After The Coquettish Fake Master Was Driven Away - Chapter 27

“Don’t scare me.”

He emphasized it repeatedly, making sure all eight children kept the secret, before waving them off to let the excited kids play on their own.

Li Hu, being clever and quick-witted, wanted to show his gratitude and poured half of the wild berries he had picked into Xie Jinning’s empty basket. The other children followed suit, filling the basket to the brim.

Carrying a heavy basket of fruit, Xie Jinning’s smile gradually faded. Bl00d returned to his limbs, and his mind cooled in the breeze. Sitting among the fields, he felt uneasy.

It wasn’t regret—he feared he wasn’t capable of teaching them well, that he might fail the expectations placed on him.

Finally, he had opened a small crack in the door to let them glimpse the sunlight beyond the mist. If his own strength faltered and it closed again, he would be utterly ashamed.

“No, I can’t give up before even starting.”

Rubbing away the gloom from his face, he took a deep breath. “It’s just teaching reading and arithmetic. I can do this.”

He now had students, but to open a school in the village, he had to consider the location, and most importantly—books.

To teach literacy, he had to start with the basics, like the Thousand Character Classic or Three Character Classic. But recalling them, he only remembered a few lines:

“Heaven and Earth are mysterious and yellow, the universe is vast and boundless. The sun and moon wax and wane, the stars arrange themselves in constellations.”

And: “Man at birth is inherently good. Nature is similar, □□. If not taught, character will change.”

“Character will change, teach… teach… what again?”

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall more.

Books are scarce when needed most. Xie Jinning bit his fingertips, wanting to cry but unable to shed tears. If he had known this, he wouldn’t have let Ah He read aloud while he hid behind his sleeve to cover his mouth.

Frowning, he suddenly remembered that Xie Zhu’s writing practice book had a copy of the Thousand Character Classic. He would have to go back and search for the rest. Also, he needed to talk to the village chief about opening a school to get approval.

Furthermore…

Images of the Tien sisters’ arms, scarred and bruised, flashed through his mind. He had wanted to ask earlier, but the moment he mentioned it, the girls panicked like startled rabbits, so he had let it go.

Even if their mother had run off with someone else, a father shouldn’t take out his anger on the children.

Xie Jinning was determined. He would also go check on the Tien family.

With a plan in mind, he no longer felt aimless. Resting the full basket on his lap, he inhaled the tangy-sweet aroma of the berries.

The wild berries were piled high, varying in size; the largest were no bigger than a thumb, bright red and dripping with juice. Biting one, the taste was perfectly balanced between sweet and tart. The fully ripe berries were purple-red, slightly wrinkled, and pressing them released juice that even carried a faint wine-like flavor.

More juice meant a completely different taste than dried fruit.

The sun blazed overhead, making everything dazzle.

Yan Yi rose from the field, immediately spotting Xie Jinning sitting obediently a short distance away.

The boy’s skin was so fair it seemed almost transparent. Wet strands of black hair clung to his pale, slender neck, prompting him to reach out and brush them aside.

His fingertips stained red from berry juice, like a delicate cosmetic, brushing along the boy’s neck and accidentally over his earlobe, leaving a small red mark—like a kiss.

Then, the boy picked up a fully ripe purple berry, bringing it to his lips. His full, petal-like lips parted slightly, revealing white teeth that bit down gently, letting the juice flow.

His scarlet tongue curled to catch the juice escaping the corners of his mouth, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction, lazily enjoying the taste.

Gulp.

Yan Yi’s gaze was nearly glued to the scene, his body heating as if it were midsummer instead of autumn. The warmth surged from his ears through his entire body.

The earth beneath him seemed to turn into the desert of his dreams, heat crawling up from the soles of his feet, coursing through every limb, ready to consume everything.

The shadows at his hem grew deeper. He gripped the sickle so tightly it felt welded to his hand. The veins on his arms coiled like giant serpents, muscles tensing as if they might spring free and snatch the fruit—and the lips accompanying them—right off.

He wanted to seize that fruit, devour it along with those moist, red lips, to see whether the sweetness was in the fruit or in that mouth…

Startled by his own thought, Yan Yi cut his palm.

Bl00d welled up, forming a thin crimson line that seeped into his fingerprints and spread quietly into his gaze.

Crimson fluid trickled between his fingers, blossoming into shocking red patterns on the ground, marking life and the generous soil with a sinister hue.

The metallic scent of bl00d rose, thick and pungent. Watching the scarlet liquid ooze from his palm, Yan Yi drew a deep breath. Before he could stop the bleeding, visions suddenly flashed before his eyes.

“General, be careful. The army may…”

A giant man in silver-white armor was decapitated by a sword. Warm, sticky bl00d sprayed into his eyes, blurring his vision.

On a smoky battlefield, severed limbs littered the ground. Silver-white arrowheads glinted, piercing people’s necks relentlessly, until one shot directly toward him…

A moment felt like millions of needles piercing his brain, pain tearing through his skull many times worse than a palm strike. Yan Yi groaned, his face drained of color, clutching his head and collapsing to his knees.

…

“It’s pretty tasty. Save some for them to try.”

Xie Jinning carefully wiped the sticky juice from his fingers and stood to stretch. Looking around, he couldn’t see Yan Yi.

“Where is he?”

He walked a few steps, scanning the distance, until he saw… a shape?

“Is he resting? Why is he in the field? That’s so dirty.”

Muttering softly, Xie Jinning observed for a moment, realizing Yan Yi wasn’t sitting but kneeling. The wheat around him trembled faintly under his weight.

His heart skipped. He hurried over, almost forgetting to release the basket.

“Yan Yi? Yan Yi!”

Calling twice yielded no response. Suspecting a sudden illness, Xie Jinning quickened his pace, nearly tripping.

Pushing aside layers of wheat stalks, he finally reached Yan Yi. The man knelt on the ground, eyes closed, cold sweat streaming.

He clutched his head, the other hand digging into the earth like a claw. Veins bulged, and the soil around him was stained with his bl00d, a shocking sight.

Xie Jinning inhaled sharply, unsure whether to first support Yan Yi or stop the bleeding, tears threatening to fall.

“Yan Yi, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me.”

The only response was ragged, trembling breaths and suppressed growls.

Xie Jinning had never voiced it, but in his eyes, Yan Yi had always been a strong, safe presence, and he admired him a little.

Moreover, Yan Yi answered every request, tolerated his bad moods, cooked for him, made cushions, even carried him to see a doctor.

Xie Jinning had taken note of all this. Though unspoken, he already regarded him as another older brother, growing close to him.

If Yan Yi collapsed, what would he do afterward?

Xie Jinning’s eyes reddened. He hugged Yan Yi’s torso, trying to lift him, but even using all his strength, he only freed Yan Yi’s fingers from the soil. The man’s body remained unmoved.

He switched sides, wrapping both arms around Yan Yi’s ribs, resting the man’s arms on his shoulders, trying to lift him.

Clenching his teeth, he succeeded in raising him.

But his shoulders ached under the weight, his face flushed red from effort. His legs trembled as he slowly stood straight.

Yan Yi’s head was next to his ear; each breath brushed against him like a wild beast’s tongue, sending an electric shiver through his body.

His ears burned and tingled. Xie Jinning bit his lip and whimpered, goosebumps rising, nearly toppling Yan Yi.

His pale ears flushed with bright red, and the back of his neck tinted pink. He gasped, lips parted, heart syncing with the rhythm of the breathing next to him.

“Yan Yi,” he cried, “big wooden head, wake up… you’re so heavy, I…”

Yan Yi’s bulk was too much. Xie Jinning could barely manage; after a few steps, he stumbled, carrying Yan Yi down.

Oh no. Even if he didn’t get crushed by a fall, he might be crushed by him.

Xie Jinning closed his eyes, bracing for impact, only to feel his waist tighten. As robes fluttered, their bodies flipped, and he suddenly found himself on top.

A dull thud, dust rising. Xie Jinning instinctively buried himself in Yan Yi’s chest, holding his breath. When the choking dust settled, he opened his eyes to check the man he had used as a cushion.

Supporting himself on Yan Yi’s shoulders, his torso no longer pressed against the man’s chest, but even applying a bit of force, he couldn’t get up.

Yan Yi’s eyes remained closed, sweat constantly streaming down his forehead. The grip around Xie Jinning’s waist didn’t loosen; if anything, it tightened, pressing him back.

The man’s skin was hot. Xie Jinning felt like a crystal dumpling being steamed alive, trapped under a lid with no escape.

“Yan Yi, let go! You’re hurting me!”

He tried to pry him off, nails digging into flesh, but couldn’t move him, exhausting himself into heavy breaths.

In this close position, Xie Jinning’s lower abdomen was nearly pressed against Yan Yi’s firm muscles. He could feel the unstoppable bl00d rushing beneath the solid muscle.

Too close.

Uncomfortably shifting, his groin suddenly pressed against something. Thinking it was the sickle handle, he froze to avoid injury, arching his upper body while calling out to regain Yan Yi’s consciousness.

The area was low; the rest of the harvesters were busy elsewhere. Their fall went unnoticed amid the swaying wheat.

“Yan Yi, wake up! You’re hurting me!”

“Yan Yi, Yan Ge, wake up, what’s wrong?!”

“Yan Yi…”

Yan Yi walked slowly through a pool of black, bloody water, the sky above a solid, endless darkness, pressing down as if to crush him into pulp.

The strong iron scent enveloped him; each breath burned, corroding his insides.

Screams filled his ears, while skeletal hands and severed limbs climbed his legs, dragging him into the black bl00d, suffocating him, trying to make him one with the mass forever.

His gaze was calm as he stepped into the bl00d, sinking up to his chest.

Just as the black, stinking bl00d reached his chest, the darkness above was torn open. A warm golden light poured through the crack, illuminating his stiff, cold face.

Amidst endless screams, he heard his name.

“Yan Yi!”

Someone… was calling him.

Pain-clouded, numb, chaotic brain gained a moment of clarity. His tightly shut eyes cracked open.

The scene remained blurry; he couldn’t see the person clearly. But the familiar, intoxicating sweet scent filled his lungs, like sunlight dispelling the fog, chasing away the stench of bl00d.

His body, still not fully rational, was overtaken by primal instinct.

He moved forward and pressed himself against the constantly opening and closing water-red lips.