"Rather than letting you fall into the hands of others and suffer punishment, it's better for me to end your mistakes with my own hands..."
"Brother!"
Qin Qimu's widened eyes were filled with terror, but as his life ebbed away, the light gradually faded.
But in the next moment, his eyes turned bloodshot as he suddenly sprang up, grasping Qin Qichao's neck and shouting heart-rendingly:
"Brother! Why did you kill me! Why did you kill me!"
-
Qin Qichao woke up from a nightmare.
His back was soaked with cold sweat, and he panted awkwardly, with sweat dripping from his forehead. He stretched out his hand and looked at his clean hands, unable to imagine that they were once stained with his younger brother's blood.
He had personally buried his younger brother's body in the back mountain, and on the way, he saw many people laying in ambush. Even if Feng Tingliu didn't say it, he understood that if either of them tried to escape, neither of them would have a good ending.
When burying his younger brother, he also saw vultures and wild wolves gnawing at the corpses in the unmarked graves. He was fortunate that his younger brother did not end up like those corpses.
But he had become a sinner with a heavy burden.
He found a wooden plaque and used the carving knife that had pierced his younger brother's chest to carve "The Grave of Qin Qimu" on the front, and on the back, he engraved a small line of words:
"If love between both sides can last for aye, Why need they stay together night and day?"
When their mother was still alive, she often recited this poem. Qin Qichao thought that before their mother abandoned them, she must still have loved their father and them.
But the mother still abandoned them.
Now, was he going to abandon his younger brother alone in this wild mountain?
Was he really trying to spare his younger brother from suffering, or was he just despicably trying to save his own life?
"Don't sink into self-entanglement."
A cold voice sounded from behind him. Qin Qichao didn't dare to turn around, but saw a red umbrella fall on his head, covering him and the tombstone.
"To be alive is more important than anything else. As the one who survives, if you feel uneasy about your younger brother's death, then take revenge."
"Find the person who made your younger brother like this, and then, kill him."
The heavy rain continued, and thunder rumbled, awakening Qin Qichao's soul immersed in grief.
"You rest for seven days. After seven days, I want to see you in the Feng Mansion."
The sound of footsteps and rain grew louder. Qin Qichao gripped the umbrella handle tightly and turned his head sharply.
Feng Tingliu's back was all that remained in the rain. The rain had soaked his long hair and clothes, making him look unusually disheveled.
Qin Qichao stared blankly at his back, not knowing why he was so sad.
Qin Qichao thus followed Feng Tingliu's order to rest. When he returned to the courtyard, the bloodstains all over the ground had been cleaned up, but the burning sensation of the hot blood still remained on his hands, making him restless.
He turned his head and looked at the carving knife placed on the bedside, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, he lay back on the bed and met his younger brother in his dream.
-
The heavy rain stopped, but the wind and rain did not cease.
Feng Tingliu suddenly left and came back soaked by the rain, which gave Yu Chi Feng a shock.
Although he had countless questions in his heart, he still hurriedly helped him change out of his wet clothes, wrapped him in a quilt, and then hurriedly went to prepare bathwater.
Feng Tingliu sat there quietly waiting, his lips pale and his eyes closed, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Master, the bathwater is ready." Seeing him like this, Yu Chi Feng couldn't help but lower his voice to call him.
"Um." Without caring that Yu Chi Feng was by his side, Feng Tingliu threw off the quilt, walked barefoot towards the bathtub, and buried himself in the hot water, only then emitting a comfortable sigh.
Yu Chi Feng had seen Feng Tingliu's body many times, but at this moment, he couldn't have any romantic thoughts.
He walked to Feng Tingliu's side, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Where did the master go?"
Feng Tingliu did not answer. He just splashed the hot water to wet his shoulders. After a while, he raised his eyes, looked at Yu Chi Feng's suddenly serious face, and chuckled: "You should have other things you want to ask more."
Just like in the past, Feng Tingliu could always accurately dig out Yu Chi Feng's true thoughts and make him speak the truth.
Yu Chi Feng did not hide it either. He clenched his fists at his sides.
"Why do this..." Yu Chi Feng's voice was deep, obviously suppressing for a long time before issuing the questioning, "They are still young, but you make them stained with blood and kill each other. Don't you think this approach is too..."
"Cruel?"
Yu Chi Feng's thoughts were exposed by Feng Tingliu in one word. He paused and actually grasped the edge of the bathtub. He used force, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged, showing some anger.
"You also know how cruel this is for him."
"Heh." Feng Tingliu sneered and leaned against the edge of the bathtub, only an inch away from Yu Chi Feng's angry hand.
It was only then that Yu Chi Feng came to his senses. He seemed to have crossed a line and made Feng Tingliu unhappy, so he loosened his fingers. Just when he thought Feng Tingliu would be angry and punish him for this, Feng Tingliu suddenly stood up from the bathtub, grabbed his collar, and pulled him towards himself.
There was a sneer on Feng Tingliu's mouth, but there was not a hint of a smile in his scarlet eyes.
"Are those traitors who harm their brothers and betray their comrades not cruel? Are those villains who steal intelligence and attack our city not cruel? Who will judge the old sects of the evil cult and the hypocrites of the Zhu Xie Hui in the martial arts world who do evil? Cruelty. If wanting to live is called cruelty, then everyone in this martial arts world is a despicable villain!"
"Yu Chi Feng, put away your naive kindness!"
Yu Chi Feng met those eyes filled with killing intent and was stunned on the spot. He once again felt that feeling. Clearly, Feng Tingliu was close at hand, but yet seemed so far away from him.
His soul seemed to stand on opposite sides of a cliff from Feng Tingliu, with a deep chasm in between, unable to touch.
Yu Chi Feng's eyes also turned red. He could understand every word Feng Tingliu said, but he still couldn't accept this approach.
"Doesn't it count as betrayal if Qin Qichao betrays his younger brother?! Even if Qin Qimu did something wrong, he is still Qin Qichao's younger brother!" Yu Chi Feng's voice was suppressed.
"Heh, betrayal?" Feng Tingliu's hand was still grasping Yu Chi Feng's collar, but he lowered his head. The wet bangs covered his eyes, revealing only the sneer on the corner of his mouth, making him even more terrifying, "If Qin Qichao were his accomplice, I would definitely not make this decision. Qin Qimu buried the future of the two brothers with his own hands. You say, doesn't Qin Qimu count as betraying his older brother?"
Yu Chi Feng was speechless. For a moment, he found it difficult to judge right and wrong. But when he looked down at Feng Tingliu's wet appearance, he felt pity and pressed Feng Tingliu's arm to make him sit back in the water.
"...Master, sit back first. Don't catch a cold."
Feng Tingliu sat back in the water but kept his head down, his expression unclear. His black long hair spread in the water, and his slightly thin shoulders made Yu Chi Feng feel that after the outburst, the person in front of him seemed even more fragile.
But Yu Chi Feng also didn't know how to speak. He had a rift in his heart, so he just stood silently behind Feng Tingliu, washing his long hair for him.
The room was eerily quiet for a moment, with only the sound of water remaining.
The water in the bathtub rippled as if the person inside was suppressing tremors, but the person outside did not notice.
The silence continued until Feng Tingliu finished his bath. Yu Chi Feng, as usual, wrapped him in a bath towel and carefully dried his hair for him.
Everything was done as it was in the past, but the atmosphere was different.
Yu Chi Feng changed Feng Tingliu into clothes, tidied up the bathtub, and then extinguished the candle for Feng Tingliu.
Just as Yu Chi Feng was about to turn and leave, he was suddenly grabbed by the arm by Feng Tingliu.
In the darkness, Yu Chi Feng couldn't see Feng Tingliu's expression, but he felt that the hand grasping him was extremely forceful.
Feng Tingliu didn't speak, and Yu Chi Feng also pursed his lips and refused to speak.
"Sleep here." Feng Tingliu almost said in a commanding tone.
"I'll sleep in the west wing." Yu Chi Feng paused and said hoarsely.
"I don't want to say it a second time." Feng Tingliu was particularly stubborn. He held onto Yu Chi Feng's arm and didn't let go. Instead, he increased his strength and pulled towards himself.
The two confronted for a long time before Yu Chi Feng sighed, blew out the candle in his hand, placed it on the low cabinet beside him, and climbed onto the bed.
Almost as soon as Yu Chi Feng got into the blanket, Feng Tingliu immediately stuck to him, grasping the fabric on Yu Chi Feng's chest with one hand and pressing his fragrant head against Yu Chi Feng's chest.
Yu Chi Feng didn't understand why the imposing Feng Tingliu from earlier had now become so intimately attached to him. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out andEmptiness embracing Feng Tingliu's waist.
He felt it again. It seemed that Feng Tingliu was afraid of something.
Master, what are you afraid of?
Yu Chi Feng thought and thought, and a vague thought emerged in his heart, but he didn't dare to confirm it.
He could only lower his head and gently kiss Feng Tingliu's hair, and only then did he feel that the hand grasping his collar loosened.
Are you afraid that I will leave? Master.
-
In the following days, although the two were still as close as before, the silent tension between them could be clearly felt by the others in the Feng Mansion.
"Brother, what's going on between you and the city lord recently? Did you have a fight?" The servant in charge of taking care of the front yard garden nudged Yu Chi Feng and asked curiously.
"No..." Yu Chi Feng replied sullenly, took the things the master needed, and turned to leave.
"Hey hey! Make up after a fight. Don't be stubborn and make the city lord angry. None of us will have a good ending."
Yu Chi Feng ignored him and walked out on his own.
But when he reached the outer courtyard, he came face to face with another person.
Qin Qichao entered the Feng Mansion and met Yu Chi Feng's gaze.
Qin Qichao had lost a whole circle of weight, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, more like a young wolf cub.
He was as silent and serious as ever. When he saw Yu Chi Feng, he nodded and greeted him.
When he spoke, his voice was somewhat hoarse but much more mature.
"Seven days have passed. Please take me to see the city lord."