Chapter 73#

Bury Him in Kunlun#

Sang Chiyu woke up and propped open the window. It wasn’t yet dawn, and the snow that had fallen all night hadn’t stopped. The entire capital seemed buried in snow, becoming a silent graveyard. The familiar scent was gone from the kang, and he felt as though something was missing. He seemed to have had a nightmare last night related to Su Ruhui, but he had forgotten it upon waking, unable to recall the specifics. Seeing it was still early and no roosters had crowed, Su Ruhui was certainly not yet awake, sleeping soundly. That fellow was naturally lazy; it was common for him to sleep until the sun was high.

He got up to change and wash, then took out some fine cotton cloth to cut and sew undergarments and socks for Su Ruhui. After cutting four or five pairs, he set down the scissors and needlework. A high-pitched crowing sounded, the horizon turned pale, and he went out to wait at the entrance of Jiang Xueya’s residence to pick up Su Ruhui and take him home. He had originally intended to wait a few days before seeing Su Ruhui again—seeing him too often made him fear Su Ruhui would realize Sang Baobao disappeared every time he appeared. But he couldn’t help it; the desire to see Su Ruhui was like a sprout planted in his heart, growing vigorously whenever the wind blew, impossible for even heavy snow to bury.

He paced around the Jiang residence twice, feeling as though a long time had passed. In reality, it hadn’t; his two laps probably took less than a stick of incense’s time. However, subjectively feeling that an hour had passed, he knocked on the gate of the Jiang residence. A servant led him to the front hall, served him tea, and asked him to wait. Sang Chiyu set the teacup aside without drinking. After two sticks of incense, Jiang Xueya arrived, looking as though she had just crawled out of bed, her hair somewhat messy.

“Here to pick up A-Hui?” Jiang Xueya asked with a half-smile, glancing at the sky. “This is too early. Curfew just ended, didn’t it? You came right on the dot.”

“Apologies for the intrusion,” he explained calmly. “There’s a problem with the star array at the mines, and Su Ruhui’s assistance is needed.”

“What should we do then?” Jiang Xueya looked very troubled. “The star array here also needs A-Hui’s help. Can’t yours wait a few hours?”

“Apologies.” Sang Chiyu replied quickly, implying that it could not.

Jiang Xueya looked up and met Sang Chiyu’s placid eyes. This man had a very forceful aura; though he spoke words of apology, he clearly had no intention of actually apologizing. Looking him in the eye felt like having a blade pressed against one’s forehead. Jiang Xueya smiled and stood up. “Can’t you just say you want to see him? Is there a need for so many excuses? A-Hui told me everything about you two. If we’re talking about seniority, you should call me Senior Sister along with him.”

Exposed, Sang Chiyu remained calm and composed, showing no sign of embarrassment. He simply cupped his hands and said, “I must trouble Master Jiang to lead the way.”

Jiang Xueya stepped aside. “Fine. We had a few too many drinks last night, and that kid is still fast asleep. I can’t wake him up. He’s been a troublemaker since he was small; it seems only you can manage him. Go try.”

Sang Chiyu followed Jiang Xueya onto the wooden corridor. Ahead, rockeries were scattered, and a secluded small building was faintly visible. Jiang Xueya pointed at the building and said Su Ruhui was there. As she spoke, a page ran over with a panicked expression and whispered a few words into Jiang Xueya’s ear. Jiang Xueya’s expression changed instantly. In just a flash, she returned to normal, turned back to Sang Chiyu, and smiled. “A-Hui’s body is a bit… inconvenient. Why don’t you wait in the front hall, and I’ll bring him to you.”

Sang Chiyu’s brow slowly furrowed. He sensed Jiang Xueya’s oddness. It seemed that since a moment ago, she had been trying to delay him from seeing Su Ruhui.

He cupped his hands again. “I must trouble you to lead the way.”

“We really drank a bit too much last night. A-Hui’s mind probably isn’t clear yet. I’ve sent someone to bring him hangover soup. Wait a bit longer,” Jiang Xueya said.

Sang Chiyu stared at her for a long time. Although Jiang Xueya appeared calm, he could see a trace of panic. What had happened to Su Ruhui? Why was she hiding him? Sang Chiyu intended to activate his mind-reading technique, but his spiritual energy was sluggish, and the technique could not be activated—there was a “Pure Land” in the residence. Jiang Xueya held a high position; to prevent assassinations, she had likely invited a Pure Land mystic to stay at the residence.

Unable to activate his technique, Sang Chiyu said no more to Jiang Xueya and walked quickly toward the building. Servants chased after him with shouts and cries, but he ignored them, heading straight for the building.

Stepping onto the veranda, he pushed aside those who came to block him and opened the door to the bedchamber. Entering the room, a lingering, sultry scent greeted his nose, and the floor was a mess. Su Ruhui’s compass, white linen bag, blue padded jacket, and deerskin boots were tossed everywhere. Leftover food and empty wine jars sat on the table, with golden-yellow wine dregs remaining in white porcelain cups. Behind a silk screen patterned with flowers and birds, dark red bed curtains obscured shifting shadows.

He seemed to know why Jiang Xueya had tried to stop him. An ominous premonition rose in his heart. On the footstool of the canopy bed, he saw a bright red sash. The crumpled red silk was like a cluster of shimmering flames, searing his eyes.

Jiang Xueya chased him to the door but stopped. Sang Chiyu heard her heave a heavy sigh.

Sang Chiyu’s hands and feet went cold as he approached the bed step by step and gently pulled back the curtain. Inside lay two people with disheveled clothes. The face of one was so familiar—so familiar that Sang Chiyu thought he had seen wrong. Su Ruhui was sleeping soundly, lying on his side, his undergarments untied, holding a graceful man in his arms. The man’s face was buried in the crook of Su Ruhui’s neck, the two lying with necks intertwined in an incredibly intimate posture.

For a moment, his body seemed frozen, unable to move at all. Sang Chiyu remained in the posture of pulling back the curtain, staring at the person sleeping inside. He kept suspecting he had seen wrong; golden sparks flickered in his vision, blurring his sight so that no matter how he looked, he couldn’t see clearly.

“Su Ruhui.” He called out to him.

Su Ruhui did not respond, remaining fast asleep.

The scene was too unbelievable, yet it lay right before Sang Chiyu’s eyes, forcing him to believe. Grief and anger slowly attacked his heart, piercing his chest like needles. The pain was continuous and dense, impossible to break.

He opened his mouth again but faltered. What would waking Su Ruhui accomplish? Quarrelling in Jiang Xueya’s residence, making both lose face? Or killing Jiang Xueya’s servant and humiliating her? When Su Ruhui woke up, what kind of farce would it be? It was too absurd, absurd to the point of being laughable. He would rather leave with dignity. He fell silent, lowered the curtain without a word, and turned to leave. Jiang Xueya followed behind him, watching as he stepped out from under the eaves and onto the wooden corridor they had come from.

“Sang Chiyu,” Jiang Xueya said, “don’t be impulsive. A-Hui drank too much last night and likely mistook that boy for you. I’ll have that lowly slave killed immediately.”

The man in front of her suddenly stopped and turned to look back at her. His gaze was cold as frost and sharp as a blade.

“It was your doing,” Sang Chiyu said.

Jiang Xueya’s expression stiffened, then she smiled. “What do you mean by that?”

“Leading me into the courtyard was so I would see this scene, was it not?” Sang Chiyu’s eyes held suppressed pain. “He gave up wine long ago; he would never drink to excess. You set him up, perhaps using drugs, and then arranged for that brothel boy to be in his bed.”

Jiang Xueya’s high-strung heart relaxed. She had thought she had slipped up and he had noticed something; she had almost drawn her blade.

She reacted quickly, swiftly changing her story: “Indeed, you found out.”

Sang Chiyu closed his eyes and asked, “Why? Aren’t you friends?”

The word “friends” caused a dull pain in Jiang Xueya’s heart for a moment.

She composed herself and said, “Fine, Sang Chiyu. To be blunt, my Junior Brother finally managed to return to the right path, joining the Eagle Guards with a bright future ahead. From now on, he can live openly with the identity of ‘Jiang Quexie,’ no longer the leader of thieves, Su Ruhui, who hid in the gutters. He is to take the bright path and become the future Great Star Official. And the partner of a Great Star Official can never be a half-demon.”

Sang Chiyu stood there with lowered eyes. Jiang Xueya couldn’t gauge his emotions.

She heaved a long sigh and stepped aside to clear the way. “However, if the two of you insist on being together, how can I stop you? The two of you are in love; surely A-Hui won’t care about that little boy who slept with him for a night. If you want to take A-Hui away, then go.”

Sang Chiyu looked up, gazing at the path ahead where snow fluttered. He was only a few steps away from that door, but that tiny distance felt like an unbridgeable chasm. He didn’t care about racial identity, and he believed Su Ruhui felt the same.

But he cared about the man in Su Ruhui’s bed. He cared about Su Ruhui sharing a pillow with someone else, even if it wasn’t what Su Ruhui had desired.

Wrong was wrong.

In the end, he did not take that single step. He turned around and walked alone into the endless wind and snow.

Jiang Xueya watched Sang Chiyu leave, then turned back to the building.

On the canopy bed, the seductive man sat up. His trailing long hair left Su Ruhui as he moved, revealing the shocking, hideous wound on Su Ruhui’s neck. Jiang Xueya walked to the bedside, bent down, and removed the preservative jade cicada from Su Ruhui’s mouth. It was already broad daylight; anyone careful would have noticed Su Ruhui was abnormally pale, a complexion devoid of life. Fortunately, it had been dark earlier, and her servants had applied some powder to Su Ruhui’s face just in time, so Sang Chiyu hadn’t noticed any clues.

She was skilled at calculation and planning. Su Ruhui knew Sang Chiyu’s personality inside out, and so did she. This morning’s scheme was indeed risky, but she also knew that given Sang Chiyu’s character, he would most likely choose to flee rather than confront Su Ruhui face-to-face. And after today, Sang Chiyu would never seek out Su Ruhui again. Although a few small complications had arisen, everything had generally gone as she expected.

“Your Highness.” The man looked up, revealing his bright features. He was a servant bestowed upon Bai Ruoye by the King of Luofu, a Pure Land mystic of the Profound Realm.

“You did well,” Jiang Xueya said.

“Sang Chiyu is the Holy Son. According to the King of Luofu’s orders, he should be imprisoned and taken back to the Royal City. Should we not capture him?” he asked softly.

“Now is not the time.” Jiang Xueya gazed at the dead Su Ruhui on the bed. “He is a Devouring mystic, the successor to Tantai Jing’s legacy, not someone you all can handle. Today is the Grand Assembly; I must enter the palace and have no time to deal with him. When my tribe descends upon the world, he will naturally have nowhere to run.”

“Then… Master Su’s remains…”

Jiang Xueya fell silent. The man bowed his head, waiting for her reply. In the long silence, he heard her faint answer.

“Quietly… bury him in Kunlun. In the future, I will build a tomb for him.”

“Yes.”

Jiang Xueya thought for a moment, then added, “Bury him somewhere hidden. That way, even if Sang Chiyu comes to his senses, it won’t interfere with my great task.”