Chapter 42
“Hao Wei…”
“My lady?”
For a moment, Haowei wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. How could this old gentleman’s eyesight be so poor that he mistook Si Lan for a woman?
Si Lan still didn’t understand anything and, upon hearing Taixu’s words, curiously poked his head out, his deer-like eyes staring at Taixu without blinking.
Indeed, the Divine Lord Taixu’s vision was not very sharp. Seeing Si Lan with just half of a wooden hairpin holding his long hair, skin as fair as snow, and an unusually beautiful face, Taixu thought Si Lan was a woman.
Stepping closer, Taixu noticed that Si Lan lacked the aura of an ordinary person. He couldn’t help but raise his head and take another look at Si Lan.
Si Lan turned out to be a strand of soul essence.
The owner of this strand of soul should be a demonic cultivator, using the Yin Qi of Mount Taixu to manifest a human form.
“Old sir, this cave belongs to us,” Haowei couldn’t help but speak up again.
The thatched hut at the foot of the mountain would be completed in a few days, but until then, they had to stay here.
“But old sir, in a few days, we can give you this cave.”
“Oh… it’s alright…” Taixu naturally wouldn’t argue with Haowei over a cave. He smiled and said, “I’ll just find another one. You two…”
As he said this, Taixu extended two fingers and lightly tapped them together, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes. “Just stay here peacefully. I won’t disturb you two.”
Haowei…
For some reason, Haowei always felt that this old gentleman was teasing him and Si Lan.
This old gentleman was indeed advanced in years, but his mind was indeed so impure.
Thinking of this, Haowei intentionally frowned, his ears strangely turning red.
Taixu chuckled as he leaned on his cane, unsteadily walking out of the cave. Passing by Si Lan, he couldn’t help but glance at him again.
He never expected that just by descending to the mortal realm for a nap, he would encounter Haowei, who had crossed tribulations. It was truly fate.
From the looks of it, what Haowei had crossed should be the tribulation of love.
Tsk tsk, Emperor Haowei was truly worthy.
The object of his love tribulation was chosen to be even more beautiful than the celestial maidens in the heavens.
Si Lan saw Haowei driving the old man away and felt a bit sorry. This old man, with all his hair and beard white, might be eaten by wild beasts alone in the mountains.
Si Lan gestured to Haowei, who understood and fetched a basket of wild fruits to chase after him, only to find the old man nowhere near the cave entrance.
How strange. He looked around but there was no sign of the old man.
Where could he have gone in such a short time?
Thinking carefully, this old man appeared to be in his declining years. Could someone of his age climb Mount Taixu alone?
The more Haowei thought about it, the more suspicious he felt. He couldn’t help but concentrate, realizing they couldn’t stay here for long.
—
At nightfall, Chong Mingwei’s men came looking for Haowei again.
Haowei hadn’t enlisted in the last batch of conscriptions, but now with this new call for soldiers, if he didn’t go, he would miss the opportunity.
Haowei promised them that he would join the army for sure, and only after those men left did he look at Si Lan, who was asleep. His heart felt as if it were weighed down by a huge stone, suffocating and unable to breathe.
A solitary wanderer in his past life, now he unexpectedly had someone he cared about.
Not just joy, but also worry.
Si Lan, half asleep, opened his eyes drowsily, glanced at him, mumbled something, and then closed his eyes again.
Approaching Si Lan, Haowei was about to lie down when Si Lan instinctively curled up into his arms.
Though the cave was spacious, the only place to sleep was that large stone, so these days, Si Lan always slept nestled in his embrace.
Si Lan seemed afraid of the cold, always hiding his hands and feet. Sometimes when he couldn’t, he would hide them against Haowei’s body. Though he felt helpless, Haowei never pushed Si Lan away.
The oil lamp was about to burn out, flickering faintly and outlining dim lines on Si Lan’s body. His thick, long eyelashes were closed together, concealing his moist black eyes. His small lips were slightly pursed, revealing a hint of innocence and stubbornness. His two hands were tightly clenched into small fists, pressed against Haowei’s chest.
Haowei’s gaze slowly examined him, his heartbeat gradually accelerating.
In the world of mortals, it’s not the dust that is mortal, but the dust in the heart, turning into dust.
Was this person the “dust” he was destined to experience in this lifetime?
But this “dust” seemed more difficult to cross than ten thousand rivers and mountains.
Haowei reached out, wanting to touch Si Lan, but his rationality stopped him. Hesitating, as he was about to withdraw his hand, the oil lamp burned out, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness.
Haowei’s hand naturally fell on Si Lan’s body, drawing him closer into his embrace.
The world was dark, nothing could be seen.
But his heart could now openly reveal its feelings without restraint.
Si Lan’s strand of soul essence didn’t quite grasp worldly emotions, but he could sense Haowei’s recent unease. Remembering the last time he gave Haowei a wooden flute and how happy it made him, Si Lan decided to give another gift to Haowei.
In recent days, Haowei would go down to the village to fetch peach blossom wine and return for Si Lan to drink. Every time, they ended up getting quite drunk, as if this could make them forget the impending separation.
Today, as Haowei returned carrying wine, he saw Si Lan sneakily stuffing something under his robe and holding a knife in one hand.
Pretending not to notice, Haowei set down the peach blossom wine and quietly placed a package of osmanthus cakes from his pocket in front of Si Lan.
Si Lan’s lips twitched, his eyes bursting with a hint of light as he smiled at Haowei, silently expressing gratitude, and then unwrapped the package, pinching off a piece of osmanthus cake and putting it into his mouth.
Like a child indulging in treats, after finishing, he even stuck out his pink tongue and licked his fingertips.
Haowei didn’t change his expression, averting his gaze as if he was feeling sleepy, lying down on the stone bed to rest. But in fact, he saw Si Lan sneak a glance at him, then surreptitiously reach for the knife again, doing something mischievous with his back turned.
Holding his breath, Haowei cautiously approached Si Lan from behind and discovered Si Lan carving a wooden puppet in the shape of a person. Judging by the puppet’s appearance, it resembled Haowei.
A soft spot in Haowei’s heart softened even more as he gazed at the back of Si Lan’s neck, motionless for a long time.
So, in this world, there was someone who simply thought of him.
Not for fame, not for gain or grudges.
Haowei saw Si Lan almost pricking his finger with the knife several times and couldn’t help reaching out, grabbing his hand from behind. Si Lan paused for a moment but didn’t resist.
Haowei held his hand, gradually carving the puppet.
The puppet’s figure was already outlined by Si Lan, but its features were yet to be carved. Haowei started with the eyebrows, slightly thicker as the strokes were added. The eyes were deep, so the eye sockets needed to be more pronounced. The nose was high, so the sides needed to be carved inward. The lips were slightly thin, and a simple outline of the upper and lower lips sufficed.
Si Lan held his breath throughout, not making a sound, allowing the other to hold his hand and slowly carve out the face he had seen countless times.
After finishing the carving, Si Lan held the lifelike puppet and turned around to show Haowei a silly smile.
Haowei asked, “Why did you want to carve me?”
Si Lan held the puppet, lips moving but no sound coming out.
Haowei knew he couldn’t respond, nor did he expect him to speak. Yet, a smile still appeared on his face, gently rubbing Si Lan’s head with his hand.
Like a child, Si Lan plunged into Haowei’s arms. Haowei’s breath caught as he lowered his head and saw Si Lan take out another humanoid puppet, placing the two puppets side by side.
“Xiao Qi, I’m going to leave for a while, maybe a long time, maybe I’ll be back soon.”
The words of parting were finally spoken.
Si Lan didn’t understand, continuing to manipulate the two puppets. He positioned them face to face, slowly moving them closer until their faces almost touched.
Their lips lightly touched, as if kissing.
Haowei had more words in his heart, but seeing this scene, he suddenly choked up, “You…”
Si Lan didn’t see anything wrong, continuing to make the two puppets face each other, mouths touching, as if playing a fun game.
Meanwhile, behind them, Haowei’s heart pounded like a drum, a rush of heat surged to his head, making his ears turn red, and his eyes involuntarily revealed a hint of intense warmth.
“Xiao Qi…”
Si Lan paused in his movements and looked up at Haowei.
Suddenly, Haowei lowered his head and kissed Si Lan on the forehead. Si Lan blinked, looking at Haowei in confusion. After the kiss, as if feeling it wasn’t enough, Haowei’s lips descended again, kissing Si Lan’s eyes.
Si Lan closed his long eyelashes, feeling the other’s breath lightly land on his face. The breath continued downward, reaching his nostrils, as if expressing annoyance, unexpectedly lightly biting his nose.
Startled, he shivered and shrunk into Haowei’s embrace.
A faint chuckle echoed in Haowei’s throat as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Lying in Haowei’s arms, Si Lan furrowed his brows slightly in apparent distress, reaching up to touch his nose that had just been nipped.
He had thought Haowei was going to eat him.
Meeting his innocent gaze, Haowei’s eyes deepened further. The fair and clean figure in his arms seemed like a delicacy awaiting his tasting.
He knew even if he did something to Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi wouldn’t understand, but he didn’t want to bully Xiao Qi like this.
“Xiao Qi, you need to cultivate quickly.”
He heard that demons became more worldly-wise the more they cultivated.
“When I come back, I hope you can talk to me.” Haowei sighed, then added, “If you can’t speak, at least understand what I’m saying.”
A little response from him would be enough.
Seeing that Haowei wasn’t going to ‘eat’ him again, Si Lan focused on playing with the two puppets in his hands.
Before long, the house below the mountain was repaired. Haowei took Si Lan down the mountain. Si Lan was a bit reluctant to leave the cave, but when he saw the newly thatched house, he suddenly became fond of the new and tired of the old.
Now, Si Lan could go up the mountain to pick fruits when hungry, fetch clear water to drink when thirsty, and run into the house when it rained. He could light a fire and cook, having learned basic survival skills.
These days, Haowei had been telling Si Lan that he was going to leave, but Si Lan seemed not to understand what parting meant. On the day of departure, Haowei packed his bags, patted Si Lan’s head, and bid him farewell.
Si Lan thought he was going to the village as usual to buy wine and exchange food, so he smiled at him.
However, Haowei’s expression was serious and stern, making Si Lan vaguely feel something amiss.
So, Si Lan gave Haowei a humanoid puppet from his pocket. Haowei took it and saw that it was carved in Si Lan’s likeness.
Was he giving this to him in hopes that he would often think of him?
Haowei’s heart softened.
Although this little fool didn’t understand anything, he probably loved him.
But he didn’t dare linger any longer, stiffly turned away. He feared that if he stayed a minute longer, his heart would soften for a minute longer.
The journey of departure was extremely difficult step by step. Only when he was sure he couldn’t see Si Lan did Haowei dare to stop, turn around, and look back.
“Xiao Qi, I’ll come back as soon as possible.”
After he left, Si Lan took out another puppet, looked at its face, and his eyes showed surprise.
Huh, it seems he gave the wrong puppet.
He had intended to give Haowei a puppet resembling Haowei, but how did he end up giving away a puppet of himself?
He suddenly felt unhappy, like a child, furrowing his brows and sitting on the doorstep, waiting.
Normally, before the sun reached its peak, Haowei would return carrying things.
But this time, he waited until the sun set and the sky darkened, yet Haowei did not appear.
Anxiety crept into his heart, but he remembered Haowei’s instructions: not to leave the foot of the mountain and not to let anyone see him. So, he paced around the thatched house in circles, circling until the next day dawned and Haowei still hadn’t returned.
Did Haowei think he was stupid and didn’t want him anymore?
He felt sad, clutching the humanoid puppet of Haowei, sitting on a slightly raised hillside, his eyes reddened, staring at the village entrance.
Unfortunately, another day passed, and Haowei still did not return.
Day after day, he finally understood that Haowei might not come back.
Under this remote and lonely mountain foot, he lived like a lost soul, isolated from the world.
One day, dark clouds rolled in and torrential rain poured down.
It’s raining…
He looked at the misty curtain of rain before him and suddenly thought of the cave below the waist of Mount Taixu.
With rain this heavy, would Haowei seek shelter in the cave?
With that thought, he braved the downpour, climbed up the hill, and halfway encountered a mudslide, almost being swept away. He clung tightly to a large tree, barely steadying himself until the mudslide passed. Gripping wild grass and branches, he slowly and laboriously climbed halfway up the hill.
Entering the cave, he saw it filled with small animals seeking shelter from the rain, but Haowei was nowhere to be found.
His face turned pale, wet black hair clinging to his forehead, tears mixing with rainwater and streaming down his cheeks.
He stood motionless as if under a spell, unable to move.
So Haowei really didn’t want him anymore.
His emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, laughter, grief, thought, and fear—had filled this period of time, but now only grief and fear for Haowei remained.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed at the cave entrance. Si Lan turned excitedly and walked toward the entrance.
He couldn’t speak, but he couldn’t forget to cry out, as if calling Haowei’s name. However, when he reached the entrance and saw the face of the approaching person, the smile on his face froze instantly. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes, like fireworks, dimmed sadly.
The God of Taixu leaned on his cane, coughing with every step, slowly walking in. Seeing Si Lan standing in the cave, the God of Taixu wasn’t surprised and approached with a smile, “Why are you all alone?”
Si Lan gestured with his hands, and the God of Taixu vaguely understood something.
But the God of Taixu misunderstood. He thought Haowei’s departure was a return to his rightful place after a tribulation.
He reassured Si Lan, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. After he returns, he will definitely take you back to the Nine Heavens.”
Si Lan seemed curious about the Ninth Heaven, blinking at him. The Supreme Void continued, “The Ninth Heaven, hmm… quite fascinating. There are human-faced beasts, three-eyed generals, the Eight-Armed Buddha, oh, and plenty of delicacies from mountains and seas, much better than staying in this village.”
Seemingly lost in thought, Si Lan looked bewildered. The Supreme Void tapped his cane, and suddenly, a miniature illusion of the Ninth Heaven appeared before their eyes in the cave.
In the illusion, mist enveloped everything, cranes soared, and immortals in flowing robes rode on clouds. Palaces and pavilions of jade-like appearance shimmered, creating a carefree and elegant scene.
Si Lan extended a surprised hand towards the illusion, but as soon as he touched it, the vision vanished instantly. Startled, he pulled back his hand and turned to look at the Supreme Void, only to find him gone as well.
From above the cave, the voice of the Supreme Void echoed, “I’ll go ahead. No need to rush; His Majesty will come to fetch you.”
During this time, the Supreme Void secretly descended from the mountain to check on Haowei and Si Lan. Although Si Lan’s spirit seemed absent-minded, the Supreme Void hadn’t seen Haowei care so deeply about anyone else before. Surely, once Haowei returned to his position, he would come looking for this absent-minded “girl.”
Alone, Si Lan sat forlornly in the cave.
Haowei had left, the old man had left.
All that remained beside him were a few wild chickens seeking shelter from the rain…
—
One year later.
The border war finally ended victoriously, giving Haowei the chance to return and find Si Lan. With his military accomplishments, he now held some sway within the army, enough to bring Si Lan to the battlefield with him this time.
However, upon his hurried return home, he found the recently repaired house already in disarray. The roof had been torn off, the wooden door collapsed, and the eaves were covered in spiderwebs.
His heart sank as he stepped inside. Inside, the layout was exactly as it was when he left: a table with two chairs. In the inner room, there was a round wooden table covered in dust, with something placed in the center.
Approaching cautiously, Haowei realized it was a wooden puppet carved in his likeness. He picked up the puppet slowly, calling out Si Lan’s name, “Xiao Qi… Xiao Qi…”
Seeing the dust-covered state of the house, it seemed like no one had lived here for a long time.
Had something happened to Si Lan shortly after he left?
But Si Lan was a demon; ordinary people shouldn’t have been able to harm him.
Had he been targeted by a sorcerer?
The more Haowei thought about it, the more frightened he became. He inquired around the village but heard nothing about sorcerers visiting in the past year. Disheartened, he returned, thinking perhaps Si Lan hadn’t been captured but had returned to his own world.
He took out the wooden puppet from his embrace. Its face had been worn smooth.
When he was dragged by enemy horses on the battlefield, nearly dying, he managed to kill the enemy soldier and found the puppet with his face, now nearly unrecognizable from being rubbed against the ground.
His heart clenched painfully, as if struck by an enemy’s blade.
After that, he dared not bring the puppet onto the battlefield anymore, always keeping it carefully under his pillow, only taking it out occasionally when he missed someone.
He never expected this to be the only thing Si Lan left behind.
Haowei didn’t know if he would ever have a chance to see Si Lan again. If someday Si Lan returned to the mortal world and came back here, he hoped he would know that Haowei had come looking for him.
Placing the puppet with the worn-down face under his pillow, Haowei left again.
But his life in the mortal realm was destined to be a tragedy. He hadn’t had the chance to clear the grievances of the Chong family, only to be forced into rebellion.
Initially, three deputy generals sought him out, merely to exploit the remnants of Chong Mingwei’s influence and win over his former soldiers. Their aim wasn’t to clear the Chong family’s name but to overthrow the Yu dynasty.
Betrayed by his subordinates during battle, captured by the Li dynasty, he endured countless tortures and torments. Yet, in order to clear the Chong family’s name and to see Si Lan again, he endured all the pain, holding on until his last breath, awaiting rescue.
It was only then that he learned he had been captured because of a plot by the three deputy generals.
Seeing he wouldn’t obey, they planned to let the Li dynasty kill him completely, then use his death to incite public anger and resentment, falsely claiming they were seeking revenge for him and the Chong family.
Unfortunately, he survived.
He grew wiser, no longer opposing the deputy generals’ words. He reluctantly followed their plan. Two years later, he successfully overthrew the Yu dynasty.
The night before he entered the Yu dynasty, he killed three deputy generals. It was just that on the day he was crowned, he was also killed by someone.
With thousands of arrows through his heart, he died in front of the dragon’s throne.
At that moment of death, the only thing in his mind was that the green shadow.
That sudden emergence of spirits was the only warmth in his twenty-two years on Earth.
Si Lan seemed to appear, standing in front of him, his figure faintly visible.
How much he wanted to grasp that warmth, but in the end, he didn’t catch it.
In the twenty-fifth year of the Yu dynasty, Wei returned to his original position.
The memory of the people on Earth has been sealed in the past
Eight hundred years later, the sealed memories began to unravel one by one, countless scenes flooding Haowei’s mind.
Haowei recalled everything about Si Lan. His cold and composed demeanor gradually crumbled, eyes reddened with bitterness. The regret and longing that lingered in his heart at the moment of his death in the mortal world still swirled within him.
He thought of Xiao Qi, he was waiting for Xiao Qi.
But in that life, he couldn’t wait any longer.
Haowei’s body felt unsteady, staggering backward. Seeing this, Yu Wudao quickly steadied him. “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”
Haowei shook his head, slowly closing his eyes to calm himself.
He bore the fate of the Lone Star of Heaven’s Demise, enduring a lifetime of hardships.
Although Si Lan had only appeared for a little over a month during his twenty-two years of trials and tribulations, that month was the only warmth he had known in the mortal realm.
Even though fate had long been written by the Purple Star Jade Disk, Si Lan’s appearance was still an uncontrollable process.
He finally understood why Si Lan had said he was his male husband; perhaps their fate had been destined in the cosmic order long ago.
“Si Lan… Xiao Qi…”
He silently repeated these two names in his heart, his heart softening.
Emotions that he had deliberately avoided and refused to confront surged forth at this moment.
He felt that he should fulfill the eight-hundred-year-old promise.
He needed to find his Xiao Qi.
His Xiao Qi must be waiting for him too.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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