The red paper bought at the market was equally cheap, the ink too thick, appearing extremely bright and red, but in reality, it would fade with just a light touch.
Xia Qing had never experienced such a moment, his mind blank and at a loss.
Osmanthus oil, rouge fragrance, when Lou Guan Xue approached, the scent was as cold as snow, but when lips touched, it was a vivid hue of worldly desires.
The kiss was as natural as could be, as if Lou Guan Xue had simply had a sudden whim and leaned in to apply his makeup.
Light as a dragonfly touching the water, it opened with just a touch.
Yet Xia Qing stood there, stunned as if electrified, too shocked to utter a word, his light brown eyes quietly gazing at him, lips stained, his face as pale as paper.
The sunset resembled blood, a faint golden orange light passing through the window, illuminating the dressing table. Lou Guan Xue’s eyes were pitch black, deep and cold, heavy with countless emotions buried deep inside.
Lou Guan Xue chuckled lightly and said, “Indeed, it suits you better. Hmm, want to see what it looks like when it’s finished?”
Xia Qing snapped back to reality in an instant, murmuring, “Are you out of your mind…”
His heart was in chaos, he touched his lips, wiping them forcefully, incredulously saying, “Lou Guan Xue, is this your way of revenge on me?!”
Lou Guan Xue stared at him for a few seconds, smiling meaningfully but with a cold tone, “Revenge on you? Do you think this is revenge?”
“…” He didn’t even engage with his attempt to change the subject.
Xia Qing felt frustrated and lost, not knowing what to do all of a sudden.
Damn it, if he had known, he wouldn’t have bothered with Lou Guan Xue today!
He didn’t want to see what he looked like with lipstick on in the mirror, nor did he want to stay in the same room with Lou Guan Xue anymore!
Outside, weary birds returned to their nests, fishing boats sang in the evening, and the shouts from the fields startled Xia Qing.
It was as if he had found a reason, he turned abruptly, his hand resting on the window as if about to jump out: “I’m hungry, I’ll go cook something for myself.”
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.
But before he could jump out, Lou Guan Xue reached out, his fingers hooking onto the hair tie tied around his wrist.
Qlat j ufcaif aeu, atf tjlg alf oibjafv ilutais, gfaegclcu ab lar glutaoei bkcfg.
Ccv Wlj Hlcu’r tfjga ofii ilutais jibcu klat la, rlcxlcu mbcalceberis.
Obe Xejc Wef mjrejiis rjlv, “Tbe mjc mbcalcef qgfafcvlcu ab yf miefifrr, P’ii ulnf sbe alwf.”
Wlj Hlcu wjlcajlcfv tlr qbraegf jr lo jybea ab pewq bea bo atf klcvbk.
Lou Guan Xue: “But don’t take too long, be obedient, you wouldn’t want to see me impatient.”
“…Goodbye!”
Xia Qing boldly jumped in through the window, then swiftly jumped out, as if his butt was on fire.
He looked like a flower thief who had intruded into a young lady’s boudoir and was chased out.
As he jumped out of the window, he happened to bump into a villager outside the fence who was bringing him fruits.
The villager, seeing Xia Qing hastily jumping out of the window with rouge still on his lips, paused for a moment, then immediately smiled ambiguously. The suggestive look made Xia Qing feel as if he had been caught in the act of adultery in broad daylight. Oh, perhaps that’s exactly what this person thought. Before leaving, the villager advised him with a meaningful tone not to overstep his boundaries while his wife was still unwell.
Xia Qing: “…”
Damn it, Lou Guan Xue went too far!!! What could he have done to Lou Guan Xue!!!
After this incident, Xia Qing became awkwardly silent around Lou Guan Xue, holding back from speaking.
Before, whenever he encountered something interesting, he would casually share it when he returned. If a butterfly landed on his hair and refused to leave, he would even catch it and show it to Lou Guan Xue.
Now, unless it was necessary, he avoided Lou Guan Xue.
Fortunately, Lou Guan Xue was busy absorbing divine light, showing no signs of reaction to Xia Qing’s avoidance. It was almost as if he ignored it completely, and this indifferent attitude strangely gave Xia Qing a sense of security, making him breathe a sigh of relief.
He muttered to himself, “Maybe he really was trying to get back at me.” Revenge for bringing him all those things meant for women.
They had planned to stay in this village for three days, but time passed unnoticed, and they had already been there for seven or eight days.
When Xia Qing avoided Lou Guan Xue, he subconsciously went to Xue Fuguang.
If Xue Fuguang was out, Xia Qing helped her as unpaid labor, drying herbs and sorting things for her. The cabin was filled with the simple scent of herbs, just like Xue Fuguang herself. Sometimes, he stared at the words she wrote, daydreaming about what she was like a hundred years ago.
The impression of the pomegranate dress outlined in gold and silver threads was deeply ingrained in his mind, vivid and gentle like a dream.
A hundred years ago, Xue Fuguang definitely wasn’t as thin as she was now, so what did she go through to become the person she was now?
As Xia Qing thought about this, a subtle and lingering sadness welled up in his heart.
One hundred years sounded short, like the time between dawn and dusk, yet from birth to death, it had already encompassed a person’s entire life.
Morning clouds were ethereal, distant mountains cold and verdant.
After leaving Xue Fuguang’s room, he saw the braid child with the sharp gaze again.
Merfolk were actually quite attractive, and so was the child.
His hair was tied into a small braid, his eyes big, making him look especially delicate and adorable.
It wasn’t until the second meeting that Xia Qing remembered to ask his age, “How old were you now?”
The child had a good impression of him and obediently replied, “Five years old.”
Xia Qing clicked his tongue and thought to himself, Is this how a five-year-old child should behave?
The child said, “I could play that tune very well now, do you want to hear it?”
Xia Qing laughed and said, “Let’s save it for next time.”
On the last night before leaving, Xia Qing sat in the courtyard, illuminated by the moon as large as a plate, looking at the leaves. He was filled with doubt, how could such a small leaf contain the Ananda Sword, and what did the Ananda Sword look like? He finally began to slowly overcome his resistance and started to extend his curiosity within his comfortable range, like a snail extending its antennae.
Xia Qing raised the leaf, carefully observing the veins, when suddenly he caught a glimpse of a snowy garment corner. He nearly dropped the leaf in surprise.
Tonight, Lou Guan Xue seemed different from before, but Xia Qing couldn’t pinpoint exactly how.
Standing at the doorway, his ink-black hair tied back with a Piao Bi hair tie, Lou Guan Xue looked calmly at Xia Qing in the moonlight.
Xia Qing stuttered, struggling to speak, “Are you feeling better?!”
Lou Guan Xue nodded as he held the bone flute, speaking calmly, “Yes, we can leave tonight.”
Xia Qing replied hesitantly, “…Oh, okay.”
He felt a bit regretful that Xue Fuguang was not in the village now. Otherwise, he would have wanted to express his gratitude properly and bid farewell. Actually, he was quite content staying in this village. Unlike Ling Guang where everyone harbored schemes and turmoil, here, life was simple, pure, and peaceful.
Of course, Xia Qing’s words always carried a bit of a jinx-like nature.
The peaceful days shattered on this night.
“Ahhhh—” It started with a scream, tearing through the quiet of the late night, emanating from a nearby village. “Help! Help!” A person covered in blood, hair disheveled, barefoot, ran through the path, his voice desperate and filled with despair, “Help! Monster! There’s a monster in the village!”
In the village, most people were warm-hearted, and the neighborhood was harmonious, so naturally, they wouldn’t stand idly by. Immediately, lights flickered on in each household, followed by sounds of getting out of bed, putting on shoes, and footsteps, one after another, creating a noisy scene. Some people couldn’t hear clearly and were muttering, while others were already alarmed by the mention of a monster, grabbing torches and weapons in a panic as they rushed out of their homes.
“What was happening?”
“Who was calling for help?”
“A monster? Did someone say there was a monster in the village?”
“A monster?!! Where was it?”
The village chief, the oldest and most respected person in the village, over a hundred years old, hunched over with a cane, emerged from the crowd with a stern face and hoarse voice, “Move forward, the sound came from the direction of the village entrance.”
With women and children in the rear and men in the front, a group of people walked towards the village entrance in a grand procession. The moon in the sky was a murky yellow, full and round like a plate, with the torches casting a faint red glow around it. Xia Qing was also startled by the noise, so he curiously stepped out and joined the crowd.
Lou Guan Xue… you’ve been too direct and now you’ve chased your husband away 🙈 I hope the child and Xia Qing see each other more, I felt some scary foreshadowing when Xia Qing said “next time”… as in ages later… Thank you for the chapters!!!! ❤️