Flowering (II)

The only sounds around them were the rapid breathing of each other and the gentle rustling of the breeze outside the window carrying fallen petals.

Qingshan suddenly called out, breaking the inexplicably confusing silence:

"nameless."

He leaned closer, his tall nose almost touching He Shu's flushed cheeks, his eyes burning like fire, but his tone was deep and bitter.

“Don’t cry… don’t cry…”

He Shu's heart trembled, and he lowered his eyes in a hurry, not daring to look at those eyes that almost burned him.

But the tears flowed more and more uncontrollably, sliding down her cheeks. The next moment, they were gently held by a warm, rough hand and wiped away with the utmost tenderness.

"I know... that the life span of a mortal is but a fleeting moment..."

Qingshan's voice was low and slow, and every word was filled with an indescribable bitterness.

"I know... the path to immortality is long... To you, I'm afraid I'm no more than a single blooming flower in this garden..."

He Shu felt his fingertips tremble slightly and his breathing became disordered. The voice gradually became lower, as if mumbling to himself, or as if questioning his heart.

"I know... the crane's shadow rests in the clouds and accompanies the moon forever. I dare not let you down..."

“But…but…”

The helplessness and retreat in Qingshan's muttering were like a thin needle that suddenly pierced Heshu's heart, instantly piercing through all his panic and hesitation.

With a sudden determination, he closed his eyes and raised his head abruptly - a rough and wet kiss suddenly fell, directly and recklessly imprinting on the lips that were still speaking sad words.

At first it was just a clumsy touch, tentative, to confirm each other's sincerity.

That was He Shu's extremely immature initiative driven entirely by impulse.

But after a moment of initial surprise, Qingshan immediately took control. He closed his eyes and kissed her back even more deeply.

This kiss was no longer a superficial one, but suddenly became deep and firm, even carrying a bit of eagerness and strength that had been suppressed for too long.

He slowly tightened his arms around He Shu's waist, holding him tightly in his arms with such force that he seemed to crush him and embed him into his bones and blood.

He Shu gradually came to his senses and realized what he had done. His whole body froze and he forgot to struggle. All his senses were infinitely magnified and blurred at this moment.

He could clearly feel Qingshan's scorching heat, constantly transmitted through the tightly clung fabric; he could feel his increasingly rapid and hot breaths spraying on his skin; he could feel the repetitive, soft and irresistible rubbing of his lips...

And the wet touch that quietly penetrated and tried to entangle with his tongue... mixed with the tears that had not yet dried, it was salty and unfamiliar.

The indescribable fierce emotion hit He Shu silently like a tsunami. The numbness spread rapidly from their lips to every part of his body, almost destroying his remaining consciousness and melting his trembling shell.

His fingertips trembled uncontrollably in his sleeves, and he could only tightly grasp the wrinkles of the fabric at his knees.

He finally couldn't bear the overload of desire, and turned his head abruptly, breaking away from the suffocating yet irresistible kiss.

He Shu pushed the person behind him away, and almost used his hands and feet to get up from the ground. He turned his body, leaving only his back to Qingshan. Even his ears and the back of his neck were red as if dripping blood. He didn't dare to look back again.

His heart, which had nearly stopped beating, began to beat wildly, almost bursting out of his throat. He immediately took big steps and ran away, almost tripping over his own clothes.

Rushing to the door, he suddenly seemed to remember something and stopped abruptly, but still with his back to the man. His voice trembled as he made incoherent excuses, which made it seem like he was trying to cover up his mistake:

"Uh... I, I have to go find Xuan Tongzi right away! Yes! Xuan Tongzi! Your soul has just settled down, so we must ask him to come and take a look at it again to be on the safe side... Qingshan, you, you should rest for a while... You must not be used to waking up right now... By the way, are you hungry? I... I'll go to the kitchen and prepare some food for you... Yes, yes... That's it for now..."

Before he finished speaking, he didn't even dare to wait for Qingshan's response. He rushed out of the study and fled as if he was being chased by some prehistoric beast.

The rain of flowers from the sky came unhindered in my face, and the cool fragrance instantly filled my nose.

He Shu ran to the tree in the yard in one breath.

The numerous fallen petals drifted down like raindrops, soaking him all over. The cool fragrance of the flowers slightly cooled the heat on his face.

He couldn't help but stop, take a deep breath, and try to suppress his pounding heart.

However, soon, the redness on the cheeks and neck became more intense and spread rapidly, even the fingertips felt slightly hot.

He Shu raised his hand and gently touched his lips, which were slightly red and swollen, still feeling moist and a little stinging.

There, it seemed as if the warmth and breath of another person were still imprinted.

A smile that could not be suppressed no matter what, after the panic and shyness, quietly and slowly spread from the corners of his slightly raised mouth, and finally brightened his clear eyes that were still watery.

"Qingshan is awake?"

Xuan Tongzi appeared in the yard again without a sound. He Shu was startled by the sound and immediately put away the smile on his face. He put down his hand and said in a bad tone:

"Humph, you are well-informed."

"What's wrong, Xiao Wuming? Did something happen to Qingshan? That shouldn't be the case... I won't make a mistake in my calculations."

Xuan Tongzi frowned and walked to He Shu.

"Oh, I have already notified Master Fu to come and see Qingshan..."

"Old mandrill, can't you just look forward to some green hills?"

He Shu pushed Xuan Tongzi away in annoyance and turned to walk towards the hut.

Embarrassed, I had just run out of the house, only now remembering Qingshan was still sitting on the ground... He had just woken up and was still weak. I wondered if he had the strength to return to bed and rest...

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He couldn't help but quicken his pace, but was interrupted by a greeting from behind him.

"Master, Mr. He."

Fu Qingle has actually arrived.

How long ago did this old mandrill predict that Qingshan would wake up today? He didn't even tell me first. I'm afraid he's up to something bad!

The scene in the study just now suddenly flashed through He Shu's mind...

My cheeks suddenly started burning again.

He suddenly stopped and shook his head vigorously to dispel the images in his mind. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then turned around and walked back to Xuan Tongzi, lowering his voice:

"Old Mandrill, please go into the house first and see if Qingshan's soul has been integrated safely. Once you confirm that everything is fine, I will invite Mr. Fu in."

After saying that, without waiting for Xuan Tongzi's reply, he stretched out his hand and pushed the man back, then forced a smile and greeted Fu Qingle who walked into the courtyard.

"Mr. Fu."

He Shu blocked the way before the newcomer.

"Sir, are you here to visit Qingshan?"

As he spoke, he led the person to sit on the stone bench in the courtyard, picked up the teapot on the table, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, he quietly produced a pot of warm tea, poured a cup and handed it to him.

"He just came out of retreat and came to my little house to sit for a while, then felt tired and rested again. If you don't mind, you can drink tea and appreciate the flowers here first. It won't be too late to meet him again after Qingshan has rested."

"Ah...that Qingshan..."

Fu Qingle took the porcelain cup and lowered his head.

He Shu's gaze fell on his hair, most of which was gray, and his heart suddenly sank. He realized that the vicissitudes of life seemed to be particularly cruel to him.

Can mortals... ultimately escape the passage of time?

He lowered his eyes, hiding the myriad thoughts in his eyes, and replied in a normal tone:

"Don't worry, sir. Qingshan is fine. He just spent so long in seclusion and has just left the Xuan realm. He still needs some time to adjust."

He picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, and was stunned for a moment, deliberately ignoring the slight pain on his lips.

"I see."

Fu Qingle nodded, but he did not drink the tea. Instead, he turned his head and looked at the peach tree beside him that was in full bloom.

"It has blossomed so brightly overnight. Such passionate flowers are truly breathtakingly beautiful."

"yes……"

He Shu stroked the warm wall of the cup and looked up.

"Spring has arrived."

This peach tree he had planted by accident shouldn't have, and couldn't have, bloomed here... but somehow, by some strange mistake...

Suddenly I thought of Tao Hua and the shadow demon, and I couldn't help but sigh.

It is said that they are already dead... I wonder what happened to the cat demon imprisoned in the sky prison?

"Where's your white cat, sir? Whenever I come here in the past, it always pesters me and makes a fuss. Why can't I see it today?"

Fu Qingle suddenly asked.

He Shu looked around the courtyard and became puzzled:

"It was just under this peach tree, and in the blink of an eye it disappeared again. It must have gone off to play somewhere. It's used to being wild, it's always like that."

He stood up and tried to look around the hut, but was stopped by the person who stood up with him:

"Don't bother me, sir. Come down and look for it later."

Before He Shu could respond, Fu Qingle walked to the corner of the yard and called out softly:

"Chiyu—Chiyu—"

"it……"

It's called Xiaobai...

He Shu swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.

He wanted to correct it, but then he thought, the cat had never paid attention to the name he gave it, probably because it didn't like it. Instead, it had always been very intimate with Fu Qingle. Maybe the cat would live up to the name "Chi Yu", and then he would be the one who would be embarrassed.

Forget it, let them call you whatever they want.

He thought so and turned to walk towards the hut:

"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Fu. I'll go inside first to see if Qingshan has had a good rest."

"If you are not in a hurry, you can go home first. When Qingshan gets better, I will send him back."

Halfway into the door, He Shu suddenly remembered something and turned back to say:

"By the way, if you find the little... find the cat, please take care of it for a while. I'll be going on a long journey again soon, and I don't know when I'll be back."

"good."

Hearing the agreement, He Shu nodded and continued to walk into the house.

Wait a minute... I'll borrow Xuan Tongzi's token and go to the Heavenly Palace to take a look at the cat demon... I don't know when she will come back.