The Sea of Clouds Imprison the Heart

Chapter 5

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Ever since Ye Qingyun had told him about the past, Fang Xiao Zai wasn't as against Ye Qingyun going out with the others to 'make a living' as before, but he still didn't partic.i.p.ate in it; At the very most, he helped them manage the businesses that were transferred to town.

He had thought that Su Ye Manor was just a group of river bandits with slightly more morality, but river bandits are river bandits. However, he hadn't thought that there was such a story hidden behind it all. It was no wonder Ye Qingyun became so agitated when he'd mentioned officials the last time. It was also no wonder Ye Qingyun had said that the blood on 'Luo Yinfeng's' hands was no less than his own.

And in front of Ye Qingyun, his emotions had become much calmer. He was no longer as insistent as before about hearing 'Luo Yinfeng's' past as he had been. Ye Qingyun still told him a bit when he was in a good mood, but it wasn't anything of importance. He understood Ye Qingyun's intentions, and seeing him do it, warmed his heart.

He had always been in immense pain, struggling under the shadow of being 'Luo Yinfeng's' replacement, thinking that Ye Qingyun's previous kindness towards him, was actually towards 'Luo Yinfeng', but after hearing Ye Qingyun's explanation, he realized the man wasn't only treating him as 'Luo Yinfeng's' replacement…

There were times when he was nice to him too.

With that thought, Fang Xiao Zai's heart lightened a lot and there was even some inexplicable joy.

This day, Fang Xiao Zai returned from town and just as he reached the door, he heard the continuous laughter and noise coming from inside. He knew that Ye Qingyun and the others must have returned from their 'business' and were celebrating. So, he didn't want to disturb them and planned on taking the side door to go around, but he was still discovered by Ye Qingyun.

"Yinfeng!" There was a smile on Ye Qingyun's face as he ran over and called out to him, "You're back? Look at your face, it's red from the cold." He placed his large, warm hands on his cheeks and rubbed gently as he spoke.

Fang Xiao Zai was already a little used to Ye Qingyun's occasional display of unruliness and childishness. Hence, he let him warm his own face with such an intimate action.

"If the business in town is losing money, just let it lose. If you were to fall sick from exhaustion, I'll need to pay even more for medicine." Ye Qingyun warmed his face up and held his hands between his own, to rub them.

Hearing his words, Fang Xiao Zai laughed, "So you can't bear to part with those medicinal herbs…"

"What are you saying!" Ye Qingyun held his hand and pulled him into the hall. The few hall leaders were all there as well. The fragrance of wine was in the air, and they all looked a little intoxicated from drinking.

Ye Qingyun filled a cup and pa.s.sed it to him, "I know that you don't drink wine. Drink a little, just to warm yourself up."

Fang Xiao Zai placed the accounts which were in his hand, on the table and happily took the cup of wine from him. He looked down, saw the amber-colored liquid in the cup which had small ripples and was a little scared. Under Ye Qingyun's and the few hall leaders' urges, he brought the cup to his mouth and took a very small sip. The wine was smooth, gentle, mellow and rich on entrance. It was simple and refres.h.i.+ng, as well as a hint of fragrance, different from the fragrance of wine.

"Very fragrant, is this an aged Nu'er Hong[1]?"

"It isn't, I don't know what wine this is either. The moment it was opened, its fragrance could be smelled ten miles away and is really delicious." Ye Qingyun said as he took another jar and broke the seal. The fragrance of wine that had the inexplicable fragrance filled the whole room, just as he had said.

"Brother, I brewed this wine myself. Outsiders won't get to drink."

Pa!

The wine cup in Fang Xiao Zai's hand fell to the ground and shattered into small bits.

"Peach blossom…" He said those two words in a mutter and covered his own mouth in the next moment. He looked at the puddle of amber liquid on the floor in disbelief and shook his head.

"Yinfeng, what's wrong?" Ye Qingyun approached him and was about to help him, but he was avoided.

Fang Xiao Zai shook his hand, picked up the accounts on the table with a ghastly expression and said weakly, "I'm returning to my room first, you all take your time drinking." Done speaking, he even ignored Ye Qingyun's caring inquisitions coming from behind him and walked towards the back of the room, not caring about anything else.

There was a kind of exceptional familiarity, as if he knew it from before; the moment the wine entered his mouth, those images flashed in his mind again…

The young, young master brought him to a courtyard happily, rolled his sleeve up and secretively dug up a jar from under a peach blossom tree. He removed the mud seal and the wine looked like gold…

Fang Xiao Zai felt like he was about to remember soon; he just needed one more step. It was as though there was a ravine separating them, but he couldn't cross over it no matter what.

After dinner, Ye Qingyun came to his room to visit him. The two of them chatted a little and when Ye Qingyun was about to leave, Fang Xiao Zai asked him about where the wine came from. Ye Qingyun smiled and told him that he found it on the s.h.i.+p during the day. He nodded after hearing that and didn't say anything else.

With something troubling him, he b.u.mped into things as he went about his business. He either knocked into the candle holder or knocked over the pail of water and it made those servants who served him, unsure of whether to laugh or cry. Hence, he didn't have the mind to do anything else and went to bed early.

It was midnight when Fang Xiao Zai was woken up by the choking smell of smoke. He got up to open the door, only to see the glow of fire shooting up into the sky from within the manor and hear loud, noisy voices.

"Hall leader Xiao, what happened?" Fang Xiao Zai put the outer robe over his shoulders, walked into the corridor, pulled on the large man who was running across in front of him and asked.

"Don't you have…?" the person who was pulled seemed to be extremely busy; he was sweating a lot and was about to start scolding after he turned around, but once he saw that it was the second-in-command, the words that were on the tip of his tongue, were forcibly swallowed back into his stomach with a gulp.

Immediately after, he gave a laugh, "Second-in-command, were you woken up by the noise? It's nothing, nothing, it's just fire. Do return and continue sleeping." Hall leader Xiao said as he pushed him into the room.

"Hall leader Xiao, the eastern door is about to fall!" A subordinate covered in blood came over to report.

Hall leader Xiao shot him a fierce glare, pointed at Fang Xiao Zai with his mouth and the subordinate fell silent, having understood the meaning. Hall leader Xiao turned around soon after, still with a smile on his face, "Second-in-command, there aren't enough people at the eastern door, I shall go over to help now, do return to your sleep soon." Done speaking, he pushed him into the room, helped him to close the door and left in a hurry.

When the footsteps were far away, Fang Xiao Zai opened the door again. Everyone seemed to have been moved to another place. He was walking, alone, in the empty corridor, wanting to find Ye Qingyun to ask him what happened.

That was when a few shadows flashed pa.s.sed in front of him.

"Who's there?"

Before the last syllable could come out, there was a pain at the back of his head and he didn't know anything after that.

"Elder young master, quick, leave!"

No, I'll not leave! As long as the Fang families s.h.i.+p is around, I'll stay, if the goods are lost, so is my life! I definitely won't abandon the s.h.i.+p and leave!

The thick smoke was smoldering and the river was dyed red. He saw a s.h.i.+p on the river far away, with a black sail and a black flag. Just as he was about to take a better look, he heard the sound of something cracking from above his head. He raised his head and a broken stick with embers on it came falling straight down…

“splash… splash…”

The sound of water? And this type of rocking… I'm on a s.h.i.+p?

My head hurts a lot…

Right, I was knocked out by someone.

Who were they? Why would they knock me out? Qingyun… where is Qingyun? What exactly happened?

The back of his head had a pain that felt like it was burning, as well as a sticky liquid that was dripping down from his forehead. Fang Xiao Zai blinked and the first thing that came into sight was the sky that was upside down. Following closely after, was the deck covered in blood. On the other side of a few human figures, he saw hall leader Xiao, hall leader Meng, as well as a few of their subordinates, gagged, and tied up with rope, on the other side of the boat.

“Boss, this person woke up.”

“Bring him to me!”

Fang Xiao Zai still didn't understand what had happened yet and was dragged, by those people, to the person who was referred to as ‘Boss'.

That person used the tip of his foot to lift his chin, and so, he saw that the other party had a muscular body, a frightening appearance and an eye patch on his left eye.

The other person narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, and moved closer, "have I seen you somewhere before?" then, with a fierce tone, "Speak, what is your position in Su Ye Manor?"

Fang Xiao Zai glanced to the side from the corner of his eyes; hall leader Xiao had a serious expression as he shook his head at him very lightly. He retracted his line of sight, lifted his head, and looked at the other person with an att.i.tude that was neither haughty nor humble, "I am the accountant of Su Ye Manor."

The other person's brows furrowed, not fully believing him. He then turned to a subordinate beside himself, “Who exactly is he?”

“I…I don't know either…” the subordinate said with a stutter, “At that time, I saw him walking in the corridor at the back, I guess he should be… should be…”

“Tras.h.!.+” That person kicked the subordinate's abdomen with a lot of force, making the person fly yards away, before cras.h.i.+ng onto the deck. He struggled as he pushed himself up and a mouthful of blood spurted out.

"I told you all to go to Su Ye Manor to catch someone important, but you all turned out to be a group of useless fools! Who have you all caught?"

That person screamed as he pointed at the two hall leaders in the corner, "These?" Then he pointed at Fang Xiao Zai, "And this? Who are they?" He lifted a leg and it went through the wooden pail that was originally used as a stool, "Tras.h.!.+ Idiots! You're all G.o.d d.a.m.ned tras.h.!.+"

Having purged a lot of anger, that person turned to look at Fang Xiao Zai.

"Since you're an insignificant accountant, Ye probably wouldn't care about you either."

s.h.i.+nk! The person drew a saber from around the subordinate's waist and held it against his neck. "Don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame it on yourself, for being the accountant for Su Ye Manor when there are so many other places you could be an accountant for."

The saber was swung up, reflecting the sunlight. It was so bright that one wouldn't be able to open their eyes. Fang Xiao Zai's mind turned blank. He only shut his eyes and turned his head to the side instinctively.

"Boss, quick, look over there!"

As the saber slashed through the air, it made wind and caused howling sounds. Yet, when it was less than an inch away from his neck, it stopped.

Fang Xiao Zai opened his eyes, and lifted his head…

On the river, in the distance, there were tens of boats, all different sizes, all of which had a black sail and a black flag.

"It's Ye Qingyun!"

"The Ye?!"

"Hall leader Xiao, it's First-in-command Ye!"

"That's great, the First-in-command Ye is here!"

There were people on the s.h.i.+p who were surprised, as well as people who were excited. Fang Xiao Zai stood up from the floor and looked towards the tens of boats of different sizes; his line of sight falling on the black sails and black flags on the s.h.i.+ps.

"Black sails, black flag…" He muttered softly.

They were actually the same black sails and black flags he'd seen in those fragmented and broken memories…

A person jumped on to the bow of the large, leading s.h.i.+p coming at them. The wind coming from the north blew furiously, making the sleeves and corners of the robe flutter and flap.

Ye Qingyun took one look in his direction, but quickly moved his line of sight away, and said, in a stern voice, to the man wearing the eye patch, "Du Qi, you attacked us, Su Ye Manor, under the cover of night and nabbed my people. What exactly do you want to gain from this?"

The shoulders of the one called Du Qi, shook as he started to laugh, "Boss Ye, what I want, you should have known a long time ago. You've injured so many of my brothers, me nabbing a few of your people is just me returning the favor previously received." Finis.h.i.+ng his words, he pulled Fang Xiao Zai, who was standing by his side, over and held the saber against his neck as they inched towards the bow, bit by bit.

There was a subtle sting coming from his neck and Fang Xiao Zai could feel something thumping within his chest, trying to burst out. He looked towards Ye Qingyun, at a loss, not knowing what he should do…

"Boss Ye…" Du Qi raised a leg and stepped on the side of the s.h.i.+p, "You have been the Sea King of Lianghuai for quite a few years already. Luck goes around; isn't it about time you let me get some benefit?"

Ye Qingyun had a stern expression, "Du Qi, if you can keep to the rules and regulations, me letting you get some benefit is nothing. But you invaded my area frequently, not even letting go of the s.h.i.+ps that belonged to proper merchants and good civilians. With such a record, how am I supposed to let up the position? In the future, if you were to raid even me, who am I supposed to go crying to?"

"Hahaha! Boss Ye, you're very humorous. Since we can't come to an agreement, why don't we change the method."

Du Qi called his subordinate, and immediately a tragic shout could be heard from behind him. Fang Xiao Zai turned his head over slightly and saw that a subordinate, who was left in the corner with hall leader Xiao, had a gleaming saber stabbed into his body. Following which, someone by the side swung his arms and a few people collapsed consecutively, leaving only the two hall leaders who were caught.

"How is it, Boss Ye? If I, Du Qi, haven't remembered incorrectly, these two hall leaders have fought and worked for you for many years. They could be said to be your right and left-hand man…"

Fang Xiao Zai saw that Ye Qingyun's expression wavered for a moment. Indeed, Ye Qingyun and the few hall leaders were as close as brothers. He felt waves of disgust surging in his stomach; there was a stench in the air above the river. It was the smell of blood… He wasn't sure if it was because he had lost too much blood, but his head was hurting so much that it was throbbing.

Ye Qingyun looked towards the two hall leaders on that side, his eyes grave. After a while, he clenched his teeth fiercely and s.h.i.+nk! He drew out his sword, grabbed the blade with his hand, pulled his palm across it and held his palm, dripping with blood, up towards the sky.

"The two hall leaders and I, are as close as brothers. I, Ye Qingyun, hereby swear to sever Du Qi's head personally in the future, to avenge the two of you. Go ahead first, into the afterlife and when the time comes in the future, we shall be brothers again in the underworld!"

"First-in-command Ye, I will be able to rest in peace with your words!" hall leader Xiao shouted it out loudly, before he turned to hall leader Meng who was beside him, “Old Meng, I'll need your accompaniment on this journey.”

Hall leader Meng smiled as he nodded, “If there are mountains of knives and sea of flames, I'll use you to block it all.”

“Hahaha, I'm very st.u.r.dy, I'm not afraid of those.”

“Brother Ye, we'll be waiting for you with good wine in the afterlife!”

“Let's go!”

“No…!” Fang Xiao Zai was unable to get out of the other person's restraint and could only watch as the two hall leaders threw themselves onto the other party's sabers, as fresh blood sprayed and splattered around.

Seeing their bodies slump onto the floor, countless images surged into his mind, as though out of control, seemingly wanting to fill every empty corner. It was also on a s.h.i.+p, it had the same b.l.o.o.d.y ma.s.sacre and the same…

Black sail and black flag!

Du Qi pulled him forward and pushed him all the way up front, with the saber still held against his neck.

“This is the last one, Ye, your manor's accountant. I guess you wouldn't care either, so I'll just send him along to accompany them.”

Fang Xiao Zai saw Ye Qingyun blank out; it could be that he hadn't linked him to the ident.i.ty of an “accountant”. The blade approached the skin and flesh on his neck then, he felt something dripping down his neck slowly.

Fang Xiao Zai was a little afraid, but he didn't know what he was afraid of. When he saw Ye Qingyun swearing a blood oath for the two hall leaders, he was deeply shaken. After that, a shred of antic.i.p.ation grew in his heart.

He knew that at such a time, he shouldn't think of things like this, yet, he couldn't help but think about it.

How would Ye Qingyun treat him?

Him, and not ‘Luo Yinfeng'. What was he exactly, to Ye Qingyun…?

Ye Qingyun remained silent while looking at him, with some hesitancy in his eyes. The changes that weren't easy to detect seemed to have been noticed by Du Qi, and the saber that had been pressed against his neck loosened a little. The other person must have thought that he still had some use as a bargaining chip.

“Boss Ye, if you don't want him dead, then, bring the waters map for an exchange. I, Du Qi, will release him immediately and from this day forth, Su Ye Manor will continue to be treated as an esteemed guest.”

The hand that Fang Xiao Zai clenched into a tight fist was trembling lightly and his palm was dampened by sweat.

Would he save him?

He lifted his head and coincidentally met Ye Qingyun's line of sight. His pupils were deep and he couldn't see what he was thinking, nor could he guess how he would choose.

But Fang Xiao Zai gave up first.

He wasn't even ‘Luo Yinfeng', he was a mere subst.i.tute, a person who didn't even know his own name or background. Being able to survive till this day was all because of Ye Qingyun's protection. That being said, no matter how it was, he could never become that person…

If he was the real 'Luo Yinfeng', Shangguan and Ye Qingyun both said that he was well versed in martial arts and was good at sword plays; he wouldn't have been caught and would definitely not have been held as a hostage, to threaten him.

Coming to such a point in time, Ye Qingyun should think of them as different people now, right? He needn't make compromises and agreements for a person who wasn't anything; neither would he be restricted because of him.

Fang Xiao Zai unconsciously lowered his head and laughed bitterly. Once, he was afraid of dying, because he was afraid when the guard from h.e.l.l asked him, he wouldn't even know who he was; after that, he really wanted to die because he believed Ye Qingyun's words and thought that his hands were covered with blood and laden with sins. And now, he wasn't afraid of dying, nor was he afraid of not knowing anything when the h.e.l.l guard asked, he was only afraid of… there being no one in this world who would think of him anymore…

Ye Qingyun remained silent for a long time and after his heart was tossed around by various emotions, Fang Xiao Zai actually felt a sudden relief.

After all, he wasn't Luo Yinfeng. After all, there was still a limit to how well he treats him.

Hence, he lifted his head, and stood with his head held high, he smiled as he said, "First-in-command Ye, please be a.s.sured, I definitely will not be a burden to you." Done speaking, he struggled with force to get out of Du Qi's restraint and jumped up onto the side of the s.h.i.+p.

"Yinfeng, what do you want to do?" Ye Qingyun finally spoke.

He was still smiling and then, he jumped off.

If it was 'Yinfeng', it would've had a different ending, right…?

Splas.h.!.+

The river water surged into his mouth and nose, while coming from above the water's surface, there was the sound of fighting, but it was becoming increasingly far away. The jumbled memories mixed with reality and he couldn't tell, which were his past and which were current.

Fang Xiao Zai could feel the severe pain in his heart; as though a piece of it was just gouged out by someone.

Why must he see himself as ‘Luo Yinfeng'?

But he just couldn't become ‘Luo Yinfeng'…

Who was he, exactly?

Ye Qingyun, do you know… who I am?

Splas.h.!.+ Splas.h.!.+

Something fell in consecutively by his side and the stench of blood spread. His consciousness was slowly dispersing when he vaguely heard someone calling him.

“Ha… Xiao Zai, you'd better go talk to Jing Zai, even though he was at fault, your words earlier were indeed harsh…”

In the simple, but elegant residence, an old man sat in the hall while a young young master slammed the door open and left. He wanted to chase after him but hesitated…

He would coax him when he returned, comfort him when he returned…

Jing Zai…

The river of early winter was so cold, he could feel it in his bones.

Fang Xiao Zai felt as though he had dropped into an ice cellar, then, as though he had fallen into a pit of fire. He suffered the recurring cold and heat.

He opened his eyes and could vaguely see Ye Qingyun. It was like when he'd woken up for the first time, but he was unconscious again soon after, due to the discomfort his body was going through.

In the helplessness and pain, he felt something approaching slowly before it enveloped him tightly.

In an instant, he felt extremely at peace. As though he was a boat on a violent sea, which had suddenly found protection, he leaned towards the warm place.

If this was death… it wasn't something that must be avoided. He thought.

Gazing at the person in his arms who was still unconscious, Ye Qingyun sighed softly.

The series of heavy palpitations he'd felt when he saw him struggle free from Du Qi's restraint and stand on the side of the boat before he jumped off, happened again; he had jumped in after him without a thought. He saw the person sinking just so stiffly, lower and lower, into the depths of the water. He took a deep breath, abruptly plunged himself into the water, reached his arm out and tried his best to reach him.

A little closer, a little more…

His fingers finally felt his arm and he quickly pulled the person into his arms. The autumn's water was chilling, but there was still warmth on the person's hand. He hugged him tightly, afraid that the river would steal whatever was left of his warmth.

When they resurfaced, Du Qi's s.h.i.+p was no longer in sight but Ye Qingyun couldn't care about anything else; he ordered them to quickly turn the boat around and to return to the manor.

The person had taken in some water and had been unconscious since; his body was very cold too. He had someone get a few blankets to put over him, but it didn't work. Ye Qingyun could only sit by the bed, rubbing the person's hand that didn't have warmth. He rubbed it a few times but the hand was still icy cold, so he stopped and looked at the person's lips which were white from being so cold.

If he hadn't hesitated for that single moment, he could've saved him from Du Qi, without him getting a single scratch… When he stood at the bow with his head held high and a calm smile, he'd had a gentle demeanor, like that of a jade statue and it actually caused him to be in a daze from looking.

Ye Qingyun looked at the person on the bed who still had his eyes shut once more before he turned his head around, "You may all go, just leave two people outside to await instructions."

The physician and the servants all left and Ye Qingyun slowly lifted the blanket.

He practiced martial arts from a young age and had the Qi to protect his dantian. As such, the piercing coldness of the river water wouldn't be much of a problem for him, but it was different for that person… thinking about the physician's words, he needed to warm him up as soon as possible.

He reached his hand over to remove his belt. Under the inner robe was a fair and unblemished chest, which still felt icy to the touch. Ye Qingyun removed his own robes until his upper body was naked before he went under the covers. He pulled him into his arms and circled them around him, using his own body heat to warm that body up.

His slim body and delicate skin made Ye Qingyun a little dazed. The refres.h.i.+ng scent on the person's body seemed to have invaded his sense of smell and he could only think that the scent of his body smelled really good.

Being together with him always made him feel peaceful for some reason; it was as though the fight for life and death not too long ago had turned into smoke; faintly circulating and then, scattering.

However, while his heart has quietened, his body was becoming increasingly hot.

Ye Qingyun freed his hand to touch his own forehead. He wasn't having a fever, so what's happening?

The moment he lowered his head, the person's elegant and clean-cut appearance came into view. His lips had regained some color and his appearance as he slept was so defenseless, peaceful, it was as though he was in the midst of a wonderful dream…

He could distinctively feel… a certain part of his body was becoming increasingly hot and raring to go. Their skin, which was against each other's, was slowly covered in some sweat; but he didn't dare move randomly, afraid that one movement would cause him to lose control of the body which had been burning subtly…

That person's faint breaths gradually turned smooth and even, evidence that he was going from unconsciousness to sleep and for Ye Qingyun, it wasn't a night when it was easy to sleep.

Fang Xiao Zai opened his eyes and saw the canopy that he was a little familiar with. The thought that he would be able to wake up once again had never crossed his mind, and after dazing out, he thought that he was still in a dream.

His head was hurting a little, and he wanted to sit up but heard a deep, m.u.f.fled groan coming from beside him.

He maintained his posture lying down while he turned his head around and was met with a pair of lazy, half-lidded eyes. The man's tired-looking face was filled with displeasure from being woken up. His s.h.i.+ny, black eyes gradually turned clear, then he placed a hand on his cheek.

“You're awake?” due to the hoa.r.s.e voice, his voice sounded even deeper, yet it stretched on into endless gentleness.

Fang Xiao Zai was about to speak, but was suddenly surprised to see that they were both topless. At the end of his shock, he retreated backward but didn't expect to ram into the bedpost, causing his vision to turn dark from pain.

"Hurts…"

The hand Fang Xiao Zai was using to reach for the back of his head came into contact with something that was warmer than himself; Ye Qingyun's reaction was faster and had already reached over to help him rub it.

"…When will you let others not worry for you?"

The wide palm was abnormally warm and under his strokes, Fang Xiao Zai unknowingly started to feel sleepy again. He forced himself to stay awake and asked Ye Qingyun, "I didn't die?"

The moment the question was asked, Ye Qingyun's expression, which was gentle, immediately became strict, "Who told you to jump?"

Fang Xiao Zai was frightened by his expression that switched so quickly that he was stunned.

“Do you know that when you were brought up, your body didn't have any warmth and couldn't be warmed up no matter what was tried!”

So that was why he'd had to hug him to let his body warm up… that warm and broad dependence, it was actually…

Fang Xiao Zai felt his face heat up a little.

“What's wrong?” Ye Qingyun had a worried look on his face once again. The hand on his head moved to his forehead. He touched it for a bit but seemed to think that that wasn't suitable, so he moved his head closer to stick their foreheads together, “The fever has gone down but it seems like a lot of the good herbs in the manor will be wasted again.”

He knew that Ye Qingyun was joking, but he didn't feel too much joy from having escaped death this time.

“You can't bear to part with those herbs?”

Ye Qingyun drew his hands back and moved his arms around. It could be due to him maintaining the same position for a long time, but he could hear the cracking sounds when he moved his arms.

“Why did you think of dying?”

“Hm?”

Ye Qingyun turned his head around, his eyes sharp and fierce, even his voice was cold, “I'm asking, why didn't you wait for me to save you?”

“I… ” He was suddenly at a loss for words.

Ye Qingyun didn't wait for his reply before he got up to put on clothes, leaving him with the view of a back with a honey-colored skin. It was the figure of someone who practiced martial arts, a firm body and smooth body lines. When Ye Qingyun was completely dressed, he then, took an inner robe, helped him up to wear it, then carefully helped him to lie down and tucked him in.

"Did you really think of dying back then?"

"The two hall leaders did it, how could I be a coward?" Fang Xiao Zai said.

He just didn't tell him, he actually gave up first because he was sure that he wouldn't negotiate with Du Qi to save him.

Ye Qingyun sat down by the bed and his line of sight fell on his neck. Fang Xiao Zai felt the other's gaze and reached to touch his neck, but came in contact with a layer of gauze.

"It's a lucky thing that you didn't go up against the blade." Ye Qingyun said softly, "Or else, even a G.o.d, couldn't have saved you."

Fang Xiao Zai's heart fluttered as his eyes started watering, "Back then, you… were going to save me?"

Ye Qingyun looked at him, his gaze was deep and gentle, "Of course, I was going to save you. I can find another accountant if I lost one, but you're the second-in-command of Su Ye Manor."

Yet, the fluttering in his chest calmed a little after hearing the sentence. Fang Xiao Zai turned his head to look out through the window.

The white mourning robes were fluttering and the hall was filled with sadness. It must be for Hall leader Xiao and Hall leader Meng.

He turned his head back, "Qingyun, if I were to die…" He paused as his burning gaze landed on Ye Qingyun's handsome and untamed face, "If I were to die, would you mourn for me?"

If he was Yinfeng, it would definitely be yes, right? He knew that he would answer with affirmation, but he still wanted to hear him say it himself.

"I would." Ye Qingyun said without a thought before he leaned over him, with a hand supporting himself by the pillow. His face was so close, so close that his breath as he exhaled flowed onto his face.

"I would cover Lianghuai with blood and let the world grieve with me."

Yes, he would. He couldn't even imagine him dying in front of himself. For him, he could do anything. This was the first time, in six years, since Luo Yinfeng left that such thoughts and feelings grew in him. He wanted to make this person in front of him stay; he wanted to make him stay by his side…

Forever and ever…

Ye Qingyun said it word by word, every word that came out from his mouth seemed to brand his heart deeply.

Fang Xiao Zai was in a daze for a while before he asked him, “For real?”

“Do you want to try it?”

But he smiled, “Qingyun, I'm hungry.”

Ye Qingyun patted him on the head, “I'll go and get the kitchen to prepare some porridge for you. Get a little more sleep.” He said, then he put on an outer robe, opened the door and exited.

Fang Xiao Zai watched Ye Qingyun leave, watched as the door opened and then, closed. He gazed at the door blankly, as though he had lost his soul. It was after a while that he snapped out of it, but he let out a soft sigh.

“Will you really do it? After all, I am… Fang, Xiao, Zai.” (TN: Here comes the beginning of the pain)

The moment he jumped into the river from the s.h.i.+p, all the memories that were broken and missing were filled up and completed. His name, his ident.i.ty, he remembered everything.

He was Fang Xiao Zai, the eldest son of the Fang family in the capital city. He also had a younger brother, named Jing Zai. The Fang family ran a winery; they were a family of merchants with a long-standing name and reputation. They had shops scattered around Tian dynasty, and in the capital, together with the Feng family, they were families with quite the reputation.

That day, their s.h.i.+p was cruising on Lianghuai but had unexpectedly encountered river bandits. The s.h.i.+p crew was killed, their goods were stolen, and he had lost his memories because he was. .h.i.t on the head by the falling mast.

The life he had for the past half of a year in Su Ye Manor flashed by in his mind, one by one. He thought of his lost and helpless self back then, he thought of his fear of, as well as reliance on Ye Qingyun, he thought of Madam Su Ye who wasn't of sane mind because her husband and son left her, one after another…

Was it time for him to leave?

However, he couldn't really bear… couldn't bear with something, but he didn't know what, as though he already had feelings for this place. Being respectfully referred to as the second-in-command, being intimately called ‘Yinfeng' by Ye Qingyun, Shangguan, and Su Ye, it really did seem as though it had become a habit.

He had already, from long ago, known that he wasn't ‘Luo Yinfeng', and he had yearned to find his real ident.i.ty, but after he really remembered everything, he started to hesitate.

Should he return to being Elder Young master Fang, and pick up the family business, not to have any relations.h.i.+p with Su Ye Manor from thereon, or…

Translator: Yeong

Proofreader: Grumpykit

QC: Xiao

Xiao's Comments: Well, I'm ready for the pain, bring it on~

Translator's Notes:

[1] Nu'er Hong(女兒紅) is a type of Chinese wine.

                                                                                  Chapter 6