Encountering a Snake - Chapter 30

V3C30

 

Shen Jue said, “If you die, there’s no guarantee we’ll meet again in the next life. Are you willing to let it all end here in this lifetime?”

 

“There’s no question of willingness or unwillingness. This is simply what I must do,” Xu Mingshi replied.

 

Precisely because the next life is uncertain, what matters is doing what must be done in this one.

 

He had experienced much in his life—countless lively events, countless splendors. Yet, in the end, what lingered in his memory was a snowy winter. In the pavilion veiled by curtains, he sat with this family, wrapped in fur coats, warmed by the brazier, watching snowflakes fall outside. They drank and chatted, untouched by the cold wind. Shen Qingxuan’s witty remarks infused even the simplest things with charm. Back then, Xu was still young and impulsive, often laughing uncontrollably at Shen Qingxuan’s words, spilling wine in the process. At the time, Shen Jue still called him “Uncle Xu,” an innocent child full of joy, running circles around the adults in the pavilion. Seeing Uncle Xu laughing so madly, Shen Jue couldn’t help but laugh along. Yi Mo, always reticent, smiled softly and filled their empty cups with hot wine.

 

It was the most ordinary winter day. The plum blossoms in the courtyard had bloomed, and Shen Qingxuan invited him to appreciate them.

 

There was no great passion, only snow drifting, the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, the warmth of the brazier, peanuts crackling in the fire, and wine cups being filled and emptied repeatedly.

 

Yet, it was a scene of utmost beauty and harmony.

 

At that time, they had no idea how difficult and turbulent the road ahead would be, how many separations and reunions awaited them. None of them could foresee the future. The road ahead was unknown, so they reveled in the present.

 

Back then, they believed they would be lifelong friends. Only now does he realize how long this bond has lasted. Time did not diminish their affection but refined it into something even deeper.

 

Death is terrifying. Even as an old man nearing his end, Xu Mingshi still feared the eternal darkness ahead.

 

Yet feelings and loyalty compelled him to face death willingly.

 

While he still had the strength to extend a hand, to pull a friend up, it wasn’t for fame or praise. It was simply to uphold something worth sacrificing even one’s life for—something that allowed one to live with a clear conscience.

 

That was aid, support, care, and friendship.

 

The world is beautiful because of these things and those who pursue them. It remains beautiful because of them.

 

His decision was firm, but Shen Jue hesitated, weighing the risks. The vision was beautiful, but the reality was harsh and fraught with difficulty. To trade Xu Mingshi’s life for Yi Mo’s return—emotionally and rationally, Shen Jue couldn’t accept it.

 

“This concerns Father. It should be up to him to decide,” Shen Jue said. “If Father cannot decide, then it should fall to Dad.”

 

“Can’t you just agree?” Xu Mingshi asked.

 

“No,” Shen Jue replied resolutely.

 

“Shen Jue,” Xu Mingshi looked at him and asked, “In all these years, has there been a single matter in your family that you decided on your own?”

 

Shen Jue was taken aback. After a long silence, he finally shook his head, this time with guilt in his expression.

 

In an ordinary family, a child would have long become the pillar of the household, offering advice, making decisions, and taking responsibility. But he had never played such a role.

 

When Shen Qingxuan passed away, Shen Jue was still young and followed Yi Mo ever since. Yi Mo, with his detached nature, rarely involved himself in conflicts, and when he did, it was entirely his own decision, needing no input from others. Shen Jue only needed to follow. And so, he grew up like this, always chasing after someone, never stopping to think about standing still. Even during his brief separation from Yi Mo due to the emperor, they remained in contact, knowing the separation was temporary and that he would soon return. This habit persisted for a hundred years.

 

But Xu Mingshi asked, “After they’re gone, what will you do?”

 

“I’ll go find them,” Shen Jue instinctively thought to say but stopped himself, remembering someone else—someone he had promised to search for. Before finding that person, he couldn’t go to his father and dad.

 

Something stirred in his heart, and Shen Jue stood there, lost, unsure of what to do for the first time. What if he couldn’t find them? Giving up wasn’t in his nature, especially with a promise to fulfill. A promise was like an oath, meant to be kept with one’s life and sealed with blood. He could only keep searching until the promise was fulfilled. Only then could he seek out the reincarnations of his father and dad. By then, they likely wouldn’t recognize him.

 

What good is being a demon, Shen Jue thought. It wasn’t the first time this thought crossed his mind, but it was the first time it felt so clear.

 

Xu Mingshi sighed inwardly, watching Shen Jue’s expression. In truth, he was just a child.

 

No wonder Shen Qingxuan chose not to follow Yi Mo in death. No wonder he stayed alive, even if it meant watching over a snake. He understood his child well and couldn’t let go.

 

Yi Mo had taken such meticulous care of Shen Jue over the years that even he had forgotten that a fledgling bird must eventually leave the nest to find new support and bonds. Yet, Yi Mo kept him close.

 

In Shen Jue’s world, there were only three people: Yi Mo, Shen Qingxuan, and the emperor.

 

If they were gone and the other person didn’t acknowledge him, Shen Jue’s future was uncertain.

 

Xu Mingshi hesitated before saying, “Make a decision. You are their child, and no matter what decision you make, you have the right to make it.”

 

Shen Jue hesitated for a long time but still didn’t nod.

 

As they remained at an impasse, Liu Yan returned.

 

Seeing them from the doorway, Liu Yan looked delighted. He set down the small bamboo basket on his back, showing them the mushrooms he had almost filled it with. “I picked so many. Tonight, we can make a fresh soup.”

 

Since Liu Yan had returned, Xu Mingshi didn’t press Shen Jue further and simply shook his head quietly.

 

Noticing their unusual expressions, Liu Yan asked, “Did something happen?”

 

“Some matters,” Xu Mingshi said, walking past Shen Jue. “Let’s talk.”

 

On the stone table, pastries and tea were already set. Shen Jue carried the bamboo basket into the kitchen to wash the mushrooms, leaving space for the others.

 

Liu Yan sat down first, his gaze sharp and clear, as if he had already guessed something. As for Xu Mingshi, he didn’t know where to start and remained silent under Liu Yan’s piercing look, carefully choosing his words.

 

Since Xu Mingshi hadn’t figured out how to speak, Liu Yan began. He asked directly, “Is it about Yi Mo?”

 

Xu Mingshi froze, then nodded.

 

“You don’t need to say it; I can already guess some of it.” Liu Yan looked steadily at him and said, “You don’t need to do anything. Things are fine as they are.”

 

“Fine?” Xu Mingshi finally spoke. “I know what you’re thinking. But have you considered this? You might be able to keep him this year, but what about next year? The year after that? If he truly falls for another female snake and wants to leave with her, what would you do then?”

 

“I won’t let that happen,” Liu Yan replied quickly.

 

“What makes you so certain?” Xu Mingshi smiled faintly, then after a pause, added seriously, “He is a snake now. Even if he feels gratitude and knows you treat him well, it doesn’t mean he won’t yearn for a life more suited to his nature. He will leave you eventually; it’s only a matter of time.”

 

After a moment, Xu Mingshi firmly repeated, “You know this in your heart.”

 

“If the mountain doesn’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain,” Liu Yan said calmly, maintaining his usual composed demeanor. “Wherever he goes, I’ll follow. If he wants to spend his life with someone else, I’ll stay by his side. And if I really can’t bear it, I’ll kill whatever keeps him tied and bring him back to me. What of it?”

 

Liu Yan raised his eyelids slightly and said slowly, “In the end, I will bind him to me, whether he’s willing or not. It was like this three hundred years ago, and it will be the same three hundred years later.”

 

Xu Mingshi said, “But there’s a better way, isn’t there?”

 

“And what price are you willing to pay?” Liu Yan asked, showing no surprise, as if he already knew everything. He had always lived with this kind of clarity and self-control, capturing the smallest clues, piecing together the whole picture, and making the most appropriate decisions. They might not always be the best, but they were always the most fitting.

 

“What price will you pay, Xu Mingshi?”

 

“I’m already old and frail, with only a few days left to live,” Xu Mingshi avoided answering directly, giving a veiled yet truthful reply. “He is my friend, my confidant, and my brother. For both sentiment and loyalty, I must do this.”

 

“And then,” Liu Yan said, “after you die, you’ll go seek your little rabbit, won’t you?”

 

“Of course,” Xu Mingshi carefully hid the sorrow in his eyes. “I gave up immortality just to find her. If I’m lucky, perhaps we can spend a lifetime as husband and wife… If only I had been more careful back then, sent her back to the inn before leaving, she wouldn’t have died in such a miserable state.”

 

“Let me think about it,” Liu Yan said. “You have to let me think.”

 

Xu Mingshi sighed, “Then think it over.”

 

Liu Yan sat in the bamboo chair, saying he needed to think, and stayed there until nightfall. Indeed, no one disturbed him. Only a snake woke up, found that Liu Yan was still not back, slept again, woke up, and still didn’t find him. Feeling the blanket grow cold, it slithered out, over the door threshold, and found Liu Yan sitting alone in the courtyard.

 

It naturally climbed up along Liu Yan’s ankle as if such closeness between a snake and a man was only natural.

 

Liu Yan extended his hand, and the snake coiled around it, letting itself be embraced. It raised its head to lick Liu Yan’s face and then rubbed against him affectionately before curling into its usual spot, lazily dozing off once more.

 

As the sky darkened, Shen Jue carried over dishes and said, “Father, you haven’t eaten all day.”

 

Liu Yan nodded, his gaze shifting past him to Xu Mingshi in the bluish light of dusk. In a low voice, he asked, “Xu Mingshi, what else are you hiding from me?”

 

Both men froze.

 

“I’ve thought about it carefully. Based on your temperament, you should have happily come to tell me about this,” Liu Yan said, holding the black snake as he slowly approached. “You know it, and I know it. You’re old, with not many days left. In your remaining time, you could do one last thing. You’d be delighted to tell me that there’s a way for Yi Mo to return to his human form.”

 

“But you didn’t,” Liu Yan continued. “Why?”

 

“What are you hiding that makes you hesitate to tell me, even fearing I might disagree?”

 

“What could it be that you would face death without fear but keep concealed so carefully?”

 

Liu Yan’s calm and relentless questioning drove Xu Mingshi to break out in a cold sweat.

 

Seeing this, Liu Yan stopped asking. He said, “Let’s just leave it at that.”

 

He stopped because some things didn’t need to be too clear. It was enough to ensure he wasn’t blind to them. Perhaps one day Yi Mo would truly leave him, seeking another haven. But until that day came, Liu Yan wouldn’t regret his decision. Life and death were trivial matters. Xu Mingshi was a man of deep sentiment and loyalty, willing to die for Yi Mo. Liu Yan would feel sorrow but wouldn’t stop him. Everyone had the freedom to express their devotion in their own way. But to let a friend endure a fate worse than death? That, he couldn’t allow.

 

His happiness could be built on death but never on suffering.

 

“Xu Mingshi,” Liu Yan said, “there’s nothing wrong with passing away in peace. Live your days well, and we’ll take care of you. When the time comes, we’ll wash and groom you, dress you properly, and let you leave clean and dignified to find your little rabbit.”

 

“She’s waiting for you,” Liu Yan said softly, his voice warm and gentle.

 

After a long pause, Xu Mingshi finally said, “…What can I say to that?”

 

What could he say? To live a life where there was at least one person in the world who understood you even better than you understood yourself.

 

How lucky it was that this person was your friend, your confidant, and your brother.

 

He understood you, cared for you, and even in your old age, cherished you despite your uselessness.

 

Even though he himself was trapped in his own predicament, he stood like an ancient tree, unwavering and steadfast, shielding you from the wind and rain, protecting you with all his might.

 

That was Shen Qingxuan, the friend he had made in his reckless youth and from whom he had benefitted all his life.

 

How many people in the world come and go, again and again, yet there was only this one Shen Qingxuan.

 

The unique, incomparable Shen Qingxuan.