Lin Xiao could sense that An Yi was closely following behind him but he still refused to acknowledge the guard. It wasn’t until they left the wall of the Imperial Palace did Lin Xiao turn around to face him. “You don’t have to follow me,” Lin Xiao said with a slight irritation in his tone. “I know it was His Majesty who sent you to protect me. But you don’t have to. You can tell His Majesty that he got the wrong person and that I am not the person who he wants to protect!”
An Yi simply stared at Lin Xiao blankly. He could understand that Lin Xiao is angry at the Emperor and it might be because the Emperor had done something wrong. But why was he also scolded?
Even so, An Yi still have to carry out his order. To a shadow guard like him, the Emperor’s order is absolute. “Wangye…” he called out, wanting to try and calm Lin Xiao down first. Unfortunately, it only has the opposite effect when Lin Xiao’s face contorted in displeasure.
“When you address me like that, who are you actually referring to?” Lin Xiao asked An Yi.
An Yi felt that this question is full of trap. He could sense that if he were to answer this wrong, then he would be experiencing what the Emperor had experienced before. Though he could always protect Lin Xiao in the dark like before, his injury doesn’t allow him to at this moment.
“Wangye, have this slave done something wrong?”
The question left An Yi’s lips and it actually surprised Lin Xiao. He scrutinized the shadow guard’s expression, trying to find any signs of acting. Unfortunately for Lin Xiao, shadow guards are master of disguise and deception. No matter how hard he tried, if An Yi did not wish to show it, he wouldn’t be able to know if An Yi is acting or not.
“You… Do you know of Xinglan Wang?” Lin Xiao asked after a while.
“…” An Yi had just avoided a trap but he didn’t expect that Lin Xiao would dig him a pit. “Who doesn’t know of Xinglan Wang?” he asked back. “He is someone who have grown up with His Majesty. So—”
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.
“Then tell me, am I similar to him?” Lin Xiao asked again. This question made the shadow guard ponder for a while, his mind going back to the reminiscent of the past.
“Not at all,” An Yi finally replied after thinking. “Xinglan Wang is different from Wangye. He is kind even to animals. And he doesn’t bear grudge.”
“Ktja’r gluta. Dbat tf jcv P jgf vloofgfca. Vb sbe mjc ub jcv afii atf Swqfgbg jybea atja,” Olc Wljb rjlv yfobgf aegclcu jgbecv jcv kjixfv jkjs.
Cc Tl ktb revvfcis ofia atja tf tjv yffc aglmxfv vlvc’a xcbk ktja firf ab vb. Valii, tlr offa wbnfv jcv ifv tlw ab obiibk Olc Wljb. Ktbeut tf aglfv ab xffq j vlrajcmf jcv aglfv ab tlvf tlr qgfrfcmf, Olc Wljb mbeiv ralii rfcrf tlw.
Lin Xiao stopped in his track and without turning around, he asked An Yi. “Why are you still following me? A shadow guard’s place is by the Emperor’s side.”
“Yes. But right now, I am Huang Yun. Brother Lin, are we not friends?” while saying this, An Yi’s heart was nervous. He glanced at the tree nearby, eyes filled with worry. ‘Lao Er, don’t you dare betray me and report this to His Majesty! I am doing this to carry out my order!’ he prayed inside his heart.
Lin Xiao who heard this couldn’t help the snicker that escaped him. “I would be a fool if I actually believed that,” Lin Xiao said to the guard. “Didn’t you approach me under His Majesty’s order? You don’t have to pretend.”
“Indeed, I approached you under His Majesty’s order. But brother Lin, you’re the first person to treat me like a normal person. And you also has given me a name,” An Yi replied. “Can we really not be friends?”
An Er who was nearby stared blankly as the scene unfolded. He did not expect An Yi, the best of the shadow guard, to actually play the friend card. His eyes moved from An Yi to Lin Xiao, then back to An Yi again. In his heart, he doubted that Lin Xiao would fall for this act but what he heard next just proved him wrong.
“Do you really wish to be my friend?” Lin Xiao asked An Yi.
“Of course!” An Yi replied almost instantly. “Brother Lin, you are the first person to make me feel alive. So…”
“If we are to be friends, then we should at least sort something first,” Lin Xiao didn’t wait for An Yi to finish. “Firstly, you are not allowed to address me by my titles. Any friends of mine should treat me as equals,” he said as he turned to look at An Yi.
“Secondly…” he trailed off as he gazed at An Yi, eyes trained especially on his face. “Are you actually older than me?”
“I don’t know my precise age but I know that I am few years older than His Majesty,” An Yi replied.
“Then you should be older. You don’t have to call me Brother Lin anymore,” Lin Xiao told him and An Yi’s expression changed slightly.
‘Not calling him Brother Lin, then does he want to put some distance?’ An Yi wondered. Though, he understood if that was what Lin Xiao wanted to do. After all, though he has been keeping an eye on him, Lin Xiao only knew him recently. It was only natural that Lin Xiao didn’t want to act very close.
“Then, I shall call you Lin Xiao?” he asked.
Lin Xiao was about to nod his head in agreement before an idea pops in his head. It was just as An Yi thought, Lin Xiao still did not trust him. So now, Lin Xiao just thought up of an idea that would put An Yi’s determination to a test. The corner of Lin Xiao’s lips turned upwards as a mischievous grin formed on his face.
“Yun-ge, don’t be like this, ah. If you call me like that, how different is it from strangers? You should call me Xiao Xiao.”
An Yi had expected several scenario, but he did not expect this at all. Suddenly, his back feels painful again. The wound from the punishment whip had yet to disappear but it seems that he would be adding a new one soon enough.
Seeing the hesitation on An Yi’s face, Lin Xiao merely shook his head. “If you do not want to, then there’s nothing else to say.”
“Wait!”
Lin Xiao was just about to turn around and leave when he heard An Yi asking him to wait. His step paused and he turned his attention back to the shadow guard.
“Xiao Xiao sounds too familiar and because… you are my first friend, I am still not used to being close with others,” An Yi said with uncertainty. “Can I call you Xiao Lin instead?”
Lin Xiao thought for a while before nodding his head. He also knew that calling each other with too much familiarity from the start of a friendship would be filled with awkwardness. So he could only agree with An Yi’s suggestion. “Then I will call you Huang-ge,” he said before continuing. “If there is nothing else, then I will take my leave. Huang-ge should also return home.”
“Home?”
“Of course. Or do you expect to follow me?” Lin Xiao asked to which the shadow guard only nods his head. “Huang-ge, that is impossible. We are not that familiar that I would invite you home. In addition, I myself do not have a home. If I want to invite you, then I would be overstepping my authority against the owner of the residence.”
An Yi: …
“But Xiao Lin, ah… Shadow guards do not have home…”
Lik xiao is rly unfair to the emperor and everyone. poor them. Hes takin out his frustration on the ones who care bc he refuses to accept his past self. Imo u are lin xiao now but you were li fangming first and for longer so he is still a huge part of you that ur denying.
Basically there is no lin xiao if there wasn’t minger. I wonder when he accepts this. Ty for chapter author.
I’m lighting a candle for An Yi heuheue
Thx for the chapter
I’m feeling sorry for An’yi ☹️☹️😩