TSMITB Chapter17

“I’m sorry, Gang Zi and I just ate too much and thought we’d step out for a walk to digest. If we unintentionally broke any of your taboos, we are truly sorry.” Old Qiu stepped forward to restrain Shen Que, knowing his patience was about to run out.

 

Sheng Qixiao brusquely waved Old Qiu’s hand aside, straightened Shen Que’s collar for him, then rested a palm on his shoulder and gently rubbed his collarbone with his thumb.

 

Shen Que tilted his head, his eyes resting on the small patch of Sheng Qixiao’s wrist that was exposed. The sharply outlined veins vanished beneath the wide cuff, his skin unnaturally pale. Shen Que inexplicably recalled Sheng Qixiao’s lifeless appearance when he lost consciousness last night. Just as he was on the brink of anger, the fury easily subsided.

 

“You said it yesterday, you didn’t even say it today.” The implication was that it was Sheng Qixiao’s fault.

 

Sheng Qixiao blinked, thought for a moment, and decided there was some truth to the statement. He withdrew the chilling low pressure surrounding him and sincerely apologized: “It’s my fault for not making it clear. I’m sorry.”

 

Shen Que lifted his chin before giving him a sidelong glance, taking on an attitude of being right and unforgiving: “Xiao Sheng, your attitude is very good, completely different from your accusatory tone just now.”

 

The last sentence was enunciated word by word, practically squeezed out from between his teeth.

 

Sheng Qixiao lowered his eyes, adopting a submissive posture without hesitation: “I’m sorry, Shen Ge. Can you forgive me?” It was as if the person who had just aggressively questioned Shen Que wasn’t him.

 

Old Qiu and the others, who had been bracing for a full-blown conflict and ready to step in: “……” Silence is the Cambridge of this evening.

 

Gang Zi squinted and winked: See that? He’s treating the three of us as part of their roleplay.

 

Old Qiu and Ah Chao nodded: Yep, he’s not even trying to hide it anymore.

 

Shen Que had wanted to take advantage of the situation, but that single “Shen Ge” from Sheng Qixiao nearly made him choke. “Who taught you to call me that?”

 

Sheng Qixiao tilted his head with his eyes fixed on him as he pondered seriously for a moment: “I heard others call you that. You seemed very happy. Are you unhappy when I call you that?”

 

Shen Que instinctively sensed that something was off, though he couldn’t tell exactly what. An uneasy feeling lingered in his chest.

 

It was impossible for Old Qiu or the others to call him that. Such an address only appeared when his ‘little darlings’ were being intimate with him. Where did he hear it?

 

Ah Chao, who was sitting opposite Shen Que, saw his expression, which had gone from overcast to bright and now darkened again. He held his breath, afraid to move, silently urging Gang Zi to quickly find a way to get him out of the predicament.

 

Gang Zi’s eyes darted around. He let out two dry chuckles: “Ah, it’s so late now. Let’s go to sleep quickly.” After saying that, he and Old Qiu, one on each side, sprinted away with Ah Chao in tow.

 

The door then closed, leaving only Sheng Qixiao and Shen Que in the room.

 

Shen Que looked at the spot outside the door where Ke Di had stood when questioning him: “That person said that I shouldn’t bring you any more trouble. Did you suffer some harm because of me, because of us?”

 

Sheng Qixiao shook his head, his voice firm: “No. He won’t say things like that again in the future.”

 

“Then who is he? He seems to have a good relationship with you and is very nosy. Does he like you?”

 

Sheng Qixiao remained silent for the previous questions, only wrinkling his brow with a strange expression when Shen Que’s final sentence came out, and immediately refuted, “He doesn’t like me.”

 

“Then do you like him?”

 

“I like you. Didn’t you know that? Why are you pretending not to know again?”

 

Shen Que hummed in acknowledgment and turned back to his room.

 

Feeling satisfied.

 

The serious expression and tone when Sheng Qixiao said he liked him greatly satisfied his competitive spirit.

 

Shen Que was a person with an extremely strong sense of territoriality. Even if he didn’t like something, once it entered his territory, no one could step outside the boundary before he said it was over.

 

Even if it wasn’t his, others could not lay a finger on it either. What’s more, since he said he liked him, he was his, and others were even less entitled to covet him.

 

Furthermore, he didn’t feel any repulsion towards Sheng Qixiao’s affection. On the contrary, he even hoped his affection would grow more and more, because that would facilitate his actions.

 

However, Shen Que was unaware of the change in his attitude toward Sheng Qixiao, subconsciously treating both the small building and Sheng Qixiao as part of his own “territory,” having long since abandoned any sense of being merely a dependent guest.

 

The night breeze lifted the curtain by the window. There was a knock on the door, and Sheng Qixiao stood at the entrance holding an exquisitely crafted mahogany box.

 

“What is it?”

 

Sheng Qixiao presented the wooden box to Shen Que before opening the lid. Inside lay a celadon-colored, oddly shaped pendant, fastened with a silver clasp and paired with a dark blue woven cord.

 

“What is this?” Shen Que scrutinized it, turning it over and over for a long time, unable to make out what it was. He could only look up for help.

 

“It’s a compensation gift.” Sheng Qixiao seemed hesitant to speak. “I carved it. It’s a small cat. Can’t you tell?”

 

He spoke earnestly, his eyes full of expectation.

 

Shen Que stared at the pendant, indeed unable to see the cat. His eyes followed the fair, jade-like hand holding the wooden box, moving upward inch by inch, and finally resting on Sheng Qixiao’s adam apple, bobbing nervously with each swallow.

 

Shen Que smiled. “I see it now. It’s very cute.” Just like you.

 

By a sudden impulse, he abruptly and randomly added, “If, I mean if, would you be willing to come see the world outside the mountain with me?”

 

Sheng Qixiao was silent for a moment, then placed the box on the bedside table and took out the pendant: “I can’t go.”

 

“Why?”

 

Sheng Qixiao avoided answering, holding the pendant above Shen Que’s head and saying softly, “Let me put it on for you, alright?”

 

Shen Que seldom sat so properly, his hands awkwardly resting on his knees, unconsciously rubbing the fabric beneath, as Sheng Qixiao gently fastened the pendant around his neck.

 

The chilling touch adhered to the gradually warming skin on his chest. Shen Que once again felt a flutter in his heart.

 

Unlike the nervous pounding when caught doing something wrong, this feeling was the same as the joyous excitement he felt as a child when he saw a favorite toy and absolutely had to own it.

 

Shen Que cleared his throat before changing the subject: “Why did you come back so quickly today?”

 

“I was afraid you’d try to climb the wall, if you didn’t have a ladder to get onto the roof.”

 

“……” Perhaps it’s better not to change the subject after all.

 

Shen Que closed his eyes and lightly caressed the pendant with his fingers. The surface was slightly bumpy due to the amateur carving, but the feel was smooth and oily, which reminded him of Sheng Qixiao’s hand, which was also clean, soft, yet strong, and carried a faint fragrance.

 

He had lived for over twenty years and received countless valuable gifts, but none of them had been handmade by someone and given to him as a unique token.

 

Shen Que was laying in bed while clutching the pendant, as sleepiness slowly crept over him and he drifted off.

 

Suddenly, lightning ripped across the night sky, followed by a muffled thunderclap.

 

It was going to rain.

 

Shen Que thought of the herbs drying on the roof and wondered if Sheng Qixiao had gathered them.

 

Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly realized that he was starting to worry about such things. Shen Que quickly patted his forehead while murmuring softly, “Snap out of it.”

 

A few minutes later.

 

With a soft creak, the room door was pulled open. Shen Que, with his hands tucked into his sleeves and holding a small lantern, crept stealthily up to the third floor.

 

The rain began to fall in a drizzle.

 

Not far away on the small path, a faint light bobbed, gradually moving away. The figure holding the lantern looked exactly like Sheng Qixiao.

 

So late, where could he be going this time?

 

Shen Que followed him without a second thought, concealed by the night and the roadside vegetation, and went unnoticed.

 

The flagstone road, soaked by the rain, was difficult to walk on. It was slippery, and one could easily take a big fall if not careful.

 

Shen Que dared not light his lantern. He carefully discerned the path beneath his feet while also paying attention to Sheng Qixiao’s movements.

 

In a moment of distraction, he almost slipped. Looking up once more, Sheng Qixiao had vanished from sight.

 

His clothes were already drenched by the rain and was clinging to his skin. A gust of wind made the chill penetrate straight to his core.

 

Shen Que recalled the direction Sheng Qixiao had taken and cautiously explored the area.

 

After wandering in the dark for an unknown period, a sound of deliberately lowered conversation entered his ears.

 

Shen Que approached softly and tiptoed to peek.

 

Through a crack in the window, Shen Que saw Sheng Qixiao.

 

Countless small silver bowls were scattered around the room, each filled with lit white candles. The candlelight flickered amidst the sound of raindrops.

 

Sheng Qixiao was surrounded by several white-robed elders, standing before a basin-sized container. He lifted his arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a pale wrist. A cold glint flashed, and a cut immediately appeared as fresh red blood gushing out and flowing into the container.

 

Shen Que’s eyes widened silently, his scalp tingling as if it were about to burst.

 

This scene eerily overlapped with the image carved on the mural in the cave.

 

Except that the protagonist in the mural had been replaced with Sheng Qixiao.

 

Shen Que bit his lip hard. No wonder Sheng Qixiao’s cuff had bloodstains. No wonder he collapsed after returning from his outing last night. It wasn’t from hunger; it was excessive blood loss.

 

Many thoughts flashed through Shen Que’s mind, and he was too panicked to grasp any single one.

 

Sheng Qixiao held up his arm expressionlessly while silently watching the blood drain, with no emotion in his eyes at all. Was this habitual, or was he being controlled by these old men?

 

Shen Que dared not look any longer. His throat felt constricted by a pair of invisible hands, and he could barely breathe. He turned around in a panic but slipped on something beneath his foot.

 

Such a sound was particularly noticeable in the silent night.

 

“Who’s there?” Everyone inside the house immediately pricked up their ears and looked around cautiously.

 

Footsteps drew closer, the window was pushed open, and light poured out, shining directly onto Shen Que’s soaked face. Shen Que’s pupils constricted sharply as an old man poked his head out.

 

“What are you doing here? Hurry back!” The old man’s voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.

 

“Outsiders have entered the stockaded village. I was afraid they might trespass here without knowing their place.”

 

“That’s not for you to worry about. They won’t find this place. Go back.”

 

The window was then pulled shut. Shen Que slowly stood up from behind Ke Di.

 

Ke Di grabbed Shen Que’s arm and walked out immediately without stopping.

 

Under the deep darkness of the night, Shen Que couldn’t clearly see how dark Ke Di’s expression was, only hearing the impatience and anger in his tone: “What exactly did you come here for?”

 

Because Ke Di had intervened in time, he avoided being discovered. Shen Que had felt a flicker of gratitude, but with this question, that bit of gratitude instantly vanished. Naturally, he didn’t use a polite tone: “Do you have a problem with me not knowing my place?”

 

“You…!” Ke Di said “you” for a long time but still couldn’t articulate an explanation.

 

Shen Que couldn’t be bothered with him and turned to leave. Thus, he missed Ke Di’s startled realization and his muttered words: “You can actually understand the Miao language.”

 

Ke Di’s expression softened somewhat. He stood where he was while waiting for Shen Que.

 

Sure enough, Shen Que returned after taking only a couple of steps.

 

“Why didn’t you leave? Why did you come back?” Ke Di asked knowingly.

 

“Less nonsense. If you don’t want to cause trouble for Sheng Qixiao, hurry up and take me home. If someone else finds me, Sheng Qixiao will be the one in trouble.”

 

Ke Di sneered: “You think if he gets in trouble, you’ll be fine?”

 

The two argued back and forth, one in Mandarin, the other in Miao, yet they managed to continue the quarrel seamlessly and soon reached Sheng Qixiao’s small building.

 

Shen Que was completely soaked. On his face, it was impossible to tell whether the droplets were sweat or rain.

 

Ke Di, however, was completely dry. He held an umbrella but didn’t offer Shen Que any shelter. Shen Que also disdained using his umbrella.

 

It wasn’t until Shen Que pushed open the courtyard gate that he reluctantly turned halfway before quickly dropped a hurried “Thank you,” and ran upstairs.

 

Ke Di stood at the courtyard gate and not leaving.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Ke Di looked down at the tips of his shoes as he rolled his eyes subtly—he had heard this question no less than three times tonight and was thoroughly annoyed and tired.

 

“My Lord, you should keep a close eye on your cat. He must have seen what happened in the small ancestral hall just now.”

 

“En.” Sheng Qixiao sidestepped him without changing his tone and shut the courtyard door without a hint of mercy, rainwater splashing onto Ke Di’s face.

 

Ke Di wiped his face before offering a kind reminder: “My Lord, your little cat seems to understand the Miao language again.”

 

The author has something to say:

Being able to understand Miao language is a breakthrough.