Chapter 66#

Likes Su Ruhui the Most#

Su Ruhui was dozing off when Sang Chiyu’s shout instantly woke him up. He looked around suspiciously. The Grand Compassion Hall was heavily guarded, and the monks were stationed inside and outside as usual, with no signs of danger. He asked the system: “Is there any danger nearby?”

[No danger. The system has not detected any malice.]

Su Ruhui walked out, speaking into the compass, “Yu’er, don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m coming to you now. We’ll take the same path and are sure to meet. Don’t worry, I’ll bring Anan and the brothers from the Grand Compassion Hall. Let’s see who dares to assassinate me.”

Sang Chiyu was still worried, “Su Ruhui, bring more people.”

“Mhm, I know,” Su Ruhui said.

The inner corridors of the Elysium Pavilion twisted and turned. Sang Chiyu continuously flashed, rushing outwards without stopping. Su Ruhui had no secret arts, and how strong could the monks of the Grand Compassion Hall be? The assassins sent by the demon race would certainly not be ordinary individuals. Sang Chiyu’s forehead was sweating, cursing the long road. He thought he should have devoured a secret art user of the Formless Dharma, so that no matter where he was, he could immediately return to Su Ruhui’s side.

Finally, he reached the archway at the main entrance of the Elysium Pavilion, leaped onto his horse, and galloped wildly. The night market was bustling, and the crowds of Black Street surged like a tide. He rode his horse over the head of a vendor crossing the street, drawing a chorus of curses. He had no time to care, rushing back like a madman.

“Yu’er.” The compass was still on, and he heard Su Ruhui’s voice, “Did you see my letter?”

Su Ruhui’s voice was rambling. He knew that this guy was using this method to prove that he was not yet in danger, to reassure him.

“I saw it,” he replied, his voice tinged with bitterness, “Why didn’t you tell me the truth about the murder?”

Su Ruhui sighed on the other end, “I can’t tell you about this. When we were ten, my secret art was taken by you, and I almost lost my life. So many years have passed since that messed-up incident, and people still bring it up, asking you to repay your kindness. Later, I became seriously ill, which was also related to your core. If I were to tell you now that I sacrificed my future for you back then, and am about to lose my life for you, would you still want to live?”

Sang Chiyu galloped in the night wind, listening to his steady voice, feeling increasingly sad. Su Ruhui, however, was laughing, in his usual carefree manner, but his words were incredibly gentle, “Listen to me, killing and defecting were my own choices, they have nothing to do with you. I was young and reckless, and I bear all the consequences myself. Of course, you can change your opinion of me because of this, but I don’t want you to feel indebted to me because of this. I don’t want to be a burden to you, do you understand?”

“I understand,” Sang Chiyu gripped the reins, “But…”

“But,” Su Ruhui interrupted him, a smile in his voice, “you still really want to make it up to me? I guess that works. How about it, Yu’er, you can spend the rest of your life making it up to me. Oh, I should have thought of this earlier. That’s what we’ll do. Whether you hate me or not, you’ll have to wash my stinky socks for the rest of your life.”

Su Ruhui joked, the heavy, blood-stained past, in his words, was brushed aside as lightly as a feather, as if he wasn’t the one who had wandered for more than a decade, as if he wasn’t the one who had suffered illness and near-death. He was always like this, carefree and nonchalant. Few people could see his difficult and painful past beneath his cynical exterior. Even when he spoke of it, it was like a self-pitying joke, and no one would take it seriously. This lighthearted attitude was not because Su Ruhui was inherently heartless, but because he never took things to heart. Others who experienced hardship might complain to heaven or curse the earth, but Su Ruhui had a resilient heart, embracing all difficulties, refining them as new, so his eyes always remained so bright.

Sang Chiyu remembered the days he lived in the old Sang family residence, when Su Ruhui would wake up early every day to cook for him. That guy, who usually slept until noon and whose waking up could be a life-threatening ordeal, was willing to groggily get up and cook for him. Sang Chiyu also remembered what Su Ruhui said when he thought he was a puppet substitute: he said he would take over “Su Ruhui’s” role in taking care of Sang Chiyu. Sang Chiyu thought he was teasing him, but it turned out his words were never empty. Recalling memories, Sang Chiyu once again remembered Su Ruhui’s last words five years ago when he bled profusely after his core was extracted and he was on his deathbed: “Call my name…”

That wasn’t some trivial wish, but Su Ruhui’s unspoken longing for many years.

It was just that Sang Chiyu stubbornly refused to believe.

Sang Chiyu galloped wildly, the streets and alleys lit with a string of brilliant lights, like a richly embroidered sleeve. The journey that usually took less than half an incense stick now seemed incredibly long. His pupils turned deep blue, narrowing into a line in the darkness, maximizing his night vision. He scanned the crowd, afraid of missing Su Ruhui. The scent of cheap rouge lingered in his nostrils, and the flirtatious banter of courtesans and the shouts of small vendors mingled together, ceaseless. But Su Ruhui’s voice was still so clear—

“Why aren’t you talking? Are you crying?” Su Ruhui chuckled, “You’re a grown man, crying is shameful, Sang Chiyu.”

“I’m not crying.”

“Then listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

Sang Chiyu replied hoarsely, “Okay.”

Su Ruhui’s voice drifted with the gentle night breeze, “I am indeed a terrible person, born rebellious and unconventional. Lying is commonplace for me, and I’ve done everything from murder to arson. We’re truly like people from two different worlds. You adhere to rules and conventions, and I find you pedantic and rigid, living like an old man at such a young age. You cultivate diligently, and I think you’re a stone Buddha who knows no pain or suffering, constantly tormenting yourself, which is truly boring. You see, everyone in the world thinks we’re incompatible. It’s only natural for you to want to kill me, and it’s perfectly normal for you to hate and despise me. We’re like cat and mouse, destined enemies.”

Sang Chiyu rode his horse onto the suspended bridge. Suddenly, a large crowd surged onto the bridge, making it extremely congested. Sang Chiyu, on horseback, could no longer advance, so he dismounted and struggled to move through the crowd. A dense mass of people jostled about, and Sang Chiyu was like a sharp blade cutting into the tide, moving against the current.

“Sang Chiyu, they are all wrong. I never hated you, never despised you. When I was ten, I joked about marrying you, but seven years later, I meant it. No one can bully you. If Yan Jinyu ambushes you, I’ll break his legs. If Auntie criticizes you, I’ll confront her. Only I can bully you, and only I can tease you. Believe it or not, I only ever tease you. Sang Chiyu, you always say I’m shameless and vulgar. Is teasing only you considered shameless and vulgar? Then perhaps, I am your personal rogue.

“I know I’m a scoundrel who’s done a lot of trashy things, and fate always loves to play tricks on me. I decided to take the Star Gazing exam, and it had to ruin my future. I decided to be Jiang Quexie, to be your little husband, and it had to expose me, making me embarrassed. I decided not to get involved in murky waters, to live a peaceful life this time, and it… sigh, I still have to go to the Snow Realm to set up star arrays for them.”

The voice suddenly paused. In the surging crowd, Sang Chiyu finally saw Su Ruhui on the opposite side of the bridge. Su Ruhui also saw him. That night, the weather was clear, and the Milky Way flowed like scattered silver across the sky. So, in the crowded Black Street, a place where people rarely saw daylight, starlight streamed down through the gaps between the buildings, falling on their shoulders.

Su Ruhui’s eyes curved, and he waved at him with a brilliant smile. Su Ruhui had always been such a radiant youth. Wherever he stood, that place shone brightly. Sang Chiyu would never forget that many, many years ago, he had been moved by this bright smile, and had been unable to control himself ever since.

They approached each other in unison, crossing the surging sea of people, crossing the long expanse of time.

The compass in his hand was still ringing. Sang Chiyu saw Su Ruhui holding the compass, his eyes and brows full of smiles.

“They say a prodigal son’s return is worth more than gold, but the truth behind that saying is that a prodigal son almost never returns. But Sang Chiyu, incredible things can happen in this world. Just like how I died in the Immortal’s Cave and woke up in your residence. If you can believe something so unbelievable, then can you believe me one more time? Can you believe that I will wander for you, and I will return for you? I am a bad guy, a rogue, a scoundrel, but I will become the best person in the world for you.

“Sang Chiyu, others see you as winter snow, but I see you as spring light. If I am rotten wood, but you take me in your hands, carve me into jade, sculpt me into a vessel. I swear, I will no longer be habitually lying. I swear, I will no longer seek pleasure. I promise, from now on, I will go to bed early, wake up early, run, box, and live a long life. So, can you please stop hating me? From my last life to this one, I’ve asked you many times, but you’ve never answered me.

Sang Chiyu, I’ll ask again. Can you please not hate me? Can you, like me?”

The moment his voice fell, Sang Chiyu finally touched Su Ruhui’s palm. He pulled Su Ruhui into his arms, embracing this chattering fellow. At this moment, his tense muscles finally relaxed, and his anxious heart finally settled. It was a false alarm; no assassin appeared, and Su Ruhui was safe and sound. He finally had time to calm down and listen to the silent flow of the night wind, the lush vegetation growing silently, the sweet voices of the singers on the terrace lingering in the wind, and the passing old woman leading her restless child, scolding him not to run around.

This mortal world was so vast, so noisy. He was like a stray cat who had wandered into the human world, lost for a long, long time in the night. Only when Su Ruhui stopped for him and fed him dried fish did he find a sense of belonging.

He did not belong to this human world; he belonged to Su Ruhui.

Su Ruhui smiled helplessly, “Your eyes are red like a rabbit’s. You must have cried just now.”

“Su Ruhui,” Sang Chiyu whispered, “I answered that question. Yes, always yes.”

The wind and noise drifted away from them. Su Ruhui hugged Sang Chiyu’s narrow waist back. At the same time, he heard a beep from the system in his ear—

[Information changed: Sang Chiyu, Devouring Secret Art user, master of blade arts, hates dogs the most, likes Su Ruhui the most.]

“Sang Chiyu,” Su Ruhui called him.

“Hmm?” Sang Chiyu responded softly.

“I like you the most too.”

The monks of the Grand Compassion Hall gathered under the bridge, looking at the two embracing under the starlight. The thugs from the Elysium Pavilion also arrived. They had received Han Ye’s order to protect Su Ruhui. Regardless of which faction Su Ruhui belonged to, as long as he didn’t threaten Black Street, most people in the Elysium Pavilion didn’t want anything to happen to him. The two Black Street gangs met in a narrow alley, glaring at each other with drawn swords. It was a tense atmosphere, but perhaps because the night wind was too gentle, they tacitly avoided conflict.

A thug sent a message to Han Ye, “Pavilion Master, no assassin. Boss Su is fine.”

Han Ye closed the compass beside him. Gloomy wooden carvings surrounded him. He was a solitary, withered shadow, sitting deeply in loneliness. He poured himself a cup of wine and said, “Su Ruhui, congratulations on getting your wish, and congratulations to me for escaping this sea of suffering.”

Author’s note:

Xia Hou Lian: I reunited with Young Master in Chapter 66.

Qi Yin: I was fleeing for my life with my brother in Chapter 66.

Baili Jueming: In Chapter 66… damn it, grab your weapons, kill Yang Su.