Eternal Night - Chapter 14
The scent lingered in the stone chamber, and when Master Qingyi returned, Xinghun smelled the fragrance of plum blossoms.
Since the two of them had become lovers, Xinghun felt he had to get something in return, right? So, Xinghun started giving more and more gifts. When winter came, he got a white fox fur coat, and the blue-robed master got a cloak trimmed with fox fur. In return, the beautiful gentleman received a paulownia wood zither, and Xinghun followed the blue-robed master to the shopkeeper, where he ordered a batch of small throwing knives with excellent steel and fire at a very satisfactory price.
Of course, all of this was done under the guise of needing to equip Xinghun with new gear for his upcoming journey.
However, Xinghun now knows three masters. Master Huihun did not give him plastic surgery or teach him anything, but he allowed him and Yueshang to tinker with medicinal herbs, so he can be considered his master in a roundabout way.
One must treat everyone fairly. Xinghun casually asked Master Huihun if he knew Mr. Beauty. The strange look in Huihun's eyes made Xinghun suspect that Master Qingyi was a third party. Although Master Qingyi and Mr. Beauty's feelings for each other were growing stronger, Xinghun, based on his past life's experience in pursuing women, believed that men who lacked challenge were often not loyal. It was necessary to create some minor troubles to solidify the relationship between Master Qingyi and Mr. Beauty.
So he presented the handsome gentleman with the elixir meticulously prepared by the Soul Returner, and lauded the painting pigments concocted by the Soul Returner as being exceptionally rare. He also told the blue-robed master that the handsome gentleman greatly appreciated the gifts from the Soul Returner. Having done all this, he hid nearby, waiting to watch the spectacle unfold.
Xinghun obediently followed the path his master in green robes had taken him. Now that his master no longer came to the Soul Returning Hall to fetch him, he secretly pulled Yuepo away from the thatched hut.
"Xinghun, what are we doing following Master?"
Xinghun said in a serious tone, "I heard that a martial arts romance movie is showing tonight. With the bright moon shining in the sky, it's the perfect time to relax."
"What is a martial arts romance blockbuster?" Yuepo asked, puzzled.
"It's just watching a show. It's about two men and a woman. All three of them are experts. Just imagine what it would feel like to be locked in a fierce battle?" Xinghun said smugly.
Moon Soul suddenly realized: "There are experts sparring here tonight. You brought me here to learn from their experience?"
Xinghun chuckled to himself: "You're really smart!"
Excitement gleamed in Yuepo's eyes. He had originally intended to learn martial arts such as swordsmanship, but unexpectedly ended up learning medicine. Hearing that he would see masters sparring, he waited eagerly for the show to begin.
Then, Xinghun and Yuepo saw Master Huihun coincidentally encounter Master Qingyi in front of Mr. Meiren's bamboo house. He was holding the paints that Mr. Meiren needed for painting. The man in Qingyi pretended not to care and used a hidden weapon to knock over the paint jar, soiling Mr. Meiren's bamboo house.
The handsome gentleman was furious, and Huihun began to use a sleeping potion as revenge. The master in green robes shot at Huihun like a hedgehog, but unfortunately tore the handsome gentleman's sleeve...
"Wonderful!" Xinghun and Yuepo lay on the grass, gazing up at the moonlit sky, and sighed with satisfaction.
When the three pairs of feet stood in front of them, Yuepo once again pulled Xinghun behind him and bravely admitted his mistake.
The result was that Xinghun sat leisurely by the stove, wrapped in a white fox fur coat, playing the zither. Yuepo warmed her frozen hands as she turned the soil in the field. The Soul Returner stayed in his house, troubled, researching new sleeping potions, while the Green-Clad Master's unpleasant flute music echoed outside the Beauty's bamboo house for several nights.
All of this was truthfully reflected in the ears of the old man in the valley. He was more interested in the relationship between the Star Soul and the Moon Soul. He smiled at the Returning Soul and the man in blue and said, "The two children have such a good relationship! This is rare. Don't hurt their friendship. Let them spend more time together when you have free time."
Huihun replied in a low voice, "What the Valley Master says is true."
The old man glanced at the man in blue: "Is the man in blue not too willing?"
“I have a lot of Star Soul studies to do now, and I’m worried it will interfere with my important work.”
The old man gently stroked Xinghun's file and said calmly, "Cunning, agile, intelligent, and quick to understand. His only flaw is that he's too emotional. He's very suitable for this mission."
He looked up at the man in blue for a long time. The man's pale face was calm, and his eyes showed no change. The old man sighed and said, "The only thing we can control is his feelings for the people in the valley. Including Yue Po, and you!"
The man in blue forcefully calmed himself and respectfully replied, "Understood."
"Kyoto has had heavy snowfall this year; it's time to send him back. Otherwise, his family will worry." The old man made the final decision.
Xinghun had no idea that this would happen after the play he directed ended. He felt conflicted about becoming the boy's stand-in.
Knowing it was an extremely dangerous mission, almost certainly a death sentence, he was still willing to take it on. He desperately wanted to leave this valley and create his own world.
Going out was bound to be dangerous, but it also meant escaping the valley's sphere of influence.
He pondered quietly, why would the valley trust him to leave? Was it through medication or some other method? He believed that in terms of force, he would only grow stronger over time. Medication? Besides heroin, what else could he rely on? A poisonous insect? Xinghun laughed; his body was riddled with parasites. He refused to believe that his past life's experience was insufficient to overcome the medicine of this world.
As he pondered, his eyes remained fixed on the boy in the bamboo grove. He was quiet, seemingly not as if he had been forcibly brought here, his eyes serene and detached.
"Mr. Beauty, why is he so quiet? If you want me to imitate him, why won't you let me talk to him?" Xinghun found this very strange.
"He's a quiet person. He doesn't talk much."
Xinghun frowned. This kind of personality was too uninteresting, but suitable for playing a role. "If I go, won't I give myself away if I change my personality?"
"No, it will only make his family ecstatic."
"Who is he?" Xinghun finally asked the question.
The beautiful gentleman chuckled and tapped his forehead: "Want to know? I won't tell you! Little Star, let me teach you another trick: you can't offend a woman. You'll find out when you go. For the next two weeks, just keep thinking about it!"
Xinghun was dumbfounded.
The handsome gentleman left with great flair, turning back to say, "Your master still wants to come here for tea, but I doubt he'll tell you."
All Xinghun could do was raise a finger at her retreating figure.
I can still cry.
When Master Qingyi returned, still carrying the fragrance of plum blossom tea from the beautiful gentleman's place, he told Xinghun that he would go to the waterfall to practice his skills the next day.
The sunlight reflecting off the snow made Xinghun feel somewhat tired. Perhaps it was because he had been in the dark for too long, but he didn't really like exercising during the day. After lazily shooting down a few branches with his throwing knives, Xinghun sensed someone watching him.
The spy was thirty feet away. He only felt being watched; he couldn't sense any aura from the newcomer. This person's skill surpassed that of the man in green who had returned to the world. Xinghun made this judgment based on his senses.
Who was spying on him? Xinghun showed no unusual behavior. He practiced his skills lazily, seemingly diligent, but without revealing his true strength.
Master Qingyi knew that he was good at light footwork and also good at hidden weapons, but neither of them knew that Xinghun's past life was that of an assassin who possessed an inexplicable sixth sense.
He already had a knack for speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. Even without using light footwork, hidden weapons, or internal energy, his agility would still leave the man in blue speechless.
He could have kept up the act a little longer, but Xinghun didn't like having someone behind him. It made him feel extremely unsafe.
In his past life, he would automatically sit in the very back of a police car, and when going to the movies, he would insist on buying tickets for the last row. He wasn't used to exposing his back. Having someone staring at him from behind all morning was already becoming unbearable for him.