Gu Louyin stood in front of the open window and looked back when he heard the movements: “You’re back.”
Behind Gu Louyin, there was snow falling silently and the hazy moonlight made him look like an immortal unaware of the hustle and bustle of the world.
Xiao Yuan carried warm jade on his body and didn’t feel cold when the wind blew, just a fresh and cool sensation. He gave Gu Louyin a subtle glance and heard the other party hum a slightly puzzled “en” questioningly.
Seeing Gu Louyin with his hands behind his back, Xiao Yuan asked, “What are you holding in your hand?”
Gu Louyin stretched out his hand, “For you.”
It was a plum branch in full bloom, its petals covered with snow.
When Xiao Yuan first came to the snowy mountain, the mountain was bare with only snow and ice, while the only person beside him was also cold like frost and snow. He was worried that he would be assimilated after living here for a long time, so he ordered a plum blossom tree to be transplanted from Xingtian Sect and planted in the yard. He got up early every day, opened the window to see the delicate red in the vast white snow, then silently inhaled the elegant fragrance.
Xiao Yuan took the branch, lowered his head and smelled it, and said with a smile: “How can it be a gift from Master Gu? This plum was originally mine.”
Gu Louyin looked at him and suddenly said, “Go to bed.”
Xiao Yuan said, “Do you want to sleep in separate beds tonight?”
“No.” Gu Louyin frowned slightly, “Why do you ask that?”
“Look at Shen Fugui and Miss Cai, they are also in love with each other and promised each other to be together in life and death, but they never overstepped their bounds.” Xiao Yuan said with embarrassment, “And look at us, we didn’t get married, but we did all the things we should and shouldn’t have done.”
Gu Louyin said, “We are married, as you said.”
Xiao Yuan said in confusion: “Did I say that?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yuan really didn’t remember this incident at all.
“Moreover, it’s not all done,” Gu Louyin said calmly, “there are some things that haven’t been done yet.”
In the end, Xiao Yuan did not sleep in separate beds with Gu Louyin. He was lying on the bed, his cheeks flushed and his eyelashes trembling slightly. Tonight was no better than usual. There were three guests sleeping in the house and Xiao Yuan didn’t dare to make a sound, but the sensation Gu Louyin gave him was so intense that he had to cover his mouth to avoid making any unwarranted noises.
It didn’t take long for Xiao Yuan to bite his lips and clench his fists tightly and feel a little depressed after being happy. He didn’t usually come so fast.
Gu Louyin leaned back, took away his hand, lowered his head to kiss Xiao Yuan’s lips, then changed his mind halfway and only kissed the corner of his mouth, saying in a hoarse voice: “Delicious.”
Xiao Yuan’s eyes darted around and he braced himself: “I will help you too?”
Gu Louyin pressed him back, “You don’t have to move.”
“…I don’t have to move?”
It was late at night, and the doors and windows isolated the sound of wind and snow, but inside the house the sound of flowing water could be heard.
Xiao Yuan breathed more and more quickly and called Gu Louyin’s name softly. Gu Louyin stopped suddenly, took a bite at the tip of his ear and said, “Call me husband.”
Xiao Yuan, never one to shy away, let alone at such a time, immediately cried out impatiently: “Hus, husband…”
Gu Louyin smiled very lightly, “It sounds good.”
No matter how absurd he was the night before, Gu Louyin put on his clothes the next day and looked like a cold sword cultivator untouched by the problems of the mortal world. Xiao Yuan got up a little late and didn’t have time to prepare exquisite meals. He sent the guests away with a pot of millet porridge and a dozen big steamed buns.
After the meal, Shen Fugui and the others said goodbye to them. Cai Xunnian said, “How long do you plan to live in the snowy mountain?”
Xiao Yuan smiled and said, “We should be going down the mountain soon.”
Xiao Yuan, standing side by side with Gu Louyin on the top of the mountain, watched the guests walking farther and farther away and said, “The leisurely days are over.”
Gu Louyin turned to him, brushed away the falling snow on Xiao Yuan’s shoulders and said, “Follow me.”
When the two came to the valley between the two snow-capped mountains, Gu Louyin stopped in front of a cliff, “We’ve arrived.”
Xiao Yuan looked around; Qingyan circled around him. “Is there anything special here?”
Gu Louyin drew his sword and waved it at the cliff, and the snow covering it fell, revealing a cave.
Ordinary caves were pitch-black, how could it be so bright? Xiao Yuan said with interest: “Is there anything in it?”
Gu Louyin said, “You will know when you go in.”
Xiao Yuan raised his eyebrows – when did Gu Louyin learn to prepare surprises? He was about to go in when he heard Gu Louyin say, “Wait.”
Gu Louyin lowered his eyes slightly and said, “Holding hands.”
The two of them obviously had done things much more embarrassing than holding hands, but the moment they intertwined their fingers, Xiao Yuan’s heart still thumped and his cheeks flushed. He coughed twice to cover it and said, “Let’s go, let me see what good treasures Master Gu has hidden here.”
The deeper they went in, the brighter the light was. After Xiao Yuan saw the scene inside clearly, his eyes lit up all of a sudden.
In fact, his eyes would be lit up whether he wanted it to or not. Deep inside the cave, piles of brilliantly coloured gems were scattered around, illuminating the whole cave with a dream-like light.
Xiao Yuan murmured, “This is…”
“Hibiscus stones.”
Xiao Yuan bent down and touched a hibiscus stone, “It looks amazing – what is it for?”
Gu Louyin said, “It looks good and is valuable.”
Xiao Yuan smiled and asked, “These are your savings?”
“En.”
“How much is it worth?”
“A hibiscus stone the size of a grain of rice is enough for ordinary people’s expenses for ten years.”
Xiao Yuan thought for a while and said sourly: “I knew you couldn’t be lacking money at all. It seems that you don’t need me to support you at all.”
“You need to support me.”
“Aren’t you richer than me, why do you want me to support you?”
“I’ll give you all these,” Gu Louyin said, “as a dowry.”
“Wow!”
Gu Louyin smiled gently and said, “There is one more thing.”
Xiao Yuan looked expectant, “What?”
Gu Louyin took out a folding fan and handed it to Xiao Yuan. “Your father-in-law asked me to return it to you.”
Xiao Yuan’s face changed slightly and there was a touch of nostalgia in his eyes, “It turned out to be this.”
He already had Bihai Chaosheng, and it was superfluous to have Wuguan Fengyue. Holding a fan in his hand made him look stylish and uninhibited; if he held a fan in the other hand too… Xiao Yuan imagined that picture, only to find it funny.
But in any case, this little Wuguan Fengyue was his first weapon and it was also the only thing Li Xianting left him.
Thinking about this, Xiao Yuan said decisively: “Throw it away.”
Gu Louyin was a little surprised, “Are you sure?”
“Not sure.” Xiao Yuan regretted, “Anyway, it’s an artifact, so let’s keep it and give it away.”
At night, Xiao Yuan laid on the bed, not feeling sleepy for a long time. He rolled over and was hugged by Gu Louyin.
“Can’t sleep?” Gu Louyin asked.
Xiao Yuan gave a muffled “en” and drilled into Gu Louyin’s arms. “Am I disturbing you?”
“No.”
Xiao Yuan was quiet for a moment, sighed and said, “Gu Louyin, in fact, I am not as open-minded and chic as I appear. There are some things that I still care about.”
Gu Louyin said solemnly: “I know.”
“Later, I found that not only was it useless to care, but it would also add to my troubles, so I stopped caring completely.”
Gu Louyin stroked Xiao Yuan’s hair and waited quietly for him to continue.
Xiao Yuan smiled, “So, those people and those things before, I can deal with them indifferently, only you…”
Gu Louyin took a breath, and the movement of his hand stopped.
Dissatisfied with Gu Louyin stopping suddenly, Xiao Yuan rubbed against his arms. “I can’t let you go – I like you very much.”
Gu Louyin didn’t say anything, but his fingers touching Xiao Yuan’s long hair trembled.