Xue Huai instinctively said “No need, I can go home by myself.”
A few snickering whistles came from the crowd, and Yun Cuo’s companions downstairs also jumped up.
Seeing a cold and noble pretty boy being pestered by Yun Cuo, a young man grinned and said “The sun is rising in the west. It’s rare for anyone to be noticed by Brother Yun. Were he—”
The person next to him suddenly covered his mouth and said “Stop talking, open your dog’s eyes and see who that is. Young Master Xue, you can’t provoke him, just look. He has a very bad temper, and when he goes crazy, he can hang and beat you up!”
Upon hearing this, that man was a little excited and said “It’s the son of the Xue family who made a fortune with the inverted magic weapon, Xue Huai? I’ve heard of him before.” The person glanced at him a few times and even changed the tone of his voice. “Damn it, look closely, he’s really damn good-looking…”
Xue Huai didn’t care. He glanced at Yun Cuo, nodded slightly, and then went straight downstairs.
The rejection was very obvious.
He is good-looking and has been pampered ever since he was a child, but he didn’t look domineering. Instead, he was light and gentle, with a youthful spirit. Even when it comes to refusing people, it won’t make them feel annoyed.
He looks like his deceased mother, a painting-like beauty, but what he has but his mother doesn’t is the eye-catching red tear mole. However, his lively nature is what makes him beautiful. An old friend used to draw him a portrait in the past, but he ended up only finishing half of the paper and hiding it. After he went back, he only said eight words “Xue Huai, this person is lively and fragrant1活色生香 is a Chinese idiom from the poem ‘Xinghua’ by Xue Neng of Tang Dynasty. It is used to describe the beauty of women..
Extremely cold outside but warm inside, it’s something that makes him attractive. There was a moment of silence, and people who had crammed themselves in the back only caught a glimpse of him.
*
In the silence, a young boy suddenly rushed out and grasped Yun Cuo’s sleeve, mustering up the courage to say “He is my older brother, Yun… Young Master Yun, he has a bad temper. Don’t mind it. I apologize on his behalf.”
Xue He’s face was already flushed red halfway through the sentence. He is one year younger than Xue Huai. Even though he is immature, you can still faintly see traces of cleanliness.
Others whispering “Are all of the Xue family this good-looking? I’m looking at this Xue… whatever, it’s still fine.”
Xue He heard the stranger’s words, and his voice got smaller and smaller. He blushed and was afraid to look at Yun Cuo, only whispering “I just heard the Young Master talk. You can protect me… us, right?”
Yun Cuo pulled his sleeve back from Xue He’s hand and asked “Are you Xue…?” He couldn’t remember the word behind it.
“Xue He.”
Yun Cuo glanced at him again, as if recalling something.
Xue He’s heart pounded.
He knew that the young man standing before him was probably going to be the future emperor. His mother instructed him to climb up using Xue Huai’s name. Even if they were unable to become each other’s Daoist partner, but he should at least get to know him so that he could have a way out in the future.
He has a youthful, attractive, and pure appearance. He also speaks gently. A man like Yun Cuo, who is accustomed to killing, must like him, except for one uncertainty—he is afraid that Xue Huai will ruin his plans.
Because he is Xue Huai’s younger brother, he knew he would always be in the shadow of his brilliant brother.
Don’t look at my brother; look at me. Just looking at me is enough. He thought to himself.
“You are not his biological brother?” Yun Cuo asked “Three years ago, what was your surname?”
Xue He’s face flushed instantly, and he almost bit his own tongue in panic. Subconsciously, he denied, “No, I am. I am from the Xue family; my surname is Xue, and my name is Xue He—”
“Three years ago, your surname was Liu, and your mother’s surname was also Liu.” Yun Cuo seemed to finally remember, and his expression relaxed for a moment. “You are not the biological son of Xue Zong. So it was you.”
According to the criteria for selecting people in the Xunxian Pavilion, only Xue Huai is qualified to come here, not this stepson.
His voice rang throughout the quiet pavilion; it was deep and pleasant to listen to, indifferent and calming.
Xue He felt humiliated, and his face turned pale immediately. In addition, his legs were a little weak, making it difficult for him to stand under everyone’s intense stare.
The fact that he’s not the Xue family’s biological son. Perhaps Yun Cuo has heard of it, but why does Yun Cuo even know their past surnames?
What did he mean by “So it was you”?
They should have never met.
Without waiting for him to have doubt, Yun Cuo had already bypassed him and gone downstairs.
A few people standing next to him gave him a funny look and repeated it as a joke: “Oh, surname Liu, Little Brother.”
“The stepson apologized on behalf of the family’s Young Master. How interesting. Do you really think of yourself as the master already?”
Xue He couldn’t care about the mockery. With red eyes, he followed downstairs as well, but was forced back by the demonic aura that surged in from the outside like a tidal wave, and the person in front of him was also nowhere to be seen.
The person who exposed his lie in public didn’t notice him at all; Yun Cuo didn’t put him in his eyes at all.
*
Hundreds of ghosts wander at night, and Xue Huai walks back against the demons and ghosts.
He even has a strong affection for these strange and ugly guys in his lifetime. He didn’t make a move, only hiding his figure and breath. He scrolled leisurely along the edges of the road while inhaling the cold night air.
He died when he was twenty-six years old and he is now sixteen. Perhaps due to the preservation of his memory, Xue Huai is able to see his own cultivation level through spiritual vision, and he found out that his cultivation level was at the same level when he was in his previous life, which is Yindan. Although his body remains the same as when he was sixteen years old. However, everything else remains the same.
When he hits the door with his hand just now, once the spiritual force gathers, his body reaction and the strength changes were still under his control. It’s full and rich, thus making him feel somewhat stable. Only his wrist was slightly red from being pulled. Xue He didn’t hold back his strength at all when pulling him.
He twisted his wrist and waited until the tide of ghosts passed before revealing himself.
It was late winter, and it was snowing heavily in the Xianzhou, but he feels hot all over.
“Young Master? Why are you here alone?” In front of the sword forging platform, an old man hurriedly wanted to welcome a young man covered in snow to get inside, but the young man stopped him “Where’s my father?”
“He is here, just talking about business. Young Master, we have sold another batch of firearms and magic weapons. Master said he has reserved the best one for you for your future study and practice…”
Xue Huai smiled and said “Alright. Tell father to go back early. And don’t just come by himself next time, I’ll be with him.”
With his cultivation, even without opening his spiritual vision he still can see his father upstairs talking about business, drinking a lot of wine happily, and drifting off into drowsiness.
He passed by at this moment and didn’t say many words—he really just came over to take a look to confirm if he was really alive.
The old man was stupefied for a moment, then delighted and responded in a loud voice “Alright, alright, Young Master really won’t go up?”
“I won’t go.” Xue Huai said. “You don’t need to see me off. Just take care of my father.”
In his previous life, he was unfilial and insisted on running away from home to follow Yun Cuo. He refused to take over the family’s business and went away for ten years without even knowing that his father was sick.
Xue Zong was even more heart-broken after his passing. He fell seriously ill and couldn’t even manage his son’s funeral. He spent his days reciting Xue Huai and Xue Huai’s mother on the bed all day, and he also knew that his time was running out.
Xue Huai’s mother left him when he was young, and he used to listen to these two people declare that they’re each other’s longlife love everyday. After his mother was buried, His father vowed in front of him that he would never get married again. However, a few years later, Mrs. Liu brought a little boy into the Xue family’s gate.
Xue Huai didn’t think it was a big deal. Most of the time, his father had to bear the burden of the entire Xue family alone. Therefore, he wants to find someone whom he can live a happy life with when he is exhausted. Because of this, Xue Zong felt very sorry for him, and he nearly spoiled him to heaven, afraid that he would feel uncomfortable. At first, he even disagreed with Xue He adopting his last name as well.
Come to think of it now, Mrs. Liu and Xue He’s grudges towards him probably started with his unreliable father.
*
Xue Huai slowly walked through the snow to the house where he grew up.
Someone called his name behind him “Xue Huai.”
The wind eventually calmed down to the point where one could hear the sound of snowfall.
He stopped. Because he had been distracted earlier and had not had time to look up to see who it was.
It wasn’t until the young man in black with a blood-like Buddha seal between his brows stood in front of him, blocking his way, that he realized something wasn’t right—
Yun Cuo chased him all the way here?
Xue Huai took two steps back and gave him a wary look.
Though Yun Cuo didn’t move, this man was born to kill. He was already looking very scary just standing there, not to mention having a blood-like Buddha seal. If someone else were stopped by him like this twice in a row, their soul would probably be scared away.
It could be either the favor of the ‘Young Immortal Lord’, or it could be a fatal disaster.
Yun Cuo said “Don’t be scared. I saw you rush straight out, I’m afraid you might get in trouble with those ghosts, so I followed you all the way here.
Xue Huai believes that he is the ghost one. He had been by his side for so many years and had never seen Yun Cuo help the poor.
Xue Huai looked at him for a long time and said “I’m almost home. Thank you. You can go back now. Your companions should be waiting for you.”
It was a polite and distant tone, as if urging him to leave. You leave quickly, alright?
Yun Cuo’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t say anything.
Xue Huai immediately decided that if the enemy wouldn’t move then he would, but before he could take a step, Yun Cuo suddenly spoke up “You’re not wearing shoes.”
Following his gaze, Xue Huai noticed that his own feet which were hidden under his embroidered long robe were frozen red in the snow, not even the old man noticed.
He was lost in thought just now and didn’t feel cold at all. The immortal realm doesn’t have the same pedantic rules like the mortal realm. He has always been so free-spirited and didn’t think it’s inappropriate. However, Yun Cuo’s words made him slightly angry “I don’t seem to be in Young Master Yun’s way. I’m the kind of person that prefers not to wear shoes.”
“Why?” Yun Cuo asked him.
He earnestly wanted to know the answer and didn’t seem to realize that this was merely just a pretext.
“……” Xue Huai locked his gaze against Yun Cuo’s dark eyes.
Yun Cuo didn’t give him time to think as he approached him suddenly, and Xue Huai also didn’t have time to hide. He picked him up and placed him on the stone bench by the roadside.
The embrace was stable and the movements were light, but that attitude was tough and irresistible, there was no room for resistance.
The young man is much more powerful than he thought. Xue Huai heard a sentence whispered in his ear that said “Don’t move. My strength is strong, you could get hurt.”
Xue Huai knew that what he said was the truth. He never does useless things, so he remains calm and still.
Yun Cuo squatted down and reached out to grab his ankle. The short fluffy boots which were wrapped in the warm air were warm and cozy.
The color scheme is unappealing and the style is quite rustic. The type of rustic style that can make Xue Huai’s favorite blue color become ugly. You can tell that it is the popular fairy style among his ancestors at first glance. The fur of the silver wolf must be expensive. The fact that it was “well-made” and can retain heat in an instant is probably its only benefit.
Xue Huai had experienced this kind of treatment where people helped him put on his shoes before, but what made him feel it’s unreal was that the person who helped him put on shoes was Yun Cuo, who was always aloof and proud.
With his head down, he earnestly helped tighten the fluffy’s mouth that had been opened. The young man’s voice was a bit low: “Mine won’t fit you. I bought it randomly. If you don’t like it, just throw it away when you go back.” The fur of the silver wolf must be expensive. The fact that it was “well-made” can retain heat in an instant is probably its only benefit. Xue Huai was stunned, he frowned to stop his movements “You, why…”
Yu Cuo said “Like this, it won’t be cold anymore.”
He stood up, he paused for a moment, as if he wanted to look back at him, but in the end, he didn’t. He just said in a low voice “I’m leaving, there’s no other intention, just a little help. Now you can go home.”
The author has something to say: Yun: I really don’t mean anything else, call me Lei Feng2Comrade Lei Feng (1940-1962) is a well-known role model in China who wholeheartedly serves the people and is a communist warrior; As an ordinary soldier of the People’s Liberation Army of China, he helped countless people in his short life..
