RAAHC 35

Chapter 35

Master instructed him to stay away from the mundane world, but when ten zhang of soft red dust turned into a person, complete with a name and surname, flesh and blood, and a lingering Yin soul embedded in his life, it was something that could not be erased no matter what.

The passage of two years, though not lengthy in words, had turned all his once-black hair completely white. Clad in his lean and thin physique, the wind lifted the long sleeves, giving him a somewhat immortal demeanor. After all, counting the days, he didn’t have much hope that the other party would adhere to the promise made back then. He even thought that perhaps continuous separation until the division of yin and yang was not such a bad idea.

However, when the first snow of the year fell, that person came back.

At that time, he was delivering goods down the mountain. The weather turned cold, and most of the herbs on the mountain withered, leaving only some stock he had dried and prepared in advance. The little girl from the medicine shop hadn’t given up after two years. Now, as he lowered his head, her eyes stared at him affectionately. Being closer, when he raised his head, his lips accidentally touched her forehead, and he paused for a second before stepping back hastily.

As he stepped back, he happened to collide with a sturdy chest. The familiar warmth through the clothes pressed against his back. Almost instinctively, he shivered and raised his head, meeting a pair of emerald-like eyes.

Two years apart, and that person had grown a whole head taller than him. The youthful innocence faded, leaving more mature features, and, of course, a more handsome appearance.

The young man was now dressed in a black robe with luxurious golden edges embroidered on the hem. A jade pendant hung from his waist, adding an air of elegance. His slightly curled hair was adorned with decorative tassels, exuding a sense of luxury.

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“You—” 

“You can try poking me with a needle again,” the matured wolf-child revealed sharp fangs. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

He felt the strong muscles on the other’s arm, realizing that fine needles wouldn’t penetrate the wheat-colored skin. He simply closed his mouth and remained silent.

Thrown rudely onto the bed at home, the pain brought some clarity to his consciousness. As his senses gradually returned, he squinted at the tall and handsome young man in front of him and coldly asked, “What do you want?”

The person chuckled, “I’ve come to repay the debt as agreed… So, what do you want? Gold and silver, or luxurious fabrics? Perhaps you prefer a beautiful woman? I can find one for you, much more beautiful than the maidservant below the mountain.”

The young man continued chattering like a wolf circling its prey, silently listening for a while. Suddenly, he wanted to see the surprise on the other’s face.

So he said, “I want you to accompany me for a lifetime, alright?”

The other person first looked puzzled, then furrowed his brow, “What kind of twisted idea are you plotting again?”

Is he doubting again? He pondered slowly, but said, “No, I’m serious… but time is not that long.” Because he was nearing the end of his life.

Lowering his head, he calculated his remaining days. Finally, he provided a more accurate number, “How about one month? After a month, we’ll be even.”

In a month, he would probably have about half a month to prepare for the aftermath, perhaps find a scenic place for burial next year.

He wouldn’t live to see the spring of the coming year—no regrets, really. He had seen the unchanging scenery on the mountain for too many years, to the point where he could recall it with closed eyes.

Yeah, no regrets, he thought.

“Just one month?” The tall young man pursed his lips, seeming a bit disappointed, muttering, “I thought you’d ask for treasures or something.”

“Even more money can’t buy time.” He blinked, “I haven’t seen you in two years.”

The other person sneered, “Is the next line, ‘I missed you’? Are you trying to appease me like the girl below the mountain?”

Perhaps that sentence hit a nerve. He saw the young man approaching, hands against the wall, trapping him between his arms, getting closer, “I’m not the same as before. Don’t try to control me with words, or else…”

“Or else what?” He slowly raised the corner of his lips, his somewhat scattered gaze staring at the blurry figure, attempting to see the face clearly, “Are you trying to intimidate me? Huh? Don’t forget, if it weren’t for me bankrupting my family to buy you, you’d still be in the hands of human traffickers.”

With certain people, you can never be soft.

He heard a roar in his ears, and the wall behind him trembled fiercely. Dust fell on his head, which he casually brushed away without expression.

“I’ll pay you back! In a month, right? After a month, we will go our separate ways!” The other person shouted, green pupils flashing with hostility, a far cry from the composed appearance earlier.

This was the child he knew… Although now taller and dressed in luxurious clothes, he was still a little wolf cub that would snarl when angry.

The earlier indifference finally broke, and he couldn’t help but smile. He reached out and touched the sweaty face of the other person, “Sure.”

You go your sunny way, and I’ll take my helpless bridge.

…

“So what’s the deal with your hair?” In the early morning, the young man, for some reason, insisted on tying up his silver strands, “Are you really getting old?”

“Yeah, getting old.” He closed his eyes, feeling a sudden pain on his scalp. The other person had approached, breathing entirely on his face, scalding him, and he instinctively flinched. “When people age, they usually develop wrinkles, but you don’t have a single one, definitely not because of aging.”

He chuckled, “You know quite a bit.”

“Don’t mock me—don’t treat me like I can’t tell, just like before.” The young man frowned, took a ribbon with tassels, and tied up his white hair, maliciously pulling it tight, “But getting old is good. When you’re old, you can’t beat me, you can only follow my orders…”

He nonchalantly agreed, “Hurry up, we need to go down the mountain after packing up, visit the pharmacy… Hmm.” The guy’s actions were neither light nor heavy, but this time, for some reason, he yanked out a strand of hair. He couldn’t help pushing him away, “What crazy idea is this?”

The young man snorted, strangely saying, “In such a rush to go down the mountain, did you really set your eyes on that girl with no chest and no butt?”

“You also have no chest and no butt; I’ve been watching you for so many years.” He loosened the hair knot on his head, but when he went out, he couldn’t see the doorstep clearly, tripped, knelt on one knee, feeling dizzy and swollen. He couldn’t get up for a moment.

He could feel the young man’s scorching gaze on his back but didn’t expect a helping hand. As anticipated, the person walked to his front, crouched down, and smiled, revealing sharp fangs, “Hey, I said, you’re so old you can’t even walk properly. Still thinking about the girl? Look at yourself, can’t even see clearly—”

“Sitting for too long, my vision darkened a bit.” He took a deep breath, interrupting the other’s sarcastic remarks, slowly rising, supporting his knee, “It won’t happen again in the future.”

This is really not a lie… In order to make the last period of time a bit better, he specially obtained a medicine to restore eyesight. However, some of the medicinal herbs were not locally produced. After inquiring at the pharmacy for nearly half a year, he finally got some feedback in the past few days. This time, he descended from the mountain to collect the goods.

The medicinal herbs were rare and hard to find, but their effects were widely known. The young girl glanced at the prescription and softly advised a few words during the transaction, mostly about taking care of one’s health. Having lived for over thirty years, only this person would speak to him in a caring tone, making it inevitable for his heart to soften for a moment. “You don’t need to wait for me anymore.”

The very clever young girl, upon hearing this, teared up and nodded, saying, “Big brother… are you leaving?”

“Yes, and I won’t be coming back.” He packed his belongings expressionlessly, carefully placing them in a basket. “You’re not young anymore, find someone you like and get married soon. Don’t let your father worry.”

With that said, he fulfilled his duty and, after speaking, turned and walked away, not looking at the crying girl again.

Hope is the most hurtful thing, but fortunately, he had never experienced it from start to finish.

The young man outside stood in the snow, a thin layer of white on his shoulders, as if the whole person was coated with a thin layer of ice.

He came to the other person and stood still, brushing off the snowflakes on his shoulders.

The person said, “You are truly heartless.”

“I don’t like her.” He blinked and spoke in a calm tone.

“Indeed.” The young man smirked, mocking, “You simply don’t like anyone.”

I used to think so too, he thought, the fingers curled in his sleeves tightened. “Maybe… aren’t you the same?”

“I’m different from you; I’m learning.” The other person raised his chin proudly, saying, “The teacher taught me many things, many of which you don’t know. You once said you wanted to turn me into a human, and now, I live more like a human than you…”

The person said a lot in one breath, and he saw his mouth moving continuously, but the voice gradually faded away.

As if walking on a road with a sudden sense of panic, he opened his mouth, trying to grasp something.

“…me too.”

“What?” In just two words, he could recognize them from the other person’s lip movements, so he said, “I’m learning too… how to like someone.”

He saw the young man furrow his beautiful brows, and the green eyes shimmered with an unreadable light.

“Have you learned it?”

“It should be. Who?”

“Hmm?”

The grooves between the young man’s brows deepened, as if angry. “I’m asking who that person is?!”

This time, he remained silent for a long time, until the snow accumulated on his shoulders again, before slowly speaking, “Even if I say it, you won’t believe it.”

The other person seemed impatient. “Who said that?”

“Just like I’m saying now, I’ve been poisoned by a kind of love that leads to death. Do you believe it?” He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile, capturing the other person’s suspicious expression.

Sometimes, seeing too clearly is not a good thing—just like he understands this wolf child he picked up on a whim, the early experiences make the other person always maintain a guard against humans.

He thought absentmindedly, turning around and not looking back.

“Let’s go home.”

People always feel precious when they are about to lose something.

So, this short month will become the most precious days in his life. When he drank that bowl of poison greater than medicine, he hesitated not at all.

As his vision and hearing gradually recovered, the price he paid was feeling powerless every late night, finding it difficult to even stand.

But at least, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage in front of that person anymore.

The first few days were calm, as if back to those years of living together. Every day, he could hear the sounds of people outside when he opened his eyes. After getting up, there would be prepared meals on the table—although since two years ago, his sense of taste had gradually disappeared, recently, with the help of the potion, he could barely taste the flavor of simple food like rice and salt.

It seemed like everything suddenly became lively, no longer as lifeless as before. He began to smile frequently, occasionally teasing the other person. Watching the person’s annoyed appearance was also cute.

Two years ago, in his youthful ignorance, he hastily drove the person away, experiencing the bitterness of longing for over six hundred days and nights. Now that person had finally returned to his side, he suddenly realized that what he sought was much more than he had imagined.

Desire is abundant, time is scarce—what he wanted to leave behind, he could only achieve by any means necessary.

Many years ago, when ALang was still a youth, he claimed he wasn’t a good person. Looking back now, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Selfish, self-centered, arrogant—his only virtue was loyalty, but that person refused to believe it.

No matter, he would make them believe… in the most ruthless and decisive manner.

As the month-long appointment approached its end, on the final night, the two sat facing each other. A pot of warm wine between them, outside, the swirling snowflakes veiled the moonlit night, leaving only the endless sound of the wind.

He drank quite a bit, a faint blush on his face, eyes glistening with the effects of the potion, all focused on the other’s face.

Unusually focused, he made the other feel awkward, who slightly turned away. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I won’t see you again, so I want to savor the memory in my dreams.”

“Tsk, silver-tongued.” The youth’s face also reddened. Downing a cup of the strongest bamboo leaf liquor specially bought, he teased, “Surprisingly, you can hold your liquor.”

This was the strongest Zhu Ye Qing, purposely chosen. “There’s a lot you don’t know,” he said, pouring another cup.

“What, trying to get me drunk?” The youth chuckled, sharp fangs peeking out. “Last day, and you’re playing these tricks. Is it fun?”

Responding with the same smile, he didn’t reply, just finishing his own cup in one go.

After a few cups of warm wine, a warm flow surged through his body. Silently drinking, the youth across suddenly spoke, “Actually, you really want to keep me, you don’t need to use these methods.”

“Yeah, I mean… I can come back after some time.” The other, frustrated, tugged at his hair, gaze fixed on the liquid in the cup as if trying to find a hole in it. “These two years, although I’ve been doing well, I’m tired.”

“Power, status, wealth—things I see as easily resolved through a fight, yet they ponder over them, wasting their lives.” He complained like a child, “Their endless desires. If humans are all like that, I don’t think I can ever become human…”

The candle on the counter flickered, casting eerie shadows in the room.

Interrupting the other, he suddenly spoke, “Do you want to know who my beloved is?”

“Huh?” The ambiguous candlelight illuminated the youth’s bewildered face, quickly realizing something. Breath suddenly quickening, “You—”

“You put something in the wine…”

“There’s some truth to what you said. Humans have endless desires.” He reached out, caressing the other’s flushed face, tracing lightly.

“So now, I want you.”