The white muslin fell to the ground, lightly, without a sound.
Lu Xiao’s pupils suddenly contracted.
The person in the cage had thick, pitch-black hair, under the severe sword slash, it was like a waterfall flowing down. On the snow-white body was a tiny piece of thin dark green silk around the waist. He curled up within the broken cage, astonished and startled as he looked at Lu Xiao, cutting an extremely sorry figure.
Lu Xiao stared dazedly at him.
This emperor’s indifferent and malicious handsome face was completely blank right now, even those cold, thin lips were unconsciously trembling slightly.
”You, you…” His voice was reduced to a tremor.
Qiu Yutong nearly wanted to blurt out, “Xiao-er*, what’s the matter?” but suddenly reacted, and shut his mouth during this time of peril – this half-dressed look, and this hard to take identity, was seriously too embarrassing and humiliating.
[T/N: -er is a suffix added to the back of a person’s name that indicates familiarity. Lu Xiao’s name has the surname Lu and given name Xiao, which is why the -er is attached to Xiao instead of Lu. Take note that if the given name is two words like in Qiu Yutong, then the -er can be attached to either Yu or Tong, but usually not Yutong-er.]
Let alone the fact that he himself didn’t know, how he was going to explain this situation to Lu Xiao…
Forget it, just play dumb.
Qiu Yutong silently looked down, not uttering a word.
First bluff his way through, after going back to North Snow City, he could always find a solution then. After getting back his cultivation, then he could come back to Daning Palace to look at Lu Xiao – of course, he could never ever let Lu Xiao know that he was once this “Young Master Xue Rong”.
In a moment, the silence in the room became frightening.
Lu Xiao seemed like stone, his expression distracted as he looked at Qiu Yutong; that gaze made his scalp feel numb.
Don’t tell him that this body’s face had some problem?
”Crash!”
Following the sharp sound of something breaking, a delicate ruyao* cup fell from the desk, smashing into smithereens. After that, a snow-white cat gracefully jumped from the desk, meowing softly. As if it had realised that it had caused trouble, it vanished like a wisp of smoke.
[T/N: Ruyao is a style of porcelain, originating from the Ruzhou prefecture in China. More information: https://freshteastories.com/ruyao-teaware/]
Lu Xiao suddenly shook, finally regaining consciousness, eyes gradually clearing.
He unhurriedly frowned, rigidly staring at the practically naked remarkable beauty in the cage. His gaze was dark, not saying a word like he was pondering something.
After a long while, he suddenly gave a self-mocking smile, “So it’s like this, We actually… Prince Jin has spent a lot of effort.”
At this moment, Lu Xiao had finally regained his original appearance; that moment of extreme shock seemed like it was just Qiu Yutong’s misconception.
Qiu Yutong couldn’t tell what he was making a ruckus about.
Lu Xiao slightly narrowed his eyes, carefully sizing Qiu Yutong up, from his head all the way down to his toes.
Compared to just now, his gaze was completely different.
A pensive and cold gaze, sinister like a venomous snake’s scarlet red and slithery forked tongue, sweeping across Qiu Yutong’s entire body from head to toe, without an ounce of emotion, only a cold examination and suspicion.
Qiu Yutong’s blood ran cold from his examination, and couldn’t help but lick his lips. Just as he was about to say something, Lu Xiao suddenly opened his mouth.
”Just now, We heard Zhang Defu say, you’re called Xue Rong?”
Qiu Yutong didn’t know how to reply, but hearing the eunuchs’ words, this body’s identity was indeed called “Xue Rong”… He thought like this and nodded.
”Prince Jin sent such a person over…” Lu Xiao pinched Qiu Yutong’s chin and lifted his head, “What his intentions are, you should be very aware.”
Lu Xiao’s hand used quite a bit of strength, rather than “pinch” it was more like a firm “clutching” of Qiu Yutong’s chin.
Qiu Yutong was hissed softly in pain, wanting to break away from the hold, but was held painfully in place by the other’s slender yet strong fingers, completely unable to move.
”Reply Us.”
Qiu Yutong couldn’t respond.
How would he know what that damnable Prince Jin wanted to do?!
”Speak, are you mute?” Lu Xiao said deeply.
Qiu Yutong was really not used to Lu Xiao’s current tone and attitude. Even though he was always carefree, he couldn’t help but be irritated.
Lu Xiao this youngster, speaking like he was asking for a spanking?
If this was the past, Qiu Yutong would have long slapped his* forehead, before punishing him with practising a thousand sword slashes.
[T/N: If this wasn’t clear, this refers to Lu Xiao.]
But the situation today, with this body’s identity, it was too embarrassing… Nevermind, under someone else’s roof, one had no choice but to give in. Qiu Yutong forcefully constrained his mood, enduring the pain in his dry throat, opening his mouth with great difficulty.
”I don’t know… cough, I need rest.”
Indeed, he didn’t know anything, and indeed he needed rest.
As matters stand, Qiu Yutong had already accepted this rotten idea of becoming a male pet; he wanted to quickly find a quiet place to recuperate, deliberate on this messy affair before trying to think of how to return to North Snow City.
To return to the sect, there’s always a way.
Lu Xiao coldly stared at him, his slender yet strong fingers gripped his chin tightly, just like an iron hoop.
Qiu Yutong felt his chin was about to be pinched numb by the other person, and could only helplessly repeat, “I really don’t know anything.”
“Oh? You don’t know?” Lu Xiao unfeelingly twitched his lips, without the slightest hint of a smile in his eyes. “You wear such a face, put on such clothes and was sent to Jingxin Palace in the middle of the night to “serve” Us… you actually say you don’t know?”
What did he mean by wearing such a face?
Qiu Yutong blinked then suddenly remembered, just now, those two eunuchs said, this face of his was similar to that person Lu Xiao hated.
So that’s why Lu Xiao was so angry?
Because he hated this face?
Qiu Yutong just understood a little bit when Lu Xiao said frigidly, “Your master being able to find someone who looks like this, has really inconvenienced him. It’s unknown how much effort he had put in, don’t you agree?”
Qiu Yutong was helpless and could only stay silent.
”It’s a pity… your master overestimated himself,” Lu Xiao punctuated each word with a pause, “The thing We hate the most in this life, is when other people look similar… to that person.”
Qiu Yutong was inwardly suspicious, and couldn’t help but frown.
Look like “that person”?
”That person”, who exactly were they?
Lu Xiao had always been a calm and self-assured person, and was not easily angered, what had “that person” done that would actually cause Lu Xiao to hate them to this extent?
So much so that even a person who looked similar would also be hated?
Qiu Yutong remembered that the person Lu Xiao hated the most was the old emperor who forced his mother to death. But, that old man had died a long time ago… Also, this body was the rumoured “remarkable beauty”, so he wouldn’t look like that rotten old man right.
Or possibly, the person who Lu Xiao abhorred appeared in these five years, so he didn’t know them?
Qiu Yutong’s head was full of fog, his heart full of questions, wanting to quickly find a mirror to take a look, see how divine or evil this face was.
Lu Xiao seeing that he wouldn’t make a sound, suddenly smiled coldly, unhurriedly loosening his hold on the other’s chin, “Actually, even if you don’t say, We can still guess what Prince Jin’s intentions are.”
Qiu Yutong blinked, “Oh?”
Lu Xiao said coldly, “That year, Our uncle held a massive military force, enough to take over the empire, and has always disliked Us, if not for… We are afraid we might not have lived till now. Today, he actually sent such a person over, We see that he is not impatient to live.”
He didn’t continue, slowly lifting the sword in his hands, pointing it straight at Qiu Yutong’s throat.
“Since you’re so devoted to Prince Jin, unwilling to say anything… Then, We will grant you your wish, and that will be it.”
The blade was dark and coldly pressuring.
“This sword, this sword is…” Qiu Yutong stared at the handle of the sword, his heart completely startled.
Just now he wasn’t mindful, only noticing it now when faced with this blade, that it was the spiritual blade that he had gifted Lu Xiao, “Night Rain*”.
[T/N: Fun fact, the “Yu” in Qiu Yutong’s name is the same character that means rain in “Night Rain (Ye Yu)”]
Qiu Yutong didn’t have his own sword, as long as he wanted it, anything could be used as a sword. But that year, in order to blend into the mortal world, he bought a pair of low-grade spiritual swords from a weapons shop, one with a handle the colour of the sky after rain, which he used himself, and another that was dark as water, giving it to Lu Xiao to protect himself with.
At that time, Lu Xiao was still only fifteen to sixteen, endlessly excited after receiving the spiritual sword, even giving these low-grade spiritual swords names. One was called “Night Rain”, and the other was “Heavenly Water Jade”. It was said that he gained inspiration from a poem from the previous dynasty, “Night rain stains (the sky) into heavenly water jade.*”
[T/N: Poems are a little hard to understand, thus hard to TL into English. This is actually used to describe the beauty of a flower and likens it the beauty of the sky after a night rain. More information: https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/205125191.html]
Qiu Yutong declined to comment, besides liking to read sword manuals, he only liked to read romantic dog-blood* novels, and had no understanding of any poems, nor was he interested. Moreover, they were but a pair of low-grade spiritual weapons, not like Zhangmen-Shixiong’s superb-quality spiritual sword, “Zhige”. To so carefully name such low-grade weapons was… inexplicably a little shameful, cough.
[T/N: Basically means a lot of drama, usually ones that are illogical or very far-fetched.]
However, Lu Xiao really liked the sword names and had even spent a lot of effort to engrave the names at the bottom of the blade. Even though Qiu Yutong disapproved, he couldn’t bear to pour a bucket of cold water over him, so he just let him be.
Little kids are all like that.
Soon after, Lu Xiao encountered a severe danger and Qiu Yutong nearly didn’t make it. In order to prevent such things from happening again, he sealed a breath of sword energy into “Night Rain”’s blade. This sword energy contained the full power of a single stroke of his, enough to beat the overwhelming majority of experts, protecting the safety of this little disciple.
But, the situation right now was very embarrassing.
Lu Xiao held “Night Rain”, pointing it at his throat.
Qiu Yutong stared at this low-grade spiritual weapon in front of him and could feel a headache coming on.
He switched bodies, not only losing his spiritual energy, but he didn’t even have a pair of chopsticks on him. While Qiu Yutong didn’t have his own spiritual weapon, any passing object could become his sword, like a branch, an icicle… even chopsticks. But now, not to mention chopsticks, he didn’t even have a toothpick.
Don’t tell him that only four hours after his rebirth, he would meet a violent death under his own sword energy… This was too pathetic, enough to let the cultivators of the world laugh for 300 years.
The sword was dark, the room was silent.
On the candlesticks, ten-odd candles were silently burning, crackling occasionally. “Night Rain”’s dark body shone mysteriously under the dim yellow light, it’s reflection causing people to tremble.
The light flickered across the faces of the two.
So far, yet so near.
So hazy, yet so clear.
So hated, yet so…
Lu Xiao unwaveringly stared at Qiu Yutong’s face with an extremely complex expression, that seemed like he was in extreme pain with turbulent emotions that were hard to speak of. The muscles on his face twitched.
“Forget it!” He firmly blinked, “Night Rain’s sword light suddenly increased!
An incomparably severe and thick sword light approached Qiu Yutong with cold killing intent.
Qiu Yutong unconsciously moved sideways, but this body was extremely sluggish, completely unable to avoid his former sword energy.
In a flash, he only heard a soft “chi——”, and a chill flit across his neck, followed by slight pain.
That incomparable severe and cold sword energy skimmed dangerously across his neck, bringing with it a fishy drop of warm blood!
After that, he could only hear a “crash!” sound, and diagonally behind him, a delicate screen was sliced in half!
The sword energy actually changed directions.
Lu Xiao was stunned.
Qiu Yutong lightly let out a breath——that sword energy still recognised him as its owner.
Looks like even if he switched a body, if his consciousness was the same, he could still control his previous sword energy.
Lu Xiao very quickly regained consciousness. He looked down at the sword in his hand, “Night Rain”, and deeply scrunched up his eyebrows. “Night Rain… is not willing to hurt you?”
