Encountering a Snake - Chapter 7

v3c7

 

Liu Yan liked Yi Mo. If you asked him what exactly he liked, he couldn’t answer. Even after racking his brains for half a day, he could only come up with one word: “Good-looking!”

 

Of course, if he could clearly articulate his feelings, he wouldn’t be a fool. And Yi Mo wouldn’t feel so frustrated.

 

In their first life, the frail and bony Shen Qingxuan was already out of his league; in the second life, wealthy and talented in both literature and martial arts, pairing with a thousand-year-old demon was just barely acceptable. Yet still, he refused! He would rather die than give up everything to follow him.

 

By the third life, he was willing to give up everything, but now he was a fool.

 

It was only natural for Yi Mo to feel frustrated.

 

But he wasn’t such a worldly demon, so his frustration didn’t stem from those reasons. Instead, it was because, in front of a fool, he too felt like a fool.

 

For example, this evening, Liu Yan was playing with water in the bathtub. Yi Mo was bathing him. Halfway through, Yi Mo said, “Idiot.”

 

The idiot turned his head and said, “Hmm?”

 

Yi Mo said, “You’ve gained weight again.”

 

Hearing this, Liu Yan lowered his head to look at himself. Sure enough, in the clear water, his soft, white flesh appeared even softer, whiter, and fatter. Faced with the undeniable truth, Liu Yan timidly raised his face and asked, “Does Yi Mo not like fat people?”

 

Yi Mo looked at his face and suddenly called out, “Shen Qingxuan.”

 

Liu Yan hesitated for a moment but quickly responded, “I’m here.”

 

Yi Mo blinked and said, “Liu Yan.”

 

Liu Yan didn’t understand his meaning. After another moment of hesitation, he said, “I’m here.” He didn’t notice the teasing in Yi Mo’s eyes at all.

 

Yi Mo then called, “Ji Jiu.”

 

He thought Liu Yan would respond and then take the opportunity to tease him about how he hadn’t been this fat in two previous lives. However, upon hearing the name, Liu Yan’s mouth quivered, and he shrank back as if frightened, saying, “I’m not Ji Jiu. The red mole is gone. I’m not Ji Jiu.”

 

Yi Mo froze for a moment and asked why. Liu Yan answered, “Ji Jiu was bad. I’m not Ji Jiu.”

 

Yi Mo was somewhat displeased but didn’t show it. He simply asked, “Why was he bad?” Completely unaware of how ridiculous it was to argue with a fool and end up angry himself.

 

Liu Yan said, “He wasn’t good to you.” Thinking for a moment, he added, “You went to find him, but he hated you. That’s bad.”

 

He spoke with such conviction, yet he didn’t know what had actually happened the first time Yi Mo found Ji Jiu.

 

Liu Yan didn’t know, but Yi Mo was well aware. He sighed to himself but was too lazy to explain to a fool.

 

The water gradually cooled, and Liu Yan was wiped clean, resembling a freshly steamed little bun. Yi Mo dressed him, tidied everything, closed the door, and walked into the inner room.

 

On the bed, Yi Mo said to the little bun under the blanket, “Ji Jiu wasn’t bad.”

 

He said it softly, seemingly only to himself, having nothing to do with Liu Yan.

 

Since whatever Yi Mo said was always right, Liu Yan naturally believed him. Yet, it would take time to change his stubborn thoughts—because fools were inherently stubborn. After struggling internally for a while, he yielded.

 

Liu Yan said, “Then if you call me Ji Jiu, I’ll answer.”

 

Yi Mo let out a snort and said, “What part of you in this life—besides eating and sleeping—can compare to your previous two lives?”

 

Liu Yan wasn’t angry or upset. Instead, he replied with a confident tone, “But you still like me.”

 

Yi Mo was about to retort, “Who likes you?” but stopped abruptly. He realized that saying it would only lead to a sleepless night. He closed his mouth, annoyed and somewhat unwilling, and lay down. As soon as his head touched the pillow, Yi Mo knew that being unable to refute a fool’s words made him the real fool.

 

Just as he was about to say something, Yi Mo suddenly pursed his lips and sat up. Liu Yan, who always fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, felt his sleepiness fade as Yi Mo rose.

 

Liu Yan sat up with him and asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

Yi Mo replied, “Nothing, an old friend has come to visit.” Saying this, he prepared to leave, but Liu Yan tugged at his sleeve, his eyes filled with concern. Even a fool knew that, over the years, Yi Mo had never interacted with others, so something must have happened.

 

Seeing his expression, Yi Mo hesitated, then bent down to kiss Liu Yan on the cheek. He reassured him that it was nothing and left the room.

 

Outside the courtyard gate stood Xu Mingshi. Just as he reached out to knock, the wooden door silently opened.

 

Xu Mingshi, unfazed, stepped into the courtyard and immediately met Yi Mo’s gaze, glowing faintly in the night.

 

One of them remained as beautiful as ever, unaged; the other had hair white as snow, his face weathered with age.

 

Indeed, they were old acquaintances.

 

When old acquaintances met, there was no need for excessive pleasantries. Such formalities were for mortals and didn’t suit them. So, when Yi Mo asked why he had come, Xu Mingshi straightforwardly answered that he needed his help.

 

Yi Mo was silent for a moment before saying, “I can’t leave.”

 

“I’ve informed Shen Jue. He’ll return tomorrow to take over your case,” Xu Mingshi said. “This matter can only be handled by you.”

 

Yi Mo nodded. He understood that for Xu Mingshi to come rushing over like this, it must be a significant problem. Yi Mo was a demon who disliked trouble, but Shen Qingxuan had dragged him into the mortal world for thirteen years. After Shen Qingxuan’s departure, he even helped the Shen family in their final days. How could he not assist this young Taoist priest who often visited during those thirteen years? Even Shen Jue, who bore deep hatred toward Yi Mo, could never figure out what to do about this Taoist who frequently came to their home.

 

Mortals value fleeting connections; though they were demons, they too valued the bond forged over thirteen years.

 

Glancing at the door that was slightly ajar, Yi Mo said, “I’ll leave shortly. Wait for me.” With that, he returned to the room.

 

Liu Yan was waiting on the bed. When Yi Mo came back, he didn’t know what to say. Though he was foolish, he wasn’t entirely devoid of a sense of danger. An old acquaintance had come, and he feared Yi Mo would leave.

 

And Yi Mo was indeed leaving.

 

Yi Mo said, “Shen Jue will be here tomorrow, and he’ll take care of you. I’ll be heading out, returning in as little as a month, or as long as half a year. Wait for me at home.”

 

Liu Yan widened his eyes, staring at him dumbfoundedly as if he couldn’t comprehend, just staring blankly at Yi Mo.

 

Yi Mo asked again, “Did you hear me?”

 

Liu Yan was silent for a long while before murmuring, “But… I’ve never been apart from you.” Saying this, he didn’t know why, but his chest tightened, and his eyes reddened.

 

— I’ve never been apart from you.

 

A fool’s words shouldn’t matter, but Yi Mo felt a real pang of sadness.

 

For Liu Yan, they had never been separated. For Yi Mo, they had been separated many times, and each time was long, very long.

 

This time, it would only be at most half a year.

 

Yi Mo said, “What’s there to cry about? Just wait for me at home.”

 

The fool stared at him for a long time before asking, “Will you come back safe and sound?”

 

Yi Mo curled his lips and said, “Nothing can harm me.”

 

Hearing this, Liu Yan stopped worrying. In his eyes, Yi Mo was invincible—nothing could harm him. It showed that although he was foolish, he still had sharp eyes, just like in his previous lives.

 

And because he was foolish, he didn’t realize that what could harm Yi Mo wasn’t external—only Yi Mo himself, or him.

 

Bending down, Yi Mo kissed his forehead and said, “Be good at home. Listen to Shen Jue, and wait for me to return.”

 

With tears welling in his large eyes, Liu Yan, despite his reluctance, didn’t make a scene. He nodded and said, “I’ll be good. I’ll wait for you at home…”

 

I’ll wait for you at home.

 

Yi Mo couldn’t help but smile at this and then left.

 

Hugging his blanket, Liu Yan, for the first time, didn’t fall asleep immediately. Instead, he stared at the door, which had been closed again, wide awake all night. Yi Mo was gone.

 

When Shen Jue arrived, he saw Liu Yan staring longingly at the door, tears still on his face. Silently sighing, Shen Jue knew the responsibility on his shoulders was heavy. If even a hair was out of place, his father would surely kick him.

 

He coaxed and reassured Liu Yan until he finally got him off the bed. But Liu Yan refused his help, dressing himself, washing up, and sitting quietly at the table to eat.

 

After eating, he went back to bed. In the evening, he woke up, washed up again, ate a simple dinner, and went back to sleep.

 

The next day, the routine was the same.

 

On the third night, Shen Jue heated water and brought a bathtub into the room. Liu Yan refused his help, silently closing the door and bathing himself.

 

Without Yi Mo, he seemed to have grown up overnight. The fool Shen Jue remembered, who couldn’t even feed himself properly, now took care of himself just fine.

 

Except for his hair.

 

He could never tie it properly. These tasks had always been handled by Yi Mo. While he had managed to learn how to dress himself by observing, tying his hair remained a challenge. After a few failed attempts, Liu Yan threw the wooden comb in frustration and tore a piece of plain cloth from his inner robe to loosely tie his hair.

 

When Shen Jue saw the plain cloth at dinner, he said, “White cloth is for mourning.”

 

Liu Yan immediately ripped the cloth off, pulling out a strand of hair in the process.

 

Shen Jue’s eyelid twitched as he vaguely saw a shadow of his father’s ruthlessness in Liu Yan. It had already been a month, and Liu Yan hadn’t uttered a single word. He didn’t make a fuss or cause trouble, quietly staying inside the house.

 

When Shen Jue had left the mountain, he knew Liu Yan struggled to speak and had never heard him string together a full sentence. So, he hadn’t thought much of it.

 

A month later, seeing Liu Yan eating and sleeping well but gradually wasting away, Shen Jue realized this couldn’t go on.

 

Ignoring Liu Yan’s resistance, he dragged him down the mountain to explore the town below.

 

Throughout the trip, Liu Yan was uncooperative. Whenever Shen Jue wasn’t looking, he would turn back and try to run home, desperate to return to the mountain—he had promised Yi Mo he’d wait for him at home.

 

After catching him several times, Shen Jue finally said, “He’s fine. He just can’t come back yet. If you keep being unhappy and wasting away like this, he’ll be upset when he returns.”

 

It wasn’t really a big deal. It was just that some Taoists and monks were too aggressive in their methods of subduing demons, indiscriminately killing them all without distinguishing between good and evil. This finally angered the demons.

 

Demons have always been a united front, although there are some divides among them. This time, however, they gathered together to seek revenge. The matter was serious, and Xu Mingshi insisted on asking Yi Mo to mediate, whether by negotiation or by eliminating the demons. With Yi Mo’s Taoist skills, these small demons and the exorcist monks who hadn’t yet separated from their mortal bodies wouldn’t be a problem for him.

 

Xu Mingshi knew his own skills were limited, and while he could handle a few enemies on Earth, facing more would be certain death. But Yi Mo was different; he was a demon who sought to become an immortal, and neither side had an enemy he could not defeat.

 

At his age, he had already seen through the rules of the world.

 

Only those with strength had the right to speak.

 

Liu Yan listened to his words, waited for a long time, then nodded. He knew that he had lost weight recently and was no longer the chubby boy Yi Mo had known in the bathtub.

 

Seeing that Liu Yan agreed, Shen Jue hurriedly took him to the bustling parts of the city to play. Liu Yan, who had followed Yi Mo down the mountain before, had never experienced the lively side of the world, because whenever they encountered such excitement, Yi Mo would leave to search for a soul or a body, so he had never been able to experience the fun of the human world. Now, Liu Yan had his eyes opened and discovered many interesting things, from monkey performances and drum beating to storytelling, street plays, and fire-breathing acts. By the end of the day, his eyes were sore from watching all the new sights.

 

The next day, after waking up at the inn, washing up, and having breakfast, Shen Jue took him out again. They played until tired and rested at a teahouse, sipping tea and eating snacks. Day after day passed, and two months went by. Although Liu Yan had not lost any more weight, he also hadn’t gained any back. Ultimately, he still missed Yi Mo.

 

Once there was longing in the heart, even a fool would experience the pain of missing someone.

 

That night, Liu Yan lay in a strange bed, counting the days with his fingers. He had stayed on the mountain for a month, then had been in the city for two months and seven days. With his slow mind, he counted several times until morning, and finally figured out that Yi Mo had been gone for over three months, exactly ninety-nine days. Yi Mo still hadn’t returned.

 

Hugging his blanket, Liu Yan couldn’t help but cry. He missed him, truly missed him from the bottom of his heart.

 

On the hundredth day, Liu Yan refused to play anymore and insisted on returning to the mountain. Shen Jue tried to persuade him several times, but seeing that it was useless, he stopped trying. He knew that some things couldn’t be reasoned with.

 

After walking alone for years, Shen Jue sometimes grew tired, and when he thought about how Yi Mo had searched for so many years, he didn’t know how he had managed to persist. Shen Jue realized that if it were him, he wouldn’t have lasted.

 

Compared to Shen Qingxuan’s three lifetimes, Shen Jue knew himself well enough to realize he was the pampered child. He had never suffered hardship. First, Shen Qingxuan had protected him, then Yi Mo had, and he had been protected all the way to this day.

 

It could be said that there had been almost no setbacks, and thus no real endurance for suffering.

 

Shen Jue admitted that he liked the Emperor, but to what extent was hard to say. At least Shen Jue knew that he hadn’t liked him enough to endure hundreds of years of loneliness looking for him.

 

While walking alone on the road, Shen Jue would miss home, deeply. Perhaps it was because he lost his parents as a baby, though he didn’t remember it, he had a keen instinct, and after being adopted by Shen Qingxuan, he had become very attached to his home.

 

He missed his father. He missed his father and yearned for home.

 

But home had changed, and Shen Jue was afraid to return. He was afraid to see Yi Mo sad, and he was also afraid to see his father, who was no longer as magnificent.

 

Lost in his thoughts, Shen Jue followed behind Liu Yan, who was ahead of him, walking quickly because of his impatience. Liu Yan, though foolish, clearly remembered the way back to the mountain as soon as he left the city, while he had no sense of direction within the city.

 

Just a mile outside the city gate, they heard the sound of gongs and drums, a festive tune being played from afar, reaching their ears through the air.

 

Liu Yan, who had spent two months in the city and seen many fun things, had never heard such a cheerful tune before. He immediately stopped and asked Shen Jue, “What’s that?”

 

Shen Jue recognized the sound immediately and replied, “Someone is getting married.”

 

“Getting married?” Liu Yan asked in confusion. “What is that? Is it food or fun?”

 

Shen Jue laughed and began to explain as they walked forward. He explained that marriage was when a man and a woman performed rituals before heaven and their elders, and then went home to live together.

 

Shen Jue detailed the process of getting married and then added his own commentary: after marriage, the two would never separate, living together until old age and being buried in the same grave when they died.

 

As Liu Yan listened, his eyes were fixed on the wedding procession approaching along the yellow earth road.

 

The groom at the front was sturdy, riding a tall horse, followed by a drum band, and then a large red bridal sedan chair adorned with colorful embroidered balls.

 

Shen Jue said, “Let’s go, nothing to see here.” He started walking, but unexpectedly, Liu Yan suddenly pulled away from him, running toward the sedan chair like a firecracker, moving so fast that he didn’t seem like a fool.

 

The wedding procession immediately fell into chaos. No one expected a person to rush out and try to take the bride, heading straight for the sedan chair.

 

Liu Yan darted between two sedan bearers and lifted the curtain of the sedan. Only then did the women beside the sedan react, screaming and trying to stop him.

 

But they were no match for Liu Yan at this moment.

 

Liu Yan saw the bride inside the sedan, her face covered with a red veil, sitting elegantly in her bright red gown, seemingly scared and too afraid to move.

 

Liu Yan yanked off her red veil.

 

At that moment, those who had finally regained their senses raised their instruments to strike him, but Shen Jue rushed forward, grabbed Liu Yan by the shoulder, and hoisted him onto his back. Without a second thought, he ran off like a madman.

 

In just a few moments, they were gone.

 

The wedding procession was left in disarray, with the bride sitting there, veilless.

 

Due to Shen Jue’s frantic running, Liu Yan kept his eyes closed, only feeling the wind rushing past his ears. Shen Jue carried him all the way back to the mountain.

 

When they finally arrived and Shen Jue set Liu Yan down, he realized that Liu Yan’s face had turned pale, and regretted running so quickly.

 

But when he glanced at Liu Yan’s hand, which was tightly clutching the red veil, the fingers were turning white from the grip, Shen Jue paused, understanding.

 

After understanding, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

 

Shen Jue sighed, “You really are my father.”

 

Three lifetimes, obsessed and unrepentant.

 

The sunlight was clear, and a wooden chair was placed in the yard. Liu Yan sat on it, resting with his eyes closed, looking peaceful. His profile, bathed in golden light, also presented a kind of softness.

 

Yi Mo entered the small courtyard and, upon seeing him, paused for a moment, as though holding his breath.

 

It was as if he had returned to more than two hundred years ago, to the same small courtyard, seeing Shen Qingxuan sunbathing and sleeping under the sunlight.

 

Step by step, Yi Mo walked forward, his heart racing.

 

Liu Yan seemed to sense it too. He blinked his eyes open and, upon seeing Yi Mo, froze.

 

After months of longing, Yi Mo appeared before him. Liu Yan stood up, pinched himself, and the pain woke him up.

 

Liu Yan took a step forward and pressed his chest against Yi Mo’s. He then gazed into his eyes and whispered, “Yi Mo, I want to marry you.”

 

— Yi Mo, I want to marry you.

 

Three lifetimes, obsessed and unrepentant.

 

When Yi Mo didn’t respond, Liu Yan raised his voice slightly and repeated,

 

“I want to marry you.”