Dream
It was already dusk when they arrived at Xiejia Village, and the sun had already set. Lanterns hung outside the few remaining houses were still lit, and the streets were sparsely populated. In the distance, the vague outline of the mountain where Lianyun Sect stood could still be seen.
Maybe because something happened recently, no one dares to go out at night.
The four of them walked on the road, heading towards the village. Passersby who had not yet returned home did not even glance at them, as if they did not notice these people who were so different from this place.
As the night deepened, the atmosphere in the village became eerie. Jiang Yun unconsciously leaned closer to Ye Qingci. Ye Qingci noticed that he was afraid, so he took Jiang Yun's hand and squeezed it.
The two people at the back were flirting, but the two in front weren't so sure. It felt like a galaxy separated Yin Heng and Xiao Yuan, who walked straight ahead with an expressionless face. Yin Heng had no words to express his pain. It wasn't because he was afraid, of course, but because Xiao Yuan was always so distant. He suddenly felt like his future was endless.
After walking for a while, Yin Heng finally saw a girl in front of him. The girl was tidying up the haystack in front of the house. She just looked up at him and then immediately looked away.
"Excuse me, young lady. Can I ask you something?"
The girl paused and looked at him. She had lowered her head too quickly, and Yin Heng finally saw her face clearly. She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, pretty, but a little too thin, giving the impression that she would fall apart if the slightest pinch was applied.
"Young Master, you are probably asking about the recent disappearances in the village."
This sentence was not a question to him, but a statement.
Yin Heng smiled awkwardly, "That's right."
The girl dusted off her hands, wiped the sweat from the sides of her face, and walked to the door.
"Gentlemen, please come in and talk. There is no one in the room."
It was really inappropriate for a few men to enter a woman's room without permission, but after all, it was she who asked, and Yin Heng couldn't say, "Miss, no, how can a few of us men enter your room?"
Too pretentious.
Yin Heng glanced back at the other three before stepping inside. The room was small, the furnishings old, and the daily necessities were more than a few. He tilted his head to see the wooden table, cracked and even a thin layer of dust visible up close...
Yin Heng thought to himself: "This... doesn't look like a place where people live..."
Soon the girl had poured a few glasses of water and placed them on the table. She said, "My humble family doesn't have any tea. Please forgive me, sir. You can just call me Ah Yi."
Seeing that the few people had not sat down for a long time, Yi looked at the wooden stool. There was a layer of dust on it, just like the wooden table. She took a cloth and wiped it off.
"I'm sorry, I forgot I wasn't home a few days ago and didn't clean up."
Yin Heng said "nothing", but when his eyes met with those of the others, they all became wary, as Ayi's behavior was unusual.
"Miss Ayi, I wonder what's going on in the village recently. Please tell me something." Xiao Yuan didn't like to laugh, and his tone was cold.
Ayi had already looked them up and down a few times before, so there was no need to look at the two holding hands.
Two dead gays.
And this guy who spoke with a straight face...
A dead face.
Only Yin Heng looks like a normal man.
Ayi actually preferred to talk to Yin Heng, but he couldn't refuse to answer Xiao Yuan's words.
"...They're all missing, men. I heard they went to the wasteland behind the village."
Just as Xiao Yuan was about to speak, she continued, "Gentlemen, please don't go. There have been many evil spirits in recent years, and it's too dangerous at night. If you don't mind, you can stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning."
Previously, several people were still suspicious of Ayi's actions, but now they are trying to persuade him not to go with good intentions. It was natural that he was going to go from the moment they asked.
I thought so in my heart, but I didn't say it that way, and Yin Heng actually agreed.
Well, Yin Heng was still worried and decided to stay and see what happened first.
Ayi cleared a space for them, and the few of them squeezed together and fell asleep. After an unknown amount of time, Yin Heng felt the steady breathing of the person next to him. He rested his head on his arm, eyes closed, but he didn't fall asleep. He was getting sleepy, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard the door open. The old wooden door creaked as it opened, a sound that was particularly clear in the silent night.
Someone went out.
Yin Heng suddenly woke up and opened his eyes. Jiang Yun and Ye Qingci were still there, Xiao Yuan was still asleep, so only Ayi was left.
Yin Heng tiptoed to the door, gently pushed it open and stuck his head out, only to see Ayi walking into the darkness with a lamp in his hand.
Yin Heng followed, keeping a certain distance, walking further and further away until there were fewer houses and more vegetation, all just weeds and withered trees. This must be the wasteland Ah Yi had mentioned.
In the moment Yin Heng was stunned, Ah Yi disappeared. It was only when the surroundings suddenly turned dark that he realized it. Yin Heng condensed spiritual fire from his fingertips and walked forward a little. He didn't know if it was his illusion or something else, but the further he walked, the blurrier his vision became, as if there was fog.
How could it be foggy at this hour of night?!
What the hell.
Speak of the devil, and here it is! Yin Heng actually saw a woman appear in front of him. From behind, she didn't look like Ah Yi. She was taller than Ah Yi, and her hair was much longer, almost touching the ground.
Holy shit, are you really a ghost?!
The woman turned around in the haze. It was dark, but Yin Heng could still see her face clearly. Her raised eyes were charming and affectionate, and the mole under her eyes added to her charm. She pursed her bright red lips. She was a woman of such beauty that any normal man would be captivated by her.
Unfortunately, Yin Heng is not a normal man. He finds this woman creepy.
As he was thinking this, a gust of wind suddenly blew past his ears, the woman disappeared, and a chill crept up his back.
"Young Master..."
Yin Heng sensed a hint of demonic energy and unsheathed his Yu Xiu sword, stirring up a gust of wind as it left its sheath. Yin Heng spun around abruptly, pressing the blade against the "person's" neck. His expression was less gentle than usual, now sullen.
The "person" pushed slightly with the tip of his finger against the sword and looked up at him, "Young Master, you point your sword at someone without saying a word."
“That’s very rude…”
After saying that, a wisp of smoke emerged from her fingertips and rushed towards Yin Heng at lightning speed. Yin Heng quickly covered his mouth and nose, but the smoke ignored everything and entered his body silently.
After a moment of dizziness, the surroundings changed. The wasteland from before was gone, and now I was in... Lingcang Peak?
Yin Heng stood holding a sword. Not far away stood a figure wearing a peach-colored robe that trailed on the ground. It was a figure he was all too familiar with.
Yin Heng widened his pupils slightly. He put Yu Xiu back into the scabbard. Judging from the smoke just now, it must be a dream created by the woman.
The person in front of him turned around, and it was indeed Xiao Yuan's face, but he had never worn clothes of this color. "Xiao Yuan" slowly walked towards him, stopped in front of him, took his hand, squeezed her fingers between his, and interlocked theirs. Yin Heng stared at this "Xiao Yuan" in front of him in a daze.
The touch was too real, too warm, so warm that he couldn't believe it was a dream...
Why did he...
Why did you hold my hand...
"Xiao Yuan" took his hand and pulled him forward. Seeing that he didn't move, he turned around and looked at him. "Xiao Yuan"'s eyes changed from the usual indifference. His eyes were warm and there was a hint of love... He touched Yin Heng's eyebrows, kissed the corner of his lips, and asked him, "Why don't you leave?"
Yin Heng replied inexplicably, "Where to?"
"Let's go to Fengyutai to see the flowers."
Yin Heng only then realized the pleasant weather. The dense weeds growing nearby told him it was March, the height of spring, the perfect time for flowers to bloom. He followed Xiao Yuan to Fengyu Terrace, where the pear trees were in full bloom, just as he had seen them all those years before. Walking under the pear trees, he stepped on the fallen petals, which felt soft, like cotton.
He looked at the "Xiao Yuan" whom he was not familiar with, holding hands with him and looking up at the flowers. He saw a petal fall on his head. He had a momentary urge to help him pick it off, but he resisted.
What am I thinking... He's not Xiao Yuan at all. Then why did I follow him here, and... hold his hand?
Perhaps only at this moment in his dream could he shake his hand so openly and feel the warmth of this moment.
"Yin Heng."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... Sit down."
The two of them sat on the ground, shoulder to shoulder. "Xiao Yuan" flicked his sleeve towards the ground, and a jar of pear blossom wine appeared on the ground. The wine was so clear that Yin Heng thought it was for him to drink. After all, he knew Xiao Yuan never drank. But "Xiao Yuan" opened the seal of the wine, tilted his head back, and drank the wine. Yin Heng hurriedly grabbed "Xiao Yuan's" wrist, his voice a little urgent, "Don't... You have never drunk wine before, you will get drunk if you drink like this."
Even though Yin Heng stopped him quickly, Xiao Yuan had already drunk quite a bit, a lot for someone who had never drunk alcohol before. Yin Heng snatched the wine away and, in a flash, saw that the tips of Xiao Yuan's ears were already red, while her cheeks were relatively calm, only slightly redder than usual. Xiao Yuan pursed his moist lips, and the corners of his eyes were even tinged with crimson. Xiao Yuan seemed somewhat disoriented, as if drunk, and leaned silently against Yin Heng's shoulder.
Yin Heng simply helped the man to stand up, picked him up and carried him to Yujieyuan.
It was just a dream anyway, so he wouldn't know about it.
On the way back to Yujieyuan, "Xiao Yuan" with her eyes closed rubbed against Yin Heng's arms unconsciously, making Yin Heng feel itchy.
So cute... But is this person also so light in real life? ...
Yin Heng was not joking. The person in his arms was so light, so light that he wondered if he had wronged him over the years. How could he have raised him to be like this?
Fengyu Terrace wasn't far from his Yujie Courtyard. The Yujie Courtyard in his dreams was incredibly realistic; even after living there for over a decade, he couldn't find a single flaw. After entering, Yin Heng went straight to the side room, opened the door, laid the man on the couch, and tucked in the quilt. He hadn't added anything to the side room since giving it to Xiao Yuan, and it hadn't changed much since then, save for the faint scent of Xiao Yuan.
He squatted beside the couch, his upper body leaning on it, staring blankly at "Xiao Yuan", who frowned slightly. Yin Heng touched his brows and smoothed them for him, and then he made a bold move.
Yin Heng propped himself up, placed his right hand on the side of "Xiao Yuan's" neck and leaned over to kiss him, being very careful and cautious, fearing that he would be discovered.
If this wasn't a dream, he definitely wouldn't dare do it. But there were no ifs. He was in a dream, and Xiao Yuan in reality wouldn't know what he did in the dream. So he only dared to kiss him secretly in this dream, flowing with his endless love, revealing his sincere heart. Yin Heng's eyes were sore. After kissing him, he caressed his face and watched him sleep.
Ahan, do you know how much I hope this is not a dream?
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