Chapter 29 – Fourty Thousand; A Debt Collector’s Story

You Shu sweated nervously. He firstly sat beside the young man, then slowly looked down. Suddenly he felt that it was difficult to maintain balance in this posture, and changed to lying down on the pillow. He stuck out his lips and got closer, inch by inch. If he moved anymore forward, he would press down on the young man's shoulder. So, without a choice, he changed positions again and placed his hands on both sides of the others face.

"Master, Master?" He did not dare move and tentatively called twice.

Ji Changye looked like he was fast asleep, but his hands were already balled into fists under his quilt. You Shu kept repeating his actions again and again until even Ji Changye became worried. You Shu had never heard of the story of "Two Little Boots", otherwise he would definitely feel the same. If you want to kiss, then kiss. What are you calling out for? What if you wake someone up and they see what you’re doing! That little mouth on your face is so unreliable!

Blu: Two Little Boots is a classical story about a young man and an old man. I’ll put it in the bottom.

You Shu waited a long while. Seeing the young man still breathing long and deeply with his eyes closed, only then did he purse his lips and slowly bend down. He did not forget to whisper an apology, "I’m sorry, Master let me kiss you once. Just once."

Ji Changye couldn’t help but part his lips. This child is still the same as last time, with no skills. He gently licks like a puppy, and then pauses for a while, then continues, and then pauses for a while, and then continues. The cycle seems to be endless.

It’s such a clumsy kiss method, but Ji Changye almost couldn’t hold it. It was unknown when he actually stuck his tongue out.

When You Shu bowed down again, he ran into Ji Changye’s tongue and suddenly scared, let out a "hum" sound. He immediately stepped back a few feet, touched his mouth, and looked at the young man who was still sleeping “heavily”. His cheeks were hot like they were burned by fire.

The youth’s heavy breathing echoed in the room, concealing the sound of the young man’s heart which was beating like a drum. At that moment just now, he was almost scared into opening his eyes by electric shock-like feeling. How can this be? How could he want to kiss the youth? How could he want to hold him in his arms and tightly hug him? How could he want to imprison his legs so that he could never leave him? What are you thinking? Is this way of thinking normal?

Ji Changye, who had suffered in silence for many years, had cultivated the “Will remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed” skill. At this moment, his mind was in disorder but he did not forget to keep his sleeping face.

You Shu absolutely lost control of himself. Not only did his cheeks blush crimson, even his head was almost smoking. He reached out his hand tremblingly, to explore the young man's breath. He realized something and quickly retracted his hand, patted his forehead twice, his expression annoyed.

He shifted over a little bit. Borrowing the moonlight that was streaming in from the window to look at his Master’s face, he saw that his Master’s brows were smoothed out and eyes shut tight, as if sleep deeply.

"Hu...... (breathing out)" You Shu sighed in relief, slumped against the pillow while rubbing his rapidly beating heart. He had thought absorbing Dragon Qi was very simple. He didn’t think it was a job that needed skill. He had almost been found out.

Last time, he did not dare to touch Master. Thinking back, he had been so carried away with his success, that he almost woke Master up.

"Why did it taste like steamed rice rolls?" After the tension faded away, he couldn't help but sigh out.

When Ji Changye (who was similarly tense) heard this sentence, he went silent for a moment and almost laughed, but fortunately held it back in time. Sure enough, he’s a little foodie! He can even associate it with food at this time. He could even think of ‘steamed rice rolls’!

You Shu smacked his lips for a bit and pondered for a moment, then dove into the quilt to lie down, falling into a deep sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

Hearing the youth’s long and steady breathing, Ji Changye opened his eyes and turned sideways to stare. He knew his emotions were abnormal. In fact, he was more frightened than You Shu was.

He didn’t know when he parted his lips, taking the initiative to accept this awkward kiss. The person who reacted like this was just like another Ji Changye, and he was completely unable to pry into the thoughts of that Ji Changye. But it is undeniable that his heart did not reject You Shu’s kiss as much as his reason did. On the contrary, he longed for it and for a moment, this longing was beyond his control.

Ji Changye has always had a very strong desire to control people, especially himself. He does not allow himself to act emotionally, or to show excess emotions, and he does not allow himself to be infatuated with a person. Even though the current him didn't know that this state was called "being infatuated."

While tossing and turning, the moonlight outside the window had been replaced by a misty dawn. Only then did he get out of bed with dark circles under his eyes.

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You Shu was woken up by the smell of steamed buns. He used his quickest speed to get dressed, washed his face, rinsed his mouth, and ran outside.

"Run slower. You have your share." Ji Changye pulled a chair beside him, quietly laughing as if nothing happened last night.

You Shu scooped up a steamed bun after he sat down. He bit a small mouthful of it and sucked the delicious and rich sauce inside the bun. He smacked his lips and swept them with his tongue, his eyes glowed with joy, as if he were enjoying good wine.

This look immediately made Ji Changye muddleheaded. When You Shu secretly kissed him, his eyes were closed tightly. How could he know what the other party’s expression was and how he behaved? But now, he knew it. It turned out to be like this, so consumed in their own pleasure, not considering others. It made Ji Changye’s his emotions turbulent

He awkwardly shifted his line of sight and slowly spoke after slightly adjusting his rapid breathing and heartbeat, "You Shu, have you ever planned for your future?"

You Shu drank the broth and stuffed the shrivelled bun into his mouth and vaguely said, "I’ve thought about it."

"What do you want to do?" Ji Changye patiently guided.

"I’m not doing anything. I’m just going to follow Master." You Shu swallowed his food and drank some small mouthfuls of the soup.

Ji Changye was silent. His heart suddenly felt joy then it suddenly felt worried. He had mixed feelings, but he couldn't let You Shu lose himself. That would be no good for him or Ji Changye, himself, so he continued, "You can't follow me all your life. You are neither my servant nor my subordinate. You are an independent person who should have their own life. In the future, you will get married, have children, settle down...... "

You Shu randomly agreed, then picked up a bun again, carefully using his front teeth to bite the skin open. First, he poked out his tongue to test the temperature of the broth. Feeling that it wasn't hot, and then he opened his mouth and sucked slowly.

Is this action any different from You Shu kissing him? The deliberately forgotten memories surged, making Ji Changye's ears hot, and his lower abdomen swollen. He stared at the boy, eyes already bloodshot, and spoke with stern reprimand, "You Shu, I'm talking to you. Put the bun down and listen well."

You Shu jumped in fright. His big, bright eyes widened round.

This extremely small innocent appearance immediately made Ji Changye soft-hearted. He restrained his restlessness and softly spoke, "You Shu, you are already 16 and should establish yourself."

You Shu finally realized that his Master was driving him out. He lost all his appetite, and falteringly said, "But, Ah Da and Ah Er are already 27 or 28 and haven't established themselves?"

“They are my subordinates. Establishing themselves is the same as turning their backs against their Master."Ji Changye felt angry and also funny. Without waiting for the youth to refute, he continued, “You are different from them. I don't need you to do anything for me. I just want you to be healthy and live in peace. In my heart you are equivalent to my family, not subordinate. You should try to do what you want to do and live the life you want. You are very smart, you can participate in the imperial examinations, win scholarly honor and make a career. Don’t forget, you still need to take care of your mother, and I, I ...... "

Speaking till here, Ji Changye do not know why, actually felt a little guilty, took a sip of herbal tea before roughly spoke, "And I will get married soon, and I will be stationed in Jingzhou one month after the marriage." This is the biggest reason why he wants to drive away You Shu as soon as possible. Jingzhou has frequent wars. Once you go, you have to fight with all you have. He won’t have any certain victory, so he must keep his most treasured person in the safest place.

You Shu was stunned, his mouth opening and closing a long while before he could speak, "You’re getting married? With who?" Just the thought of another person lying beside Master made him feel extremely uncomfortable. However, he soon put aside this weird feeling and continued, "Yes, I do have a mother to take care of. I should have gone to see her earlier."

Having experienced all sorts of changes, You Shu had no choice but to believe in mysterious things like heaven, reincarnation, and karma in this world. Wasn’t that debt-collecting ghost the best example? So he tried hard not to owe others, nor let others owe himself. Of course, this was originally his code of conduct. The opportunity for rebirth was given by Song shi, so he must return the karma of him owing Song shi.

Ji Changye saw his attention was quickly diverted by Song shi, his heart felt both relaxed and a little sour. He patted the boy who was anxious to stand up and comforted him, "I have sent someone to settle your mother and two domestic servants down. If you want to go and see her, do it after breakfast. Also, I bought a compound with five courtyards. Wait for an auspicious day then move in together with them. Do not worry, the Wang family can’t pull anything. "

You Shu drank a mouthful porridge without tasting it and spoke indistinctly, "Thank you, Master. The Master is about to get married, so it's inconvenient for me to be with the Master from now on, isn't it?" Sure enough, all men who’ve reached adulthood would become like this. No humanity when the other sex is involved.

Ji Changye wanted to shake his head, but he seemed to think of something and nodded. He was being sent to Jingzhou. Regardless whether it was the Queen Dowager or Xiao Guifei, they were both wary of him. Seeing that he was still alone, they each picked out a suitable-aged woman from their maternal homes and stuffed her into the fu as a spy. Yesterday, the decree had been issued. He was being conferred the title of Jingzhou Wang and his main concubine was a distant niece of Xiao Guifei, and was even gifted five concubines from the Queen Dowager who would enter the fu half a month later. Placing these people around him doesn't hinder him. On the contrary, it means he can beat them at their own game. Besides, he didn't intend to touch any of them. So why was it "inconvenient"?

Blu: Wang usually means ‘king’, but it can also mean chief, Duke, Prince, Leaders, etc. So I’m leaving it as ‘Wang’.

If You Shu knew the inside story, he’s afraid he would be even more unwilling to go, so it’s better to let him misunderstand.

You Shu straightened his neck and waited. Seeing the youth nod, he suddenly felt like a deflated ball. His limbs went soft and he lied prone on the table. He's not the kind of stubborn person. If he has to go, then he’ll go but he had to be able to get the Dragon Essence, otherwise he won't be able to survive. The urgency of his life being threatened greatly diluted the grievances and sadness hidden in the bottom of his heart, which quickly invigorated his spirit. He clamped another steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth without sipping the soup.

When Ji Changye saw him being sad one moment then happy the next moment, then nonchalant like a carefree person, his eyes unavoidably darkened.

THE CORNER

FOOTNOTE(S):

Two Little Boots - In the past, there was a young man who lived in the bedroom upstairs of an old man and he often returned late at night. When he entered his room, he would take off his boots and throw them down to the ground. This made a loud noise, and the whole house was awakened from their sleep. Then he made another sound, and another boot fell to the ground. Only then can the old man turn around and continue sleeping. Over time, the elderly developed conditioned reflexes , and had to wait for two thumps every night before falling asleep. Once, the old man couldn’t tolerate it anymore that he went upstairs to protest to the young man. Only then did the young man knew that he was disturbing other people. He promised to change in the future.

The next night, the young man returned to the room late at night, and another boot fell to the ground with a bang. The old man held back his anger and waited for the other boot to fall to the ground. He didn’t dare to sleep peacefully, for fear of suddenly being woken up by a “bang”. This continued until dawn, so he had insomnia all night. He was suspicious and went upstairs, but it turned out that the young man suddenly thought of the old man's protest after dropping a boot according to his old habits, and quickly put the second boot softly and gently on the ground without making a sound, not wanting to make a sound. As a result, the elderly suffered from insomnia all night long.

The practical meaning of this is: to have a wait-and-see mentality.

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