The mountain path was unsuitable for horses, so Gu Yuanbai enthusiastically started climbing on foot.
The slope was gentle, but Gu Yuanbai overestimated his stamina. He had only climbed halfway when he turned pale, breaking into a cold sweat in the summer heat.
Chu Wei, noticing his condition immediately, hurriedly helped him rest under a tree. Gu Yuanbai’s fingers trembled slightly as he concealed them in his sleeve, calmly trying to steady his breathing.
Inhale, exhale. Someone offered cool tea, but Gu Yuanbai glanced at it and said softly, “Add some salt to plain water.”
He was likely suffering from heatstroke: dizziness, darkened vision, chest tightness, and slight nausea—at least a mild case.
Gu Yuanbai placed his hand on his belt and, to Chu Wei’s astonishment, removed his outer robe. Chu Wei quickly turned away, his white jade ears flushing red.
Gu Yuanbai stripped down to his inner garments, loosening his collar to relieve the tightness. Tian Fusheng and the eunuchs swiftly rolled up his sleeves and pant legs. Sweat dripped from their foreheads as they fanned him, the breeze cooling him down.
His inner garments were white, and his exposed wrists and calves were even paler, almost like white jade, glowing in the surrounding greenery.
After a while, Chu Wei, having calmed his embarrassment, turned back. The imperial physician was checking the emperor’s pulse, surrounded by palace attendants and officials. Chu Wei noticed that some young officials avoided meeting the emperor’s gaze, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
The emperor, renowned and revered, also possessed strikingly good looks that many had perhaps not fully appreciated until now.
Feeling a twinge of displeasure, Chu Wei watched as Chang Yuyan approached the emperor with concern. Impulsively, he took Chang Yuyan’s fan, subtly shielding the emperor, “Your Majesty, there is a stream nearby. Would you like to go there to cool off?”
Gu Yuanbai smiled wryly, “Let’s rest a bit before going.”
Having sought Master Kongxing seven years ago, Gu Yuanbai believed his health could withstand climbing a mountain, not expecting to suffer heatstroke so easily under the sun.
He did want to cool off by the stream, but felt too lethargic to move. If Xue Yuan were here, he would probably have carried him over already.
Lost in thought, Gu Yuanbai’s expression made Chu Wei uneasy. For the first time, he broke protocol, “Your Majesty?”
Gu Yuanbai, snapped back to reality, took in the lush greenery around him and smiled at Chu Wei, “What is it?”
Chu Wei lowered his gaze, hiding his conflicted thoughts, “Lord Chang and I will fetch some stream water for you.”
Chang Yuyan, who had been standing nearby with a faint smile, finally spoke, “Lord Chu is right. It would be best for Your Majesty to cool off with some stream water.”
With their urging, other officials also volunteered, eager to show their loyalty. Gu Yuanbai nodded in agreement, and half of the entourage dispersed.
While they fetched water, the Donglingwei found a shady spot for the emperor. After catching his breath, Gu Yuanbai moved to the shade. As he passed a large tree with dense branches and roots, a sudden breeze carried a melodious sound.
Gu Yuanbai halted his steps, raising his head towards the sound. Through the tangled branches, he saw long wooden pieces hanging down. As the breeze blew, carved wooden pieces collided with small stones and feathers fluttered in the wind, creating a clear and crisp sound.
It was a wind bell made of stones and feathers.
A wind bell, similar to a wind chime, was used by ancient people for divination and prayers.
Why was there such a thing on this mountain path?
Curiosity sparked in Gu Yuanbai, “Zhang Xu.”
The Chief Guard leapt up to reach the wind bell, and once Gu Yuanbai had it in his hands, he examined it closely. Before he could figure it out, he heard another wind bell chiming ahead. Taking a few steps forward, he saw another gently swaying wind bell hanging from another tree.
“Why are there so many wind bells?” Gu Yuanbai marveled. “Could it be that the recluse living here hung them on the trees?”
Just as he finished speaking, a strong gust of wind blew through. The wind bell on the tree in front of him rang loudly, followed by a chorus of other wind bells in the trees ahead, all ringing together amidst the falling leaves and the wind.
The tinkling sound traveled through the forest, numbering in the hundreds.
Gu Yuanbai’s eyes were momentarily blinded by his hair being blown into them, so he simply closed his eyes. His loose clothing fluttered gracefully in the wind, and the sound of the wind bells seemed to dance and sing with the breeze.
The sound soared upwards, above the tree crowns and beyond the clouds.
The heat was swept away, and Gu Yuanbai, without realizing it, began to smile. The sound made him feel light, as if he were being lifted by the wind. Tian Fusheng suddenly exclaimed, “Your Majesty, there are words carved on the wind bell you are holding.”
Gu Yuanbai opened his eyes and looked where Tian Fusheng pointed. There, on a small piece of stone, were faintly carved characters. Leaning in closer, he read, “May he not suffer from bitter medicine.”
Gu Yuanbai’s heart skipped a beat.
Without knowing what he was thinking, he had Zhang Xu take down another wind bell from the tree ahead. He searched for words on it and quickly found another inscription: “May he no longer shed tears.”
Gu Yuanbai stared at this line for a long time. Each stroke of the characters was made with great force. Writing on stone was different from writing on paper, and the carved characters seemed familiar yet unfamiliar.
As flowers and grasses fluttered in the wind, he took down one wind bell after another, each with a new inscription.
“May he live a long and healthy life.”
“May he eat more.”
“May his legs not ache on rainy days.”
Gu Yuanbai walked forward, guided by the sound of the wind bells, with his entourage following behind, watching his lips sometimes purse, sometimes smile.
“May he sleep soundly through the night.”
“May his burdens not weigh him down.”
“May he enjoy some alcohol, but only a little.”
Another gust of wind blew through the forest, and Gu Yuanbai, sensing something, looked up the mountain path.
At the top of the path appeared a tall figure in a scholar’s robe. The figure looked at Gu Yuanbai and started to smile, but the smile faded upon seeing Gu Yuanbai in just his inner garments.
The figure’s expression changed, and he suddenly dashed down the mountain. The flowing scholar’s robe now moved with the force of an army. Gu Yuanbai’s eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, watching the person come closer until he was lifted up and spun around several times.
The surrounding people, thinking it was an assassin, drew their weapons but paused when the Chief Guard exclaimed, “Lord Xue—”
The wind bell in Gu Yuanbai’s hand jingled, the strings entangling. The scenery spun around him, and in the next moment, Xue Yuan was carrying him up the mountain.
The sound of a pounding heart echoed in his ears. Gu Yuanbai, holding the wind bell, lifted his head from Xue Yuan’s embrace.
A determined chin, stubble freshly shaven, and the lingering scent of a bath. His throat was tense, and he was much darker.
Three years had passed.
He had weathered the elements and grown into a mature man.
The sharpness in his brows had softened, as if always tightly wound. There was a small scar on his face, already scabbed over.
Xue Yuan had reached his prime.
He still seemed young, yet also not. His strength remained formidable, running with Gu Yuanbai without breaking a sweat. He seemed unchanged yet changed in many ways that Gu Yuanbai couldn’t pinpoint.
The words from distant letters suddenly felt close, the figure before him becoming solid and real, a living person.
It had been three years since they last met.
Gu Yuanbai’s memories were of Xue Yuan from three years ago, but the current Xue Yuan shattered that image, leaving only the present man, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Gu Yuanbai disliked facing life pessimistically. Even though three years of separation had been hard and slow, he remained optimistic, finding joy even in their separation. But now, he understood clearly: Xue Yuan had changed.
Both had likely undergone changes the other hadn’t witnessed. Even Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but feel a bit lost at this realization.
In the bouncing embrace, Xue Yuan looked down at him, pressing Gu Yuanbai’s head into his chest, “It’s okay, you’ll feel better soon.”
The darkness before him, the familiar warmth, and the familiar scent of Xue Yuan’s embrace calmed him.
Gu Yuanbai shook the wind bell, letting his thoughts settle.
Xue Yuan carried him through a corridor and finally placed him on a bamboo bed, the bamboo mat cool to the touch. Gu Yuanbai’s hair spread out beneath him, and his loose clothes were untied by large hands, his final garments falling away.
Footsteps retreated and approached again, the door closed, and the sound of water being poured into a basin was heard. A damp cloth was wrung out and gently wiped Gu Yuanbai’s forehead and brows.
Xue Yuan chuckled softly, “Close your eyes.”
Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes.
Warm hands moved from his neck to his abdomen. Xue Yuan pulled open his pants slightly and murmured, “I missed you so much.”
Gu Yuanbai swatted his hand away.
Xue Yuan’s muffled laughter followed, and he carefully wiped Gu Yuanbai’s legs. His body, already recovering, shed the last remnants of summer heat, and the sweat in his hair evaporated.
Gu Yuanbai’s expression gradually relaxed, and his clothes were put back on. The sleeves and pant legs that had been rolled up were let down. Despite not having dressed someone in three years, Xue Yuan seemed almost as skilled as ever.
Xue Yuan asked, “Do you still feel uncomfortable?”
Gu Yuanbai shook his head.
Xue Yuan smiled and leaned down to hug him again, spinning him around several times uncontrollably. “I missed you so much!”
He kept whispering sweet nothings, his words turning into warm kisses on Gu Yuanbai’s face, leaving a trail of saliva. “Yuanbai, I missed you so much, I really did.”
The intense longing was almost tangible, dripping like thick liquid, threatening to drown Gu Yuanbai. Xue Yuan held him close, whispering his longing into his left ear and his love into his right.
The unfamiliar feelings that had just arisen were dissolved in his longing and love.
Outside the door, someone knocked urgently, their voice anxious, “Your Majesty!”
Tian Fusheng’s voice followed, “Oh dear, Lord Chu, please come aside and speak with me if you have any questions. I will listen to everything you say.”
After a while, the door was knocked on again. Chang Yuyan, smiling, tentatively said, “Your Majesty, we have brought water.”
Gu Yuanbai pushed Xue Yuan’s head away, “Get lost.”
Xue Yuan’s expression immediately relaxed, “It’s been so long since His Majesty scolded me. Your Majesty, it’s not enough, scold me a few more times.”
Gu Yuanbai: “… Put me down.”
Xue Yuan carefully set him down, smoothing out every wrinkle in Gu Yuanbai’s clothes and tidying up his hair.
His hands lingered with reluctance, heavy with attachment. When they finally left Gu Yuanbai’s head, it was as if they pulled away a thread of deep affection.
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but reach out to touch Xue Yuan’s brow, where long-standing worry lines had settled. “What kind of hardship could leave such deep marks on you in just three years?”
Xue Yuan lowered his head, enjoying the touch, closing his eyes comfortably. His eyelids fluttered at the question, and he grasped the emperor’s hand, “Your Majesty, do you really not know?”
Gu Yuanbai: “Hmm?”
Xue Yuan opened his eyes, his dark gaze like that of a grown beast, the tumultuous emotions hidden beneath the surface. He sighed, finally revealing a different side of himself.
Deep, intense.
“Because of one person, someone we both know,” he said, “my beloved.”
