TSMITB Chapter9

Shen Que honestly lay on Sheng Qixiao’s shoulder while lifting his head. His gaze swept over the airtight green canopy above, and a strange fragrance drifted into his nostrils with the breeze.

His dangling calves froze. Shen Que lowered his head, brought his nose close to Sheng Qixiao’s neck, sniffed, and his eyes narrowed.

He would never mistake the scent. Since entering E’yun Mountain, this fragrance had almost followed him the entire way, and now, it was palpably coming from Sheng Qixiao.

Shen Que silently tightened his arms, his lips practically touching Sheng Qixiao’s ear as he asked in a soft whisper, “It smells so good, is this a perfume you mixed yourself?”

He finally noticed.

Sheng Qixiao raised an eyebrow, looked down at Shen Que’s clasped hands, which were white at the knuckles from the force, and a smile slowly spread from his lips. Of course, he knew that what Shen Que wanted to ask was more than just that.

“It’s just made from common flowers and plants in the mountains. Haven’t you smelled it since you came into the mountains? The fresh flower scent is stronger; you can even smell it from far away.”

Sheng Qixiao’s pace was slow yet firm, neither hurried nor rushed.

Shen Que nodded, believing his explanation. His chin rubbed against Sheng Qixiao’s shoulder with each movement. This was a relatively intimate action, yet he seemed completely unaware of it.

Sheng Qixiao did not stop him. In his eyes, such a gesture meant closeness and trust, but at the same time, he clearly knew that this was not the case for Shen Que.

He had seen Shen Que do more intimate things than this with many people he had only known for a few days or even a few hours. When excitement struck, his eyes were full of affection, but the next moment, he would coldly draw a line.

The world outside E’yun Mountain was too vast and complicated, which created such a Shen Que.

Not pure yet not bad enough, not kind yet unable to let go of the so-called responsibility, he’s one who does not cherish life yet cannot calmly face death, who despises closeness yet yearns to understand love, who feels crushed when love is given, and who, unable to trust in sincerity, may ultimately end up grasping nothing at all.

He sighed inwardly for no reason.

He knew all about Shen Que’s experiences over the past few years, while Shen Que knew nothing about him. This realization brought him pleasure.

But it wasn’t enough.

Because Shen Que had done too many things that displeased him, yet he couldn’t stop them; he couldn’t leave E’yun Mountain.

But he couldn’t wait any longer.

Therefore, he had to let Shen Que come to him willingly.

Sheng Qixiao smiled silently. Under the cover of his bangs, a pale purple light flashed across his amber-color eyes.

Sheng Qixiao’s steps were steady even on the uneven mountain path. Even with a tall adult male on his back, he did not feel the slightest strain at all.

Shen Que felt somewhat drowsy in this stability, accompanied by the fragrance of Sheng Qixiao, he was almost about to fall into a dream in the next second.

“Smoke! There’s smoke! Someone is cooking, are we almost there!” Gang Zi shouted excitedly, almost throwing Ah Chao off his back onto the ground.

Sheng Qixiao frowned with a hint of impatience in his expression. These people were truly too noisy.

The drowsy Shen Que was jolted awake by Gang Zi’s yell. He immediately sobered up, pressed his palms against Sheng Qixiao’s shoulders, raised his head, and looked in the direction of Gang Zi’s gaze.

Between the scattered trees, a stockaded village nestled against the mountain in the valley not far away came into view.

The stockaded village was ringed by mountains on every side. A narrow river, like a ribbon flowing from north to south, descended from the heights and cleaved the village in two. Amid the dense greenery, countless stilt houses could be glimpsed, half-hidden within the foliage. Wisps of pale cooking smoke, tinged with the scent of firewood, drifted upward, lending a trace of human life to the depths of the mountains.

Sheng Qixiao’s steps did not stop. Everyone quickly pushed past the last layer of forest cover, taking in the entire scenery of the valley.

At the foot of the mountain where they were, there were layers of terraced fields. They did not seem to be planted with crops, but rather herbs or similar plants, though the specific type could not be distinguished.

Shen Que looked up at the distant orange-red sky gradually mixing with thick black. The daylight was obscured, and quiet stars were secretly sprinkled across the sky.

It turned out that it was already almost night without him realizing it. Sheng Qixiao had carried him for so long.

Shen Que felt a rare moment of embarrassment. He reached out and patted Sheng Qixiao’s arm, signaling for him to put him down.

Sheng Qixiao found a relatively flat spot before setting Shen Que down steadily. Only after Shen Que had a firm footing did he move his arms, which had been bearing weight in one position for a long time.

In the twilight, fragmented starlight fell into Sheng Qixiao’s eyes, carrying the unique clarity of youth.

Shen Que only glanced before looking away, silently reminding himself in his heart that he was now playing the part of a virtuous gentleman and should not reveal himself.

The rest of the path was much easier to walk.

Small paths were carved out between the terraced fields, paved with neat flagstones, winding all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Supported by Sheng Qixiao, Shen Que arrived at the valley one step at a time. The winding paths were all covered with crushed stones for easier passage.

Wild grasses and flowers grew freely on both sides of the paths, and the moist air was filled with the fresh scent of green grass and earth.

The sound of the river gradually became clear, the water flowing slowly, hitting the relatively regular stone banks on both sides.

Looking out, patches of dim yellow candlelight lit up across the entire stockaded village. The light gently spilled through the rustic wooden window screens onto the flowers, plants, and trees around the houses, warming the heart.

Since leaving the woods, Old Qiu and the others had been quiet, not speaking again, vigilantly scanning the surroundings to survey the situation.

Shen Que leaned subtly against Sheng Qixiao, concealing the unease that stirred within him.

“Qixiao, how do we go from here? Where is your home?”

Sheng Qixiao did not answer but instead turned his head to look at him with some surprise.

Shen Que paused, quickly found the root of the problem, and tentatively said, “You don’t like me calling you that? Sorry, I didn’t ask for your permission beforehand.”

Sheng Qixiao gently shook his head in denial: “It’s been a long time since anyone called me that.” He raised his hand and pointed in one direction. “There, that is my home.”

Shen Que followed the direction and looked. The stilt house stood halfway up the mountain, shrouded in darkness with no light inside. Only the faint glow spilling from a slightly shorter building in front outlined its silhouette against the night.

Shen Que secretly scrutinized Sheng Qixiao from head to toe again. With all the jangling silver ornaments he wore, it did not seem like a family that could not afford to light a lamp.

Sheng Qixiao seemed to have read his mind: “There’s only me, in my house. Since I haven’t arrived home yet, naturally, no one has lit the lamp.”

A trace of pity immediately appeared in Shen Que’s eyes. In the night wind, he reached out and straightened Sheng Qixiao’s wind-blown hair, considering how to phrase his words of comfort, as he was truly not skilled at that particular task.

Gang Zi directly darted in front of the two of them, raised his thick eyebrows, and boldly declared, “Then let’s hurry! You must be lonely living alone. It’s perfect that we’re here to liven things up for you.”

Old Qiu and Ah Chao: “……”

“Shameless.” Shen Que sneered.

Sheng Qixiao also seemed amused and curved his lips, then led the group into the stockaded village under the moonlight.

Stilt houses lined both sides of the winding flagstone path. Perhaps because it was night, the whole stockaded village lay silent, without a trace of conversation at all. If it weren’t for the lit lamps in every household, Shen Que would have almost thought they were the only living beings here.

Just as he was thinking, a man in Miao clothing, holding a lamp, suddenly appeared not far ahead. He was not tall but very robust. He stood still and was expressionless. His slightly sunken eyes looked somewhat eerie under the lamplight. He subtly scrutinized Shen Que and the others from head to toe.

As they got closer, the man whispered a few words to Sheng Qixiao, sounding like he was asking or requesting something, which Shen Que could not understand.

After receiving Sheng Qixiao’s reply, the man held the lamp and walked ahead of them, the soft light illuminating the path beneath their feet.

“Is he your friend? Did he specifically come to meet you?” Shen Que turned to look at Sheng Qixiao.

Sheng Qixiao’s gaze fell on the man’s back. He pondered for a moment and then slowly nodded: “He is required to care about my life.”

“Will you be in trouble for bringing strangers back, after all…” Shen Que paused, lowering his head, seeming to blame himself for causing trouble for the person in front of him. “People probably don’t want outsiders disturbing them.”

“No.” Sheng Qixiao’s tone was light and certain.

Shen Que thought of the pile of bones at the bottom of the lake, which had nearly formed a small hill. He clearly saw human skeletons mixed among them and was about to take the opportunity to ask, but before he could speak, the person leading the way stopped and turned back, holding the small lamp.

“Welcome home.” Sheng Qixiao stepped past the lamp-holder, took a step up a tier, and looked down slightly at Shen Que.

Only then did Shen Que realize that they had unknowingly reached their destination. He looked up at Sheng Qixiao to cooperate.

Behind Sheng Qixiao, a wooden staircase receded into the darkness. Intricate patterns adorned the handrail, yet the dim lamplight was too weak for him to make them out clearly. The stairs extended all the way to the second floor. From Shen Que’s angle, a thick darkness was attached to Sheng Qixiao’s back, as if coexisting with him.

Shen Que smiled, tossed out the strange thought, and gently corrected him: “Perhaps you meant to say, Welcome to your home?”

Small dimples also bloomed on Sheng Qixiao’s cheeks. He reached out his hand to Shen Que and spoke in a low voice again, still the same sentence—”Welcome, home.”

Shen Que felt helpless. He placed his hand in Sheng Qixiao’s palm, letting him lead him up the steps and slowly push open the unlocked wooden door.

The familiar fragrance on Sheng Qixiao rushed towards him again.

The others also followed him into the house. Sheng Qixiao lit the lamp, and the dim environment instantly brightened.

They seemed to be in the living and dining area. The long rectangular room extended deep inside. Near the entrance stood a small bamboo-woven side table, surrounded by several bamboo rattan chairs that looked quite comfortable. At the far end, opposite the front door, was a large window overlooking a bamboo forest. The panes stood open, letting the night wind sweep through the room and set the bamboo leaves rustling softly.

A solid wood round table was placed in front of the window. On the table, a few slightly withered light purple small flowers were inserted into a ceramic vase, which should not have been changed for about two days. However, there was only one stool, indicating that, just as Sheng Qixiao said, only he lived here.

Shen Que looked back. Old Qiu and Gang Zi had already put down their luggage and settled Ah Chao on a bamboo-woven chair, but Sheng Qixiao was nowhere to be seen.

Outside the small building, the person who had been standing next to the stairs holding the lamp had also disappeared into the vast night.

“Shen Que.” Sheng Qixiao’s voice came from the side.

Shen Que pulled his thoughts back and turned to look, only to find Sheng Qixiao holding a bamboo basket filled with cloth strips and medicinal herbs. Shen Que couldn’t help feeling a bit puzzled.

Sheng Qixiao raised his chin, signaling for him to sit down on the rattan chair.

“Are you going to apply medicine for me?” Shen Que sat down as instructed while watching Sheng Qixiao squat down. His cool palm steered clear of the wound, resting on his calf, while his other hand rolled up his trouser leg to fully reveal the injured ankle.

The ankle was as swollen as a piece of soft tofu and could not withstand any more jarring. After entering the stockaded village, Shen Que pressed on along the road while gritting his teeth and enduring the pain step by step, leaving himself just enough strength to run a few steps if an unexpected situation arose.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to trust Sheng Qixiao, but when a person is in an unfamiliar environment, it is inevitable to develop some not-so-unnecessary suspicion.

Sheng Qixiao took off Shen Que’s shoes and socks and tossed them aside. Shen Que had been spoiled since childhood. Apart from being beaten by his older brother a few times and voluntarily engaging in some reckless adventure activities, he had hardly suffered any hardship in his life. His skin was delicate, smooth, and cool white, while the blue veins on the back of his foot almost looked like they would break through the skin’s resistance if he exerted any force.

Sheng Qixiao used a water-dampened cloth to wipe clean the bloodstains on the top of Shen Que’s foot and gently massaged his ankle with his thumb.

Shen Que subconsciously tried to pull his leg back but was held tighter by Sheng Qixiao.

The head adorned with silver ornaments lifted up, and his eyelids rose just enough to reveal his light-colored eyes, filled with confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Did he know how ambiguous this movement and posture were?

Shen Que closed his eyes. “I’ll do it myself.”

Sheng Qixiao immediately lowered his head and pretended to be deaf and mute while mixing various medicinal herbs, spreading them flat on a dark blue cloth strip, and, disregarding Shen Que’s protest, wrapped it around his ankle by gripping his ankle firmly.

This was somewhat surprising to Shen Que. He thought that a deer growing up in the mountains, no matter how gentle, would inevitably carry some innate wildness. Clenching his fist and letting out a light cough into his palm, Shen Que murmured a vague thanks: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” This time, Sheng Qixiao heard him. He looked up with a faint smile, his eyes glinting with satisfaction.

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T/N: Sorry for the long wait. I’ve been busy with work and in the middle of moving, so I haven’t had time to proofread. I’m not fully settled yet, so updates won’t be daily for now, but I’ll do my best to post at least one chapter every two to three days. Hope you guys understand💕