TSMITB Chapter20

A wind picked up in the dead of night, and the incessant rustle of branches and leaves striking the window frame kept Shen Que wide awake. Irritated, he flung aside the bedding, rose, and went to the window; the moon hung high overhead as drifting clouds slid past, trailing faint, smoke-like wisps.

 

Shen Que dug a cigarette out of his bag, it felt a bit damp. This time he didn’t scrutinize things, silently opened the door, and headed downstairs.

 

He had always thought Sheng Qixiao was someone who knew how to savor life; the flowerbeds and bamboo groves before and behind the house offered an easy, unhurried delight no matter the season or time of year.

 

Before the bamboo grove, Sheng Qixiao had fashioned a swing from locally sourced bamboo with flowering vines twined around the support poles, and every breath was steeped in a fresh, natural floral scent.

 

Shen Que settled onto the rattan swing chair, angled himself away from the wind, and shielded the lighter with his hand. With a “click,” a flame appeared. Shen Que clamped the cigarette between his teeth and leaned closer, and the smoke drifted away.

 

At this moment, Shen Que’s expression showed some signs of relaxation, casting off the gentleness he deliberately feigned in front of Sheng Qixiao on normal days. His facial contours appeared somewhat cold and unapproachable. He rested his arm lazily on the chair back with his eyes slightly narrowed, letting the rattan chair sway gently and slowly.

 

Everything he had learned that day, such as the “nightmare” in the cave, the murals, and the sight of Sheng Qixiao slitting his own wrist, kept replaying before his eyes.

 

Good at disguise… is Sheng Qixiao… the same?

 

His thoughts knotted into a chaotic tangle, with no way out.

 

A familiar scent then drifted from afar in the air. The unique mountain flower fragrance, wrapped in the coolness of the night, mixed roughly with the strong tobacco smell on his fingertips, rushing straight into Shen Que’s nostrils.

 

It was Sheng Qixiao’s scent.

 

Shen Que lifted his eyes carelessly, letting the scrutiny in his gaze show even in the cover of night, taking in every detail of Sheng Qixiao.

 

He carried a not-too-bright butterfly lamp, standing in the not-too-far, not-too-close darkness. His indistinct expression subtly revealed some gentleness and calm, as if he were looking at the person in the rattan chair.

 

“Are you in a bad mood, Shen Que?”

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

“Because you… cough, cough…” The butterfly lamp wavered, leaning forward as if to draw near, but the hand gripping its pole stiffened, stifled by the smoke. “What is that smell?”

 

Shen Que instinctively wanted to extinguish the cigarette the moment the first cough left Sheng Qixiao’s mouth. He held the cigarette butt between two fingers, ready to press down, but then eased off, hiding his hand behind the chair’s back as if “burying his head in the sand,” trying to lessen the smoke’s impact on the person before him.

 

“This is a type of incense. You might not be used to it. If you don’t get too close, you won’t smell it.”

 

“Really?” Sheng Qixiao tilted his head. This was the first time he had shown doubt about the truthfulness of Shen Que’s words, but he didn’t expect an explanation either. He just continued to ask, “Why are you in a bad mood? Are you homesick? They say that, if you are separated from your family, for too long, you will miss home.”

 

Shen Que nodded slightly, adopting a mournful tone: “A little. A family member of mine is sick, and if they don’t get treatment, I might never see them again.”

 

Sheng Qixiao’s mouth moved. With a magnifying glass, one could perhaps tell if it had shifted by as little as a tenth of a pixel. He asked doubtfully, “Why no treatment? Don’t outsiders just need money to hire a herbalist?”

 

“I need a very skilled herbalist, but I can’t find one. It seems like they are all not as good as you.” Shen Que deliberately elongated the last few words. “Actually, I was just thinking, if I asked you for help, would you help?”

 

Shen Que sat up straight, looking earnestly at Sheng Qixiao. The small braid he had made during the day was now undone, his smooth, long hair catching a shallow layer of moonlight.

 

“But then, I remembered you said you cannot leave this place…” So, I plan to help myself. Please don’t mind.

 

Sheng Qixiao’s reply was very slow this time, as if he had genuinely thought about it for a long time: “….Yes, I cannot leave this place.”

 

But in reality, he was simply attracted by Shen Que’s eyes.

 

Shen Que’s eyes were strikingly beautiful; he had made that judgment the very first time he saw him. The upward curve of the outer corner of his eye was like a rope woven from silk gauze, falling precisely onto his heart.

 

But Shen Que’s gaze had always carried an aggression, or perhaps arrogance, that he himself might not even have noticed. Even when putting on an act to feign pitifulness and deceive him, his gaze was always incompletely disguised. Even through the tears, beneath that mist flickered a sharp scrutiny and subtle provocation, as if he were quietly gauging when the prey would take the bait.

 

On such a dim night, Shen Que’s eyes were glowing in Sheng Qixiao’s view.

 

The next moment, half of the glow was cut off by the shadow cast by his thick, slender eyelashes. As if truly disappointed, Shen Que sighed softly: “You said before that you like me. When I leave, will you like someone else?”

 

“No, I only like you.”

 

“But do you know what ‘like’ is? Did the person who taught you the word ‘love at first sight’ tell you what ‘like’ truly is? Did you like him before?”

 

“I know. To ‘like’ is to want to live with him forever.”

 

Never to be separated. I will use every means necessary to bring him back to my side.

 

“No,” Shen Que shook his head, leading him on: “‘Like’ is dedication; it is giving without expecting anything in return.” He finally concluded, “Perhaps you don’t like me.”

 

Sheng Qixiao asserted firmly, “That’s not right, Shen Que. I like you. Is there only one kind of liking? Didn’t you say, there are many kinds of liking in the world?”

 

“Fine, I was wrong,” Shen Que chuckled lightly, unwilling to argue. “But the only kind I want is that one.”

 

A pebble then fell from an unknown place to Shen Que’s feet, interrupting the words he was brewing in his chest that had not yet been spoken.

 

A burning sensation came from his fingertips. The cigarette had burned down completely. Shen Que snuffed out the faint ember, stood, lightly brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes, and tilted his head slightly to watch Sheng Qixiao approaching.

 

Silence settled between them. The butterfly lamp was lifted, its warm light casting a gentle glow on the two, now standing near each other. Sheng Qixiao fixed his eyes on Shen Que, his gaze complex yet burning, filled with confusion, shock, and flickering through it, followed by an undeniable surge of adoration, laced with the stubborn weight of old wounds.

 

Shen Que savored the moment. He had seen too much insincere flattery and too many overtures of goodwill. The affection in Sheng Qixiao’s eyes was untainted by a single impurity, purer than any Shen Que had ever possessed. Honestly, it was very appealing, but what he needed right now was utility value. If Sheng Qixiao wasn’t willing to make sacrifices for him, then no matter how genuine the affection, it held no value.

 

Shen Que shook his head internally, realizing he had meant to lure Sheng Qixiao into a trap, yet he himself had gotten flustered first.

 

That spark of emotion came strangely, like an undercurrent that had long been ready, only waiting for the ice to break before rushing out. Even Shen Que himself couldn’t explain the reason.

 

“The wind is picking up. Go to bed early.”

 

Shen Que’s shoulder brushed past Sheng Qixiao’s arm hanging at his side as he walked away, only to be grabbed firmly by the wrist. Sheng Qixiao’s voice was full of confusion at the abrupt end of the conversation: “Shen Que, why? Did we argue? What do you need? I can dedicate…”

 

“Just kidding, you actually believe that?” Shen Que raised his hand to gently pat the back of Sheng Qixiao’s hand, then smoothly and decisively pulled away from him.

 

Sheng Qixiao remained frozen, his gaze following Shen Que as he ascended the stairs slowly, disappearing into the darkened stairwell.

 

He hadn’t missed the flicker of confusion on Shen Que’s face just now, which reminded him of a much more youthful Shen Que, whose eyes held no guard or calculation towards him, only the feigned annoyance and amusement after being teased, like a cat with a curled tail.

 

But now Sheng Qixiao’s brows knit faintly, “Are you planning to leave again? Didn’t you say, you’d always stay with me?”

 

His answer was Shen Que’s back, which never once turned around.

 

Why, why is he so smart, yet so stupid, so impatient, and unable to even clearly understand his own situation?

 

The following day, Shen Que rose before daybreak and set out to climb the mountain.

 

As he passed the kitchen, he leaned half his head in while clutching the door frame with one hand, and wished Sheng Qixiao a good morning, as if he had completely forgotten everything that happened last night: “What are we having for breakfast today?”

 

For the first two meals, Shen Que had feigned helping out, but after nearly burning his hair while tending the firewood, he was completely chased out by Sheng Qixiao, and no one else was an exception.

 

Sheng Qixiao went still, his hand kneading the dough halting mid-motion. He turned his head to look at Shen Que. “Bobo pastry. Are you going out?”

 

“En, I want to climb the mountain and watch the sunrise.”

 

After the intense herb-gathering activities of the previous few days, the few of them had basically integrated. The tribe members, though still harboring some resentment and wariness toward them, at least no longer had anyone grabbing them and issuing a warning each time they stepped outside.

 

“Xiao Shen’er, what’s the meaning of this? You’re secretly climbing a mountain and not taking me?” Gang Zi rubbed his eyes and ambled over, looking like he’d just woken up, though his clothes were neatly put on.

 

Shen Que sneered, restrained himself, and continued to ask Sheng Qixiao, “Are you coming?”

 

Sheng Qixiao’s eyes darted between the two of them. He understood and wisely shook his head: “I’m not going. Be careful, and come back early for a meal.”

 

“Well, I won’t be in the kitchen to mess things up for you today. Those two are always fighting; I’m going to check on them. Getting into a fight up on the mountain is pretty dangerous, isn’t it?” Old Qiu, who came out a step later, quickly dropped a sentence and also followed them out the door.

 

Sheng Qixiao did not stop them. A small blue snake flicked its tongue, slipped out from his wide sleeve, and vanished into the shallow grass by the roadside, trailing after them the whole way.

 

“Aiya, Young Master Shen, you were really impulsive last night. Why did you say all that to him? You know how this thing called ’emotion’ works, right? Even if he likes you so much, could he really give you the treasure?” Gang Zi shook his head as he analyzed the situation.

 

Shen Que didn’t like hearing that and sped up his pace on his own.

 

Gang Zi nudged Old Qiu with his mouth: Look at him.

 

Old Qiu then mimed a zipping motion across his lips.

 

The sky was not completely bright yet, yet wisps of cooking smoke were already climbing up the chimneys.

 

Fortunately, only the three of them were heading out at this time, and they didn’t encounter a single person along the way, which saved them the tedious process of pretending.

 

The few of them did not dare risk going directly to the Divine Temple. They only looked at the general area from afar before quickly ascending to the mountaintop along the wooden steps, taking in the surrounding terrain and layout.

 

“There’s no time to waste, we will make a move tonight. First, we’ll probe the situation, don’t alert the enemy. No matter what the circumstances are, don’t make any unnecessary moves.” Old Qiu stood straight at the edge of the cliff with his arms crossed.

 

Gang Zi nodded. “Ah Chao’s leg isn’t a major problem, he can basically walk now. If the thing really is in there, we’ll grab it and leave immediately.”

 

“Same as always. Gang Zi and I will go; Young Master Shen stays behind, and Ah Chao keeps up the act of limping. If anything unforeseen comes up, Young Master Shen will know how to respond.”

 

Shen Que hummed, indicating he was listening, and continued to wander around with his phone: “Still no signal.” The signal here was quite good yesterday.

 

“Forget it. It was probably a coincidence yesterday.”

 

“But…” Shen Que still wanted to know the last sentence the master said before what exactly should he leave? He had a strong premonition that if he didn’t grasp this important piece of information, he would likely miss the only opportunity to get out unscathed.

 

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it. If things go smoothly, we’ll be able to leave in the next couple of days.”

 

Can it really be that smooth? Shen Que was unsure.

 

The unease that had filled his heart when he first met Sheng Qixiao now surged up again.

 

Old Qiu patted his shoulder. “There’s no other way now. We’ll take it one step at a time. Don’t overthink.”