Xue Huai was stunned and had not yet realized the meaning behind his words when he saw that Yun Cuo had already turned around and entered the room.
Xue Zong was inside the house, brewing two cups of tea and greeting Yun Cuo for passing by.
He was about to follow but was stopped by Xue Zong outside the door. “Go, go, go, adults talking, children shouldn’t listen. You can come in after we finish talking.”
Xue Huai：“?”
He had to go back to his own room.
The gluttonous ghost was excited when it saw him coming, and for some reason, it darted around the room. Xue Huai thought it had eaten something bad, so he gave it a reasonable beating to make it vomit. However, the gluttonous ghost pretended to vomit for a while, and nothing came out.
Xue Huai asked, “What’s wrong?”
The gluttonous ghost dug at the door, and Xue Huai opened it. As soon as the door revealed a crack, the gluttonous ghost immediately fluttered out. Xue Huai chased it all the way around the rocks and flowing water in the backyard, stepping over the hot spring pool planted with wintersweet and pear blossoms, and finally stopping by the Canglang Pavilion.
The large garden was filled with solid, immortal wooden boxes. As far as the eye could see, there were at least thousands of boxes. The gluttonous ghost had already excitedly started gnawing on one of the boxes, gnawing through a corner that was stuffed with extremely high-grade Immortal Elemental Spirit Stones, rolling on the ground with a clatter.
The maid, who was walking and tidying up, exclaimed in surprise, “Young Master! These things cannot be eaten by it. It is a gift brought by Lord Yun.”
“Gift?” Xue Huai asked.
The maid nervously stared at the gluttonous ghost for a moment—fortunately, this guy seemed to only enjoy gnawing on boxes and had no intention of eating the spirit stones, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned her head and whispered to Xue Huai, “Today, Young Master Yun is here to propose marriage to you. Young Master, coming to propose cannot come empty-handed. This is the rule. If the agreement is reached later, you will also need to personally bring tea to Young Master Yun and invite a matchmaker to offer tea.”
Xue Huai’s face turned black, and he said, “Who wants to negotiate with him? This is completely nonsense, and no one told me beforehand.”
He doesn’t know when there will be an extra matchmaker. He looked at the courtyard—there’s probably enough “marriage gifts” to rival the glory of half of Xianzhou. Without a word, he walked back through the corridor.
He needs to go find Xue Zong and explain it clearly.
Through the open window, he saw the matchmaker—it was the wife of the old immortal doctor of the medical center where he had stayed that day, the very one who had taken care of his mother before.
She was also the person who took care of his mother’s sachet, which Yun Cuo had put in a lot of effort to find. The time and effort spent on it is not insignificant.
Yun Cuo is playing for real this time.
His feverish mind immediately calmed down a bit.
It was so similar to his last life that even his uncontrollable anger was the same—Xue Huai still remembers that when he was busy in the military, he suddenly heard the news of his “engagement”.
Yun Cuo has never approved ordinary personal leave for his subordinates, but that time he unusually gave him leave.
He huffed and killed back, questioning why the Xue Zong had engaged in marriage without his consent, but the Xue Zong just looked at him with a smirk and told him, “It’s okay, Xiao Huai. If you still haven’t found someone you like within five years or are still unwilling to marry, then we won’t marry them. It all depends on your wishes.”
At that time, he had not returned home for a year and a half. Xue Zong’s face also showed a little vicissitude of old age, just repeatedly muttering, “Father knows who you like, but what can you do if you don’t find a Daoist partner? Father does not beg you to cultivate well. Our Xiao Huai is already very good, but after Father passed away, there will be no one to accompany you. How lonely it is ah.”
But at that time, he thought that the person he liked was Yun Cuo, and Xue Zong couldn’t possibly know.
The wedding certificate was sent to his house for five years, and it was still sent until the winter when he died. One for each year, it was a red-sealed wedding invitation with regular handwriting engraved in heavy gold on top. Greetings to Xue Huai and Xue Zong, and wish them well. His fiancé did not sign his name, reportedly at the request of his father, because Xue Huai was told, “Once you know who he is, you will immediately marry him without hesitation. But as parents, we also need to consider other things, such as their roots, identity, and future.”
And between the statements of that wedding certificate, there was no hurry, powerfully confidence, generosity, and the meaning of one certificate every year was: I’m waiting, I can wait.
Later, when Xue Huai died, he didn’t know if his fiancé had come to his grave or not. Perhaps he was hiding among those people with unclear faces, and with a fleeting glance, there was still no fate in the end.
Xue Huai remembered his father’s tired and aged face at the time, he endured it, took a deep breath, and pushed the door in.
The people inside have obviously finished talking. Yun Cuo was not here and was led by the old man to sit on the other side, where they entertained the guests. There was only a serious-looking Xue Zong inside, obviously waiting for him to come.
Xue Huai walked over quietly and sat down.
Xue Zong asked, “What do you think of this kid, Yun Cuo?”
In just one sentence, Xue Huai keenly sensed the difference in his father’s tone—the attitude of rejection towards Yun Cuo a few days ago had obviously changed in this statement.
What did Yun Cuo say to Xue Zong?
Xue Huai said calmly, “He is a hero, and there will definitely be a bloody storm in the future. I’m not on the same path as him.”
Xue Zong smiled and clearly saw his eagerness to distance himself: “On the same path or not, how could you say so quickly? When I met your mother, she was the proudest immortal of the Murong Immortal Sect. I was just an apprentice with mediocre spiritual roots. At that time, I still thought that your mother and I were not on the same path.”
Xue Huai also knew he was a bit out of control. He pursed his lips and thought for a while before saying, “Father, I know he is our big customer now, and I won’t deny his excellence—in the next ten years, this person will be the Lord of Xianzhou, and I have never doubted it. But I don’t think this is the reason why our family must cling to him. I will work hard to cultivate and protect the safety of our two families. In the chaotic future, I will strive to protect myself and not get involved.”
Xue Zong looked at him and said, “Xiao Huai, do you really think so? Father thought that, according to your temper, you would be the first one to follow him. Don’t you want to fight and conquer the country with your own hands and go to the top together?”
Xue Huai shook his head and said, “What am I doing to pursue such achievements? Revitalizing the Xue family and the Murong family is my ambition. I’m not avoiding war, but I’m not good at it. The word ‘engagement’ is too heavy, and I can’t afford the Yun family’s favor. You understand my temper.”
After a moment of silence, Xue Zong spoke up and said, “Indeed, I also feel that mentioning the word ‘engagement’ is too presumptuous, but… it’s very interesting, Xiao Huai. I just recorded my conversation with Young Master Yun using a spell. You can listen and see.”
The spell condenses from the fingertips, creating two illusory figures.
Xue Zong and Yun Cuo were having a conversation, with the older generation frowning, while the younger generation remained calm and steady, taking each step forward.
Xue Zong said, “Xue Huai is my most precious son, Young Immortal Lord. To be honest, if you really want to fight this battle, I am willing to use the strength of the entire Xue family to help you. I only hope that Xiao Huai alone can be safe and happy. I am a father, and I would rather my children live a mediocre life than let them get involved in the war.”
Yun Cuo said, “I also think the same way. To be honest, although I have limited experience, I have also experienced the turbulence of people’s hearts. Xue Huai is pure and kind, and he is the best person I have ever seen. Therefore, I want to ask you, beyond measure, if I can fight for a position where I can protect him for a lifetime of peace. My trip is not for the future, I am only here for him.”
“I won’t let him step halfway into conflict and war again. I hope he can inherit the Shenhua Terrace well or become a stable Heavenly Official in the future. I know that we are still young, and the future cannot be determined. I know that I have a half-demon constitution and a bad background. So if you and Xue Huai have any doubts, please give me five years.”
“In these five years, I will send a marriage certificate every year, and I am willing to wait until he is willing. Uncle Xue, I will… I will treat him better than anyone else.”
After Yun Cuo finished speaking, he looked at Xue Zong nervously and said, “Uncle Xue, is that okay?”
Upon hearing this, Xue Huai slightly widened his eyes, and his fingers stiffened at that moment.
Xue Zong reached out and closed the illusion, smiling at him, and said, “This kid has even revealed his secrets in front of me. I also agree with his idea. Our Xue family should strive for stability and seek a peaceful place in troubled times. What did Father say last time? I could tell he liked you last time. Xiao Huai, Father is not sure of what you think. Father now wants to take back what he said earlier. I think this kid is still good, and the rest depends on you—hey, Xiao Huai?”
Xue Huai didn’t listen to him at all. After being stunned for a moment, he rushed straight out.
Yun Cuo saw his figure pushing out the door, and as if he sensed something as well, he followed ahead. The two of them remained silent and walked all the way to a secluded corner of the courtyard before finally stopping.
Yun Cuo looked at Xue Huai and asked, “Do you have anything to ask me?”
He rarely sees such an expression on Xue Huai’s face. Like that time when he pressed him against the side of the cave to confirm his death, cool, ascetic, arrogant, and lonely appearance to outsiders was torn to shreds in one go. Inside was his helpless little boy, a handful of pear blossoms hanging on the water waves, which scattered with the waves at a touch, soft and fragrant.
They were standing under the pear tree, with four seasons alternating in Xianzhou. Pear flowers and thin snow bloomed at the same time, floating on people’s shoulders. What melted away was the light little petals, what didn’t melt was the snow.
Xue Huai actually doesn’t know what to ask.
Did he write those letters?
Year after year, hidden letters of waiting and protection were written. When the world settles down, he will meet him, and tell him that he is the mysterious fiancé, and ask him if he would like to spend his life with him from then on.
So he smiled and gave him a leave to rush home, perhaps waiting to… give him a surprise after five years, right?
That deadly, icy-cold night was the night before he went home, the last day of his five-year engagement.
Only the first letter of proposal had their names written on it, and it was put away by Xue Zong in a serious manner. Perhaps later discovered by Mrs. Liu or someone else, they changed their names and asked Xue He to show it to him, making his tiny love vanish without a trace.
Xue Huai said：“I……”
He said “I” several times, but he didn’t know what to say.
His fiancé in his previous life was him.
It has been so long. Even if there is something to say, there is ultimately nothing to say.
On the contrary, Yun Cuo looked at him for a while and reached out his hand to him, saying, “You forgot to give me something. Xue Huai, let’s make an agreement for five years. If you still don’t like me and don’t want to be with me at that time, I will respect your decision, okay?”
“I will pursue you openly in the future, is that okay?”
The hand was steadily hanging in front of Xue Huai. After saying so much, Yun Cuo tilted his head to look at him again, worried that he himself might make him angry again. “Xue Huai?”
Xue Huai’s eyes were wonderful, always seemed to carry some watery light. Before he did not believe that someone would be like this, and then he saw Xue Huai and realized that it was indeed the case—when he looked at this person, he always suspected that he was crying, but upon closer inspection, he didn’t. Only when he laughed would he know that this person wasn’t sad.
It was as if, along with the tear mole, it formed a part of Xue Huai, making him think that the fellow must have been a crybaby as a child.
Xue Huai whispered, “I won’t be with you. The two of us… have different personalities, which is good for both of us. You can do whatever else you want.”
Yun Cuo said, “Okay, it’s not urgent.” But he still uses the tone of teasing a kid.
This hand is still stretched out.
Xue Huai felt that there was nothing more to say to him, but he didn’t understand his meaning: “?”
He looked at him in confusion.
“I just heard from the matchmaker that regardless of whether the proposal was successful or not, you should treat me to a cup of tea, a sweet one. This way, you can have a smooth marriage in the future,” Yun Cuo said.
Xue Huai felt troublesome and said, “These are the rules of mortals, I don’t believe in them.”
Yun Cuo said, “But I want to drink, Xue Huai Ge. Now that I’m coming to your house, you won’t even give me tea to drink? I want something sweet.”
Compared to the resistance a decade ago, he now calls him Ge very smoothly. For some reason, Xue Huai remembered the little wolf he had seen in his dream that day, pitifully drooping his ears and tail in the rain.
You even want a sweet one. There are quite a few requirements.
Xue Huai said, “…Okay, I’ll go pour it for you.”
Before he could turn around, he was grabbed.
Yun Cuo’s chest was within reach, and his warm breathing slowly undulated. Xue Huai heard his voice ringing above his head: “You can’t look for tea and pour it, the moral is also not good. You can’t look for trouble at the wedding, you’ll be bullied later.”
Xue Huai just wanted to quickly dismiss him and say, “Then don’t drink. I won’t pour anymore. It’s not a big deal not to find a Daoist partner in this lifetime.”
Yun Cuo lowered his head to look at him, with a slightly imperceptible tenderness in his eyes. Xue Huai’s scalp was numb from his sight, and before he could run away, Yun Cuo gently grabbed his hands and clasped them, taking a step forward, pushing him back a step, and pressing his back against the pear tree covered in snow.
The slight vibration caused the pear blossoms to fall and melt in the soil, emitting a soft, greasy, and sweet aroma.
Yun Cuo asked, “Have you just had your tea?”
Before Xue Huai could speak, his mouth was blocked.
He pressed his chin and kissed him deeply, sucking on his soft lips and tongue, eagerly and deeply exploring his breath. The domineering and aggressive aura enveloped him, and for the first time, the fresh scent of the snowy bamboo smelled a little bit like killing and shouting—just bully him, bully him fiercely, kiss this clear and indifferent person until his breathing was rapid, with tears at the corners of his eyes, and turn the cold winter into a lingering fire.
Xue Huai even forgot to struggle this time—he was stunned and at a loss.
A dangerous crimson color filled Yun Cuo’s eyes, and he murmured softly amidst the friction between his lips and tongue, “… So small.”
Xue Huai opened his eyes wide, both surprised and angry, then asked, “What did you say…”
“You’re so small, and your body is so soft.” With one hand, he could cross his waist, and bring him up, and press him into his arms, light and fragile. Such a tiny little thing, he’s his, he also can only be his.
He finally let go of him and licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. His eyes were even more bewildered than Xue Huai’s, innocent as if he had done nothing.
“It’s sweet.” He said.
