It was a sunny day when Bai Zhi set off. Fluffy clouds drifted across the light blue sky, the gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers blooming. Birds would chirp, fall silent for a moment, and start chirping energetically again.
The carriage drove along a slightly muddy road. Bai Zhi inhaled deeply, turned around, and parted the curtains.
Gesiusâs eyes were still partly closed. The knightâs sword was laid across both his legs, and its hilt was held tightly by Gesius.
Then Bai Zhi let go of the curtains.
He lowered his head slightly, his eyes were fixed on small rocks along the road. He watched the wheels turn and and throw them in the air. In an instant they fell back down.
âItâs fun to watch.â
Bai Zhi thought this expressionlessly.
Recently Gesius had been sleeping longer and longer, and he was also not very easy to wake up. But Bai Zhi was the oppositeâhe couldnât fall asleep.
During the times he wasnât asleep Bai Zhi had thought a lot, thought about the first time they met.
Thought about how Gesius stood in front of himself without hesitation, thought about how he snuck looks at his eyes while half-leaning against a wall. As Bai Zhi thought more and more, he seemed to suddenly understand.
Gesiusâ¦couldnât with him until old age.
Bai Zhi had long known that the human lifespan didnât exceed a hundred years, yet he didnât care much about this fact. In the previous worlds, Ba Zhi would always see that person pass away before him, peacefully closing his eyes.
During those times Bai Zhiâis heart would suddenly feel empty, but Bai Zhi didnât understand why.
He had only hurried to arrange that personâs funeral and then rush to the next world to meet again, repeating the process unendingly.
The system saw that Bai Zhiâs mood seemed poor. It worried on the inside, and in the end it simply ran out to comfort him:
âNephew, itâs fine, you will meet him again.â
âI know.â
Bai Zhi replied, and then slowly lowered his head again, his eyes a little more pensive:
âI just suddenly thoughtâ¦him liking me onceâ¦was enough to be bound to me life after life.â
âI have always liked him.â Bai Zhiâs words slowed: âBut for him to like meâ¦his heart must have been moved many times.â
Hearing this, the system didnât say anything. Only after a long time did it sigh:
âFeelingsâ¦really are a mysterious thing.â
Saying this, it returned to the system space in a flash and didnât come out again.
Hey this is your translator moss! The website title should have my name in it, I donât allow reposting my tlâs
Thus the carriage traveled like this for a few more days. Gesiusâs spirit suddenly improved. He no longer slept lethargically in the carriage all day. Instead the carriage was replaced with a horse, and he rode all the way with Bai Zhi back to the kingdom.
Their pace quickened a lot, and very soon they arrived at the town at the foot of the snowy mountain from back then.
Gesius dismounted. Holding Bai Zhiâs hand, he led them through the town on foot. It was currently nighttime, and the originally peaceful town was unexpectedly lively. Girls wore delicate hairpins, dressed in downy princess dresses, and walked with their partners down the sidewalk, smiling.
Gesius tied his white horse at the hostel and walked forward with Bai Zhi. A flower vendor ran over holding a flower basket. Gesius and Bai Zhi practically pulled out their wallets at the same time.
âOne please, thanks.â
âBuy flowers here, buy flowers here, thank you!â
Two sets of voices sounded at the same time. Surprised, Bai Zhi looked up and was met with Gesiusâs eyes.
The little girl selling flowers also looked up and glanced at the two. Especially happy, she chose the two prettiest roses and put them into Bai Zhiâs and Gesiusâs hands:
âWishing you happiness and joy for a long long time!â
Hearing this, Bai Zhi smiled, nodded heavily, pulled out a gemstone, and gave it to her. The little girl was stunned, she waved her hand and hurriedly backed away:
âTooâ¦too muchâ¦â
Gesius opened his mouth and said in his usual tone: âItâs ok, you can take it.â
Saying this, he placed a gold nugget into the little girlâs basket.
The little girl, wealthy overnight from selling flowers: ââ¦â
âThis roseâ¦isnât worth this much money.â The little girl hurried to explain, panicking inside.
Yet Gesius smiled, saying: âThe rose isnât worth that much, but the person receiving the rose is.â
Saying this he turned around, and with the corners of his lips smiling, handed the rose in his hand to Bai Zhi. His voice was exceedingly gentle:
âRoses symbolize love where weâre from. Evil dragon-xiansheng, will you accept my love?â
Bai Zhi blinked: ââ¦Iâ¦I accept, but I also want to gift you one. Those moving words you said just now, can you teach me how to say them?â
The evil dragon who didnât know how to speak scratched his head for a long time, yet he couldnât think of a single sentence. Gesius couldnât help shaking his head. He simply reached out and stuffed this foolish person into his embrace:
âYou donât need to learn.â Gesius explained: âBecause no matter what you say, your lines will always sound the best to me.â
Bai Zhi was instantly moved to tears again: âThe lines I want to learn are just like theseâ¦â
Gesius knocked him on the head once: âWonât let you learn.â
ââ¦Oh.â The always-obedient Bai Zhi nodded at this and enâd cutely.
As they began to tire, the town clock began to toll. It rang loud and long each time, spreading throughout the town. The crowds of people suddenly grew along with the clockâs tolls. Gesius was a little doubtful, but in the end he also gripped Bai Zhiâs hand and walked with the crowd.
Laughter and merry chatter continued all the way until the town square. Even though it wasnât very large, the square had been decorated very prettily. The lanterns hung on trees complemented each other, and their mottled lighting shone on the smooth stone tiles, perfectly completing the lively atmosphere at this time.
âIs there some kind of event today?â Observing the sights around him, Bai Zhi spoke doubtfully.
Gesius also didnât know the reason for all this, but another voice dispelled his doubts for him.
âToday is a town holiday. Harvest season is around this time every year.â A young woman wearing a delicate silk scarf spoke up: âEvery year on this day, we hold a ceremony to celebrate, to express our gratitude to nature. Oh, thatâs right, you guys seem unfamiliar, youâre not from this town right?â
Gesius nodded.
The young woman smiled after a moment: âOutsiders rarely come to our town. Come celebrate with us.â
Listening from the side, Bai Zhi was very interested. Gesius knew his personality, so he accepted the young womanâs invitation.
âOn the other side of the square are the cakes the townspeople made, on the right are the trinkets crafted by the girls. Have a snack and take a look.â The young woman very enthusiastically introduced the area to them. After she finished, she held hands with her friend and walked away, not forgetting to leave them a blessing:
âI hope you have a good time. Wishing you both happiness and love!â
Having received many well-wishes towards Gesius and him, Bai Zhiâs heart felt sweet.
âThe people here are so nice.â He said quietly.
Gesius felt the same: âThatâs right, when we hold our wedding, hopefully we can send them some wedding candy.â [1]
âSure.â Bai Zhi smiled: âWhen that time comes we can bring it ourselves, weââ
Bai Zhi hadnât even finished speaking before Gesius suddenly felt somewhat uncomfortable. He covered his mouth and coughed multiple times. His eyes moved slightly.
Bai Zhi very worriedly pulled at him preparing to go back, but Gesius refused: âIâm fine, Iâm just a bit cold. Letâs find a hot drink.â
Bai Zhi heard him. Although he wasnât assured, he still agreed and followed him towards the pastries. Gesiusâs complexion was normal, but his hand was clenched to hide his palm. Bai Zhi didnât notice this abnormality. Gesius took advantage of his inattention to pull out his handkerchief and wipe his palm.
The handkerchief was dyed in fresh blood.
If you are not reading this at mosstranslations(.)wordpress(.)com, this is a stolen version of my translations. .
Hey this is your translator moss! The website title should have my name in it, I donât allow reposting my tlâs
[1]Â Wedding candy: traditional Chinese custom of giving out small packets of candy to guests as a symbol of sharing the joy