What Happened That Year?

[BE SURE TO READ THE BONUS BELOW 😉 ]

The afternoon of the previous day, Su Yang followed Xu Yunzhan to the Village of Mount Qianfeng and stayed at an isolated guest courtyard that was arranged for him.

However, his worries for Gu Feidi kept him from sleeping again. He lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to get rid of his insomnia. Going back to his old routine, he picked up his sword and practised in the courtyard. It was not until daybreak that he returned to his room.

Nodding off and on until the sky was bright, he was awakened by a rustling of footsteps and slowly opened his eyes. 

Gu Feidi walked toward the bed, a clear air of cold dew clinging to him. He lowered his eyes and locked on the disordered and half-opened outer robe, messy hair and sleepy eyes of Su Yang.

Su Yang saw Gu Feidi and was immediately awakened. Twinkling emotion appeared in his eyes as his whole face lit up.

He smiled without realising it as he tilted his head on the pillow and asked in a sleepy voice, “Did you break out of your prison?”

Without answering, Gu Feidi threw his luggage on the table beside the bed and pressed Su Yang’s shoulder down, and fiercely seized those captivating lips.

Su Yang only struggled slightly in his heart, before slowly closing his eyes and allowing Gu Feidi to kiss him.

Gu Feidi seemed to have just bathed, as light vapour lingered on his body, carrying the refreshing fragrance of flowers. Su Yang really liked this scent.

Although it was only a very short parting, he never realised just how much he missed Gu Feidi…It was not until the one he missed the most appeared before him, smelling of the familiar flower fragrance, that he felt his whole being and mind could finally, truly relax.

Perhaps this was a love that he never wanted to be apart from.

Gu Feidi’s breathing became more heated. 

He continued to kiss Su Yang breathless, stroked the tender cheek of the man in his arms, before moving up to caress the soft hair, then moved down and pressed gently on the back of Su Yang’s neck.

Su Yang’s skin was colder than usual, while Gu Feidi’s hands were like a furnace. On this late autumn morning that carried a faint chill, that heat felt very wonderful on Su Yang’s skin. A warmth which could melt both him and his heart...

The kiss lasted for what felt like a lifetime, before Gu Feidi looked up lightly, broke the kiss, and gazed into Su Yang’s blurred eyes.

Then, he pecked on Su Yang’s lips, pecked again, and again…Then he rearranged the other man’s body in his arms, placed his cheek right next to the other’s ear and whispered, “Su Yang, I want…”

Su Yang swallowed to clear his dry throat, pushed Gu Feidi away and tried to reject with an upstanding tone. “No, you don’t want to. This is someone else’s house…”

Gu Feidi closed his eyes to calm his breathing down. He leaned closer to suck on Su Yang’s lower lip before he got up and obediently sat on the edge of the bed.

Watching Su Yang straightening out his robe, Gu Feidi pinched the other’s chin and smirked, then said in a husky voice, “If I had known how quickly I would be let out, I wouldn’t have requested Yunzhan bring you here.”

Su Yang raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“If you were still in the inn…” As Gu Feidi spoke with a devilish smile, that could rival the Young Master’s signature smile. “I won't let you go so easily…no matter what.”

Su Yang was not convinced. “Ha! Let me go? Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?”

Gu Feidi studied Su Yang from head to toe, and proposed with interest, “Why don’t we give it a try?”

Baring his teeth at him, Su Yang rebuked, “I’ll show you my real strength another day.”

Gu Feidi smiled instead of bickering.

Su Yang got up from the bed to get dressed. He turned his head and glanced sideways at Gu Feidi. “You didn’t come out of the Tengyun Pavilion just to carry on a clandestine love affair, right?”

Gu Feidi answered, “What if I say I was?”

Clicking his tongue, Su Yang complained, “You’re acting more and more like a villain.”

Instead of feeling ashamed, Gu Feidi smiled with pride.

Su Yang uttered, “For real though, did the Alliance Leader let you out? Did he approve of us?”

Gu Feidi frowned. “How do you know he was aware of our relationship? Did he come looking for you? When?”

Su Yang nodded. “Yes, he came to the inn yesterday afternoon to see me, but nothing serious. I didn’t think he would agree so soon. I thought it would be harder…”

“Yesterday afternoon…” Gu Feidi furrowed his eyebrows for a moment. “What did you say to him?’

Su Yang immediately shook his hand. “Nothing much, I just asked him to let us complete our journey…”

“Su Yang,” Gu Feidi said helplessly. “You are a terrible liar. Furthermore, he changed his attitude after meeting you. Do you think I’ll believe you didn’t say much?”

Su Yang lowered his head and fiddled with his belt. He didn’t respond for a long time.

Gu Feidi came forward and held the man in his arms from behind. He approached beside him and whispered close to his ear, “Didn’t we agree we’ll be honest in the future? Could you tell me, please?”

In the end, Su Yang couldn’t resist Gu Feidi’s plea, so he confessed, “When he came to see me, he told me he wouldn’t allow our relationship to continue. I was anxious, which…led to the cold sickness. He may think I’m…”

“Again?” Gu Feidi captured Su Yang’s wrist and inserted his internal energy. “And you’re better now?”

Su Yang couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Why ask such a foolish, rhetorical question? What do you think? Doesn't me standing in front of you mean I’m better?”

Gu Feidi also laughed and caressed Su Yang’s cheek.

“It’s good that you’re fine. We’ll depart for the snowy mountain before noon today.” He said. “My father will also announce my expulsion from the Tengyun Pavilion this afternoon.”

Seeing Su Yang’s shocked expression, Gu Feidi immediately explained the whole story, and Alliance Leader Gu’s consideration, which put Su Yang at ease.

After he freshened up and made himself presentable, Su Yang ate a simple breakfast. The two went to visit Xu Yunzhan to say their farewells. 

Seeing that the three men had something to discuss, Huo Ying got up and left the room.

Gu Feidi once again cupped his hand and gave thanks to his friend.

Xu Yunzhan smiled. “Before, when you entrusted me with a task, you were never this polite. Is it because now you have an ‘insider內人 means wife (humbly), but it could be translated as insider person directly, while 外人 means outsider person or outsider/foreigner. This is a little pun/ play on words. ’, you have to be polite to ‘outsiders’ like me? Or are you emphasising your ‘authority’ over me?”

This startled Gu Feidi, but he relaxed when he saw the smirk on his friend’s face and knew the other was not blaming him, but teasing him. 

He murmured, “I do feel a little guilty about everything…but I don’t want to modestly decline or retreat. I could only say a few more thanks and apologies to you.”

Su Yang listened to these riddles between the two men in confusion. He turned to Gu Feidi, eyes full of questions.

Xu Yunzhan was amused by his ignorant expression and said, “This is a secret between me and Feidi. Better if you don’t ask.”

Su Yang looked more suspiciously at Gu Feidi.

Feeling slightly nervous, Gu Feidi abruptly showed a flattering smile.

Su Yang raised his eyebrows and cheered, beaming, “Alright. It’s not like he is keeping a few little secrets from me. For example…he took a box of mosquito repellent ointment and never told me where he hid it.”

He gave Gu Feidi a very meaningful glance.

Gu Feidi: “...”

After chatting about the current state of the martial art community, Gu Feidi explained to Xu Yunzhan his father’s plan for him and Tengyun Pavilion and told him not to worry. 

Later, the two, with Mei Shisan, were escorted by the guards of the Village of Mount Qianfeng towards the direction of the snowy mountain.

Once past noon, when they passed a village, they ‘encountered’ the first pursuit of Tengyun Pavilion’s phoenix guards.

After a fierce battle, the guards captured Mei Shisan, but accidentally let Gu Feidi and Su Yang get away.

After that, they left the main road and walked along the path between the mountains.

Meanwhile, in the Central Plains, news began to widely spread that “Tengyun Pavilion’s Young Lord was abducted by the Evil Sect’s Young Master” and the gossip followed afterwards, just in time for the Double Ninth Festival.

On Mount Mei Zhu in Qing Wu County, the red maple and golden elm leaves gently interacted before dropping to the ground, paving a thick and mottled blanket.

In an open space in the forest, there was a huge stone with a flat surface. All the fallen leaves on the stone were swept away. A table with a game board pattern and two futons were placed on the flat stone, and a teapot was burning on a little clay furnace nearby. As dense steam arose from the heated water, it obscured the figure of the man in white sitting on the futon in front of the table.

Gu Ruohai, dressed in navy blue, stepped into the forest. At a glance, he spotted Su Huaizhu, with his long black hair running down like a waterfall, picking up the teapot and pouring tea into two cups.

After many years of separation, the emotion in Gu Ruohai’s eyes was still a raging sea, which was exquisitely hidden after his years of experience as an eminent figure.

He walked forward and sat down on the futon opposite Su Huaizhu.

Who passed the teacup over like he had done this many times.

Gu Ruohai accepted the cup, gently blew the tea, and took small sips.

“Not afraid of me poisoning the tea?” Su Huaizhu questioned with a smile.

Gu Ruohai put down the teacup, eyes fixed on it. “If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have stopped your blade twenty years ago.”

Su Huaizhu heard those words but did not reply right away.

Now, with both teacups on the table, he opened the bag beside the table that contained all the circular game pieces. “Since we rarely meet, one game?”

Without saying a word, Gu Ruohai took out a black piece from the bag and placed it on the board’s surface, creating a crisp sound.

Neither of them spoke. For a moment, only the shuffling sound of fallen leaves touching the earth could be heard.

On the game board, black and white pieces were fighting and seizing, and the battle was continuously on even match. A hand-to-hand fight without shedding blood, yet it was on par with a blade to the heart.

As the end of the day was approaching, the winner of the match could already be determined by the placement of the pieces. The black pieces were waiting for their defeat—the hand holding the white pieces suddenly paused.

Gu Ruohai looked up at Su Huaizhu.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. “If you’re not making your next move, then you're waiting for me to concede?”

Su Huaizhu fiddled with the piece in his hand. Eyes remained on the match, hesitating over something.

Gu Ruohai sat with him in equal silence. He didn’t admit defeat and didn’t urge the other to make the move.

A red maple leaf fell from the branch above. It spun and landed softly on the table, right at the winning spot.

Su Huaizhu suddenly chuckled.

He stretched out his hand and placed the piece, but it blocked a crucial position for the white side, essentially presenting the victory to his opponent.

“You…” Gu Ruohai didn’t understand. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Su Huaizhu picked up the fallen leaf on the board with a smile. “It's heaven's will.”

Not making the next move, Gu Ruohai studied Su Huaizhu with a slight frown.

Su Huaizhu finally faced Gu Ruohai’s eyes.

He started smiling, “Although there are only you and me fighting on this board, you know that there are far more forces than just us in this chaotic Jianghu.”

Gu Ruohai sighed, “The E’Luo Gui Faction is the third player in this match.”

Su Huaizhu nodded. After a moment of silence, he said, “Three years ago, the old ruler was murdered and usurped by his younger brother. Recently, I learned that the new ruler, E’Luo Yuan…formerly known as E’Luo Jue, used to adore his younger half-sister…E’Luo Jin.”

Hearing the name, E’Luo Jin, Gu Ruohai instinctively clenched his fists under the table.

Not knowing the other man’s internal struggle, Su Huaizhu continued, “...This is the debt that I should repay. I requested for you on this day to ask something of you. This task should bring immense joy to the Central Plains.”

After not hearing the other man’s reply, Su Huaizhu gave a bitter smile and said, “I shouldn’t have mentioned her.”

Gu Ruohai finally spoke. “What do you need me to do?”

Su Huaizhu turned to Gu Ruohai. His eyes stayed at the other’s usually calm face and then shifted to the hair that had been slightly dyed in frost white.

After a long time, he requested, “After two months, at the winter solstice. I hope you could lead the Central Plains…to the Phantom City…and destroy my Sect.”

Gu Ruohai frowned and questioned, “Why?”

Su Huaizhu lowered his gaze. “I’m tired.”

“Since you have sent Gu Feidi and Su Yang away, you must have guessed what my plan is.” Without waiting for Gu Ruohai to speak, he added with a smile. “Whether it’s the Yantan Divine Sect, or the ‘Evil Sect’ in the words of the Central Plains…since there’s no successor, it’s best to dissolve its legacy. When E’Luo Yuan wanted to incite us to war, I wanted to take this opportunity to retire as well and give him what he desired.”

“Su Huaizhu.”

Gu Ruohai’s expression was no longer calm.

He locked eyes with Su Huaizhu, clenching his fist and forcing words out of his throat. “Are you going to take this opportunity to lead your Divine Sect to their annihilation, while assassinating E’Luo Yuan yourself?”

Su Huaizhu obviously didn’t expect the other man to hit right at the target as the tip of his eyebrow raised up.

“I understand how you think.” Gu Ruohai sighed. “You would never have taken the trouble to plot your Divine Sect’s end and meet me in secret without another goal. Unless…you are determined to die, or you wouldn’t have ever wanted to meet me. Right?”

Su Huaizhu looked at Gu Ruohai and said nothing.

After a long internal struggle, Gu Ruohai finally asked a question that was twenty years too late.

“What happened to you and E’Luo Jin that year?”

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Mildly NSFW Pre-Locked Content: 

Without answering, Gu Feidi threw his luggage on the table beside the bed and pressed Su Yang’s shoulder down, and fiercely seized those captivating lips.

Su Yang only struggled slightly in his heart and allowed Gu Feidi’s tongue to explore his mouth.

Gu Feidi seemed to have just bathed as light vapour lingered on his body, with the refreshing fragrance of flowers. Su Yang really liked this scent and gradually immersed himself in the kiss. Without thinking, he raised his hands behind Gu Feidi’s back and gently clenched on the younger man’s soft hair.

Gu Feidi’s breathing became more disordered. 

As he deepened his kiss, his wandering hands advanced downward to grip the hard back that he knew was extremely flexible.

Su Yang’s skin was colder than usual, while Gu Feidi’s hands were like a furnace. On this late autumn morning, with a faint chill, that heat felt truly wonderful on Su Yang’s skin as he unintentionally released a groan. 

Gu Feidi broke the kiss and lifted his head slightly to look at Su Yang’s blurry eyes.

Then, he pecked on Su Yang’s lips, pecked a second time. The light kisses travelled from Su Yang’s cheek, earlobe, to the side of the neck…The more Su Yang felt the hot breath on his skin, the more he shuddered.

The next moment, Gu Feidi’s palm found the collar of Su Yang’s robe and probed into the half-open lapel. 

He grabbed Gu Feidi’s wrists and pushed the man away.

“Hey! Don’t you know you shouldn’t tease a recently woken man?” He gasped for breath. “Stop playing so close to the fire, we’re at someone else’s house…”