Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce had an unspoken agreement: never pry into each other’s secrets. They both believed in preserving a small personal space until the other was ready to share.
Shen Tanqi didn’t push for details about the old promise Yu Ce mentioned. After all, what could he do even if he knew? It was something that happened seven years ago, and only Yu Ce, who had grown up since then, knew if he had kept that promise.
But one question did pique his interest, “How do you know that the Shen family matriarch was killed by demons and not by daemons?”
Yu Ce tidied his messy hair and glanced at him, finally feeling like Shen Tanqi had asked something serious. He replied calmly, “Because the daemon they spoke of was my father.”
Hearing this, Shen Tanqi’s eyes widened in surprise, “Your father? Who is your father?”
He had never heard Yu Ce mention his parents before.
Come to think of it, he really didn’t know Yu Ce well enough.
“You call yourself my husband, yet you don’t even know who my father is?” Yu Ce looked at him skeptically, noticing more flaws in Shen Tanqi’s story and starting to doubt how much of it was true.
Shen Tanqi rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty, “You never told me, how was I supposed to know?”
He should have asked more questions, but in most novels, the male protagonist usually has a tragic childhood with deceased parents, just like him. Considering this, Shen Tanqi didn’t like to bring up his own family history either, fearing it might touch on Yu Ce’s painful memories.
But unexpectedly, Yu Ce mentioned his father so naturally. It seemed their father-son relationship was good.
“My father is from the merfolk tribe and has long resided in the Western Sea. On the day of the incident, there were rumors that scales from the merfolk tribe were found on the Shen family matriarch’s body.” Many people in Shuoxia City knew about this; you could hear whispers just by asking around. But out of respect for the Shen family, no one publicized it widely.
Yu Ce frowned, his fingers resting on the long sword by his side, and said, “The merfolk have long declined. In the whole world, only my father is left. He’s now living peacefully in the Western Sea. Such a vicious frame-up must be the work of the demons.”
His mother was of the dragon clan and later remarried Xie Chi’s father.
After hearing this, Shen Tanqi thought for a moment and said, “You also said that only your father is a merfolk in the world. Why would the demons frame him specifically, knowing how obvious his traits are?”
Yu Ce was momentarily speechless.
Indeed, if it were any other daemon, it would be easier to frame. He had been so eager to clear his father’s name that he overlooked this point.
After a while, he pressed his lips together and said quietly, “Anyway, it’s impossible. He’s not someone who would do such a thing. Believe it or not, that’s up to you.”
He hadn’t expected Shen Tanqi to believe him. As long as he believed in his father, that was enough.
Shen Tanqi rested his chin on his hand, watching him silently. Suddenly, he said, “You were quite stubborn as a kid too.”
If they had met as children, they probably would have fought right away, both being stubborn mules. But with Yu Ce’s tendency to soften easily, Shen Tanqi figured he’d have been the one pinning Yu Ce down.
“What do you mean?” Yu Ce didn’t like how Shen Tanqi spoke to him, as if he knew him very well.
Shen Tanqi chuckled lightly, skimmed the foam off his tea, took a sip, and said calmly, “The world isn’t just black and white. If it turns out your father did it, wouldn’t you be falsely accusing the demons?”
As his words fell, Yu Ce’s fingers on the sword hilt trembled slightly. He shook his head and said, “There’s no such ‘if’.”
Outside the window, night had already fallen, and the air was damp. Shen Tanqi put down his teacup, closed the window, and sighed lightly. “Whether there is or isn’t, you just need to know that some things might not be as complicated as you think. There must be another reason. I believe you; your father must be a righteous man, otherwise…”
He looked at the stubbornly standing Yu Ce nearby and smiled slightly. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have raised a child like you.”
Yu Ce’s expression faltered, and he seemed a bit dazed.
He had indeed lived with his father for some time when he was young. His father taught him principles, imparted spells, taught him to read, and spoke of the wondrous world outside Hidden Dragon Valley. But after his mother’s death, everything changed.
Recalling those days, Yu Ce’s voice softened a bit. “What am I like?”
What would he be like in the future? Better than now?
Shen Tanqi thought for a moment, then casually moved closer to him and suddenly picked him up.
At ten years old, Yu Ce was quite light, and Shen Tanqi, who had undergone training, was much stronger than before, easily lifting him.
Yu Ce was startled and grabbed Shen Tanqi’s collar, about to struggle, but Shen Tanqi unhesitatingly tossed him onto the bed. Yu Ce landed in the soft quilt, his eyes still wide with surprise and doubt as he looked at him.
“You ask too many questions,” Shen Tanqi said, feigning a stern face and pointing outside the window. “It’s already dark. Go to sleep.”
Yu Ce quickly scrambled up, reaching for his sword to protect himself, but Shen Tanqi chuckled, “Don’t overthink it. I’m not sleeping with you; if I did, you’d be taking advantage of me.”
With that, he stepped away from the bed, seemingly unguarded, exposing his back to Yu Ce as he quietly cleaned up the leftovers on the table.
The clink of porcelain bowls echoed crisply, intertwining with the lingering chirps of insects in the early summer night.
Shen Tanqi’s figure was slender, his shoulders narrow, and his waist delicate. His long sleeves draped over his forearms, resembling soft jade wrapped in silk, radiating a faint, gentle glow.
Shen Tanqi was indeed handsome. Even in the world of cultivation where beauty was abundant, he stood out uniquely. When he smiled, there was a warmth and intensity akin to the sun, pure and dazzling.
Yu Ce tightened his grip on the sword, unconsciously loosening it slightly.
Though he didn’t consider Shen Tanqi to be his husband, he couldn’t deny that Shen Tanqi was astute, knowing when to advance and retreat, always handling situations with precision.
Born into privilege, with his handsome appearance, it was easy to imagine that many people would be drawn to Shen Tanqi.
Yu Ce couldn’t help but wonder.
Would someone like him really have any connection with someone like Shen Tanqi?
“Get some sleep early tonight,” Shen Tanqi’s voice, laced with a smile, disrupted Yu Ce’s thoughts. “I’m leaving.”
Watching him finish tidying up and preparing to leave, Yu Ce finally couldn’t hold back and called out to him, “What will I be like in the future?”
Shen Tanqi was almost at the door, hesitating for a moment as he leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, contemplating how to respond.
Seeing him like this, Yu Ce’s eyes dimmed slightly. He pursed his lips and said, “Forget it, just go.”
Hearing Yu Ce utter those two words, ‘just go,’ Shen Tanqi felt a pang of deja vu.
Yu Ce had said the same to him back then, asking him to leave, letting him go. Now, Shen Tanqi couldn’t bear to hear those two words from Yu Ce again, even in his dreams.
Rubbing his temples, Shen Tanqi chuckled softly, “Is that all you want to know?”
Actually, there was nothing he couldn’t say. In his heart, Shen Tanqi naturally spoke highly of Yu Ce everywhere, but… Shen Tanqi wasn’t very good at praising people, and he didn’t know how to praise Yu Ce in front of him.
It felt a bit cheesy, awkward.
“Okay, since you asked sincerely, I’ll tell you.”
He walked back to the table, pulled out a chair, sat down, carefully considered his words, and said in a deep voice, “You are… a very good person.”
There was a long silence, so quiet that it seemed like there was no one in the room.
Yu Ce was stunned, “Is that it?”
Was he only worthy of those three words, ‘very good person’?
Shen Tanqi cleared his throat twice, his ears turning slightly red, his voice growing quieter, “No.”
It was just that in that instant, Shen Tanqi’s mind was filled with some unspeakable images.
Yu Ce liked calling him Ah Qi, Senior Brother, switching between the two incessantly in his ear, murmuring non-stop until he couldn’t bear it. During those days in the illusion, whenever the dependency phase hit, they involuntarily rolled together, their ears brushing, the hot breath almost scorching his eyes.
His ears grew redder, and he lowered his head even more.
Damn it, why was he thinking about those things he had done with the grown-up Yu Ce in front of the young Yu Ce?
But his mind just couldn’t stop, what should he do?
“Say it,” Yu Ce urged softly. He really wanted to know what made Shen Tanqi like him so much. Was it something so difficult to talk about?
As their words trailed off, Shen Tanqi slowly lifted his head. Yu Ce could only stare in disbelief as he saw Shen Tanqi’s cheeks and ears turn completely red. For a moment, he froze, even forgetting to breathe, instantly realizing what Shen Tanqi was thinking.
“…Maybe you shouldn’t say anything.”
“…Yeah, I think so too.”
The two of them, one big and one small, awkwardly and hastily fled, slamming the door shut with a resounding ‘bang.’
Leaning against the thin door panel, Shen Tanqi gradually calmed his breathing and heartbeat, feeling somewhat annoyed with himself.
He should have said something; young Yu Ce seemed so eager for an answer.
But every time he thought of the grown-up Yu Ce, his heart raced so fast, so fast, that it left his mind blank, unable to remember anything.
He wanted to go home.
He missed Yu Ce, missed him very much.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
