VL Chapter14

Yan Jiang sensed something unusual in his tone and turned around, only to see the tall, erect back of the Ghost King.

The rain fell continuously for an entire day, fluctuating between heavy and light without ever stopping. Fortunately, there were still some sparse food reserves at home, and yesterday’s wild pheasant hadn’t been completely finished, so being trapped indoors didn’t mean going hungry.

Yan Jiang had never spent a whole day cooped up with the Ghost King like this. Feeling completely out of place, he sat alone in the hall reading a book, yet his heart felt suspended in suspense, making him constantly on edge; even though the Ghost King had remained in the bedroom without a sound since their brief conversation that morning.

Or perhaps it was simply because the sky was so dark that it made him uneasy.

Having finally endured until evening, he hastily finished his dinner, after which the rain finally subsided. Translucent water droplets still hung from the eaves, dripping occasionally into puddles on the ground with a soft thud.

Yan Jiang cleared the bowls and chopsticks to wash them in the courtyard, then painstakingly propped a fallen section of the fence back into position.

When he stepped back into the house, the Ghost King had unexpectedly emerged from his room at some unknown moment. His imposing figure stood in the middle of the hall, staring expressionlessly at the wall.

From Yan Jiang’s angle, he could clearly see the sharp, sculpted contours of his side profile.

“Ah Fu, do you know why Yan Huaizhi killed me?” Shi Xiao was still staring at the wall without turning his head.

Whether it was an illusion or not, despite the lack of obvious emotion on his face, Yan Jiang felt an inexplicable chill embedded within those words, far from anything that could be considered peaceful.

Taking another step closer, following the Ghost King’s gaze, Yan Jiang realized he had hung that portrait on the wall. Due to its age, the paper had already yellowed, leaving only the red seal bearing the name “Yan Huaizhi” in the bottom-right corner looking exceptionally vivid; red as blood.

Yan Jiang froze slightly, then shook his head, answering in a low voice.

“…I do not know.”

It seemed to be the expected answer as Shi Xiao offered no reaction.

“From the time I reached adulthood, I spent three years in official mourning, and two years fighting on the front lines. At the time of my death, I was precisely twenty-five years old, not yet married nor settled down.” He suddenly pivoted to a different topic.

Whether he forgot or chose not to, when speaking of matters from his life, he did not refer to himself as “this venerable one.”

At that time, this land was not yet called Great Min, nor was its territory as vast as it is today.

In that year, the nation’s fortunes took a downturn. Since the onset of winter, severe snow disasters struck across various regions; tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland were crushed under thick blankets of white snow, and thousands of ponds were sealed solid by frost. Everything the realm’s farmers relied on for survival was reclaimed by the heavens almost overnight, incurring devastating losses.

It was not just the Central Plains; the nomadic barbarians suffered even worse.

The food shortage became the final fuse. Having indulged in ease and luxury over the years, the imperial court only discovered upon the barbarians’ sudden, full-scale invasion that there was not a single capable general available. Thus, Shi Xiao, the young general who had not returned to the capital to celebrate the Spring Festival for two years, and who had returned less than a month prior from a grand victory in the southeast, once again raised his tasseled spear, mounted his tall steed, and prepared to lead his troops into battle.

Shi Xiao’s father had been the renowned General Protecting the Southwest, who sacrificed his life for the nation while still in his prime. The Emperor felt deeply indebted to his only son and was even less willing to see this sole remaining military commander fall on the battlefield. Prior to departure, after much deliberation, the Emperor appointed a high-ranking court official to accompany the army; both to demonstrate his high regard and to serve as Shi Xiao’s military strategist, assisting him with tactical affairs.

This high-ranking minister was none other than Yan Jiang’s ancestor from many generations past: Yan Huaizhi.

Who was Yan Huaizhi? He was the Left Prime Minister exceptionally promoted by the Emperor four years prior, the most talented and fastest-rising civil official in the court. Exceptionally resourceful and clever, his young body could endure the hardship and relocations of campaign life. Most importantly, he shared a deep personal friendship with Shi Xiao, making him the perfect partner for coordinated warfare.

The beginning and progression of the story were incredibly smooth and flawless. Shi Xiao and Yan Huaizhi headed straight for the northwest, combining valor with strategy. In less than half a month, they drove the invading barbarians out of the country’s borders without losing a single soldier or horse. Pursuing the victory, they pressed onward another fifty li before halting, pitching camp amidst the wind and snow to await further instructions from the court.

The northern realms were a world of ice and snow. Though Shi Xiao was fierce and brave on the battlefield, he was ultimately born and raised in the warm lands of the southwest; as soon as the fighting ceased, he felt a bone-chilling cold all day long. Once finished with his duties, he made a habit of holing himself up in his military tent, unwilling to step outside. As a result, Yan Huaizhi often came by to visit, discussing military matters whenever they arose but spending most of his time simply chatting. They used the rare idle moments to talk about how each had been during Shi Xiao’s absence from the capital, laughing and talking, calling each other brothers, just as free of barriers as they had been in their youth.

Yet such days lasted only half a month. Starting from a certain day, Yan Huaizhi suddenly stopped coming by. Shi Xiao paid it no mind at first, but after another four or five days passed and he realized the other party was intentionally avoiding him, he went straight to the military strategist’s tent and asked Yan Huaizhi face-to-face.

Yan Huaizhi remained silent for a long time, answering with a question instead, “Once this New Year passes, my worthy younger brother will be twenty-six. Have you ever considered when you might take a wife?”

“Brother Yan will be thirty after the New Year, and aren’t you still unmarried too?” Although Shi Xiao was completely baffled by the question, he answered with a laugh and open candor. “There’s no rush. I spend year-round out on campaign; rather than a delicate wife, I’d prefer a military strategist like Brother Yan, who understands me so perfectly.”

Though meant as a somewhat playful answer, the moment the words left his mouth, Yan Huaizhi’s expression shifted, and he fell completely silent.

After that, he grew increasingly cold towards Shi Xiao. As luck would have it, the imperial decree from the court finally arrived in the northwest via express messenger, so Shi Xiao temporarily put these personal matters to the back of his mind.

Pressed by the food shortage, the Emperor decided against launching a full-scale war for the time being, ordering Shi Xiao to consolidate his troops and retreat to Diezhou in the northwest before making further plans. Shi Xiao had no objections and immediately set about organizing the withdrawal.

It was simply too cold, so cold that people moved with more slowness and heavy clumsiness than usual. Though the order was given, many preparations could not be rushed. This tidying and packing squandered another three days, until the night before their departure, which happened to be New Year’s Eve in the Central Plains.

That night, breaking all recent precedent, Yan Huaizhi emerged from the military strategist’s tent and invited Shi Xiao to take a walk to digest their meal. Accompanied by no other soldiers, the two talked as they walked, unknowingly reaching the edge of a cliff. Facing the freezing wind, they gazed far into the distance toward the capital.

“When we spoke of marriage the other day… truth be told, my family has arranged introductions with many ladies from noble official households over the years, but I could never bring myself to take a fancy to any of them. I kept making excuses to decline, and before I knew it, I was nearly thirty.” Yan Huaizhi stared at the undulating mountain range for a long time before suddenly speaking to Shi Xiao. “Before leaving the capital, my family thrust another portrait upon me. If memory serves, it seemed to be Minister He of the Ministry of Rites’ legitimate daughter… I hadn’t yet had the chance to decline it back then. I intend to accept this marriage once we return to the capital.”

Shi Xiao turned his head in surprise. “Why so sudden?”

Yan Huaizhi did not look back at him, still gazing off toward the direction of the distant capital. “Mountain ranges overlap upon mountain ranges; rivers and seas are vast and boundless. Among heaven and earth, there are far too many things that pull at one’s heart. Sometimes, one cannot have both and must make a choice. Those that are forsaken are not unwanted; it is merely that there are other things desired even more.”

His voice was too faint, Shi Xiao could not hear clearly, nor could he quite understand. He followed his gaze in confusion and looked out into the distance.

Just as he was about to ask further, a sudden force struck him from behind. Taken completely off guard, Shi Xiao only had time to turn halfway around; however, on the empty brink of the cliff, there was nowhere to leverage himself, nor time to regain his balance. He could only use that split second to catch the murderous intent in Yan Huaizhi’s eyes.

He never crossed over that New Year’s Eve, remaining forever frozen at the age of twenty-five.

When the story reached its end, Yan Jiang was still immersed in shock. Shi Xiao turned around, staring fixedly at Yan Jiang with a strange smile curling on his face.

“I had no choice in the matter, which is excusable. But Ah Fu, do you know why he intentionally delayed marrying, even up to the age of twenty-nine?”

Yan Jiang’s fingertips trembled as a profoundly ominous premonition suddenly sprang up in his heart. Subconsciously, he replied, “I do not know.”

Shi Xiao’s smile widened even further, like a prankster whose scheme had succeeded.

“Because…” He stepped two paces closer, lowering his head until his nose was intimately touching Yan Jiang’s, “…he was a cut-sleeve¹.”

“Yan Huaizhi was in love with me, so in love that he was going mad.”

Shi Xiao spoke very softly, yet his words carried the weight of a thousand tons, crashing mercilessly down upon the human’s head. He then watched at his leisure as Yan Jiang’s eyes widened and he nearly forgot to breathe, bursting into a delighted laugh all to himself.

He was thoroughly amused by that expression.

He even had the leisure to add fuel to the fire, turning his head slightly to press a light touch against the human’s dry lips before speaking again.

“The moment I fell into the abyss, Yan Huaizhi said to me: ‘Your love will only become a stumbling block to my success. Since it is destined to yield no result, why doesn’t my worthy younger brother go on ahead? If there is a next life, this elder brother will love you properly then.'”

“It wasn’t until recently that this venerable one recalled these past events that this venerable one finally understood what he meant by those words.”

Shi Xiao suddenly stood up straight, taking Yan Jiang’s hand to lead him to the front of the scroll.

“He harbored a bitter, unrequited love for this venerable one for years, never daring to face the fact that he was a cut-sleeve. It had long become a sickness of the heart, so much so that a single joke made him truly believe that this venerable one harbored the same filthy desires toward him. He panicked on the spot, and in the end, pushed all the fault onto someone else, convincing himself that this venerable one was a stumbling block in the way of his future.”

Yan Jiang’s limbs grew rigid, and he stared fixedly at the portrait without moving a muscle. While his reason still screamed that such an absurd matter should not be easily believed, his subconscious had already bought into most of it.

Yan Huaizhi’s wife, Lady He of the Yan clan, appeared in the Yan family genealogy, cemetery, and ancestral hall as the mother of Yan Huaizhi’s heirs, yet she was absent specifically from the position of Yan Huaizhi’s wife. It was said that when this ancestor, who once held absolute power in the court, passed away, he still reserved the place of his wife for someone else in his heart…

He didn’t believe it before, but now he had no choice but to believe it.

He was beyond shock and there was only utter astonishment.

Confronted with such an appalling and sensational secret, Yan Jiang didn’t know how to react. A whirlwind of thoughts tumbled through his head for a long while before he turned his head blankly toward the Ghost King.

The Ghost King was still smiling.

“Doesn’t Ah Fu find it amusing? Merely because of Yan Huaizhi’s unrequited passions, this venerable one died so needlessly in a foreign land, laden with military achievements.” As he spoke, not a trace of resentment could be seen on his face as if he truly regarded this as nothing more than an entertaining anecdote.

He even had the leisure to free his other hand to knead Yan Jiang’s stiff face.

Once he had rubbed Yan Jiang’s face back to a softer state, it took a while before the other party finally spoke in helpless distress, “Though my ancestor is no longer among the living… a life for a life. If My Lord still harbors injustice in your heart, then take my life instead.”

He seemed not to have fully recovered his composure, his eyes still wide open as he looked up while speaking with an exceptionally innocent expression, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the ever refined and gentle Yan Huaizhi.

The Ghost King raised an eyebrow.

“That won’t be necessary. This venerable one merely find him pitiable.”

“However, though the death penalty may be spared, for living debts, Ah Fu must repay them slowly…”

Shi Xiao drawled meaningfully, narrowing his eyes to hide the faint, fleeting crimson glimmer within them.