Chapter 57
When Jinbao woke up groggily, it was because he heard a strange sound. The noise started nearby, as if right beside him, but then gradually faded into the distance, vanishing into the sky.
He opened his eyes, seeing the faintly glowing stream under the moonlight, flowing quietly through the night.
His back felt warm, and he quickly realized he was lying in Que Siming’s arms. After blinking hard a few times, he remembered that he had embarrassingly cried, and eventually cried himself to sleep.
Que Siming’s low, husky voice sounded in his ear, “You’re awake, huh? You’ve been sleeping for quite a while.”
Jinbao didn’t know how to face him, but luckily it was dark now. He fumbled with his clothes and climbed out of Que Siming’s arms, keeping his head down, too shy to look at him.
Que Siming’s gaze darkened slightly, just as he was about to say something. Suddenly, a brilliant firework shot up from a distant mountain, burning brightly in the sky before disappearing.
Que Siming glanced at it. “This godforsaken place, it’s hard to get your bearings. My master has sent word. If you’ve rested enough, let’s head out.” He stood up as he spoke.
“Oh, oh, I’ve rested enough,” Jinbao replied, pulling off the cloak draped over him. Seeing it wasn’t his, he handed it back to Que Siming.
“You keep it,” Que Siming said. “It’s getting cold now that night has fallen.”
Jinbao frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean? You think you owe me something? No need to treat me like a woman. Just act like you normally would.”
He was extremely irritated by Que Siming’s attempts to be attentive—it felt too forced, making him uncomfortable.
Que Siming clicked his tongue. “What are you thinking? You used to have inner strength, you could withstand the cold even in the dead of winter. Now that your inner strength is sealed, it’s autumn already, and nights in the mountains are freezing. If you catch a cold, you’ll just be causing trouble.”
Jinbao thought about it and realized he had a point. He stopped refusing and put the cloak on. But Que Siming’s clothes were unfamiliar to him, and in the darkness, he struggled to tie the belt properly.
Suddenly, he felt himself pulled tightly from behind as Que Siming’s strong arms wrapped around him. In a low voice by his ear, Que Siming murmured, “Let me tie it for you.”
Jinbao froze, instinctively trying to twist his body to break free.
But Que Siming held him firmly, keeping him locked in his embrace. Urgently yet softly, he called, “Xiaohu, Xiaohu, listen to me. Don’t move. Please, just listen to me.”
After a few failed attempts to free himself, Jinbao finally stopped struggling. His fists clenched tightly, his body rigid.
Que Siming sighed. “Xiaohu, are you really going to pretend like nothing happened? Are we enemies now? Do all those words I said mean nothing to you?”
Jinbao stayed silent.
“You’ve already hit me and cursed me. I know I’ve wronged you, but I’ve apologized. If you’re really a man, can you forgive me? Let’s give it another shot, okay?”
“I… Que Siming…”
“I know, I know what you’re going to say. If I screw up again, you can beat me to death, and I won’t fight back. Xiaohu, I can’t bear to lose you. You still like me, right?”
Jinbao felt a lump rise in his throat, his voice raspy as he replied, “Who can’t live without whom? Let me tell you, Que Siming—”
“I can’t live without you, okay?” Que Siming interrupted him suddenly.
Jinbao was stunned, left speechless.
To him, hearing such words from someone as arrogant and reckless as Que Siming was shocking. For someone like him to admit love was already pushing his limits, but now, saying something so outrageous, it made Jinbao feel entirely uncomfortable.
Que Siming buried his face in the crook of Jinbao’s neck, greedily inhaling the familiar scent that was uniquely his.
“I can’t live without you…”
If he could no longer tease or bully Jinbao in the future, what joy would there be left in such a long life?
“Xiaohu, I mean it. I’m afraid… I don’t have much time left.”
Jinbao exclaimed in surprise, “W-What!”
Que Siming’s tone instantly turned sorrowful. “The blood parasite in my body has been getting more and more active recently. I can feel it—I won’t last much longer. Rather than becoming Yu Mingjing’s puppet, I’d rather end it myself.”
Jinbao turned around in a panic. “Isn’t your master currently surrounding Yu Mingjing? Isn’t he already at the end of his rope? If we take him down, can’t we extract the blood parasite?”
Que Siming frowned, his face full of sadness. “I didn’t want to tell you this because I didn’t want you to worry. But… Yu Mingjing is a cunning villain. If we really corner him, he’d rather fight to the death than let me have my way. Besides, my father is by his side. No one is certain they can take Yu Mingjing down easily. And my blood parasite is already close to maturing. I’m afraid there’s not enough time.”
Jinbao was anxious. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why are we wasting time here? Why are we still sleeping? Don’t you know how serious this is? What if we miss the chance to save you? We need to leave, now!”
Que Siming gently held his hand, eyes filled with tenderness. “Little Tiger, I know I don’t have much time left. I’d rather spend more of it with you than waste it on the road. If you hadn’t kept pushing me away, I wouldn’t have said anything to upset you.”
Jinbao snapped angrily, “Are you crazy? Of course, saving your life is the most important thing right now! I’m alive, we can always spend time together. What, do you expect me to hang out with your corpse after you die? Get up, we need to go!” He grabbed Que Siming forcefully. “Come on, let’s move!”
But Que Siming stood firm, unmoving, shaking his head. “Little Tiger, I’ve already given up hope. Just stay with me a bit longer. When I’m gone, no one will bother you anymore.”
Jinbao was furious, ready to hit him. “What kind of bullshit are you saying right now? If you live, you have everything. If you die, you have nothing! Get up!”
“But what if I live… and you’re not there?” Que Siming’s words stunned Jinbao, his face growing hot.
Seeing his hesitation, Que Siming pressed on. “If I survive and you keep pushing me away like this, I’d rather spend what little time I have left with you now. At least then, I can die without regret.”
Jinbao was shaken by his constant talk of death. He’d known about the blood curse for a while, and the blood-red lines under Que Siming’s eyelids were indeed getting closer together, almost touching now. Compared to when he first met him, the lines had grown a lot. When Que Siming said his days were numbered, Jinbao had no choice but to believe him. He’d seen those blood marks slowly inching toward his brow, as if watching Que Siming’s life force drain away.
Jinbao had been so focused on distancing himself from Que Siming that he’d forgotten about the deadly blood parasite inside him. Either he would die, or he’d become a puppet. And becoming a puppet was just as good as being dead.
Que Siming had always been so strong and domineering that Jinbao often forgot he was teetering on the edge of death.
Now that Que Siming had brought it up so sorrowfully, it tore at Jinbao’s heart.
At a time like this, when lives were at stake, all their personal dramas and emotional entanglements seemed insignificant.
What mattered most now was saving his life. If Que Siming could get through this, they could think about everything else later. Otherwise, nothing mattered.
In his desperation, Jinbao couldn’t focus on their issues. He just kept urging Que Siming to get moving.
Seeing that he’d pushed Jinbao far enough, Que Siming knew pressing any more could backfire. So he stopped pushing and led Jinbao as quickly as possible toward the direction of the fireworks.
They traveled all night, and by noon the next day, they finally ran into people from the Medicine Valley.
When they were brought before his master, Que’s senior immediately greeted him with a hard slap.
Que Siming tilted his head, his expression unwavering. Calmly, he said, “Master, I’m back.”
The senior wanted to hit him again, but considering the number of people around, he restrained himself to save face for his disciple. Besides, seeing Jinbao standing behind him made his face darken further. He snorted heavily and turned away.
Que Siming’s leader thought it wasn’t the right time yet. He planned to deal with that kid after they’d taken care of Yu Mingjing.
Jinbao was feeling quite awkward himself. He had no idea how he ended up mixed up with Yaogu again.
He could sense that from Que Siming’s leader down to the servants, everyone in Yaogu harbored some hostility toward him. Being naturally thin-skinned, he didn’t want to be an eyesore to others, so he tried to keep a low profile. But at this moment, he had no clue where he should go or when to leave.
Que Siming, with his hands behind his back, quietly squeezed his palm.
The warmth and strength from that touch made Jinbao feel much more at ease.
Que Siming asked, “Master, what’s the current situation?”
The leader of the Que family thought for a moment before responding, “A few days ago, we tracked down Yu Mingjing and clashed with the Wu clan. Both sides suffered losses, but neither Yu Mingjing nor the general was seen. Yu Mingjing has committed atrocities for years, and there aren’t many of the Wu family retainers left by his side. This mountain will be his grave. I will make sure we capture him and free you and your father from the blood curse.”
Que Siming nodded. “There’s probably no one left with Yu Mingjing other than my father. He’s hiding in the mountains. As long as we find him, we can defeat him.”
“Yu Mingjing is cunning and has your father as both a henchman and a hostage. It won’t be easy… sigh.”
“Right now, finding him is the most important thing.”
Que Siming’s leader glanced at him and hesitated before saying, “Actually… I have an idea.”
Que Siming said, “Master, please speak.”
The leader hesitated but eventually said, “I brought the Longevity Stone this time, thinking we could use it to trade for your father.”
Que Siming was stunned for a moment. “If we can get my father back, that would be great, but…” He hesitated, feeling that Yu Mingjing would never let his father go.
“As long as he agrees to free your father and give us his blood, I think it might not be such a bad idea to let him leave with the stone…”
“No!” Que Siming’s face turned bright red. “Master! How could you even think about letting Yu Mingjing go? I thought using the stone for negotiation was just a temporary strategy. We have a chance to kill him and get our revenge! How could we let him walk away unharmed?”
The leader sighed, “It is a temporary strategy. If we can kill him, that would be ideal, but what if he threatens us with your father? Wouldn’t it be better to secure his safety first? Once Yu Mingjing is weakened, we can hunt him down later.”
“Master!” Que Siming called out heavily. “Yu Mingjing is incredibly sly, and you know that. If we let him go, we may never find him again. For thirteen years, I’ve dreamed of killing him with my own hands. The best opportunity is right in front of us—how could we give it up?”
“Siming. I understand your desire for revenge, but what’s more important: revenge or your father’s life?”
Que Siming was immediately left speechless, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
“Your father was an accident. We thought he was dead, and we had no worries. All we needed was to kill him, but now the situation has changed. Although Yu Mingjing is like a trapped rat, he still holds our weakness. When we weigh the situation, he’s not necessarily in a weaker position than we are. You’re still young and overconfident. I, however, want to be cautious. What I fear is ending up empty-handed. In such a case, it’s better to retreat before advancing. Let you reunite with your father first, and then think about revenge later.”
Que Siming stayed silent. He knew his master’s words were absolutely right. Given the current circumstances, this was indeed the most prudent approach.
Yet, he felt unwilling. His hatred for Yu Mingjing ran deep, and he dreamed of personally ending his enemy. Seeing such a perfect opportunity slip away made him boil with anger. Who knew when such a chance would come again in his lifetime?
Master Que patted his shoulder. “Siming, listen to your master. If you want revenge, there’s plenty of time in the future. Whether you can save your father and remove the blood curse in your body all depends on this. After all, your situation can’t afford any more delays.”
Que Siming clenched his teeth and finally gave a stiff nod.
The people searching the mountain brought in more than ten dogs, working day and night to track Yu Mingjing.
The group stayed in the mountain for two days until finally, they caught traces of Yu Mingjing.
