TL: Hua

Chapter 22: Begging

Ever since hearing the antique talk in the antique shop last time, Zhou Fan realized he needed to reconstruct his worldview. Sure enough, under his burning, perceptive eyes, he… still couldn’t see anything.

However, Zhou Fan clearly felt that his mother’s health was much better than before.

Because Zhang Xuemei had a weak bazi, she was more prone to encountering unclean things than ordinary people, which led to poor sleep quality and being easily frightened.

Zhou Fan had never believed in bazi or fortune-telling before. But after his mom put on the red string gifted by Master You, her chronic heart palpitations vanished. Zhou Fan couldn’t help but believe it.

Zhou Fan was now completely convinced of You Xingyue.

Zhou Fan said cheerfully, “He drank and chased girls all day yesterday, and then he had a cerebral hemorrhage last night.”

Gu Min said unhurriedly, “That little rascal in my family found out about this news and insisted on knowing what was going on. I came to watch the show—ahem, to check out the situation.”

Pixiu couldn’t stand Cao Duo; naturally, it wanted to watch a situation like this unfold.

You Xingyue uttered a hum of assent: “It can be considered bad deeds meeting bad karma.”

Bu Liuke nodded in agreement.

As they were talking, the ward door was pushed open, and a hospital bed was pushed next to Ji Ge by a caregiver. A man and a woman then entered.

The woman wore a white lab coat. She looked only twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, her delicate facial features steeped in coldness and indifference. After entering, she first cast a glance at Ji Ge, then indifferently shifted her gaze away.

On the hospital bed was none other than the comatose Cao Duo.

The female doctor said, “Since you chose conservative treatment, let’s observe for a while first.”

Without even raising her head, she said, “Bed 135, come out for examinations. Also, unrelated personnel, do not make noise in the ward, or I’ll have to get security to ask you to leave.”

Ji Ge sat up, and Wei Mingsi hurriedly helped him up.

Ji Ge let out a soft sigh. He had been so emotionally agitated just now that he almost couldn’t maintain his human form. Suddenly, a hand reached out from beneath his elbow, steadily supporting him.

At the same time, a trace of pure spiritual energy was transmitted into Ji Ge’s body.

Bu Liuke whispered, “Xingyue’s spiritual energy is very good for Ji Ge.”

You Xingyue knew in his heart that it wasn’t that his spiritual energy was good for Ji Ge, but that Wangfu’s spiritual energy was pure enough.

The color on Ji Ge’s deathly pale face flushed slightly. He was a bit surprised. Although the amount of spiritual energy transferred just now was small, it was extremely pure.

Ji Ge smiled at You Xingyue gratefully.

Wei Mingsi asked, “Dr. Shen, what other examinations need to be done?”

Dr. Shen said coldly, “We need to prepare for surgery in a few days, so we’ll do some checks today and invite a few doctors over to take a look. It might take a long time.”

Dr. Shen tapped the ballpoint pen in her hand against the form sheet, taking a deep look at Ji Ge.

Ji Ge understood and slipped his hand out of Wei Mingsi’s grip. “Mingsi, you stay and talk with Mr. and Mrs. Wei for a while first. I’ll go do the check-ups.”

Wei Mingsi couldn’t be at ease. Ji Ge’s condition was too poor. How could he feel safe letting Ji Ge go for examinations alone? “No, I want to accompany you. I’ll go downstairs and borrow a wheelchair…”

Ji Ge patted the back of Wei Mingsi’s hand. “I’m feeling much better. I just got dizzy from the sun down there earlier; I’m fine now that I’m up here. Go clear things up with Mr. Wei first.”

Wei Mingsi hesitated. But if he didn’t persuade his parents to leave, Ji Ge still wouldn’t be able to rest properly when he returned. He carefully studied Ji Ge’s face. His usually pale lower lip had regained a touch of color. Feeling slightly relieved, Wei Mingsi said, “Alright, go on then.”

You Xingyue said, “In that case, I shall take my leave as well. Oh, by the way, Student Wei.”

He pointed to his own hair, soft and jet-black, contrasting with his long, cool, white fingers. “Don’t forget about this.”

Wei Mingsi subconsciously touched his small bun and nodded.

He still needed to grow his hair out to make a wig for his boyfriend.

Dr. Shen led Ji Ge out the door, and You Xingyue followed at an unhurried pace.

Though You Xingyue had poor eyesight, his hearing was exceptionally sharp. Even with the hospital room door pulled half-shut, he could still hear the voices inside.

Zhou Fan: “Tsk tsk, so a man really should just be an honest, good husband and father. What good comes from making enemies out of your own wife and son? See that? The moment something goes wrong, the plug gets pulled.”

Cao Duo’s son: “…That’s called conservative treatment. Besides, the surgery was finished, and the doctors already gave it their all.”

It’s just that the family didn’t really want to give it their all.

Inside the ward, the reprimand Father Wei was about to hurl at his son suddenly stuck in his throat, unsure of whether he should say it or not.

You Xingyue’s lips curled into a faint smile, and he quickened his pace to catch up with Ji Ge.

Ji Ge was waiting for You Xingyue in the hallway.

Dr. Shen asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ge replied, “Waiting for Boss You to come out. He’s the new owner of Not Keeping Guests, and he said he wants to see my true form. By the way, Shen Qing, I’ll need to trouble you to cover for me over the next few days.”

There was, of course, no actual surgery, but Ji Ge was going to “fail” his.

Shen Qing had a gentle, passionate name¹情 [qíng] in her name means affection or sentiment., but she was born with cold, aloof features. She said indifferently, “You are my mother’s close friend. Of course I will help you.”

Shen Qing’s mother was also a peony demon, albeit a deep crimson one. Regrettably, the red peony withered even earlier than Shen Qing was born. By the time Shen Qing came into the world, her mother had already passed away.

This was a hospital run by half-demons.

“The thing you were looking for… you didn’t find it?” Shen Qing asked.

Suppressing his reluctance, Ji Ge forced a smile. “No. I’ve lived long enough, and I even got to date the best boyfriend. I have no regrets.”

Behind her mask, Shen Qing’s lips pressed into a tight line.

A moment later, You Xingyue walked up to them with quick steps.

Shen Qing was a person of few words. She gave You Xingyue a nod, then led him and Ji Ge into the elevator. They rode it downstairs and walked all the way to an abandoned dispensary.

Shen Qing unlocked and pushed open the door.

Ji Ge explained, “One of my flowers is in here. It can take us directly to where my true form is.”

With so many people coming and going in the hospital and surveillance cameras everywhere, Ji Ge had placed a flower in this abandoned dispensary so he could return to his true form under the guise of undergoing medical examinations.

Shen Qing put away the key, turned, and left.

Ji Ge retrieved a white peony flower from a cabinet inside the dispensary. The flower was as wide as a bowl, with dense, layered petals and a tender yellow stamen. Even though it had been plucked years ago, it remained in full bloom.

Ji Ge held out the peony and signaled for You Xingyue to take his hand.

Inside the dispensary, a massive peony flower enveloped the two of them. When the flower vanished, the two figures standing in its place disappeared along with it.

—

Yingjiang City had only one Prince Jing’s manor. It was an ancient structure that had weathered several dynasties, though it was now a well-known tourist attraction among the locals.

The manor’s garden was locked and had never been open to the public.

When You Xingyue arrived at the garden, he immediately understood why entry was forbidden. A faint trace of resentment lingered in the area.

The soil seemed damp, and a strange, metallic smell of rust hung in the air.

Bu Liuke squatted in the flowerbed, his expression growing increasingly grim as he shook his head. “It’s not poison. His roots are ruined. Not only is he unable to cultivate, but his cultivation base is also regressing.”

Unable to hear Bu Liuke’s voice, Ji Ge turned to You Xingyue and said, “This used to be a field of peonies. Later, when the prince of a different surname rebelled, the emperor ordered his entire family to be slaughtered, and their bodies were buried in this flowerbed. Those dead servants had nothing to do with the rebellion, so they died with overwhelming resentment. Back then, I had just been transplanted to the manor, and my cultivation was too weak, so I couldn’t do anything.”

Only a single peony plant remained in the flowerbed. It was exceptionally tall with sprawling branches, clearly having lived for many years. Yet, such a magnificent plant had only a few withered, yellow leaves left.

You Xingyue said, “You have been diffusing this resentment all this time. Otherwise, as a tourist spot open for so many years, something terrible would have definitely happened here. That resentment gnawed away at your root system, preventing you from absorbing spiritual energy, which is why you’ve been decaying day after day.”

Ji Ge smiled bashfully. “Those who died were innocent; none of them were truly evil people.”

You Xingyue made up his mind. “I truly can’t find a single reason not to fight for you just this once.”

Ji Ge’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you saying…”

You Xingyue tilted his head, breaking into a bright smile. “When you bloom again, invite me over to take a look.”

Ji Ge covered the lower half of his face with one hand, nodding through his sobs. “I… I will definitely invite you.”

—

Wei Mingsi leaned exhausted against his chair. He had just taken a shower, his hair held up with a Zitan hairpin, his mind consumed entirely by what Dr. Shen had told him earlier that day.

Shen Qing had said, “The craniotomy is in three days, and I am the lead surgeon. The outlook isn’t optimistic, so prepare yourself.”

Wei Mingsi covered his eyes with one hand, tears soaking into his sleeve.

What he failed to notice was a very faint glint of spiritual light flashing across the sandalwood hairpin in his hair.

Over the past few days, Wei Mingsi’s hair had grown a lot, becoming smooth and resilient. A single, exceptionally long strand fell to the ground, wrapped by a red thread, and dragged toward Nanbei Street on the other side of the city.

Three Days Later

Ji Ge was wheeled into the operating room while Wei Mingsi sat in the hallway, waiting.

Clasping his hands together in front of him, Wei Mingsi had never been so devout. He prayed silently in his heart: If there really are gods and spirits in this world, please protect the person I love and keep him safe and healthy.

—

In the peony flowerbed, Ji Ge’s body below the waist had transformed into plant roots, while his upper body struggled to maintain its human form. His cultivation base was on the brink of completely dispersing, and his pupils were beginning to lose focus.

Suddenly, warmth bloomed at Ji Ge’s wrist, as if a thread of some kind were tethering him, pulling him, desperately wishing for him to remain in the mortal world.

Ji Ge struggled to focus his eyes, catching sight of the new owner of Not Keeping Guests.

The young human boss wore chain-linked glasses, his features striking beneath the moonlight. He extended a hand toward Ji Ge and smiled softly. “You ought to beg me.”

Dazed, Ji Ge mustered all his strength to reach out. His icy fingers rested on the human boss’s palm. “I… I beg of you…”

The moment Ji Ge’s thin fingers touched You Xingyue’s palm, a white thread radiated from the tips of Ji Ge’s fingers, wrapping tightly around You Xingyue’s wrist.

Between human and demon, human and human, human and object… Threads in this world do not appear out of thin air. But as long as one actively creates an intersection or a single connection, a faint thread will be born.

“Yes, just like that.” You Xingyue gripped both of Ji Ge’s hands tightly. His voice was tender, his eyes brimming with a smile. “Ask me to save you.”

Ask me to save you; extend toward me the bond that yearns for redemption.

And I, along with the person you love dearly, will hold on to you.

A crimson thread caught the white thread reaching toward You Xingyue.

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  情 [qíng] in her name means affection or sentiment.