Feng Lingjun couldn’t remember when he had passed out. When he woke up, the wind and snow on the mountain had disappeared, and he was lying in bed. He could not be more familiar with this place—it was his own room.
How did I end up here? Where’s Chu Qian?
Feng Lingjun was momentarily stunned, then suddenly sat up, inadvertently knocking over the medicine bowl on the bedside.
“Senior brother, you’re awake?” Suddenly, someone rushed in from outside. Feng Lingjun looked up at the sound and saw Wang Zizhao. Before he could respond, Wang Zizhao hurried over and pressed him down, saying, “Don’t move around. Master said you were injured and told you to rest well.”
“…”
Feng Lingjun opened his mouth but found his throat tight and dry, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time. For a moment, he couldn’t say anything, only managing a hoarse sound.
After adapting for a while, he said, “Where’s Chu Qian? Where is he? Take me to see him.” With that, he tried to get out of bed.
Wang Zizhao stopped him and sighed, “Don’t rush. He’s fine, just next door. Master saved you both, aren’t you confident in Master’s abilities? He’s already awake, he woke up even before you.”
Feng Lingjun was taken aback. Chu Qian was injured so severely, yet he had woken up earlier than him. How long had he been unconscious?
Seeing through his thoughts, Wang Zizhao said, “Master is wise and far-sighted. He was worried that once you woke up, you wouldn’t rest properly and would run around everywhere. So, he specifically gave you some calming medicine.”
Feng Lingjun nodded, “How many days has it been?”
“Five days. You’ve been in a deep sleep for five whole days.” Wang Zizhao picked up the bowls from the floor, then suddenly sat down by the bed, and in a mysterious tone whispered, “Hey, senior brother, I didn’t even know, how did you suddenly… cough cough…”
“Be direct.”
“Well, it’s about that, um, the guy next door.”
“What about him?”
“Nothing, nothing, forget I mentioned it.”
“…”
Wang Zizhao was still wrapped up in the strange realisation that his senior brother might suddenly be a cut sleeve1For a male to have a romantic interest in men. Feng Lingjun knew exactly what he wanted to ask, but couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge it, pretending not to understand. After a brief, uncomfortable silence, Wang Zizhao, as if reporting a secret, said to Feng Lingjun, “He came to see you this morning.”
Feng Lingjun looked up.
Wang Zizhao said, “As soon as he woke up, he wanted to find you. His injuries are severe, and he’s not recovering well. The master won’t let him go out, so he controlled himself for two days. This morning, when the master wasn’t around, he sneaked over to see you.”
“At that time, you were fast asleep, and he was crouched by the bed, holding your hand and crying for a long time. My goodness, he was like a little lady, it scared me. I had never seen anything like that before…”
Feng Lingjun: “……”
Chu Qian cried again, without him knowing.
Feng Lingjun raised his hand to press his forehead, feeling a mix of emotions that he couldn’t quite describe. Was it more heartache, or more joy from surviving a calamity? Perhaps it was joy. Upon hearing that Chu Qian cried, he felt inexplicably happy.
Fearing it was a dream, he pinched himself under the blanket, and only when he felt pain did he feel reassured.
“…… Where’s Master?” Feng Lingjun suddenly felt a bit anxious.
Wang Zizhao comforted him, saying, “It’s fine, Master doesn’t hold it against you. He said that even if you didn’t come looking for him, he would soon be leaving seclusion.”
A few days ago, when they returned to the sect, Wang Zizhao didn’t know about Chu Qian’s situation. Feng Lingjun did not elaborate, as soon as he got off the carriage, he headed straight up to Buxu Peak. Wang Zizhao heard that the scene at the mountaintop was too tragic, anyone who witnessed it would feel heartbroken. How could the master blame him?
However, saving Chu Qian was truly no easy task. The old man, despite his age and profound skills, showed no signs of ageing. Unexpectedly, after personally saving someone, he ended up with quite a few more grey hairs. However, Wang Zizhao only let this thought linger at the back of his throat before swallowing it down, choosing not to mention it to Feng Lingjun.
Yet, he didn’t need to say anything for Feng Lingjun to understand.
The two brothers faced each other in silence for a while. Just then, a faint sound came from outside the door, it was footsteps. Wang Zizhao chuckled, “He’s back again. He really doesn’t see himself as a patient at all.”
“……”
“Well then, I won’t be a bother here, Senior Brother. You two catch up.”
Wang Zizhao pushed the door open
Wang Zizhao pushed the door open, and as soon as he opened it, Chu Qian outside was momentarily taken aback, then quietly leaned in to peek inside. Wang Zizhao said, “My senior brother is awake,” and he immediately rushed in, forgetting to close the door, which Wang Zizhao helped close.
“Qian’er.” Feng Lingjun, still in his clothes from earlier and with his hair unbound, couldn’t hide the natural charm in his pale face. He opened his arms to Chu Qian, adopting a mock-serious expression, and smiled, “Come here, let me hug you.”
Chu Qian felt a warmth in his eyes and obediently walked over to let him hug him for a moment.
——Not just a moment.
Feng Lingjun held him for a long time, while Chu Qian rested his head on his shoulder, tears soaking a patch of his clothes.
“Are you really okay? Let me see.” Feng Lingjun released his hold and carefully examined Chu Qian’s body. He poked here and there, causing Chu Qian to suddenly blush, yet he managed to hold back his anger and let him do as he pleased.
Feng Lingjun was either unaware or pretending. Chu Qian’s injuries were internal, what could he possibly feel by just feeling around?
“I’m fine now,” Chu Qian hurriedly said, “really fine, there won’t be any more problems.”
“Good,” Feng Lingjun immediately put away the tenderness on his face, his expression turning serious as he said, “Then let’s settle the score.”
“Settle the score?” Chu Qian was taken aback.
Feng Lingjun continued, “Yes, why did you do that that night? Even drugging me? Qian’er, you went too far.”
Chu Qian did not argue, his face fell, and he lowered his head.
Feng Lingjun: “……”
As the saying goes, sometimes not having a move is better than having one. If he were to retort a few times, Feng Lingjun could have taken the opportunity to say a few more words. But with such a direct admission of fault, how could Feng Lingjun really bring himself to get angry at him?
“Forget it.” Unable to continue, he simply chose to remain silent.
Feng Lingjun reached out once more to embrace Chu Qian, this time holding on longer. They had walked on the edge of life and death together, and the intimacy and warmth that once felt so within reach had now become something hard-earned and precious.
Revisiting the past can be quite sorrowful, what’s done is done. Since they can’t bear to see each other go, they should live well together. Nothing in this world is more precious than the gentle embrace of a loved one.
And so, they spent nearly the entire day like this. The two of them curled up together on Feng Lingjun’s bed, hardly saying a word. They simply stared at each other, lost in thought—one moment looking at each other, the next stealing a tender kiss.
Aside from this, there was nothing else. Chu Qian’s recovery was indeed poor, his weakness was evident. Feng Lingjun glanced at the sky and thought it was time for him to take his medicine, so he intended to send him back. However, Chu Qian didn’t want to leave. He clutched Feng Lingjun’s sleeve tightly, looking up at him with pleading eyes, saying, “I want to sleep with you.”
“…”
Feng Lingjun wholeheartedly agreed, but he thought about how this was in the sect, and if his master found out, he would inevitably feel a bit embarrassed. However, Chu Qian, oblivious to the situation, began to act spoiled, making it feel as if he were attacking Feng Lingjun. With each moment, Feng Lingjun felt himself retreating under the pressure. Steeling himself, he finally replied, “Alright, we’ll sleep together tonight.”
“What about tomorrow?” Chu Qian asked.
“We’ll talk about tomorrow when tomorrow comes.”
“No.” Chu Qian held tightly onto Feng Lingjun’s finger, gripping it firmly. “We have to sleep together tomorrow, too.”
Feng Lingjun: “…”
“Alright, we’ll sleep together tomorrow too,” Feng Lingjun said. “We won’t be apart again. I promised you long ago, how could I forget?”
Chu Qian was very happy and couldn’t help but think further ahead: “So where will we go in the future? Will we stay here forever?”
“As you wish, wherever you want to go, I will go with you.”
“I want—”
Chu Qian paused, “I want to go back to Wangchun Mountain.”
“Alright.” Feng Lingjun did not hesitate, “Once your injury heals, I will bid farewell to Master, and we will return to Wangchun Mountain together.”
Chu Qian nodded, his eyes seemed to sparkle as he smiled at Feng Lingjun.
Feng Lingjun felt a warmth in his heart and couldn’t help but soften his voice, gently saying, “Winter will pass quickly. How about we spend the New Year here with Master this year? When spring arrives next year…”
“When spring arrives next year, we’ll return to Wangchun Mountain.”
“Alright.”
Chu Qian propped himself up from the bed, cupped Feng Lingjun’s face, and gave him a light kiss. Then he extended both arms and enveloped him in a firm hug.
When spring arrives next year—
We will never part again.
(End of text)
