15 - This tragic but honest hero (03)

Ling Yi and the others caught a lot of game and started a fire.

Kui Jin's hand that was on Xie Chenyang's dantian was suddenly held.

Xie Chenyang opened his eyes: "My face hurts a little, did you hit me?"

Kui Jin withdrew his hand: "No."

"Hahaha, I was joking."

“……”

Xie Chenyang sat up and sniffed: "I'm so hungry, I can smell barbecue."

Kui Jin moved his legs: "Go and eat."

"Yes."

……

"Shixiong!"

"Young master!"

Ling Yi leaned over: "Shixiong, are you okay?"

Xie Chenyang touched his stomach: "I'm hungry but that’s all."

"Shixiong, wait a moment, this meat will be cooked soon."

"Sounds good."

Ah Fo sat next to Kui Jin: "Amitabha, this chicken has been roasted, I’ll split it with you."

Ling Yi looked up in surprise: "Aren't you a monk? You’re going to eat meat?"

Ah Fo turned the roast chicken over and smiled compassionately: "Shizhu is incorrect. I cultivate with Buddha and hold Buddha in my heart but it has nothing to do with whether I eat meat or kill."

Ling Yi pursed his lips: "Strong words, fake monk."

Ah Fo lowered his head and showed his smooth scalp: "Young man, do you see a ring scar on my head?"

Ling Yi: "No."

"Then I can't be regarded as breaking the precepts," Ah Fo raised his lips. "I worship the master, practice Buddhism, and dress up as a monk like him, but I don't have a ring scar or adhere to the rules and principles. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

A meaningful light flashed in Ah Fo's eyes: "I’ll tell you when I have a chance in the future."

“……”

The meat was cooked. Ling Yi handed a piece to Xie Chenyang and asked in a low voice, "Shixiong, Demon Gate knows that we’ve escaped, they’ll no doubt head to Shanzhuang to chase us down, do we have to go back to Shanzhuang?"

"Of course I want to go back," Xie Chenyang blew on the meat and took a bite. "You can't be so afraid, that you don’t even dare to return home."

"Shixiong is right, let's go home!" Ling Yi smiled.

Mingdao Shanzhuang shall never be annihilated!

Another disciple couldn’t help saying: “But young master, we barely have 20 of us left. Even a hundred of us could not hold Shanzhuang. The elders have all died in battle, with so few of us left, if Demon Gate attacks again, how can we resist them?"

And if they failed? What was the point of this escape?

What was the point of saving them?

Xie Chenyang took another bite of meat, swallowed a few times, then spread his lips in a nearly violent smile: "Oh? You think I rescued you so that you can hide your names and covet your lives? Those corpses still lying there in Shanzhuang are they not your friends and relatives? Do you not even dare to go back and collect their bodies?"

"...but what's the point of going back like this and dying?"

Xie Chenyang heard his retort and stood up abruptly, making to throw the barbecued meat in his hand on the ground, but just as he was about to let go, he paused and instead stuffed it into Kui Jin's hand. Only then did he meet the disciple’s gaze: "I’m kicking you out of Shanzhuang, you can go now."

The disciple flushed and said in anger, "Xi Yang! You realise that if it weren't for you, the master and the elders would not have trusted in that spy so much, it's all your..."

Kui Jin looked at him frostily, he picked up a stone and threw it, hitting the disciple's chest hard.

He cried out in pain, coughing up a mouthful of blood, and quickly backed away: "Do it your way then, take the disciples back to die. I won't stop you, I’m leaving! Demon Gate will not let you go!"

Xie Chenyang almost laughed.

Was he meant to be a disciple of Mingdao Shanzhuang or Demon Gate?

Kui Jin released his sword from its sheath with his thumb.

Xie Chenyang bowed his head as he heard it: "Let him go."

Kui Jin retracted his sword and lowered his head to gnaw on the meat.

Xie Chenyang: "?"

Noting his complicated gaze, Kui Jin raised his eyes to look at him, with a hint of doubt in his cold eyes.

Xie Chenyang looked at the morsel of remaining meat: "I asked you to hold it for me, why did you eat it..."

Kui Jin: "..."

He passed back the barbecued meat in his hands.

Xie Chenyang reached out and took it: "It's not that I won't let you eat..."

Kui Jin turned away and didn’t look at him again.

Ah Fo smiled, broke off a leg of the roast chicken in his hand and handed it to him: "Come, I have more, you can eat as much as you want."

Xie Chenyang: "..." It really wasn’t that he didn’t allow him to eat it, he just didn’t expect he would.

Seeing Kui Jin’s chilly expression as he chewed on the chicken leg, Xie Chenyang dropped the topic. He glanced around and said, "If you don't want to return to Mingdao Shanzhuang, you can just desert now. Demon Gate killed hundreds of people from Shanzhuang, but I still plan to rebuild Mingdao Shanzhuang, the demons cannot kill something that cannot die."

Ling Yi responded first: "I’m returning to Shanzhuang with shixiong!"

"No one will say anything if you leave now, and I won't blame you. It’s not a bad thing to value one's own life, nor is it cowardice. There are only us and some masters who are still locked in the Demon Gate." Xie Chenyang continued, "Whether you want to find a better way out or want to leave for other reasons, you can leave by yourself."

Ling Yi: "I believe shixiong will never lead us recklessly into death!"

"I also believe in the young master!"

"My master and peers were all killed by the Demon Gate. I’ll go back to Shanzhuang to restore it and avenge their deaths!"

"I believe the young master!"

"Vengeance!"

“……”

Xie Chenyang grinned: "Then eat something to replenish your strength, take a rest, then let’s carry on."

"Yes! Young master!"

……

Xie Chenyang sat down again, next to Kui Jin: "Are you angry? Just now, when I said you couldn’t eat it, I..."

Kui Jin turned sideways and reached out to Ah Fo.

Ah Fo smiled and tore another chunk of meat for him.

Xie Chenyang: "..."

He frowned and chewed his meat.

……

When they hurried back to Mingdao Shanzhuang wearily, they found that the desolate villa had been cleaned up, and the corpses had all been put into coffins with clean clothes. They were lined up in rows at the back of the mountain, all that was left was to seal the coffins.

A group of people dressed in white walked around the grounds, as if claiming ownership of Shanzhuang.

Seeing a group from Mingdao Shanzhuang, the people in white clothes became vigilant and glanced at each other. One of the women said: "Please wait a moment, I’ll inform our son."

Xie Chenyang: "..." Why do I feel like a guest?

It stands to reason, this should be his villa, right?

Ling Yi: "Shixiong..."

Xie Chenyang met his worried gaze and curled his lips: "Don't worry, if we find they are here to take advantage of the situation, I’ll destroy them!"

Ling Yi: "I'm not worried about that. We saw the coffins at the back of the mountain from when we came down from the top of the hill over there. They shouldn’t be malicious."

Xie Chenyang: "Oh, you think so? I'll decide after this son comes."

Ling Yi: "..."

Soon, a handsome young man dressed in white came out. He saw Xie Chenyang in the crowd at a glance and his eyes softened: "Ah Yang is back."

Xie Chenyang: "?" Who is this?

System:【Ruan Zhou.】

It took Xie Chenyang some effort before he found this person in Xi Yang's memories.

Ruan Zhou, young master of Baihe Valley

Baihe Valley was particularly good at medicine and creating formations.

In the valley there were two factions that specialised in medicinal formations.

The master of the valley was once a combatant on the battlefield, after returning from the war he married the daughter of a genius doctor.

And Ruan Zhou was the son of the current master of the valley.

The relationship between Xi Yang and Ruan Zhou originated from a sickness when he was young. Xi’s mother took him to Baihe Valley for medical treatment, where he lived for more than half a year.

When Ruan Zhou was a child, due to his mother's whims, he was dressed in women's clothing.

What happened was quite predictable, in short, Ruan Zhou said that he wanted to marry Xi Yang when he grew up, and the two mothers even joked that they were basically already betrothed.

Later, when Xi Yang realised that Ruan Zhou was actually a man, he simply moved on. The people in Baihe Valley didn't like going out, and were very low-key if they did. In the end, Xi Yang didn’t encounter Ruan Zhou for a very long time.

Xie Chenyang commented:【This is a little melodramatic.】

System: "It's pretty melodramatic, hahaha, this can be regarded as your fiance."

Xie Chenyang: "..."

Ruan Zhou had walked up to him with a soft smile: "I’ve been waiting for you to come back. I have taken care of the bodies of the heroes of Shanzhuang. I was only waiting for you to return and bury them."

Xie Chenyang choked: "What if I didn't come back?"

Ruan Zhou: "You’d come. I didn't see your body, I knew you were still alive, so long as you’re alive, you will definitely come back."

Xie Chenyang: "..."

Unfortunately, Xi Yang did not return in the original plot.

Never again.

"Thank you."

"Given our relationship, you don't need to be so polite," Ruan Zhou said softly, "Take everyone to freshen up first. I'll wait for you at the back of the mountain."

"Okay."

Xie Chenyang: "Ling Yi, take them to freshen up."

"Yes, shixiong."

Ling Yi took the others inside first.

Kui Jin and Ah Fo were still standing there, not wanting to enter.

Kui Jin said indifferently: "Since you have arrived safely, Ah Fo and I will go back first. Once you have everything prepared, Ah Fo and I will come again to mourn the dead."

"Why are you going back?" Xie Chenyang couldn't help but grab his hand, "Stay in Shanzhuang with me."

"It would be improper." They are outsiders after all.

"It’s very proper."

Xie Chenyang took his hand and walked into the villa.

Ah Fo looked at their backs and folded his hands together: "Amitabha, then I will also go in."

Xie Chenyang took Kui Jin back to his house.

Ah Fo thoughtfully went to find a room with no one else nearby.

Soon the people from Baihe Valley delivered hot water to them.

Kui Jin looked at Xie Chenyang, who was beginning to undress, and turned around: "I'll go next door..."

Xie Chenyang hugged him from behind, feeling aggrieved: "Let's wash together, I'm so tired, I don't want to move."

Over the last few decades, he had become accustomed to being intimate with him.

He knew that he had no memories, but he’d already reached his limit of enduring it during their journey.

He wanted to get closer to him.

Kui Jin's body was slightly stiff.

System: "Excuse me, he is exhausted. You were in a coma earlier, and he carried you the whole way and never let you go."

Xie Chenyang:【...then, I’ll help him bathe?】

System: "..." You’re being excessive.

Kui Jin's voice was cold: "You want me to bathe with you?"

Xie Chenyang remembered that he was also tired, and hesitated: "Shall we clean each other's backs?"

“……”

Bang——

Kui Jin shook him off, strode out of the room.

Xie Chenyang, who was lying on the ground and staring at the dazzling stars: "..."

System: "For you, he is your lover who has been in love with you for decades, but for him, your relationship isn’t so close."

Xie Chenyang climbed into the tub depressed: "Then how can I chase him quickly?"

System: "Do you still need me to teach you?"

Xie Chenyang: "I have no experience, he confessed first last time. Are you saying if I just confess to him directly, he can’t possibly agree?"

System: "I don't think it will work."

Xie Chenyang: "..."

Wah, my love!