Chapter 30 Part 2: Is this action wrong…
Yan Jingyu was lying on the table, his head resting on his shoulder, his outstretched arm a pale white. Seeing someone come over, he smiled and tried to get up, but fell back down softly again.
A hand wrapped around his underarm. Yan Jingyu fell softly into the other’s arms, his hazy eyes seeing a familiar ghost mask. “Yin, Yin…”
“Yin Shi.” Yin Shi said in a low voice, bending down to support his knees and picking him up. As he was about to turn and leave, a clatter suddenly came from behind. He turned his head and saw that the blood beast, feeling its master was about to leave, was waving its claws and trying to get up. It had accidentally knocked over the jade cup next to it.
Yin Shi picked it up with his spiritual energy, put it in his sleeve, and walked out.
The snow was like fine dust. Each time, before it could land on his body, it was blocked by something. Yan Jingyu held onto his shoulder with his hands and moved restlessly. “Yin Shi, Yin Shi… what are you here for?”
“The Demon Lord is waiting for you to go back.”
“The Demon Lord… Liao Chen, Liao Chen, asked you to pick me up?”
“Mm.” He looked at Yan Jingyu’s suddenly reddened eyes, paused for a moment, and said in a low voice, “Don’t be angry with him.”
“I’m not, not angry.” Although he said that, his eyes became redder and redder. “He was right about everything. I am indeed, a mess, always self-righteous, and indeed, under his hand, eking out a living…”
“You are not willing.” Yin Shi gently tightened his arms. “You were not willing to stay in the Demon Palace to begin with. He was the one who insisted on making you stay.”
“It doesn’t matter if I’m willing or not.” Yan Jingyu smiled. “I’m in the enemy’s camp, yet I have good wine and good food. He didn’t directly throw me into purgatory, which is already giving me a lot of face.”
Yin Shi was silent. Yan Jingyu pulled on his shoulder again. He clearly hadn’t realized that he was being held. He struggled to sit up straight. Yin Shi had to adjust his posture, propping up one leg to let him temporarily sit on his lap, his arm sliding down to support his side, letting him half-lean against his chest, and continuing to walk forward.
Yan Jingyu looked at his mask, his eyes shimmering with water. “It’s so late, and I’m drinking in the Demon Palace until midnight, and I still have to trouble the Guardian to pick me up… to be able to act so wantonly, what else can I say.”
Yin Shi was quiet for a moment, then lowered his mask again to look at him. The pupils painted on the ghost mask made it difficult to discern his emotions, but his voice was a little hoarse. “You can blame.”
“Blame, blame who…” Yan Jingyu’s tears suddenly rolled down. He choked, “What standing do I have to blame? What is our relationship? What can I blame him for? Blame him, blame him for his harsh words? But isn’t he always, always like this? Blame him, blame him for not being good to me? But if he is good to me, can that be wrong? If I am to blame, I can only blame myself, for being powerless to choose, for only being able to accept everything…”
Even though he was drunk, he was still very clear-headed.
Liao Chen sat on the jade bed, his fingers tightly clenched. Yin Shi gently lowered his head and touched his forehead with his ghost mask. Yan Jingyu had already closed his eyes. The smell of wine made his face and neck flush red, but his lips were tightly pursed, his brow furrowed, as if he still had endless grievances that could not be vented.
Not until he was gently placed on the bed did he still tremble uncontrollably.
He seemed to have long since become accustomed to suppressing his emotions, accustomed to internalizing all his unhappiness. But at this moment, his body, after being drunk, was no longer under his control.
The tears that overflowed from the corners of his eyes soaked his long hair and soon also soaked the pillow. He curled up his body, his slender white fingers contracting with restraint, his torso in an unnaturally stiff state.
“You’ve said too much.”
Liao Chen came to the bedside and heard Yin Shi speak. “You are the one who has said too much.”
The two were quiet for a while. A wisp of divine sense from Yin Shi’s body returned to Liao Chen’s body. Yin Shi slowly stood up straight and walked out with steady steps.
Liao Chen sat down on the edge of the bed, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his wet cheeks, his expression dark and grave.
He once again uncontrollably recalled the past, the one who, no matter when he saw him, was always calm and composed, either raising an eyebrow with a light laugh, or mocking and provoking, or with a look of displeasure, or cunning and treacherous… each one was lifelike, high-spirited, his whole body filled with a vibrant life force.
A wanton youth, pretty and lively.
“Who on earth harmed you like this…” He slowly bent down and pressed his forehead against the other’s. The other’s body was filled with the smell of wine, and his nose was slightly hot from crying, his breathing also a little hot. He closed his eyes and pierced his primordial spirit into his glabella, coming to the restless soul-lamp, and carefully appeased the spiritual platform.
“Why… after a hundred years, does your spiritual platform have my mark?”
The primordial spirit circled the soul-lamp. He slowly held Yan Jingyu’s hand, and his spiritual energy, like a gentle stream, nourished his restless body. Yan Jingyu’s body gradually calmed down, and the restless candlelight also slowly became peaceful.
He fell into a deep sleep.
He had a good night’s sleep. When he woke up, his mind was extremely clear, without a trace of a headache.
The bed curtains were deep. He was alone inside. Yan Jingyu subconsciously sat up cross-legged, then hung his head in dejection again.
He had slept for too long in the jade coffin back then. Every time he saw an enclosed space, he would want to meditate and cultivate. But every time he sat up straight, his heart would suddenly feel as if it were being burned by fire, a violent contraction.
He was already a little afraid of that feeling. Failure, again and again, a thousand times, ten thousand times, twenty thousand times…
Gradually, he no longer even dared to try.
He drew a circle with his hands and brought them together, sinking his qi into his dantian, suppressing the chaotic emotions. Then, he kicked open the bed curtains with one foot and crawled out with an expressionless face.
He washed his face and rinsed his mouth with a clatter, deliberately making a lot of noise to vent the anger in his heart.
Dog Liao Chen, what does what I do have to do with him! If you have the time to manage me, you might as well manage yourself properly!
“The polar night is about to pass.”
Liao Chen suddenly spoke. Yan Jingyu forcefully threw the face-wiping handkerchief onto the wooden frame, and with his slightly damp forehead hair, he splashed the water out. The blood beast had already gone to the lotus pond to drink water, scaring the lotus flowers inside into stillness, no longer as elegant and serene as before.
Yan Jingyu walked over and poked its head with his finger. “You’re not allowed to eat things that don’t belong to you.”
The blood beast only stuck out its tongue to drink the water in the lotus pond.
“Bang.” The wooden basin was thrown aside. Yan Jingyu lifted his hand and grabbed his long hair, came to the dressing table by the bed, picked up a wooden comb, and began to comb his hair. Not until Liao Chen spoke again: “The food has been sent. Today, I have to go to the council hall. What are you preparing to do?”
“Smack!” The comb was thrown on the table. Yan Jingyu casually went to pull the drawer of the dressing table. After pulling open several drawers and finding them all empty, he angrily closed them again. He had to let down the hair he had just combed.
Just as he got up and kicked the chair away, a jade crown floated in front of him. Yan Jingyu didn’t even look at it and walked straight out.
With every step he took, a hair accessory floated beside him. There were white jade ones, jadeite ones, and gold-inlaid jade ones, gold-inlaid pearl ones, hair ribbons of different colors and embroidery, and hairpins of different materials and carvings…
Yan Jingyu walked out as if he were dodging something dirty. These hair accessories also followed the curve of his movements and stayed along the way. Not until his foot was about to step out of the hall door did a hand suddenly grab his wrist.
Yan Jingyu immediately wanted to shake it off, but Liao Chen forcefully pulled him back. Amidst the clinking of gold and jade, the hair accessories that had been left along the way bumped into each other and all returned to the dressing table, neatly placed in the simultaneously opened drawers.
Yan Jingyu shook his hand again, unable to break free, and could only grit his teeth in anger.
Returning to the dressing table, Liao Chen directly pushed his waist, pressing him down onto the chair. He then picked up a comb to comb his hair, and then, he saw another white hair.
Yan Jingyu suddenly stiffened. He stared at Liao Chen’s hand in the mirror, feeling his scalp tingle.
After a few moments, Liao Chen continued to comb his hair. “We’ll pull them all out together when we’ve saved up more.”
“…” Yan Jingyu couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ll go to your…”
Liao Chen suddenly bent down and looked at him in the mirror. The man’s chin rested lightly on his shoulder, his gaze meeting his own in the mirror. Yan Jingyu suddenly held his breath strangely.
…It feels, so strange.
Is this action wrong…
He suddenly remembered the time when his father was combing his mother’s hair. After he finished, his father would also gently bend down, rest his chin on his mother’s shoulder, and say something with a smile. His mother would purse her lips, and if she saw Yan Jingyu staring at them from behind, she would push him away in annoyance.
“Still angry?”
Liao Chen’s voice was very soft. Although they were only looking at each other through the mirror, his voice could be clearly heard in his ear, so close. Yan Jingyu moved his shoulder uncomfortably.
He then thought of that well-behaved fellow in Jiuyi Mountain…
Anyway, I was the one who bullied him.
He pursed his lips and finally said, “No.”
Liao Chen smiled, then straightened up and continued to comb his hair. Yan Jingyu lowered his eyes, his fingertips unnaturally curling the corner of his clothes, and snorted. “Just a little… But on account of you bleeding so much for me yesterday, I, I won’t hold it against you.”
“Thank you, Immortal Lord.”
Liao Chen held his long hair, then bent down again. “Which hair accessory do you want to wear?”
“…” What is it? Yan Jingyu became more and more uncomfortable. It was one thing for him to remember, but to be treated so strangely by Liao Chen was another matter… Didn’t they agree to forget about those things… Although it wasn’t explicitly said, Liao Chen had always refused to return his memory. Wasn’t that what it meant?
What is it now… Is this how arch-nemesis are supposed to be?
Yan Jingyu hesitantly stretched out his finger. “That, that hair ribbon, I guess. It’s more casual.”
Liao Chen caught his gaze. “If you want to wear that gold-inlaid jade, I also have clothes to match it here.”
Yan Jingyu’s eyes curved imperceptibly. He said reservedly, “Anyway, it’s not much money for you.”
“Mm.” Liao Chen said, “I don’t know where it came from anyway. It’s just right that you’re willing to use it.”
“…” Yan Jingyu’s brow immediately furrowed. “Did you pick it up from a corpse again?”
“Maybe…”
Yan Jingyu slapped his hand away. Liao Chen was stunned for a moment, then heard him say angrily, “You use it yourself!”
Yan Jingyu walked towards the door. Liao Chen stood in place, looking at the opened gold-inlaid jade crown in his hand. A sound suddenly came from behind again. Yan Jingyu had returned, directly pressing him down onto the chair and grabbing a comb. “I won’t let you suffer a loss!”
It was always father combing mother’s hair. What’s it for Liao Chen to comb his? He must comb it back!
