FRS: Chapter 20 – Unknown Love (2)
Translator: Momoe Pom
TLC: Puissansa
Editor: Isabelle
Quality Check: MochiMochi
First Published on Ainushi.
Hua HuaiXiu opened his eyes and saw the face that was very close to him. He blinked, then blinked again.
It had only been a little over a month and yet he felt like thousands of years had pa.s.sed by already. The face was so familiar that he could trace it with his eyes closed, and yet while looking at it, he could not even call out the name of its owner. The speechlessness was not due to him forgetting it, but rather it was too painful that he was unable to forget.
Drawing Hua HuaiXiu in his arms, Fan JiJing stared at the front indifferently. "Are you all going to start first? Or should I start first?"
The killers looked at each other in dismay, then they suddenly jumped up together.
Four swords attacked Fan JiJing from four different angles.
Ever since Hua HuaiXiu found out that Fan JiJing was the real murderer that had killed Bu LouLian, he did not worry about Fan JiJing's martial arts skills again.
A cold glimmer went across.
The killers didn't even have time to see his move clearly before they felt a chill on their necks. Blood spurted out as their bodies involuntarily fell to the ground.
Fan JiJing put back the sword and turned around. Just as he was about to speak, a familiar puff of air created by a palm blew right towards his face. He subconsciously raised his hand to block it.
Hua HuaiXiu glared at him. His eyes that were bright and beautiful like the first glimmer of dawn were now as dark and gloomy as a secluded lake where there was no daylight — they were bone-chilling.
The lighting was dim, but the two people were so close to each other that the cold glimmer in the eyes left Fan JiJing with nowhere to escape to.
"Cousin." There was entreaty in his voice.
This move was proven successful by his numerous tries in the past.
But obviously, it was only in the past.
Hua HuaiXiu changed his palm into a fist and struggled hard. His eyes glared so intensely that it seemed like ice dregs were about to spout from them.
Fan JiJing put his hand down in silence.
Slap.
A crisp slap.
After a slap on the face, Hua HuaiXiu's anger seemed to be slightly appeased. He gave a sarcastic smile. "I've heard that the Jiuhua Sect is becoming more prosperous everyday under the lead of Fan Zhangmen. Fan Zhangmen should be way too busy to spare time for other tasks these days, how come you have time to come for an outing in the forest?"
Fan JiJing said, "I missed you." If it was the Fan JiJing in the past, he could never say something like this, but not only was the current Fan JiJing able to say it, he could even say it in a very natural way.
Hua HuaiXiu sneered, "There is no one being fooled by you now, so you feel too empty?"
Fan JiJing said in a low voice, "Cousin. Go back with me."
"Go back?" As if he had heard an extremely funny joke, Hua HuaiXiu drew the corners of his mouth back as hard as he could. "Where in the world do you think that I can still use the words 'go back' on?"
He could not go back to the Hua Family because he had run away from the marriage arrangement.
Mount Jiuhua… That was where Fan JiJing had personally driven him out!
Fan JiJing replied, "Anywhere. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you."
Pain suddenly clenched Hua HuaiXiu's heart. It was so painful that he couldn't help but raise his hand and throw a fist at Fan JiJing.
This time, Fan JiJing did not grab his hand. Instead, he slightly moved his feet, letting Hua HuaiXiu's punch land on his shoulder.
"What do you think I am? Someone that responds at your beck and call?" Hua HuaiXiu was still not satisfied after a slap and a punch, so he simply lifted his foot and brutally ground on Fan JiJing's.
Fan JiJing took it head on without a word.
"Do you think you can make me stop by not fighting back?" Hua HuaiXiu suddenly took a few steps back. "That slap, that punch, and that stamp were what you owed me! Now that I've given them all back to you, we will call it even!"
"Are you sure?" Fan JiJing softly asked.
Hua HuaiXiu answered with curt finality. "I'm sure."
"Then fine." Fan JiJing seemed to have heaved a sigh of relief.
The anger in Hua HuaiXiu's chest expanded so much that his chest was going to explode!
He actually heaved a sigh of relief!
He was simply a burden to Fan JiJing, wasn't he? Was he afraid that it would be hard to explain to the Hua Family if Hua HuaiXiu were to die out there? Or was it basically blind luck that he happened to pa.s.s by here and running into Hua HuaiXiu was something outside of his plan?
Hua HuaiXiu was too absorbed in his guesses that he didn't notice Fan JiJing approaching him at all. By the time he realized this, Fan JiJing's finger was already on his acupoint.
"What are you doing?" Hua HuaiXiu was both surprised and angry.
It was definitely not pleasant to lose one's control over his body at a moment like this.
Fan JiJing bent over and carried him up easily as he softly said, "You need rest."
"Let me go. Of course I'll find somewhere to rest." Hua HuaiXiu glared at him.
But a glare upwards obviously had less vigour compared to the eye-level glare a moment ago. At least Fan JiJing was able to ignore his stare just by looking forward.
"I said, Put. Me. Down!" Hua HuaiXiu shouted, pausing after each word.
Fan JiJing calmly asked, "Cousin. Would you like to actively stay quiet or pa.s.sively stay quiet?"
Of course, "pa.s.sive" referred to the mute acupoint.
Hua HuaiXiu ferociously replied, "How dare you?!"
Fan JiJing suddenly stopped his feet.
Hua HuaiXiu's gaze was fierce, but in his heart he was not confident. If it was before, he believed that Fan JiJing definitely would not dare to do so, but as for the current Fan JiJing…
To his sorrow, he found out that the other person was really brave.
Fan JiJing lifted the hands that were carrying him upwards.
Staring at the chin that was close at hand, Hua HuaiXiu frowned. "What're you doing?"
Fan JiJing pulled a faint smile and before it disappeared, he had already lowered his head.
Hua HuaiXiu stared blankly at the light above his head being blocked little by little until he felt a warm sensation on his lips. His mind went blank. Dislike, sadness, excitement, happiness… All his feelings disappeared. Out of his entire body, only his lips could still feel, feel how Fan JiJing gradually approached, invaded, and devoured…
He didn't know how long had pa.s.sed.
Fan JiJing raised his head up and continued walking forward.
Hua HuaiXiu was able to breathe a little more smoothly as his train of thought came back to him.
"You…" He said one word, but it was kept inside his mouth and sounded even softer than the buzz of a mosquito.
"Are you hungry?" Fan JiJing asked.
"Ah?" Hua HuaiXiu foolishly asked back.
"I am." There was a feeling of a smile vaguely contained in Fan JiJing's voice.
"Oh." One word again.
"I'll speed up." Right after he finished saying that, Fan JiJing did not wait for Hua HuaiXiu to respond before he started to rush forward with his lightness skill.
The wind slapped towards them with a flapping sound.
Hua HuaiXiu felt the left side of his face hurting slightly, so he subconsciously pushed his head closer towards Fan JiJing's chest.
The slightly disordered heartbeat came into his ears.
It gave him a light start and he looked up.
Even though he could only see his face from below, Hua HuaiXiu could still imagine what poker face Fan JiJing would be wearing right now.
His mood was obviously not as peaceful as it appeared on his face.
Hua HuaiXiu secretly pushed his ear against where Fan JiJing's heart was. He raised the corner of his lips, revealing his first wholehearted smile in over a month.
The business at the inn in the small town was lacking. Fan JiJing was able to get two deluxe rooms.
Hua HuaiXiu was pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed and let Fan JiJing carry him into the guest room. He put Hua HuaiXiu onto the bed softly and quietly, then covered him with blanket.
After the series of actions, Fan JiJing didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. Instead, he sat down next to the table as if he was waiting for something.
Hua HuaiXiu's heart jolted. Could it be that he was waiting for him to wake up?
Ever since the abrupt kiss in the forest, his mood had completely turned on its head. The reason that he could not forgive Fan JiJing before wasn't because of his deception. He could understand how persistent Fan JiJing was while wanting to take his revenge, and he could also understand that Fan JiJing had no other choice but to use him.
What really chilled his heart was how he turned a cold shoulder to him despite their past.
He would use him willfully without feeling any guilt and kick him out right away after he had achieved his goal. From the beginning to the end, he was like a disposable chess piece in Fan JiJing's hand.
―Even when Fan JiJing clearly knew his feelings towards him.
But…
The kiss just now seemed to prove that he wasn't completely heartless?
Hua HuaiXiu was a little dismayed because he felt his heart, full of holes in this stillness, was rising again from the ashes.
He no longer knew how to face him.
He was afraid that the wall he was finally able to build inside his heart with great difficulty would soon collapse under his attacks.
If he was stupid to be fooled once, then he must deserve it if he were to be fooled twice.
But why did he have the impulse to take the bait again despite all of that?
The more he thought about it, the more depressed Hua HuaiXiu became!
There came a light knock on the door. Fan JiJing got up to open it.
Another person came in.
Hua HuaiXiu secretly opened his eyes into slits.
A servant from the inn was trying to move a bath basin of steaming hot water into the room.
Soon after, Fan JiJing asked the servant to leave. He himself followed and closed the door behind him.
All of a sudden, all that was left in the room was Hua HuaiXiu who was pretending to be asleep and a bath basin filled with hot water.
Hua HuaiXiu slowly sat up.
He realized that his acupoint was unlocked back then at the forest.
The steam rising incessantly from the basin was clearly Fan JiJing's smile as if he was saying, "Stop faking it. Get up and take a bath."
Hua HuaiXiu was unwilling to accept it.
It was like every movement of his was within his grasp. However, the temptation emitted by the hot water was indeed irresistible.
"I shouldn't let myself suffer." He mumbled this to himself as he got up and took off his clothes, surrendering in the end to the charm of hot water.