Upon thinking of this, Shen Qiao's frown only deepened. "If that's the case, then we
ought to hurry up and set out, so that we won't get caught by them."
"Are you being this considerate to me," Yan Wushi started, laughing, "because you
want me to be moved to tears and devote my heart to you?"
Shen Qiao paid no mind to the derision in his tone, and instead responded solemnly:
"I know that Yan-zongzhu has never cared for anyone. But this is a matter of life and
death. Your flaw has yet to heal over, and your strength has yet to be restored. If it were
only Yan Shou and the others, then perhaps we could handle them. But once Sang
Jingxing comes, not even I will be able to ward him off. It would be best to be
cautious."
However, Yan Wushi did not seem even the slightest bit disturbed. He simply fed a
nearby branch into the fire so as to make it brighter, and suddenly asked a question
that had nothing to do with anything: "If you could do everything over again, would
you still choose to let me save you at Banbu Peak?"
This question caught Shen Qiao off guard. He simply shook his head: "I'm afraid that
such matters aren't for me to decide."
"In that case," Yan Wushi said, "even if you knew from the beginning that you would
have become hopelessly entangled with me, and that I would have personally handed
you off to Sang Jingxing, you wouldn't regret it?"
"There is no cure for remorse," Shen Qiao said. "For as long as we live, we will never
be able to recover that which has passed us by. Rather than clinging to such
resentment and never allowing myself relief, it would be better to thank you for having
taught me how to see this world and the sentiments of its people."
The light of the fire illuminated his earnest expression, revealing a rare sort of
gentleness.
Yan Wushi suddenly began to laugh. He said in a tender voice: "Ah-qiao, you're so
foolish. When have I ever treated you well?"
He extended one hand in Shen Qiao's direction, as though wanting to stroke his cheek.
However, Shen Qiao backed away, evading from him, while raising one hand to ward
him off. Who would have thought that Yan Wushi drew his other hand over
him—however, it was not to attack him. He had merely brushed his sleeve past Shen
Qiao's eyes.
Shen Qiao halted his breathing the moment he caught the strange scent from it.
However, it had already entered his nose. His body, which had already lost so much of
its strength already, became even weaker.
The other man took advantage of this, and
closed Shen Qiao's acupoint.
"When will you finally rid yourself of this ailment you have of letting your guard down?"
Yan Wushi shook his head. "Or perhaps you've already considered me to be someone
trustworthy deep down in your heart?"
After saying this, he did not pay any mind to how Shen Qiao stared at him, his eyes
wide. Instead, he bent down and kissed the tip of his nose, before taking Shen Qiao
into his arms and carrying him towards the Buddha statue.
Only then did Shen Qiao realize that the other side of the Buddha statue had a deep
recess within it. The space was not large, nor was it small. It was enough for a single
person to sit cross-legged within it.
Yan Wushi explained to him, as though he had all the time in the world: "It isn't cheap
to cast a full-bodied statue of Buddha. Many temples will usually ask to have the statue
be hollow from behind, so as to reduce the cost. I had come by this temple before in
the past. This statue was turned out in large quantities without much regard for the
quality that it was in. Even the hollowed-out inside was so lazily put together. Whoever
made it seemed inclined to only carve something half-decent in the front. But lucky for
you, it's to your benefit now."
Shen Qiao frowned: "What do you mean to do?!"
"That year, I'd also seen the lost volume of the Zhuyang Ce stored in the imperial
palace of Northern Zhou. But we're in a hurry now. There isn't any time for me to recite
it to you. If you wish to see it, then look for Yuwen Yong in Chang'an. He has met you
once, and recognizes your worth. I'm sure that he will be willing to make an exception
for you. Also, you must tell Bian Yanmei. Tell him not to worry about me any longer, but
instead have him take advantage of the fact that Zhou has annexed Qi, and extend
Huanyue Sect's influence over Qi before thinking of anything else."
Shen Qiao's expression suddenly darkened: "I'm not a member of Huanyue Sect. You
should be the one saying all of this yourself. What does this have to do with me?"
Yan Wushi laughed, but did not speak. He simply stroked Shen Qiao's cheek. This
action he performed slowly, and with great care, as if he wanted to take in the
sensation of the tips of his fingers brushing the other man's skin.