!! 💓
HDHVBHFJHSFBKJHFUJSBVJBDVFJHBBFSJHBDJDBFVKJBDFVJDFJVB THANK YOU FOR THE CHAPTER
OH MY GOSHFJDKDKDDJDJDJDKDKDJDNDNDKDKXBSJDKFJDJDJFJFJFNNFND
HOLY MOLLY ITS HERE!!!!!! AAAAAAA!!!! XQ LITERALLY ASCENDING TO HEAVEN AMONG FIREWORKS!!!!! there goes his first kiss.
OMGGGGGG!!!!!!! HWKFHDKDHW KSBDKSBXJSBDJDJDKK
THE SLOWBURN HURTS SO GOOD. IT’S TWISTED BUT PERHAPS WHAT THEY FELT FOR EACH OTHER GO WAY BEYOND FRIENDS
finally!!! a kiss!!! after so many chapters!! sksjskskksldl thanks for the chapter!!! 😭😍
OOf I didn’t expect a kiss this early but daaaaaaaaamn wud the red look good on xq’s lips. The author god heard my prayers.
(੭ु ›ω‹ )੭ु what a (/ω＼) situation for them to kiss aaaaa their relationship if finally progressing (/ω＼)