TSMITB Chapter8

Shen Que nodded without replying and slowly shifted his gaze, seemingly giving Ah Chao a casual glance.

Signal connection successful.

Ah Chao, who was originally quietly warming himself by the fire, suddenly collapsed into Gang Zi’s arms with his eyes tightly closed while clutching his left leg and wailing.

Gang Zi quickly reacted, slapped him on the back of his hand, leaned in, and gritted his teeth by his ear, “Little idiot, you injured your right leg. Did the painkillers make you stupid?”

Ah Chao’s wailing paused for a moment, and he quickly switched legs to hug and continued to groan.

Old Qiu held his forehead as he continued to frown and ask with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Que, who was currently “opening up” to the youth, was also startled by this “sudden” change and quickly moved closer.

“What?” As if struck by dreadful news, Shen Que’s voice quivered. He kept it low, as though afraid of being overheard, and quietly confirmed, “If he doesn’t get treated soon, this leg will…”

“Yes.” Gang Zi closed his eyes with deep pain. “It can only be sawed off.”

Old Qiu suddenly grew flustered, covering his face with his rough, calloused hands and muttering, “But we’ve been lost in these mountains for many days already, we don’t know how to get out at all, and how long can we even last without food?”

Shen Que couldn’t bear the shock. He staggered to his feet, stumbled back a few steps, and slipped, falling into a damp embrace.

The youth who was originally sitting had moved behind Shen Que at some unknown time, he supported Shen Que’s waist with his strong hands to steady him, there was even a little stain of yogurt-filled milk on the corner of his mouth.

The youth’s expression was calm while taking in the somewhat exaggerated performance of the few people.

As if clutching a life-saving straw, Shen Que grabbed the youth’s wrist with his palm, explaining the whole story to him, “Can you take us in for a while? As soon as he recovers from his injury, we’ll leave immediately.”

The youth’s heavy gaze pressed down on Shen Que’s hand holding him, he thought for a moment before speaking in a low voice, “Are you sure?”

Shen Que nodded without hesitation.

“Actually, before, I also saved someone, and brought him to the stockaded village; he said he would stay with me for a lifetime.”

Unknowingly, the youth’s voice had lost its earlier clarity, now tinged with a faint, indistinct hoarseness.

“What happened later?” Shen Que’s throat inexplicably tightened.

The youth met his gaze, eyes deep like a pool of cold water, but in the next moment they cleared, and a gentle smile once again curved at the corner of his lips. “Later, I sent him home. His home, is not here.”

Shen Que let out a sigh of relief. “He must be very grateful to you.”

The youth did not commit himself either and said no more while also withdrew the hand supporting Shen Que’s lean side waist, and was just about to turn around to sit back down, but was pulled back by Shen Que grabbing his wrist.

Shen Que met his puzzled gaze and beckoned to him. As he leaned in, a gentle warmth brushed against the corner of his lips.

Shen Que smiled and showed him the yogurt stain on his fingertip.

The youth froze for a moment as a faint blush spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears, kindling a fire in his eyes and tinting their corners red.

For a moment, a strong unease welled up in Shen Que’s heart, a voice in his mind told him that his decision had been wrong from the beginning to the end, whether it was deliberately slashing the boat to feign asking the youth for help or choosing to follow the youth to the unknown village at this moment.

The consequence of the former was borne by Ah Chao, whose right leg was injured so severely. Whatever price the latter still needed to pay, let it come to himself; anyway, his obsession with writing a perfect will is not so strong anymore…

“I am also very grateful to you; when we return, we will certainly do everything in our power to repay you.” Shen Que was not lying in this sentence; as long as someone in the village where the youth lives has a way to save Shen Yi, what kind of repayment can they not afford to give?

Light flowed and shimmered in the youth’s eyes. “I will remember your promise.” I also hope that you won’t forget again.

Seeing that their goal was achieved, the few people who were utterly grief-stricken just moments again quickly packed up their belongings, ready to depart at any time.

The youth’s gaze inadvertently swept over the worn backpack containing “inedible” food, and he was about to speak when Shen Que took a step forward to block his inquiring gaze, and casually picked up the dried outer garment and handed it to him.

The youth retracted his gaze and took the clothing but was not in a hurry to put it on, only draped it casually over his arm. He stepped over the extinguished campfire with his long legs, and stood in front of the dense forest, looking down at a certain spot while waiting quietly.

Shen Que still hadn’t moved from his spot yet and just looking at his slightly slender back, an impulse made him want to call out to him, but the words only came to his lips when he remembered that after saying so much, he still hadn’t asked his name.

Shen Que gritted his teeth and moved unevenly step by step to stand beside the youth, following his gaze forward. “I forgot to ask you, what is your name?”

“Sheng, Qi, Xiao.” The youth turned his head to stare at Shen Que, and uttered his name one word at a time, “Sheng as in grand, Qi as in pray, and Xiao as in sky.”

“It’s a very nice name, it suits you well.” Shen Que rolled the three characters over his tongue once, sincerely praising, “My name is Shen Que, Que as in certain. I’m very lucky to have met you today—my lifesaver.”

The youth curved his brows and eyes, not delving into the truthfulness of his words at all.

Shen Que gazed at the seemingly endless forest, where trees grew tall and straight, their roots tangled deep in the earth in a pattern both intricate and uneven. Even at this moment, he still didn’t know if his decision was correct, didn’t know if the seemingly simple and sincere youth beside him was trustworthy or not, but he had no choice, rather than aimlessly searching, it was better to take a chance.

Sheng Qixiao walked with determined steps at the very front of the group; clearly, his sense of direction was excellent, and he was sufficiently familiar with this mysterious mountain forest.

Shen Que endured the dull ache in his ankle as he closely followed behind him.

Ah Chao’s leg injury was indeed not light; it was basically impossible for him to walk by himself, so he could only be carried by Old Qiu and Gang Zi in turns to proceed.

The group thus embarked on the unknown journey.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Shen Que gradually slowed down, unknowingly falling to the very end of the line.

The swelling pain in his ankle grew stronger, accompanied by throbbing in his temples and cold sweat dripping from his forehead, and his mind was almost in disarray.

Gang Zi and the others had been watching closely, quietly suggesting that Old Qiu and Gang Zi each carry one person, a task their strength could manage without much difficulty.

Shen Que thought for a moment but still refused.

Sheng Qixiao stopped and looked back at him, his eyes filled with concern. “What’s wrong, Shen Que?”

This was the first time Sheng Qixiao called Shen Que’s name; unlike how anyone else had called it before, the two words were clearly distinct yet intertwined as they left his mouth, and on closer inspection, they even seemed to carry a strange, lingering affection.

They had only known each other for a few hours; where did this affection come from?

Shen Que shook his head with a laugh, forcing himself to block the strange thoughts. He clenched his teeth, hurried forward in a few quick steps, and with a pale face, forced a strained smile. “Let’s go.”

Old Qiu and the others wanted to say something more but were stopped by a look from him.

Sheng Qixiao also curved the corner of his mouth while pressing his lips together as if he truly hadn’t noticed his abnormality. He didn’t press for an answer and just nodded with a normal expression, then turned around, and continued to stride forward.

The moment he turned back, his gaze shifted downward, looking at Shen Que’s left foot, which he barely dared to put weight on, the curve of the smile on his lips instantly vanished, entirely devoid of the tenderness from just moments before.

The jumbled rhythm of footsteps echoed through the forest, barely pausing for a moment.

Shen Que was in numb pain, his left leg felt like it was filled with lead, heavily sticking to the ground, unable to exert any strength.

Watching as Sheng Qixiao’s figure was about to disappear in front, Shen Que finally spoke up and called out to him.

The navy blue hem of the clothing, embroidered with intricate ancient patterns, paused, covering a well-growing small pale purple wildflower.

Shen Que’s legs were slightly bent, his back leaned against a tree trunk, and he was breathing heavily.

Sheng Qixiao remained where he stood, neither approaching nor speaking, silently waiting for him to say something.

Shen Que lifted his eyes slightly, letting his gaze drift past Old Qiu and the others before settling on Sheng Qixiao’s expressionless face, where he caught a flicker of anger from his seemingly calm eyes.

In that moment, Shen Que realized once more that he had clearly touched on something, though whether he let it pass or allowed it to grow was uncertain.

He was always willing to give the power of choice to others, but was also happy to inadvertently sprinkle some nutrients to help people make a relatively correct choice.

“Sheng Qixiao.” He called out again, softening his tone, “Can you help me again?”

He didn’t know if it was his illusion, but Sheng Qixiao’s expression showed signs of clearing up from gloom.

The light in front of him suddenly dimmed; all he could see was a broad, thickly cloth-wrapped chest, with several small braids and silver chains hanging down on both sides, swaying and making a crisp sound as he walked.

Shen Que pulled his pant leg up, revealing his highly swollen ankle, and looked a bit embarrassed at Sheng Qixiao’s taut jaw. “My ankle is injured. Could we walk a bit slower? I’ll try my best to keep up and not delay your time to go home.”

Sheng Qixiao’s expression relaxed when he heard the first half of the sentence, but the second half caused some cracks in the mask of a false smile he had half-worn.

“If we slow down, it will be too late.” His tone was stranger than ever, flat and unvarying, each word stiffly placed before Shen Que.

Old Qiu really couldn’t hold back anymore, he put the backpack he was carrying down, and was about to go and carry Shen Que but was quickly grabbed by Ah Chao, who was on Gang Zi’s back.

Ah Chao shook his head, gesturing for him not to interfere.

According to his years of experience, this might also be a part of Shen Que’s plan.

Gang Zi nodded solemnly.

Looking at Sheng Qixiao’s frozen expression, Shen Que suddenly had an epiphany and tentatively spoke as if inspired, “Can you carry me on your back?”

Sheng Qixiao was startled, the hand hanging by his side was pressed tightly against the fabric, and his fingers twitched unconsciously for a moment. “What?”

“Can you carry me on your back?” Shen Que repeated softly, as he stared unblinkingly at Sheng Qixiao with his pair of peach blossom eyes, “My leg really hurts too much, I can’t keep up with you anymore.”

Sheng Qixiao awkwardly looked away, but Shen Que saw the small dimple on his cheek that he couldn’t hide.

Interesting.

Sheng Qixiao offered no words of refusal. Without hesitation, he turned, bent his knees, and lowered himself into a half-squat.

In an instant, warmth pressed against his back along with a weight. Almost immediately, a pair of hands climbed onto his shoulders, and as he was about to stand up, those hands slid forward, loosely encircling his neck, the fingertips naturally hanging down and lightly touching the skin of his neck.

Sheng Qixiao cupped the soft flesh of Shen Que’s buttocks and legs with his palms, resisting the urge to tighten his fingers and knead them, while lowering his head and carefully discerning the path beneath his feet.

As Shen Que rested on Sheng Qixiao’s shoulder, his warm damp breath brushing against the other party’s ear while his expression was calm and wholly indifferent.