Chapter 12: If You Weren't My Little Aunt

Xiao Che withdrew his consciousness from the Tian Du Zhu, picked up the girl’s clothes that had fallen to the ground, purified the venom upon them, and then returned to the Tian Du Zhu, covering her with the garments at the fastest possible speed. Only then did he take a small, relieved breath.

Who was this girl, exactly? Why had she appeared here? Why did she need to drink his blood? How did she even know about the Tian Du Zhu? And how had she managed to enter its depths?

These questions, Xiao Che found himself utterly bereft of answers.

He gazed at the girl silently for a long time, then extended his hand and gently pressed it against her upper lip. Instantly, a faint warmth traveled through his fingertips, no longer the chill of before, and a delicate, steady breath brushed his skin.

These were clear signs of life.

"Little sister?" Xiao Che nodded at her body and called out.

In any era, a woman’s beauty remained the mightiest capital and the strongest weapon. If this were not a fairy-tale beauty, but a hideous monster who could vomit three days after a single glance, Xiao Che would have kicked her out of the Tian Du Zhu without a second thought. Yet this girl, not only exuded an aura of mystery, but had bitten his finger and drained his blood, sending him into a cold sweat, and had inexplicably appeared within the Tian Du Zhu. When facing her, Xiao Che did not think of the danger she posed, but rather an uncontrollable tenderness. For the girl was so stunningly beautiful that he could not even associate her with the concept of "danger."

This was less a matter of male nature than the base instinct of most men.

Xiao Che called out to her for half the night, but the girl remained silent. He stepped back, watching her in silence.

This girl was certainly no ordinary person... Xiao Che mused. From the wounds and tattered clothes she had worn, it was clear her poison had not been carelessly acquired, but deliberately inflicted by someone else. For a girl of her age, ordinary poisons would suffice to kill her, yet the assailant had used a toxin so severe it even terrified Xiao Che himself.

The one who wielded such a poison must be an utterly terrifying individual.

Even more frightening was that this girl had been drenched in such venom and yet still lived!

So what should he do with her? Leave her sleeping in the Tian Du Zhu?

After much thought, Xiao Che silently departed from the Tian Du Zhu, leaving the girl behind within it. Though she had drunk his blood before, it seemed to have been an unconscious act. How could such a beautiful girl be a wicked soul? Even setting aside that, even if she were, at her age, what threat could she possibly pose?

He had no idea when she might awaken.

He did his best to cleanse the ground of poison, then began making his way back. The night was deep and quiet, save for the sound of his footsteps. When he was still less than a hundred paces from the rear wall of his mansion, he suddenly saw a figure approaching him head-on.

Xiao Che’s steps froze. He looked ahead—who was sneaking into this place at this hour?

The figure in front also spotted him, halted, and cautiously asked, "Who is it?"

That voice made Xiao Che blink in surprise, then gasp, "My lady?"

"Ah?" The figure let out a soft gasp, then hurried forward. As she drew near, the moonlight revealed a delicate, beautiful face—Xiao Ling Xi. When she saw Xiao Che, her eyes widened: "Xiao Che? How did you get here?"

"I—" Xiao Che scratched his head. "I couldn’t sleep, so I came out to look at the stars."

"Look at the stars? It’s your wedding night! You’re not going to bed with your wife, Xi Qingyue? Pah, sneaking off to the mountains to gaze at the stars?!" Xiao Ling Xi grabbed Xiao Che’s arm, her face flushed with indignation. "You don’t know how dangerous this place is! Occasionally, vicious beasts attack people here. It’s dark—who knows if bad people might sneak in? What if you accidentally stumbled upon something? I’ve told you a hundred times, without me and Grandfather here, even during the day you absolutely cannot come here alone. You—again, you didn’t listen!"

She added, her voice sharp with anger, giving his arm a sharp pinch to scold him.

"Ah! Ouch! Ouch!" Xiao Che yelped in pain, pleading, "My lady, I know I’m wrong! I promise, I won’t do it again!"

"No second chances!" Xiao Ling Xi’s eyes narrowed.

"…There will never be another time! If I ever go to the mountains, I’ll call for my lady to come with me!" Xiao Che swore solemnly. After all, if it weren’t for his memories, he’d never have dared to come here alone at night.

"That’s… enough! No more of that!"

"Why, then, did you come here? It’s so late," Xiao Che asked, puzzled.

"I—" Xiao Ling Xi’s voice dropped, her eyes clouding with confusion. "I don’t know why, I couldn’t sleep tonight, and then I noticed the stars were especially bright, so I thought I’d go to the mountains to look at them."

Xiao Che looked up at the sky and smiled. "Before, my lady and I used to sneak out at midnight to feel the night breeze and gaze at the stars… often we were caught by Grandfather and scolded."

"Yes. I…" Xiao Ling Xi nodded, speaking softly. "I also thought of those memories, so I wanted to try feeling what it’s like to go out alone and look at the stars… because after I marry you, I might only be able to be alone, and couldn’t look at the stars with you anymore."

"Huh? Why?"

"Idiot! You’re getting married! After that, nights you’ll be with your new wife, Xi Qingyue, won’t you? Who else would sneak out to feel the night breeze and look at the stars?" Xiao Ling Xi rolled her eyes at him, her lips parting in a pout.

"You won’t believe that, will you?" Xiao Che laughed. "As long as my lady wishes, I’ll always be happy to come here with you to look at the stars… look! I’m doing that right now, am I not, with my lady?"

"And you say that! Sneaking off to the mountains on your wedding night… Oh! Are you sure Xi Qingyue didn’t drive you out?" Thinking of this, Xiao Ling Xi’s face flushed with anger, stomping her foot. "Hmph, too presumptuous! I’ll go find her!"

"You don’t need to worry about her." Xiao Che took Xiao Ling Xi’s hand. "I wasn’t driven out—I came here on my own. Perhaps I sensed I’d meet my lady here… Come, let’s go to that place."

"Ah…"

Hand in hand, they hurried into the cool night breeze, Xiao Che leading Xiao Ling Xi toward a familiar spot.

It was the top of a low hill blanketed with soft, tender grass. Xiao Che and Xiao Ling Xi leaned against each other, basking in the gentle night breeze, their hearts at peace and calm.

"Before, I thought after you married, I’d lose half of you… Xi Qingyue is so beautiful, everything about her surpasses me. I feared you’d spend less and less time with me, and that I’d have less and less of your attention." Looking up at the sky, Xiao Ling Xi’s eyes shimmered with a light brighter than the stars.

"How could you be so ungrateful, my lady?" Xiao Che replied with a bitter smile. "I told you this morning that in my heart, a hundred Xi Qingyue’s couldn’t compare to my lady. My lady, the agreement we made… I don’t forget it, and I’ll always fulfill it willingly…"

"After marrying Xi Qingyue, you mustn’t forget me, your betrothed. You mustn’t reduce the time we spend together. Your summons to me must be as frequent as before. And one more thing—even though Xi Qingyue is your wife, her place in my heart must never surpass mine. I guarantee it, not a single word is wrong!"

"…" Xiao Ling Xi’s expression froze, her gaze growing hazy and dreamy: "These things I know are rather excessive… I only said them… I only said them to play. Do you really keep all of this in your heart?"

"Of course." Xiao Che nodded without hesitation. "Because my lady and Grandfather are the most important people in my life, no one else compares. My lady, I promise you, even if I marry, you’ll never be lost to me, just as I never wish to lose you."

"Hee…" Xiao Ling Xi smiled joyfully, wrapping her arms around Xiao Che’s shoulders, resting her head on his chest: "My good Xiao Che, so obedient, so good."

A dark cloud drifted across the sky, briefly obscuring the round moon, and the light dimmed slightly.

It had been so long… mmm, it felt like months since they’d last gone out to look at the stars. When they were children, no matter the season, they often sneaked out. I remember once, in winter, it was here. The sky was full of stars, and we stared at them for a long time, leaning against each other until we fell asleep… and that night, it snowed. We were frozen while asleep, and when Grandfather found us, we’d turned into two little snowmen. We stayed by the furnace for two days, drinking bitter medicine until we recovered. Grandfather was angry, but he didn’t dare scold me, nor me, because we were already half-frozen. After we recovered, he made us clear a vast patch of snow."

Xiao Che laughed and said, "And we only cleared a little bit before we started playing in the snow, even building a huge snowman that looked just like Grandfather. He couldn’t help but laugh, forgetting his anger. When he smiled, he forgot the punishment we’d earned."

"Yes! Grandfather always was like that. He looked fierce on the surface, but never dared to hurt us. He’d just scare us playfully, and no matter what happened, if we showed a little affection, we’d be obedient and compliant." Xiao Ling Xi smiled warmly.

"Not always." Xiao Che’s smile turned ambiguous: "Like when I was twelve, you were eleven, Grandfather made a little courtyard for you, saying you’d never be allowed to sleep in the same room as me again. I remember you cried every day for hours, even refused to eat, but Grandfather was very firm, refusing to let you share a bed with me. Over time, you had no choice but to obey."

"Th-that’s because we were so young, we didn’t understand many things! Girls’ matters, you only learn when you grow up, hmph." Xiao Ling Xi gently pinched Xiao Che’s shoulder.

"What matters?" Xiao Che blinked in confusion.

"That… that boys and girls aren’t supposed to sleep together once they grow up! I can’t believe you don’t know that!" Thinking of their recent encounter, Xiao Ling Xi added, "And you’re not supposed to pinch each other like when we were kids!"

"Oh…" Xiao Che turned his head, gazing at Xiao Ling Xi’s beautiful face illuminated by the bright stars, gently bringing her cheek close to his. "But I just can’t help wanting to kiss you. What should I do?"

"Then marry me!" Xiao Ling Xi tilted her head, her lips parting in pride.

"If it weren’t for me being your betrothed, I’d marry you." Xiao Che said without thinking.

"…"

In that moment, Xiao Che froze, and Xiao Ling Xi also fell silent, her expression frozen, staring at him… as if both had been magically bound in place.