Chapter 28
Part I
Lu Li"s words stopped Shears, standing opposite of him, from talking for a while. He"d come looking for trouble.
The little bloodclan behind Xie Jianwei once again began quietly sucking up to him: "As expected, my Lord"s charm is unparalleled. Mr. Lu is wholly dedicated to you, it"s truly, deeply touching."
Yan Ke couldn"t resist quipping: "This little bloodclan is a man of literature, he used three idioms in a single sentence." [1]
Xie Jianwei thought back to the thing inside that box, and his only thought was that the "literature" in this "man of literature"s brain was pretty colourful.
Shears felt quite unresigned. He continued his provocations: "How are you so stupid? What"s so good about Xie Jianwei? Follow me. I"ll immediately make you rise up as an S-cla.s.s bloodclan, and from then on you"ll have eternal life and everlasting youth."
Lu Li responded: "If I really followed you, I wouldn"t want to live for even a quarter of an hour."
The little bloodclan gave a "pu-chi[*] " and laughed out loud.
Shears had exploded already: "Since you refuse my good intentions, you"ll have to suffer the consequences; just what"d you think you are, I"ll kill you off right now, and on account of the years of friends.h.i.+p between the two of us, Ah Wei probably wouldn"t even frown!" [2][3]
Seeing that Shears was about to go mad, Xie Jianwei revealed himself: "Count Shears."
Shears paused in surprise, and following, he looked at Xie Jianwei and said: "Ah Wei, you"re back? Why didn"t you tell me beforehand, then I could have prepared a welcome banquet for you."
"I dare not accept," Xie Jianwei said: "The Count would kill my people at the drop of a hat. I couldn"t possibly afford a welcome banquet in such a manner."
Shears knew that he had heard them talk, and his expression changed, saying: "I was only making a joke."
Xie Jianwei abruptly raised his hand, and a silver sabre whistled forth, accurately and flawlessly landing on Shears" Adam"s apple.
Shears turned pale with fright: "You… what are you going to do?"
Xie Jianwei replied slowly: "Kill you."
Horror filled Shears" gaze: "Have you gone mad? This is the bloodclan territory, and I"m a first-cla.s.s count who was bestowed the t.i.tle by His Majesty himself. If you kill me, you"ll be hunted down by the entire clan!"
Xie Jianwei stared at him unblinkingly. The colour in his beautiful eyes had darkened immensely, as if there were a flame burning in its bottommost part. It was a scarlet flame – the colour of blood.
Shears was actually scared. He was powerful, and normally, he mightn"t lose to Xie Jianwei. But just then, Xie Jianwei had pulled his sword too quickly, and it had been too sudden. Who would"ve thought that he would attack out of the blue? And he went straight for his vitals at that; it was a move that was wholly meant to take his life!
What made his skin crawl even more was that killing intent had filled Xie Jianwei"s expression. He really did intend to kill him!
Cold sweat covered Shears" forehead, and his stunning features turned unsightly and pathetic from fear. He wanted to make an attempt at intimidating Xie Jianwei again, but his throat had tightened as if someone were strangling it, unable to utter a sound.
The people around them were all dumbfounded, and that flattering little bloodclan wanted to run away immediately. For someone like him, witnessing this scene would bring him much harm, without a single benefit!
But just when everyone was so scared that they"d lost half their soul, Xie Jianwei smiled lightly again. Like the clearing of the sky after rain, like a spring breeze breaking through ice, like an exquisite peach blossom blooming in an instant – he was indescribably beautiful.
He opened his mouth, his voice gentle and warm: "I"m only making a joke."
Shears was completely unable to come back to his senses. How should he describe what he was feeling? Had the demon had suddenly become an angel, or had the angel suddenly fallen, becoming a monster?
The huge contrast made the sight before their eyes hard to believe. All they could feel was the wave after wave of ice, emanating from the very depths of their hearts.
Xie Jianwei packed away his sabre, smiling as he asked: "Count Shears, was this joke amusing?"
By now, everyone had understood.
Shears said that killing Lu Li was a joke before, and so Xie Jianwei had returned it, an eye for a eye, letting him experience for himself whether this kind of joke was funny or not.
Shears" face alternated between blue and white. He felt the aftertaste of fear, but he also felt like a coward. When he remembered his own ident.i.ty, he couldn"t help getting angry, saying: "Xie Jianwei, for a bloodslave, you"d go so far as to…"
With a "bang", Xie Jianwei kicked Shears into a wall.
Shears never would"ve imagined that this would happen. He couldn"t even remember to stand up and could only stare agape at Xie Jianwei.
Xie Jianwei looked down on him, pausing between each word as he said: "The next time you humiliate him, I really will kill you."
Shears exploded in rage: "Xie Jianwei! You, a s.l.u.t who climbed up the ranks using your body, did you really think you…"
He hadn"t finished speaking before he was whipped hard across the face by someone"s palm.
Shears raised his hands, wanting to strike back, but at this moment, the person who slapped him also revealed himself.
Lorren"s expression was dark and vicious as he gazed at him: "Shears, what did you say?"
Seeing Lorren appear, Shears calmed down quite a bit.
As of today, out of the four leaders of the bloodclan territory, Lorren was unquestionably the most powerful. He was His Majesty"s right hand, and Lorren"s orders were the only ones that those who were madly protective of their bloodclan"s leader would obey.
He could abandon the pretences and make an enemy out of Xie Jianwei, but he couldn"t meet Lorren head-on.
Shears took a deep breath, finally pulling himself back: "I was crude and reckless today. Another day, I will definitely hold a banquet in apology."
Shears left, and the tense, hair-trigger atmosphere was finally relieved.
Xie Jianwei turned his gaze to Lu Li, asking: "Has he come looking for trouble with you these days?"
However, Lu Li stared at him as if Xie Jianwei was the only thing inside those black eyes: "You"re back."
When Xie Jianwei thought back to what happened just then, his heart panged. He"d protected Lu Li for so many years, and the thing he couldn"t stand seeing was his suffering.
Even if it was only a tiny bit, even if this was only a dream.
Xie Jianwei wanted to say something, but Lu Li dipped his head and kissed him.
The two hadn"t seen each other in days, and the kiss was like a bonfire that had been lit by dry kindling, lingering.
The little bloodclan quickly made himself scarce after sneakily putting the box down. Lorren waited for a moment, then waited a little more, and after waiting for another moment, he couldn"t wait any longer: "Oi!"
Lu Li let go of Xie Jianwei.
Xie Jianwei looked at him in displeasure: "What are you still doing here?" Admiral Lightbulb, couldn"t you take a hint?
Lorren was going to die from fury at him: "Xie Little Wei, are you picking a fight!"
Xie Jianwei: "…"
Lorren pushed down the fire and said to Lu Li: "The Count and I have things to discuss. Can you return to the house first?"
Lu Li immediately replied: "Okay."
Before Xie Jianwei could keep him there, he had already turned and entered the house.
Xie Jianwei looked at Lorren: "You found the Sands of Starry Words?"
Lorren replied: "I"m the one handling this matter, are you still not a.s.sured?"
Xie Jianwei said: "As long as you"ve found it. I just got back, I"ll go wash first…"
He hadn"t finished speaking before Lorren pulled him to one side: "Wash, my a.s.s. What you really want is to go inside and act all intimate with your little lover, right."
Xie Jianwei confessed: "Since you know, then get a hint. Don"t waste my time."
Lorren"s brain hurt from the rage: "You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. How the h.e.l.l were you bewitched into losing your bearings by a guy with erectile dysfunction, of all people. Did you have to tear apart your pretences with Shears for him? Don"t you know what that guy"s character"s like? He"s narrow-minded and he holds grudges to boot, who knows what else he"s going to plot against you."
Xie Jianwei was wholly uncaring: "He can do as he wants."
Lorren knew what Xie Jianwei"s temper was like. Normally, he was the easiest person to talk to, as if he"d never get angry in his entire life. But there were some bottom lines that, if touched, would practically turn him into moving tornado, capable of overturning an entire forest with a single breath.
Lorren had witnessed it before and so didn"t want to irritate him, merely speaking in earnest: "Take it easy. With me here, Shears wouldn"t dare do anything to you out in the open. But with your constant refusal to consume hot blood, your strength cannot recover. There"s no guarantee that Shears wouldn"t make a move from the shadows, and when the time comes, I"m afraid that you won"t be able to defend yourself."
Xie Jianwei knew that he meant well, and he let his voice soften: "Don"t worry. I know."
Lorren nodded, pulling him closer again, asking in a small voice: "What exactly do you have in mind?"
Xie Jianwei looked at Lorren: "En?"
Lorren said: "We"ve already found four of the materials, and there"s still one last one. Once all of them have been found, His Majesty will wake up. When that time comes…" He paused, taking a glance in the direction of Xie Jianwei"s quarters before lowering his voice, asking: "What are you going to do about that one?"
Realisation dawned on Xie Jianwei.
Lorren said: "You"ve waited for His Majesty for a century already. But now, when he"s just about to wake up, you have someone like that by your side. What do you think His Majesty will think when he sees this?"
Xie Jianwei was suffering, too, but he couldn"t say it – all he could do was give a perfunctory response: "I know."
Lorren said: "Don"t get soft-hearted. I wouldn"t care about it if Lu Li could produce hot blood. But right now, when he has no way of filling your stomach at all and yet continues to stay by your side… it really would be difficult to explain."
The most Xie Jianwei could do was say: "Let"s find the materials first. When the time comes, I"ll think of a way to arrange things."
Lorren replied: "Actually, His Majesty might not necessarily mind. I just feel that… You"ve waited a hundred years already, but just this last bit of time…" He didn"t finish his words, merely sighing again.
But Xie Jianwei understood anyways. Wasn"t he just trying to say that he couldn"t hold on to his integrity in the last few stages?
In a way, Lorren, too, had twisted his heart into knots worrying about him.
When the Bloodclan Leader had no hope of awakening, he"d feared that Xie Jianwei would starve to death and had tried so hard to get him a companion. But now, just when they"d found unexpected news on the materials, just when there was hope for His Majesty"s awakening, he was worried again that Xie Jianwei"s effort would have all been for nothing, despite having toiled and suffered for a century.
All this worrying, left and right – the very thought of it made Xie Jianwei quite sympathetic for him.
After sending Lorren off, Xie Jianwei went back inside.
Lu Li was waiting for him. Seeing him come back, he smiled, saying: "The hot water has been drawn, you can go bathe."
Xie Jianwei cupped his face in his hands and gave him a kiss, saying: "Together."
Lu Li laughed: "Okay."
The two messed around sweetly in the bathroom for a while.
Xie Jianwei poked Big Li, saying: "It seems like it"s more and more responsive."
Lu Li said: "Do you want to go again?"
Xie Jianwei"s heart felt tickled: "Okay…"
Lu Li picked him up from the bathroom, and placed him on the bed after drying him.
He kissed Xie Jianwei all over, from top to bottom, making Xie Jianwei both ticklish and tingly. Before long, he was once again dripping.
Although Lu Li couldn"t use Big Li, his nimble fingers were just as fatal. They went in fast and went out slow, and each time was with extreme accuracy. Xie Jianwei, being kissed and poked, felt so good he moaned non-stop.
After the two had worked for a while, Xie Jianwei said: "Are you hungry? Eat some food."
But Lu Li said: "I"m not hungry right now, I already ate before."
Xie Jianwei asked: "Do you want to play chess?"
Lu Li pulled him into his embrace, his chin dropping onto his shoulder as he said in a low voice: "Just like this."
Xie Jianwei lazily leaned against his body, his voice still husky from the baptism of l.u.s.t: "En?"
"Just like this… let me hold you."
Relaxation filled Xie Jianwei"s expression, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably, just like the flowers blooming within his heart – he couldn"t hold them down at all.
The two didn"t say anything, nor did they do anything else. All they did was hold each other like so, in a way that was very intimate and also very familiar; as if even their hearts were beating in time with each other; that warm and sweet honey had melted deep into their bones, too, just as their lips and teeth had melted into each other.
That night, the two slept especially well.
The next day, after Xie Jianwei got to drink his long-awaited warm blood, he felt refreshed all over, as if he"d finally gotten to taste a banquet[4] after having eaten seven or eight days worth of dried and pickled vegetables.
Xie Jianwei had spent a lot of effort to come back, so he didn"t want to go out, lazing about inside the house with Lu Li, reading books and playing chess.
The two didn"t actually say much during the day, and when they occasionally met each other"s gazes, they"d share a kiss – but such a quiet atmosphere was especially sweet.
If there was someone who you wouldn"t feel bored with no matter what you were doing, so long as you were together with them, then you must be deeply in love with them.
Xie Jianwei agreed with this statement very much. He liked this sort of easy and relaxed state, liked how the only thing in Lu Li"s eyes was him, and liked the feeling of only having to think about Lu Li and nothing else.
Yan Ke said in a small voice: "Sir, are you and the Lord Supreme Commander like this in reality, too? It really is admirable."
But his unwitting comment made Xie Jianwei"s heart give out a thud.
Were… they?
Xie Jianwei searched through his memories, realising that not even a single day like this existed.
When they were on the deserted planet, they"d been very busy. Lu Li needed to study, and Xie Jianwei needed to create an opportunity for Lu Li to leave the deserted planet.
During the war, they were even busier. Sometimes they"d only sleep for two or three hours each day, and when they saw each other, their conversations were all about the next direction of attack or the next direction of defense. After all, they"d held so many people"s lives in their hands.
When the fighting was over, the rebuilding of the Milky Way system made them so busy their feet barely touched the ground. During the most extreme period, they seemed to have gone an entire month without seeing each other.
After that… Xie Jianwei had resigned from all duties, retreating to the Supreme Commander"s Estate. He"d become free, but Lu Li was still very busy – even busier, actually, because of his resignation.
What was happiness, for two people who loved each other?
Money, power, a paramount status – it was all meaningless. The most important thing was companions.h.i.+p.
He"d done all he could to enable Lu Li to have everything, but he seemed to have also taken away what he wanted most.
Xie Jianwei was visibly lost in his thoughts. Lu Li lightly called out to him.
Violently snapping back, Xie Jianwei gazed at Lu Li without a blink, staring into the other"s eyes.
Xie Jianwei watched him for a moment, then he said: "Hurry and get better. I"ll stay with you, in this life and in every other life."
Lu Li"s heart leapt violently, and the sensation of being stung rushed through his entire body in an instant.
He was afraid that he"d heard wrong: "You wish to be together with me forever?"
Xie Jianwei replied: "Yes, truly together." And not letting his life be taken over by too many unimportant things.
Lu Li"s mouth curved upwards, revealing a very light, yet exceptionally good-looking, smile.
He asked Xie Jianwei: "Can I kiss you?"
XIe Jianwei: "Of course." As he spoke, he took the initiative to loop his arms around Lu Li"s neck. Lu Li"s kiss landed with impatience, and a little bit of nervousness, but very quickly, it became a heated demand.
The two kissed until sparks flew. They were both wearing very casual clothes anyways, and they didn"t fuss over where exactly they were. Hence, stumbling around like so, Lu Li placed Xie Jianwei on top of the table.
His breathing was rough, and his arm unexpectedly swept something over.
With a "pta" sound, a heavy object fell to the ground.
Xie Jianwei didn"t think much of it, originally, but because the angle was just right, he caught sight of that wooden box, opened from the fall.
It was that "small gift" prepared by the cultured and a little dirty-minded bloodclan, for him to give to Lu Li.
Lu Li heard the sound, too, and looked, momentarily freezing in place afterwards.
[*] "pu-chi" – kinda like laughter spewing out of your mouth
[1] The three idioms were "charm is unparalleled", "wholly dedicated", and "deeply touching". In Chinese: 魅力无双，一心一意，感人肺腑. I don"t actually think the first one is a proper idiom but ehh
[2] 敬酒不吃吃罚酒 – you guys have probably heard this one before – the more direct translation is "to refuse a toast of greeting, only to drink a toast of punishment". It"s translated here as "since you"ll refuse my good intentions, you"ll have to suffer the consequences". There are actually two ways to read this: one of them is as shown, and the other is "You"d refuse my good intentions and choose to suffer". The first one implies that Shears is going to make Lu Li suffer (Lu Li is pa.s.sive and Shears is the one who will choose), and the second says that Lu Li has chosen to suffer instead of accepting his good intentions. Both are acceptable.
[3] Not sure if it"s making its way through the translations, but Lu Li is basically constantly objectified throughout this entire arc. Lorren typically refers to him as a "thing" (recall "what sort of thing did you find" from the last chapter for example), and where one would usually say "who do you think you are", Shears says "what do you think you are" to him here, etc etc.
[4]满汉全席 – "banquet". Literally though, it"s a big, formal feast of Chinese and Manchurian cuisine.
Another subtlety that isn"t really expressed in the translation is that Yan Ke, as well as the various unidentified subordinate characters that appear throughout the story, address Xie Jianwei and Lu Li (or whoever they"re subordinate to) with the respective p.r.o.noun 您 (nin), as opposed to 你 (ni), Both mean "you", but the former is a lot more formal and respectful. Yan Ke"s speech style is also quite polite towards XJW, like a worker towards his boss, and the way he addresses Lu Li and Lorren when talking about them is pretty polite too despite what he actually says about them.
Thanks for replying to the half chapter/full chapter question thing! :))))))