Chapter 33: Sir of the Colored Lantern of Huitang
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Shen Gurong was terrified beyond measure.
No matter how embarrassed or frightened he had been before, he had never been in such a sorry state. Perhaps it was the shallow well of tears typical of children, or perhaps encountering the most terrifying evil spirits without any psychological preparation. He was directly scared to the point where the corners of his eyes turned red, a few drops of tears clinging to his feathered lashes, threatening to fall.
Su Xiyan was taken aback by him and hurriedly said, “Shiyi?”
Shen Gurong was still recovering from his fright. The uncontrollable scream had almost strained his throat. He coughed for a long time, and finally, tears streamed down his feathered lashes.
Su Xiyan gently patted his back to calm him down, glanced at the ice silk on the ground, and guessed what was inside. He sighed softly and said, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Next time, I’ll go to Xianyun City to sort things out for you.”
Shen Gurong’s heart was still pounding, his eyes misty with tears, lost in a daze.
After comforting him for a while, Su Xiyan saw that his breathing had finally calmed down and handed him the previous ice silk.
Shen Gurong was frightened and refused to wear it, shrinking back desperately.
Su Xiyan said, “This one is yours from before, not from Sixth Junior Brother.”
Still, Shen Gurong refused.
Seeing his pale face and realizing how deeply he had been scared, Su Xiyan gently rubbed his head and said, “Alright, let’s wait a few days before trying again.”
Shen Gurong nodded.
Su Xiyan carried him back to the bed, his legs trembling, and said, “Don’t move around. I’ll have Sanshui come over to take care of you.”
Shen Gurong was burrowing into the blanket, and muttered, “Mm.”
After Su Xiyan left for a moment, footsteps finally approached from outside.
Shen Gurong lifted the corner of the blanket and glanced, but his vision was blurred by a sudden white fog, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
After entering the room, the person moved skillfully to the bedside, their footsteps light and steady.
Shen Gurong was taken aback. Sanshui, who usually moved swiftly and could be heard from miles away with his footsteps, had suddenly changed his demeanor?
Lost in his thoughts, Shen Gurong heard Mu Zhe’s voice beside him, “Master?”
A hand reached over, lifting the corner of his blanket to create a gap for him to breathe comfortably. Mu Zhe whispered softly, “Senior Brother Sanshui has gone down the mountain. Martial Uncle asked me to come. Is there anything Master wishes to instruct?”
Shen Gurong hesitated briefly before softly saying, “N-no need to do anything. Just… just sit here.”
Mu Zhe, not understanding the reason, obediently fetched a chair and sat by the bedside.
Shen Gurong peeked out with half of his head, his eyes staring blankly at Mu Zhe, as if afraid he might run away.
The eyes of a four-year-old child are often the clearest and brightest, but Shen Gurong’s shallow pupils seemed to be covered with a layer of dust, devoid of any light when staring into the void.
Mu Zhe had seen Shen Gurong without wearing ice silk several times before, but his imposing aura made it impossible for anyone to look directly into his eyes.
This time, Mu Zhe gathered more courage, staring directly at Shen Gurong’s eyes without averting his gaze.
Shen Gurong’s eyes were narrow and elongated, with a faint redness lingering from the earlier fright. As he stared blankly into space, he appeared increasingly helpless and pitiful.
Mu Zhe wondered, with Shen Gurong’s immense spiritual power, how could anyone manage to harm his eyes? Even if they were injured, surely Sixth Martial Uncle of Xianyun City would have countless ways to heal him.
Shen Gurong had been trying hard to keep his eyes open to look at Mu Zhe, but seeing only a moving blur before him, he could barely find some sense of security.
As he continued to watch, he couldn’t resist the drowsiness creeping over him. Yet, every time he closed his eyes, he saw countless terrifying scenes of evil spirits roaring before him, immediately causing him to widen his eyes again, too frightened to sleep.
After watching for a while, Mu Zhe felt inexplicably sorry for him. He moved the chair closer to the bed and gathered his courage to reach out gently, holding Shen Gurong’s small hand under the blanket.
Shen Gurong looked at him blankly.
Mu Zhe whispered, “I’m here guarding Master.”
For some reason, simply holding the hand of a six-year-old child tightly, Shen Gurong suddenly felt inexplicably unafraid.
Shen Gurong held onto his hand tightly, burying half of his face in the blanket, softly saying, “Mm.”
This time, when he closed his eyes again, there were no more roaring evil spirits before him.
Shen Gurong slept for half a day and woke up again when it was already dark outside.
The room remained unlit, but that hand still held onto his tightly, as if it would never let go.
Shen Gurong groggily sat up, wrapping himself in the small blanket and instinctively groped around.
Mu Zhe was meditating with his eyes closed nearby. As soon as there was movement, he opened his eyes and took out neatly folded ice silk, handing it to Shen Gurong, “Master, here’s the ice silk.”
Still a bit disoriented, Shen Gurong was about to tie the ice silk around his eyes when he suddenly realized what he was doing. He immediately tore it off and threw it away.
Mu Zhe picked up the ice silk, “Master?”
Shen Gurong rubbed his chest and looked pale, “Not wearing it…”
Mu Zhe could only nod, “Alright, not wearing it.”
Shen Gurong rested for a while longer, noticing that it was pitch black outside, he asked, “What time is it now?”
“It’s the third quarter of Xushi (7-9pm).”
Shen Gurong was startled. Had he slept for four hours straight?
Feeling Mu Zhe’s hand still gently holding his, Shen Gurong felt a bit embarrassed. Had he been holding onto someone’s hand while sleeping?
He cleared his throat and released Mu Zhe’s small hand, murmuring softly, “You… you should go rest.”
But Mu Zhe shook his head, “Martial Uncle said you can’t be left alone without wearing ice silk. I’m here to take care of you.”
Shen Gurong still felt very awkward.
Although he had been attended by servants since childhood, he had never been taken care of by such a young child before. It felt strangely like mistreating a child.
Shen Gurong tried to get him to leave, but Mu Zhe refused to budge.
In the end, Shen Gurong couldn’t bear to let Mu Zhe sit alone on the cold bench all night just to keep him company. He patted the bed and said, “Come, come up here.”
Mu Zhe’s legs were a bit numb from sitting for so long. He was taken aback by the invitation, rarely stunned into silence, “What?”
Shen Gurong was still quite shaken from today’s events and hadn’t really wanted Mu Zhe to leave. But he couldn’t let a six-year-old child sit on a cold bench all night just to keep him company, otherwise the whole Liren Peak would accuse him of mistreating Mu Zhe again.
“Come up onto the bed,” Shen Gurong repeated.
Mu Zhe hesitated for a long time, then slowly took off his outer clothes and shoes, letting Shen Gurong take his hand and pull him onto the bed.
Shen Gurong had always been sensitive to cold since he was young. Before he turned ten, he often sneaked into his elder brother’s bed in the middle of the night to warm up. His elder brother was a gentle scholar who never got angry no matter how much Shen Gurong disturbed him. He would even tuck Shen Gurong’s cold little feet under his warm embrace.
But when Shen Gurong turned twelve, his elder brother got married to a beautiful wife, and Shen Gurong felt too embarrassed to go to him for warmth anymore.
Mu Zhe’s body was warm and Shen Gurong couldn’t help but pull him closer under the covers.
Mu Zhe snapped out of it, his face full of embarrassment. He wanted to push Shen Gurong away but couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he awkwardly said, “Mas… Master…”
The young master was such a small bundle that he barely took up any space next to Mu Zhe.
Since Shen Gurong came to this world, his hands and feet were always cold when he slept every day. This was the first time he felt so warm. He sighed contentedly with a slight nasal tone and lazily said, “Hmm?”
Mu Zhe whispered, “You’re too close.”
Shen Gurong opened his eyes, looking at him blankly, “But I’m cold.”
Mu Zhe: “…”
What else could Mu Zhe say? He could only manage, “Uh, okay.”
Shen Gurong pressed closer again, rubbing his cheek lightly against Mu Zhe’s arm, like a small animal being affectionate.
Mu Zhe stiffened all over from being rubbed.
Shen Gurong was completely unaware, enjoying the warmth, and soon drifted off to sleep comfortably.
Perhaps finally feeling warm for once, Shen Gurong had a pleasant dream this time.
In the dream, he taught Mu Zhe to become a powerful immortal, and Yu Xinghe did not stray from his path and fall victim to demonic possession. Shen Fengxue thanked him, finally sending him home.
At home, everything was as it had been.
During the Lantern Festival, he happily played with his younger sister on the streets of Huitang City, and bought two lanterns for his elder brother and his pregnant sister-in-law who couldn’t go out.
A gentleman in a wide-sleeved blue shirt held a bamboo flute, sitting by the river in Huitang City, playing music while watching the lanterns float.
The lanterns illuminated brightly, casting the gentleman’s profile in exquisite jade-like contours.
After playing a tune on his bamboo flute, the gentleman glanced as Shen Gurong hurried over with his sister in tow. He tilted his head slightly and smiled, “Gurong.”
Shen Gurong’s face lit up with joy, “Sir, teach me how to play the bamboo flute again.”
The gentleman’s smile froze for a moment, as if recalling painful memories. He cleared his throat gently and said, “Mastering the bamboo flute takes time and patience, Gurong.”
Shen Gurong leaned closer and whispered to the gentleman’s ear, “Whenever you play the flute, all the girls are watching you. I want them to look at me too.”
The gentleman paused, then chuckled softly.
Shen Gurong blushed at his laughter and murmured softly, “I’m serious.”
The gentleman smiled and said, “Gurong.”
Shen Gurong lifted his head slightly, “Hmm?”
With the river of lantern lights behind him, the gentleman’s eyes lowered as he softly asked, “Have you finished copying your books today?”
Shen Gurong exclaimed softly, his eyes tightly closed, his forehead sweating slightly as he shifted his legs.
It began as a beautiful dream but ended in a nightmare.
Mu Zhe was startled awake by his movements, his eyes opening to the moonlit night, realizing that Shen Gurong had curled up entirely in his arms.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Shen Gurong’s small body was tightly curled up, his knees pressing against Mu Zhe’s abdomen for warmth, his little face nestled against Mu Zhe’s neck, his hands clutching Mu Zhe’s neck tightly. Perhaps from the nightmare, he was gripping tightly, almost choking Mu Zhe.
Mu Zhe cautiously tried to pull Shen Gurong’s hand away, but every time he moved, Shen Gurong whimpered as if on the verge of tears in his dreams, making Mu Zhe hesitant to apply any force.
In the end, Mu Zhe could only gently pat Shen Gurong’s back, soothing him until he relaxed completely and finally managed to catch his breath.
Shen Gurong held onto him tightly, murmuring softly in his dream, “Sir… Sir, don’t make me copy books.”
Mu Zhe: “…”
He really wanted to know who exactly this “Sir” of his master was. After so many years, why did Shen Gurong still have nightmares about copying books as punishment?
Shen Gurong continued to softly plead not to copy books, and Mu Zhe sighed, gently patting his back and saying, “Alright, no copying books today. Just sleep well.”
Shen Gurong furrowed his brow, seemingly pondering the truth of that statement.
“Sir?”
Mu Zhe, afraid Shen Gurong might wake up suddenly, pretended to be calm and replied, “Hmm.”
Fortunately, Shen Gurong didn’t delve deeper into it. After responding, he finally settled down and soon his breathing became steady.
Mu Zhe breathed a sigh of relief.
Early the next morning, Shen Gurong was awakened by the morning bell, his eyes blurred as he groped around, only to find that there was no one else in the bed.
At this hour, Mu Zhe should have been off to his early class.
Not wanting to wear the ice silk veil and unwilling to stumble around like a blind man, Shen Gurong decided to continue lying in bed comfortably and indulged in a bit more sleep.
When Mu Zhe returned from his morning class, he happened to see his master still dozing in bed.
“Young Master, it’s time to get up.”
“There are no classes today, so I’m not getting up.”
“Come on.”
“Not getting up.”
“…”
This back-and-forth went on for who knows how long.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Luckily, Mu Zhe had learned how to perfectly hide his amusement when his master acted foolishly. He cleared his throat and knocked on the half-open door, “Master.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong was fully awake now and quickly sat up, “Come in.”
Mu Zhe stepped inside.
Shen Gurong wasn’t sure how much Mu Zhe had heard just now. He felt embarrassed, curling and stretching his toes under the sheets, wishing he could disappear.
Mu Zhe pretended not to notice and approached with a cloth, “Master, let me wipe your face first.”
Shen Gurong was incredibly awkward. He took the cloth and rubbed his face hastily before handing it back.
Sitting by the bed, Mu Zhe whispered, “I’m sorry if I overstepped, Master.”
Shen Gurong was puzzled. What did Mu Zhe mean by overstepping?
As he pondered, Mu Zhe gently used the warm cloth to dab at the corners of Shen Gurong’s eyes, as if wiping away yesterday’s tears.
Shen Gurong: “…”
[Let me just die!]
Mu Zhe almost burst out laughing.
After finishing wiping, he brought out a set of bright red clothes and tried to dress Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong couldn’t bear to embarrass himself any further. He pushed Mu Zhe’s hand away awkwardly, saying, “The ice silk… give it to me.”
Mu Zhe seemed a bit disappointed but still took the neatly folded ice silk and gently tied it over Shen Gurong’s eyes.
With his vision blocked, Shen Gurong no longer cared about yesterday’s fear. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity as a master, “You can go out now. I’ll change clothes by myself.”
Mu Zhe nodded obediently and turned to leave.
Once the door closed, Shen Gurong immediately flopped onto the bed, his face burning red as he rolled around.
“You’re such a blockhead!”
“If you ever die one day, it’ll definitely be a disgrace!”
Mu Zhe, clearly hearing everything outside the door: “…”
Pfft.
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