Bai Yu stood outside the prison all night. Separated by the thick wall, he could not hear the blood-curdling screeches inside. Even so, he could imagine how painful it was. Bu Bai was someone who feared pain and a little injury could make him burst into tears. He definitely wouldnât be able to bear this sort of pain and should have given in long ago.
That was good too, if it was like that, he wouldnât suffer too much.
Bai Yu thought so, but couldnât move his feet at all and maintained his position outside the door all night.
Grabbing the first jailer who came out, he asked, âHas he admitted it?â
When the jailer saw Bai Yu, he was very surprised. After saluting, he said, âNo, he didnât admit it even until he passed out.â
Bai Yuâs heart ached severely. He knew the consequences of not admitting. He pushed the jailer away and quickly ran into the dungeon.
In the dark prison cell, a man covered in scars was unconscious. His eyelashes that were as thin as a cicadaâs wing drooped slightly, seeming like no movement could make them tremble.
When Bai Yu rushed over, it was such a Bu Bai that he saw. Judging from the number of wounds, he had received no small amount of punishment. Even so, he still didnât yield. He was more tenacious than he had imagined. Clearly, he was such a small and weak existence and yet, he was willing to endure countless torture and harm.
Bai Yu wanted to hold him in his arms as he did before and comfort him carefully but the suffering that covered this entire body made him not know where to start. The manâs inky hair flowed motionlessly, his face as pale as paper. His originally soft lips were slit open with thin bloody strands. Everything told him that they couldnât go back. Whether it was his body or his emotions, they couldnât go back.
Bai Yu used his finger to feel his weak breath. The intermittent hot exhales gave him a split second of peace. Like this, he stayed in the gloomy and cold prison cell for a day and took care of Bu Bai.
Before leaving, he commanded that Bu Bai was not allowed to be punished again and that his wounds were to be healed properly.
He realized that he wasnât sure as to how he should handle Bu Bai. He couldnât bear to murder him but didnât want to let him go. He wasnât able to treat him as he did before either. In the end, Bu Bai was an indeterminate concealed danger to him.
Not a few days later, Bai Xuiran was unable to hold himself back from coming to visit Bai Yu. The situation had developed as he had thought it would, Bai Yu didnât believe Bu Bai. The only thing that went against his expectation was that Bai Yu was truly willing to treat Bu Bai so ruthlessly. This made him doubt his judgment, did Bai Yu really care about that person?
âWhat did you come for?â
As soon as he saw him, Bai Yu was shining with the intention of âdriving the customer awayâ.
âI came to pick up my familyâs Bu Bai and bring him back. Donât you already know that he is my person?â
Bai Yu suddenly looked at the man before him, seemingly surprised that he would admit it in such a confident way.
âYou think that I would let him go back alive after doing such a thing?â
Bai Xiuran supported his chin with his folding fan, looking like a languid fox as he said, âIâve heard that heâs still alive.â
This was already the highest price that Bai Xiuran could offer and he was confident that Bu Bai was worth less than this.
âI wonât give you Bu Bai.â
Bai Xiuran couldnât help but glance at Bai Yu. However, he still couldnât see anything from his eyes.
âWhy are you so persistent about him?â
âThis isnât something that you should worry about.â
After saying this, he had people throw Bai Xiuran out of the mansion and smashed everything on his desk. When Bai Yu thought about the marks on Bu Baiâs body when he came back that day his eyes became frighteningly red.
He called one of his subordinates and said, âTake Bu Bai to the water cell, but donât kill him.â
In this way, the wounded Bu Bai who had just regained consciousness was sent to the water cell. To prevent him from sinking and drowning, his hands were specifically tied with ropes and he was hung in the water cell.
The ice-cold water would submerge him time and time again but every time he thought that he would suffocate to death, the water level would fall, giving him the chance to breathe a bit. Bu Bai felt very miserable. He was waiting, waiting for this thin and weak body to exhaust its last bit of life. He knew that it wasnât too far off.
Within the imperial palace at this moment, the young emperor summoned in a small official. That person was called Yun Qing.
When Yun Qing received the news, he was also very puzzled. However, an imperial order couldnât be violated, so he packed himself up and went to the palace.
The young man sat upon the high seat and reclined against the armrest. He looked at him fully and said, âDo you recognize the person named Bu Bai?â
Perceiving the instant stiffness of the man below, Bai Xiuran went on to say, âHe is dying, do you know this?â
âWhat happened to him?â Yun Qing cried out in surprise and looked directly at the man on the high seat. For the first time, he forgot the etiquette between a ruler and his ministers.
âHe was thrown into the prison for betraying the regent. You ought to know what the consequences of going in there are. I had you come here to help me save him. You donât need to know what my purpose is. You just need to know that no one could protect him but me.â
âIf something happens to me, would Your Majesty help me protect my household?â Yun Qing asked, his expression full of firmness.
âYes.â Bai Xiuran agreed.
The next day, Bai Xiuran came to find Bai Yu again. This time he didnât say anything to infuriate him and just pestered Bai Yu to accompany him to drink tea and chat, saying that it was to maintain the feelings between a ruler and his ministers. Bai Yu didnât know about his purpose, so he accompanied him quietly. After all, he was still the legitimate emperor and if he didnât touch his bottom line, then he didnât want to do anything improper.
Taking advantage of the time that Bai Xiuran was stalling Bai Yu, Yun Qing slipped into the place where Bu Bai was. Bai Xiuran was very supportive of his actions and provided him with a lot of manpower and information. Along the way, he encountered very few obstacles.
His own martial arts could be considered as top-notch. Slipping into the water cell wasnât counted as difficult for him. Whatâs more, the guard over Bu Bai wasnât very strict either.
The man dressed in white hung in the water cell peacefully. Every inch of his exposed flesh was covered with deep bloody scars. Yun Qing cautiously and solemnly lowered the person and brought him into his arms. Within this period of time, he touched the wounds on Bu Baiâs body many times but the man in his arms only knit his brows slightly and wasnât able to wake up.
Yun Qing was even more anxious. He didnât care about using his own life to pay for Bu Baiâs. He only cared about whether he could actually save this man. If he dies here, then everything he had tried to do would be meaningless.
âBu Bai.â He called.
Bu Bai only dimly heard a voice that he was familiar with. That voice sounded very worried and was different from what he had heard before. Intuitively, he felt that this voice should have been gentle with a bit of softness, not sorrowful like this.
Opening his eyes was for that face. From the original gentleness to the craziness that followed, to the present worried sorrow in the end. All this was because of him.
âYun Qing, put me down.â
The bright sunshine was very warm. Bu Bai didnât need to look to know that he had been rescued. Only, he also understood that Yun Qing couldnât afford to take on this responsibility. The future of this man who was as beautiful as bamboo shouldnât be ruined by him.
âBu Bai, donât say anything. I did all of this voluntarily, do you understand?â
Bu Bai understood, so he couldnât accept it all the more.
âPut me down, I beg you.â
Yun Qing did not speak anymore. Being so close to him, Bu Bai could very easily see the injury on Yun Qingâs shoulder that he got from saving him. Fresh blood dripped on his face, the slight heat made him somewhat unable to bear it.
The sound of pursuing soldiers came from not far behind them and Yun Qingâs speed began to become slower and slower. Judging from the manâs face covered in cold sweat, Bu Bai knew that he couldnât support him anymore. If he were alone, he should be able to run away.
âYun Qing, I stayed here voluntarily. These punishments are what I am willing to bear. I canât leave. I donât want to go anywhere but his side.â
A tinge of pain flashed across Yun Qingâs face.
âEven if he treats you like this?â
âYes.â
Yun Qing finally stopped. Not far ahead were the people Bai Xiuran had sent to provide them support. Escaping wasnât very difficult but he suddenly didnât want to escape anymore. He had been so persistent in rescuing him but was it because he actually had expectations?
If it wasnât, then what reasons did he have to do all of this? Yun Qing put Bu Bai down and rested him against a tree beside him. He took off his own clothes and wrapped them around him before he left alone.
He respected his decision no matter if it was right or wrong. He understood that feeling of liking a person. He would rather die to stay by that personâs side. Moreover, Bu Baiâs place to return to was Bai Yu, not him, nor Bai Xiuran, so he was willing to put him down.
âYun Qing, you have to be well in the hereafter.â Bu Bai shouted at his back. He exhausted all his strength to shout but it only came out as a light whisper.
However, he knew that Yun Qing heard it. That gentle man turned around and gave him a smile, nodding his head in response.
Bu Bai watched Yun Qingâs silhouette go far away and after he was certain that he wouldnât return, he finally relaxed his mind. His arms slid down from midair, he had already held himself up long enough.
His ice-cold wounds ached dully and he felt his life disengage from his body thread by thread and slowly take away the remaining sliver of temperature in him.
âBoss, Iâve been working hard to live on. Now Iâm a little tired, am I allowed to sleep for a bit?â
Light rain began to fall from the blue sky. Occasionally, a few drops would pass through the narrow slits between the leaves and fall upon Bu Baiâs face. However, they did not startle awake the sleeping person.
Under the tree, the man closed his ash-colored eyes, sinking into an extremely frightening deathly stillness. This silence profoundly stimulated the Bai Yu who had rushed over desperately. He had seen such a him before, he was him, not Bai Yu. He was called Qi Ranmo or Xing Yan. The last memory that emerged in his mind was always Bu Bai laying in his arms with his life lost, like now.
For a moment, he wasnât sure if he was fortunate or unfortunate. Fortunate that even if he changed his face and his identity, he would still fall in love with this person in the first moments that they meet. Unfortunate that no matter how hard he struggled, this man would eventually die because of him.
Bai Yu hurt. This pain pierced his heart and reached his soul. He didnât dare step forward and just stood in the rain staring fixedly at this man, motionless, like a rigid fossil that had gone through many years.
Misogi: itâs not love at first sight, itâs love at first knifeâŠâŠthis MLâŠstruggle?!?!? You struggled?!?! How about you just donât torture him?!?! you better grovel and kneel and suffer *rage* also that âam I allowed to sleepâ angst hurts so much, such sweet sweet pain *maso*
StormFrost: Hehe, the ML remembers! I am looking forward to his suffering ă»: (ăâăäșș)*:ă»
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