"Don't you want a formal status?"
After the banquet, Ji Wang and Bu Jiu sat side by side under the surviving ancient peach tree, with just the right distance between them.
Ji Wang toyed with a fallen petal in his hand, then suddenly turned his head to look at Bu Jiu, who was quietly gazing at the sky beside him: "Hey, Bu Jiu, what do you say..."
He paused, and waited for Bu Jiu's gaze to turn and land on his face before asking, "What kind of relationship do we have?"
Bu Jiu did not answer immediately, seemingly deep in thought about the question.
The air fell silent for a few moments.
Then, Bu Jiu spoke: "In this life, you have never told me that you like me, nor have you ever asked me if I am willing."
He seemed to be carefully choosing his words, and finally chose a word with a slightly joking tone: "So, according to the rules... we should be considered to be having an affair."
Ji Wang was not stumped or embarrassed by the answer. Instead, he suddenly leaned closer to Bu Jiu, whispered in his ear, and said quickly in a guilty tone, "Shh, you'd better keep your voice down."
He gestured with his lip towards a certain direction in the void, looking quite serious: "My husband has a terrible temper and gets extremely jealous. He'll probably be back soon. If he sees me hugging you like this..."
As he spoke, he actually made a gesture as if to wrap his arms around Bu Jiu's waist: "He definitely won't let me into bed tonight, he won't even let me hug him."
He had thought that Bu Jiu would be shy, would scold him lightly, or would even walk away.
But Bu Jiu simply reached out his hand, his fingertips pausing for a moment in the air before catching a perfectly fallen peach blossom.
He moved closer to Ji Wang, gently pressing the flower to her lips. He tilted his head back and, through the thin petals, planted a fleeting kiss: "Don't you want a title?"
Ji Wang stared wide-eyed, completely stunned.
think.
How could I not want to?
What he longed for and waited for was the right to openly and legitimately keep this person by his side.
The peach blossom slipped from his lips, drifting gently, and finally settled in Ji Wang's outstretched palm.
He opened his mouth, but found his throat tighten, and his voice was a little hoarse: "I..."
"Hmm?" Bu Jiu let out a soft, ambiguous hum, urging and waiting.
Ji Wang looked into Bu Jiu's eyes, which reflected the moonlight and his own image, and saw the slightly upturned corners of his lips. All his playful and joking thoughts, as well as his cautious probing, vanished in that instant.
"Yes!" He finally found his voice, so loud it almost startled the birds perched on nearby branches.
"I want a title!" Ji Wang's face was slightly flushed in the moonlight, whether from the alcohol or from excitement in his heart.
He spoke very quickly, as if he wanted to pour out all the words he had been holding back for a long time: "It's not an affair, it's not something I'm hiding, it's a grand ceremony... uh, although we don't have a sedan chair now, we can make up for it! My true feelings... yes, I can take my heart out and show it to you right now!"
As he spoke, he actually pretended to tear at his own clothes, looking as anxious as if he wanted to rip his heart out.
Bu Jiu quickly grabbed Ji Wang's flustered hand: "Who wants to see this? Keep it, and keep dancing properly."
He raised his other hand and stroked Ji Wang's burning cheek: "Remember what you said tonight. I've given you the title, and you've accepted it. If you ever forget it or go back on your word..."
"I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!" Ji Wang immediately promised, shaking his head like a rattle drum. After he finished speaking, he even wanted to gather more oaths to show his loyalty, but for some reason, his thoughts suddenly jumped to their first encounter in this life.
"Actually," Ji Wang said shyly, "when I first met you in that dilapidated temple, I thought you were really beautiful. That red dress suited you so well... Why didn't you wear it later?"
“That outfit…” Bu Jiu’s fingertips twitched slightly, “It was specially worn for you to see.”
He seemed a little uncomfortable revealing his feelings so directly: "I'm afraid you won't see me."
At the time, he didn't know what Ji Wang would look like or what his personality would be like after his reincarnation. He just had a vague feeling and then waited at the place where he might meet him, just to say one word to him.
He deliberately chose the most vibrant and eye-catching red, hoping that the person who might come would see him at a glance.
Bu Jiu laughed and said, "But those clothes were already ruined when they were found under the rubble a couple of days ago."
As if recalling a scene, Ji Wang stammered as he spoke: "Out with the old, in with the new. When our family is a bit more well-off, I'll make you a new one, dye it the brightest red, and embroider it with the most beautiful patterns... just for me to see."
Bu Jiu knew perfectly well what he was thinking: "Alright. The material must be the finest fire silkworm silk, and the color must be the red of sunrise at the summit of Crimson Cloud Mountain. As for the pattern, use the most intricate peace runes, which can..."
He grabbed Ji Wang's hand, traced it down his throat, and finally hooked the man's fingers onto his waistband: "The kind that can wrap from the collar all the way down here."
“…Okay.” Ji Wang was not embarrassed by this action. Instead, he took the initiative and his fingers, which had been being pulled, suddenly tightened around the jade buckle at his waist, as if he really wanted to leave a mark that belonged to him.
"By the way, my injury hasn't healed yet..." Ji Wang said, with a hint of pressing his advantage, "It will hurt tonight."
He said the same thing when he was injured before.
Back then, it was an instinctive search for comfort, but now, the same words are entirely different. It's no longer just a plea for pain relief, but more like a demand.
Upon hearing this, Bu Jiu turned his head away, avoiding Ji Wang's overly direct gaze: "...taking an inch and wanting a mile."
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Huaiqing, busy with the reconstruction of their home these past few days, forced herself to stay up late, disrupting her usual routine.
Just as he was about to go to the mountain gate to check if there was anything unusual, he saw Ji Wang in the open space ahead, arguing with the carriage that had been dug out of the ruins and repaired.
Ji Wang's brows were tightly furrowed, and his lips were pursed. He would tug hard on the reins of the horse one moment, and then squat down to check the wheels the next. His movements revealed an unusual agitation, as if he had some huge problem to solve. He didn't even notice Huai Qing approaching.
"Xiao Bao?" Huai Qing called out, moving closer. "Why are you getting the carriage ready so early in the morning? Do you have something urgent to do?"
Ji Wang looked up at the sound and saw Huai Qing. He answered truthfully, "Going to Bu Nian Temple... But you, why are you still awake at this hour?"
Huaiqing sighed helplessly and pointed to the faint light of dawn on the horizon: "Thanks to you all, we've managed to get our schedules back on track these past few days..." His gaze swept over Ji Wang's furrowed brow and the poorly injured horse-drawn carriage, "Why are you frowning and arguing with the carriage? Something on your mind?"
When asked this question, Ji Wang's face showed a hint of embarrassment, or perhaps genuine confusion.
He loosened his grip on the reins, straightened up, dusted off his hands, glanced around, and didn't answer immediately.
Huaiqing didn't urge him, but just looked at him and waited patiently.
The horse took the opportunity to lower its head and nibble a few bites at the newly sprouted grass, then impatiently scratched its hooves.
Ji Wang seemed to have finally organized his thoughts, but found it difficult to speak. He lowered his voice and mumbled something indistinctly.
"What?" Huaiqing didn't hear clearly and took half a step forward.
Ji Wang took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. He spoke quickly, with a hint of embarrassment: "How can I not press down on Bu Jiu's hair while I'm sleeping?"
Huaiqing: "..."
He stood there stunned for three full breaths before he realized he hadn't misheard. The worry and confusion on his face quickly faded, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then felt that anything he said would be superfluous.
"Just for this?" Huaiqing found her voice. "You didn't sleep this early in the morning, but came here to mess with the carriage, just for this?"
Ji Wang nodded confidently, his brows still furrowed: "This is very important! I woke up several times last night so as not to crush him." A look of heartache appeared on his face, "He didn't sleep well either...it must be because I moved around too much."
Huaiqing raised her hand to her forehead, took a deep breath of the morning air, and suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
He finally understood that after the two established their relationship, certain problems indeed escalated, jumping directly from a life-or-death struggle to a heartwarming yet frustrating level like "how to sleep without crushing your partner's hair."
"You..." Huaiqing organized her thoughts, trying to make her voice sound calm, "You could help him gather his hair before bed, or tie it up with a hairband? If all else fails, could you at least pay attention to your posture?"
Ji Wang listened thoughtfully, then shook his head: "He's uncomfortable sleeping with his head tied up, and the hairband is uncomfortable too... I've been careful about his position, but how can I control him when he's asleep?"
He stroked the horse beside him: "I'm thinking, maybe I should make the bed softer, or just get a bigger one..."
Huaiqing patted Ji Wang on the shoulder, her tone filled with a resigned weariness: "Alright, take your time thinking about it. If you need any particularly soft padding, or if you need help from a carpenter, let me know later."
"What are you all doing here? What are you talking about?" Bu Jiu had approached unnoticed, as if he were melting into the morning mist.
Huaiqing withdrew her hand from Ji Wang's shoulder and calmly relayed Ji Wang's earlier words: "Xiao Bao said that you are going to Bu Nian Temple."
"Hmm," Bu Jiu responded. He walked to Ji Wang's side and reached out to straighten Ji Wang's collar, which had become a little loose from the carriage commotion. "Is everything ready?"
"That's about it," Ji Wang replied, casually shaking Bu Jiu's hand before quickly letting go. "I mainly want to go back and check on things. I won't stay long and will try not to disturb anyone."
Seeing that the two had finally started discussing serious matters, Huaiqing composed himself and said, "I have already reinforced the formation here. Go and return as soon as possible. If there are any unusual movements, send a message in the manner agreed upon."
He took out two inconspicuous wooden talismans from his sleeve and handed them to the two men respectively: "Keep them close to your body. They can help you sense each other's location within a hundred miles. If you break them in danger, I will know the general direction."
Bu Jiu carefully put away the wooden talisman, thanked him, and then looked at Ji Wang: "When do we set off?"
"Now." Ji Wang lifted the car curtain and gestured for Bu Jiu to get in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com