Yin Wushu was actually very gentle in his actions, but Xie Bai had previously had a series of health issues, and had been running around and fighting along the way without rest. Adding on the torment he endured this time, it could be said that his old injuries hadn't healed and he now had new ones; he truly couldn't bear it any longer. Once the valve core was removed, he completely deflated and fell into a coma, unconscious and unaware of the world around him, not knowing whether it was day or night.

Aunt Lou and the stunned mer man were both startled.

Xie Bai himself was actually alright, not suffering any physical pain or discomfort, just trapped in a succession of dreams, unable to fully wake up.

He dreamed of Qingming Festival when he was six years old.

Like most Qingming Festivals he remembered, the day started off partly cloudy from early morning. It didn't last long before it turned into a light rain, barely wetting the clothes. The weather in early April was truly mild for most people, but for him, it still carried a hint of chill.

The wind on the second floor was a bit more obvious than below. Fearing that damp air might enter, Xie Bai dared not open the windows fully, just barely cracking them open a little. He quietly leaned against the back of his chair, watching the bright red camellias in the courtyard.

Directly opposite, the Taowu pawnshop had its doors tightly closed, but the households next door were stirring, attaching neatly folded willow branches to their doors. The neighboring family was burning joss paper in the courtyard; the ash, mingling with the rain and humidity, dispersed with a faint scent of fireworks.

That whole year when he was five, Xie Bai somewhat struggled to digest the Hundred Ghosts Corpse Nurturing Formation on his body, suffering excruciating pain every few days, his whole body as cold as ice chips. He often shivered through the nights, unable to sleep, finding some warmth only when nestled on Yin Wushu, and over time, he became Yin Wushu's cherished snow doll, silently following him everywhere, including at night, his only comfort holding onto Yin Wushu’s clothes, enveloped by warmth, allowing him to sleep a little.

This habit continued for over a year.

On Qingming Festival, for the first time, he slept soundly and deeply, waking up in the morning neither cold nor in pain, his mood exceptionally good, which was why he had the energy to lean at the window and enjoy the rain.

A child’s happiness is always very obvious, and even the usually quiet Xie Bai was no exception. After watching for a while, he couldn't help but bounce back to the bed, wanting to wake Yin Wushu to watch together, or to ask him why people placed willow branches or burned paper outside.

Although over the past year, his relationship with Yin Wushu had transitioned from resistance to dependency, he was still not uninhibited. Standing by the bed, he watched Yin Wushu still lying asleep, hesitating for a long time before tentatively poking Yin Wushu’s hand with a finger, then quickly withdrawing it, obediently waiting by the side.

Yin Wushu did not wake.

Xie Bai pursed his pale lips, hesitated for a moment, and carefully shook Yin Wushu’s wrist.

Still no response.

Xie Bai: "..."

After trying twice without a response, he finally gathered more courage, leaned over the bed, and poked Yin Wushu’s face.

This time, Yin Wushu’s brow furrowed slightly, but then he was still again.

Xie Bai: "..."

At that time, young and not understanding what was abnormal or amiss, he only felt that Yin Wushu was a bit strange, because Yin Wushu would usually have risen early in the morning, and had never continued to sleep in until daylight, unrousable by calls.

He turned to look outside the window, then back at Yin Wushu on the bed, finally unable to resist climbing onto the bed, kneeling beside Yin Wushu, and pushing his shoulder directly.

In that season, Yin Wushu had already switched to lighter clothes, disliking too many restraints, his garments always loose with wide sleeves. When Xie Bai pushed him, his front slipped to one side, revealing the skin near his shoulder under the collar.

Xie Bai glanced at it and froze, daring not to push further. Because on that patch of skin were two stark blood holes.

Xie Bai glanced and was instantly stunned, daring not to push any further because there were shockingly two blood holes on that patch of skin.

He widened his eyes and sneakily glanced at Yin Wushu, who was still asleep, then reached out to lift the hem of his garment, only to see that there were not just two blood holes. Under the hem were three more, making a total of five, looking as if some demon had curled up its claws and gouged into him.

For some young children, the nature of wounds might be hard to grasp, but Xie Bai understood all too well because the injuries and pain he experienced throughout his life were deeply etched in his mind.

It was the first time he saw wounds on Yin Wushu's body, and what was strangest was that there had been none the night before. He had been half-asleep all night, and Yin Wushu had always been there, never leaving the room. With his childlike reasoning, he couldn't comprehend how the injuries had occurred, finding those blood holes eerie and horrifying.

He was so frightened that he dared not even breathe heavily, no longer in the mood to peer out the window, just staring straight at those blood holes. Probably because Yin Wushu was lying on his back, the blood didn't even seem to flow out, as if it had dried up inside the wounds.

He looked at the blood holes and then at the still-unweakened Yin Wushu, unable to resist reaching out to touch his chest.

At that time, Yin Wushu had only had his heart removed a few years prior, and there was nothing implanted beneath his flesh, so naturally, Xie Bai couldn't feel any heartbeat. He was so terrified that his eyes widened, and he began to tear up silently.

Due to his young age, like any normal child, Xie Bai was prone to panic, so he didn't notice that the blood holes were slowly closing up.

As he nestled there like a little kitten, burying his head and crying until his vision blurred, a warm hand suddenly wiped his tear-streaked chin.

Xie Bai sobbed, looked up, and the tears that had just filled his eyes fell again, but his vision cleared a bit.

He saw Yin Wushu, who had been unrousable, now looking at him somewhat amusedly, his slender fingers pinching his cheek, saying, "Whose flower cat has climbed into my room?"

Xie Bai stared blankly at him, and it took him a while to realize that Yin Wushu had indeed awakened. Not sure whether it was a sense of relief or something else, he suddenly pursed his lips, and his tears fell even larger. He grabbed Yin Wushu's sleeve and buried his entire face in Yin Wushu's body, motionless, like a kitten curled up in its nest.

After a long while, with a crying voice muffled in the garment, he said, "Don't you die."

Yin Wushu was amused by him, chuckling softly, and patted the back of his head, saying, "Little kitty, are you trying to wash my robe?"

Xie Bai remained buried in the garment, unmoving.

Yin Wushu let him stay buried for a while, then patted his head again, "If you keep crying, the robe will rot."

Xie Bai still didn't move.

Yin Wushu: "...Little ancestor, stop crying."

Actually, Xie Bai had no more tears left. Children cry and laugh quickly, and seeing Yin Wushu awake and able to speak, he was not that upset anymore, and the tears stopped after a few rubs. But remembering how he had cried so much before, he felt a bit embarrassed, so he just kept his head buried.

Hearing Yin Wushu call him an ancestor, he finally felt it was a bit too much to bear, holding up his face still marked with traces of tears, not making a sound.

Seeing he was still a bit uneasy, Yin Wushu pointed to the skin below his shoulder, "Were you scared just now? I was just using a magic trick to fool you, look again, are there any wounds?"

Xie Bai followed his pointing finger and saw that the five blood holes had indeed disappeared, leaving only very faint marks. He had cried too much before, and his eyes were a bit blurry after burying his face for so long. After pausing briefly and his vision completely clearing, there was not even a trace left on Yin Wushu's body.

Xie Bai blinked, slightly stunned.

Yin Wushu said, "See? I'm fine, not a scratch on me."

"Your heart doesn't beat..." Xie Bai muttered after a while, dumbfoundedly retorting.

Yin Wushu waved his hand, "I won't die even if my heart doesn't beat."

Xie Bai still looked at him blankly, then defiantly pressed his hand against Yin Wushu's chest, unable to comprehend.

"Wounds don't kill me, a non-beating heart doesn't kill me, not waking up doesn't kill me," Yin Wushu, probably fearing that he would be scared again and cry his face off, decided to explain everything at once, "As long as I don't want to die, I won't die, no matter if I'm rotting down to the bones, so stop crying."

Xie Bai held back for a long time, then muttered, "But isn't rotting down to the bones being completely dead?"

Yin Wushu laughed, straightened his robe, got off the bed, and picked up Xie Bai with one hand while heading downstairs, saying, "Come on, let's wash your face. You're such a mess, you could go and call brothers with the tabby cat at the gate of Luo Zhu's house."

 

Translator : DarNan