Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Shared Rest

Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan held their breath and focused, watching the glow above the long sword.

At this moment, even though there were still many uncertainties, it was almost confirmed: There was no doubt! Bai Zhengliu’s master was probably one of the Yang family members who escaped all those years ago!

—Both sword masters and knife masters were from the martial world, but they also knew how strange and complex the matters of the court could be. Even though they had heard Fu Ming’s claim that the “twenty-eight generals were tyrannical and had even plotted rebellion,” for Bai and Mei, the stories passed down by the common people resonated more deeply.

They would not bring up these matters when facing Fu Ming, but now, they were no longer troubled.

But what exactly was Bai Zhengliu's master’s identity? Was he the younger brother of General Yang, who was more than a decade younger and never fully matured before the war ended? Or was he her nephew?

A new question arose, and Bai Zhengliu eagerly hoped that General Yang would appear again to answer his doubts. As for himself, upon learning of General Yang's identity, he would respectfully serve her tea as a sign of respect.

Unfortunately, the scene he hoped for did not occur. After the glow appeared, it quickly faded.

Bai Zhengliu waited patiently.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

The long sword did not respond again.

Bai Zhengliu felt disappointed but also understood that this was no ordinary matter. He finally said, “Senior, please rest.”

Mei Yinghan, who had been watching this scene from the side, was moved. Before going to bed that night, he left something on the table.

Bai Zhengliu saw this and was slightly puzzled. “Brother Bai, are you writing a letter?”

Yes, what Mei Yinghan had left on the table was indeed his inkbox.

Mei Yinghan paused. He wasn’t sure if his thoughts could come to fruition, nor did he want to disappoint the knife master for no reason.

Thus, Master Mei, the senior brother from Mount Tianshan, answered, “The two young masters, Jun Shi and Jun Di, will travel with us for two more days. After that, we must part ways. I will write a letter and ask them to take it back to Emei, to explain the situation.”

This was an important matter. Bai Zhengliu listened solemnly and said, “Then Brother Mei, please write it. No need to extinguish the lamp.”

This meant there was no need to worry about the candlelight disturbing his rest.

However, Mei Yinghan said, “It’s just a thought for now. I haven’t figured out how to phrase it exactly. Let’s sleep tonight, and when we rise tomorrow, I’ll write it down.”Bai Zhengliu: "Hmm..." That works.

The two had already washed up earlier and didn’t say much more, getting into bed together.

Speaking of "getting into bed together," there was still something else to this matter.

When they first left Guang'an Prefecture, Bai and Mei would humbly suggest that they sleep on the floor, each insisting that the other take the bed. Later, they simply got used to alternating, and it became a sort of routine between them.

It wasn’t until they were traveling with the Jun family brothers that one day, Jun Tao came into their room and saw the bedding still on the floor.

Jun Tao was very surprised. "Brother Bai, Brother Mei, do you still sleep on the floor?"

Bai and Mei answered naturally, "The bed is just too small." "It would be inconvenient to disturb the person beside us while sleeping."

Jun Tao was even more surprised. "Huh? Is this bed really too small? It feels fine to me. Sleeping with my older brother, it feels spacious enough."

Bai and Mei: "..."

Later that night, they stayed at an inn again.

It was originally Mei Yinghan’s turn to sleep in the bed, while Bai Zhengliu was to sleep on the floor. But as Bai Zhengliu was about to lay down his bedding, Mei Yinghan suddenly said, "Brother Bai, I’ve been thinking about what Little Jun said. This bed really seems big enough for both of us to share."

Bai Zhengliu understood his meaning, hesitated for a moment. "But—"

Mei Yinghan smiled and said, "If Brother Bai thinks it’s inconvenient, then forget it. But if it’s because you’re worried about disturbing my rest, there’s really no need. I’ve lived with you for so many days, I know that you’re a quiet sleeper."

"Normally, when we rest in the wild temples or forests, we have no choice but to sleep on the ground. But now that we have a bed, why continue sleeping on the floor and risk back pain? Brother Bai, I really feel bad about it."

Having heard this, what could Bai Zhengliu do? Besides, after thinking about it, he felt that if their positions were reversed, he would have extended the same invitation.

In the end, watching his companion sleep on the floor while he himself had a bed was just too much for him to ignore.

From then on, this became their routine. But since they were both men, there was absolutely no need for others to feel awkward about it. However, when it came to Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan, the situation was different.

They both knew that they were fond of each other.Now, sleeping together every night... Hmm, it's fine! To put it plainly, such things require one to be open-minded. Besides, when the two Jun brothers came to find them later, didn’t they look at them with no change in expression, not thinking anything of it?

Bai Zhengliu was on the side of the wall, and Mei Yinghan was on the outside, so he was a step slower than the swordsman in blowing out the light and getting into bed.

The two lay quietly in the dark of the night. After a tiring day, as soon as Bai Zhengliu closed his eyes, he quickly fell into a deep, dark sleep. Both of them had good sleeping postures, and throughout the night, they didn’t disturb each other.

By morning, the sound of the Jun family brothers packing up came from next door. Bai Zhengliu opened his eyes, but since Mei Yinghan was still asleep beside him, he didn’t move.

He considered closing his eyes again to rest, but after sleeping well, he was a bit reluctant to close his eyes. Instead, he casually looked around, and soon his gaze fell upon Mei Yinghan’s face.

Morning light streamed into the room, and Bai Zhengliu propped up his head, looking at Mei Yinghan’s sleeping face with a very fair and objective gaze. In summary: Mei Brother really does have good looks.

Unlike Bai Zhengliu’s carefree and free-spirited nature, Mei Yinghan had always been very "upright" in his demeanor. This uprightness was reflected in his face as well. He was handsome, no doubt, and whenever he walked down the street, even lost children who couldn’t find their parents would come running to him for help, making Bai Zhengliu chuckle every time.

Of course, Mei Yinghan never disappointed the children’s trust and would quickly help them find their parents.

Bai Zhengliu smiled as he thought about this.

By the time Mei Yinghan opened his eyes, Bai Zhengliu’s thoughts had drifted to, "It must be because he’s been playing the ‘older brother’ role for others since he was young. Mei Brother really is good at comforting children."

His thoughts were very earnest, but when they fell on Mei Yinghan’s eyes, the situation was entirely different.

The morning light gently illuminated the face of the swordsman lying beside him, casting a thin layer of gold. Bai Zhengliu propped up his head on his side, striking a very graceful and charming pose. This person, smiling so brightly at him, with eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting, made Mei Yinghan’s heart skip a beat for a moment.

"Ah," Bai Zhengliu’s smile widened, "Mei Brother, you’re awake?"

Mei Yinghan’s Adam’s apple moved: "Mm..."

Bai Zhengliu sat up, "Good. I heard the noise next door. Jun Shidi and the others have finished washing up. We should hurry up and not hold them back."

Mei Yinghan’s fingers twitched: "Mm."

His mood gradually turned calm as he sat up as well, putting on his outer robes and stepping into his shoes.

Bai Zhengliu reminded him, "Mei Brother, Mei Brother! You’re stepping on the wrong shoes. Those are mine."

Mei Yinghan: "..."He was slightly stiff, "Sorry."

Bai Zhengliu smiled, "What’s there to be ‘sorry’ for?" After a pause, he looked Mei Yinghan up and down, mumbling, "Mei Brother seems a little different today."

Mei Yinghan became even more stiff and silently put on his shoes without saying a word.

Bai Zhengliu asked with concern, "Could it be that I made some noise last night and disturbed Mei Brother's sleep?"

Mei Yinghan slowly exhaled, "No, Bai Brother, don’t overthink it."

After a pause, seeing that Bai Zhengliu still didn’t seem convinced and had a look on his face as if asking, "If something’s wrong, Mei Brother, you shouldn’t keep it to yourself," Mei Yinghan’s eyelids twitched and he finally added, "I think I just slept in a bad position last night, and now my neck hurts a little. It’s nothing serious, it should be fine after a while."

Bai Zhengliu: "Hmm—should I give Mei Brother a massage?"

As soon as he spoke, Mei Yinghan’s eyelids twitched even more violently.

He wanted to refuse, but then he wondered how to phrase it politely. While thinking, the young man’s gaze suddenly shifted, as if he had noticed something.

Even Mei Yinghan, at that moment, felt his heart skip a beat.

"Bai Brother," he called out, "Look at the table! The blank paper left last night—does it have writing on it now?"

Bai Zhengliu froze for a moment, then looked up and immediately his pupils shrank. "That’s it!"

Mei Yinghan’s voice became clear again as he said, "There’s no one here but you and me. If there were a thief who climbed in through the window, we would have noticed. Also, no one would leave so many words behind after stealing something!"

Moreover, whatever was on that paper couldn’t have been written by either of them.

Eliminating the two most plausible options, what remained, though it seemed less reasonable, had to be the right answer.

Bai Zhengliu’s heart, which had been silent all night, started to beat wildly again. He almost didn’t have time to put on his shoes before rushing to the table, grabbing the paper, and reading it in a hurry, scanning three lines at once.

"It’s General Yang!" The swordsman read aloud, still speaking to Mei Yinghan as he looked, "She said she’s just regained consciousness and isn’t in good health, so she can’t appear again. Hmm, she also said I don’t need to worry, that she and the 28 Generals have no connection, and I should continue treating the 28 Generals as usual—"

He didn’t read the rest out loud.

Mei Yinghan, a few steps away, watched, seeing Bai Zhengliu’s lips begin to tremble, his eyes gradually showing a hint of a different color.He furrowed his brows, immediately putting on his shoes and preparing to approach. At that moment, Bai Zhengliu finally raised his head, looking at Mei Yinghan with an excited and thrilled expression, saying, "Mei Brother! Indeed—General Yang said that she had long felt that the sword technique I use is similar to the one passed down in her family, which led her to suspect I might be related to the Yang family! It was precisely because of this that she appeared at the Guang’an County Governor’s mansion and controlled the 28 Generals, preventing Fu Ming from leaving with a sword."

"She also wrote," Bai Zhengliu continued, looking further down the paper, "that when Emperor Taizu wanted to execute the officials, she heard the news in advance. Knowing she couldn’t escape, she sent the others in her family away. She’s not sure what happened to them after that—whether the government found them or if they managed to survive in the martial world."

Mei Yinghan listened to all of this in silence, not speaking a word.

Bai Zhengliu continued, "You and I guessed right yesterday. Whether my master is the general’s younger brother or someone else, they must be connected..." As he spoke, the swordsman’s expression turned sorrowful.

He had been focused on finding his master’s descendants, but now, looking at this, even if such people did exist, they must have long since hidden their identities. After several generations, they might not even remember their family’s surname or history.

Not to mention, there’s also the possibility that they didn’t survive the massacre back then and are already long gone.

Author's note:

The new "universe couple" mode: First sleep together, then talk (bu).