TDSDE 1

1. On the Importance of Acting Spoiled

The sky was clear and bright. Early summer had just begun, and the mountains were blanketed in green, lifting the spirits of anyone who saw them.

A voice, anxious and loud, shattered the peaceful scene.

“Hero Bai! Hero Bai!”

A small, skinny man came sprinting down a mountain path. He ran so fast he nearly lost his shoes.

The shadows of the trees swayed, and before he realized it, a figure dressed in water-blue appeared before him. “Stop shouting. You’ve scared off all the pheasants.”

The man gasped for breath. “Forget the pheasants! Oh dear, you better get back quick—Young Master Xiao’s been caught up by some thug!”

Bai Yuanxiu’s face changed instantly. He grabbed the man’s collar and bolted toward the village. “What happened?!”

It was the first time the man had ever experienced the famed light-foot technique. The wind had his face all twisted, and as soon as he opened his mouth, drool came flying out. “I don’t know! The guy looked familiar, but the moment he saw Young Master Xiao, he drew his sword and attacked!”

Bai Yuanxiu dodged the saliva with a swift move and switched to gripping the man by the back of his collar. He raced on, nearly choking the man out cold.

But Bai Yuanxiu couldn’t care less. If something really happened to Xiao Qing…

A flicker of savagery flashed across his face, and he picked up his pace.

From afar, he saw a youth with a sword—panic surged in his chest. Without hesitation, he snapped off a branch, infused it with inner force, and threw it. It struck the attacker’s blade just in time, knocking it away from the white-clad young man.

The masked assailant turned and fled the moment he realized the situation had turned. Clearly, he had done this kind of thing more than once.

Bai Yuanxiu was furious. He was about to give chase when he felt a cold hand grasp his wrist, the chill seeping through even the fabric. He immediately gave up on pursuit and turned around, grabbing the hand. “Are you hurt?”

The pale-skinned young man looked even whiter than usual, his expression aloof. But his phoenix eyes stared straight at Bai Yuanxiu, almost obediently. “I’m fine.”

The more indifferent Xiao Qing acted, the worse Bai Yuanxiu felt. He glanced at the villagers hiding at a distance, then shielded Xiao Qing and led him to a quiet corner of the village.

Once indoors, Bai Yuanxiu hugged Xiao Qing tightly. The fear in his heart began to dissipate with each soft pat on his back.

He exhaled heavily. “I was so scared just now…”

Feeling arms wrap hesitantly around his waist, Bai Yuanxiu finally began to feel better. He mumbled with grievance, “I wanted to catch a rabbit for you to raise, but I couldn’t find one. Then I thought I’d get a pheasant for you to eat… and I scared them all off.”

He buried his face in Xiao Qing’s neck like a big dog begging for attention. “I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

Xiao Qing listened silently. When Bai Yuanxiu finished, he replied, “Alright. Let’s leave tomorrow.”

Bai Yuanxiu, still hugging the icy-feeling man in his arms, lifted his head after a while. “Ah Qing, you’re so good.”

He tilted his head and stole a kiss on Xiao Qing’s cheek, then hummed a little tune as he walked toward the kitchen.

Behind him, Xiao Qing turned his gaze to the old pine tree outside. His fingers, hidden in his wide sleeves, pinched lightly. A breeze blew past, scattering the faint shimmer of metallic powder.

He mouthed silently toward the tree.

—Scram.

When Bai Yuanxiu peeked in to ask if he wanted sweet soup or egg drop soup, Xiao Qing replied “sweet soup,” and his cold expression softened slightly.

That summer sun was relentless. Bai Yuanxiu wore a wide straw hat, holding reins in one hand and fanning himself frantically with the other, feeling like he was about to melt.

Suddenly, something cool brushed his cheek. He turned instinctively and saw a wrist pale as porcelain.

He blinked, spotting Xiao Qing stepping out. With a few cries of concern, he tossed the fan and pushed Xiao Qing back into the cart. “What are you doing out here? Stay seated—it’s hot outside.”

Xiao Qing looked at him with wide eyes. “I want to be with you.”

Though his expression remained mostly unreadable, Bai Yuanxiu clearly saw the hint of grievance in it. He immediately adjusted his grip to support him. “Alright, alright. If you get too hot, let me know, okay?”

Xiao Qing held onto his hand, then climbed out with a straw hat and stuck close to Bai Yuanxiu. Glancing around, he leaned over and picked up the fan resting on Bai Yuanxiu’s lap, fanning him gently.

Though the summer heat was fierce, Xiao Qing’s cold aura hadn’t changed. Even the breeze from his fan was cooler than usual, making Bai Yuanxiu feel much better.

As Bai Yuanxiu mentally calculated the remaining distance to their destination, he suddenly heard something strange.

He straightened up and looked around. Xiao Qing noticed his movement and shifted aside to make room.

“Help… Help…”

Now he could hear it clearly. He looked back at Xiao Qing, who gazed up at him calmly. He grabbed his sword. “I’ll go check it out.”

Xiao Qing nodded and slipped back into the cart, propping the partition board into place. Bai Yuanxiu made sure everything was secure before launching off like an eagle.

A li (500 meters ) away from their cart, a man tanned dark under the sun sneered down at a disheveled woman, holding a torn piece of peach-colored cloth. “Screaming out here in the wilderness? What good will that do?”

The woman, disheveled and terrified, shielded her chest with one arm and pushed herself back with the other. “No… no…”

The man lunged forward and grabbed her wrist, yanking her hard. Her torn clothes and pale skin were exposed.

She screamed and struggled, but she was no match for his strength—just like a chick pinned by a hawk.

But she refused to give in. Finding a chance, she bit his hand hard!

The man roared in pain and flung her to the ground. Bloodshot eyes blazing, he raised his thick hand to slap her.

In a flash, a miserable scream rang out.

A water-blue figure appeared out of nowhere, sword in hand, the tip piercing the thug’s palm.

The young man in blue smiled lightly. “Talk it out properly. If that doesn’t work, you can try me. You, a trained man, bullying someone who can’t fight—don’t you think that’s going too far?”

The thug hadn’t even seen the strike before his hand was impaled. He quickly realized he’d kicked a hornet’s nest and changed his tone. “Oh dear, look what a mess this is! She’s my wife—we were just fighting, messing around.”

“You’re lying!” the woman cried, lips chapped and voice hoarse. “I don’t even know you!”

Without turning, the youth asked her, “Miss, can you tell me what happened?”

She curled up on the ground, sobbing. “I don’t know anything. I just took a nap… and when I woke up, I was in his room.”

The thug panicked but didn’t dare resist. He reached into his coat with his good hand and pulled out a piece of paper, presenting it to Bai Yuanxiu. “It’s all here in black and white—I’m not making this up.”

It was a crude marriage contract.

The woman broke down further. “That’s not my fingerprint! It’s not mine!”

The young man paused for a moment, then withdrew his sword. The thug howled in pain, hatred flashing in his eyes, but he quickly put on a harmless smile and stepped toward the youth.

Under the woman’s despairing and terrified gaze, a hand suddenly landed on the big man’s shoulder.

“Sorry, sorry, that was my mistake just now,” the young man in blue said with a smile at the corner of his lips. “But… what you said doesn’t sound quite true either. Why don’t we have a proper chat?”

He called it a chat, but the atmosphere was anything but friendly. By the time the questioning was done, the big man was lying in a pool of blood, clinging to half a breath of life.

Bai Yuanxiu patted the dust off his clothes, tightened the rope in his hand, and, after tossing a quick “Wait here” to the stunned woman, dashed off in a flash.

In the distance, a figure dressed in white stood beneath a tree by the roadside.

When Bai Yuanxiu saw this scene, his heart gave a sudden jolt. In the blink of an eye, he pushed his lightness skill to the limit and appeared right in front of the figure.

“What happened? Is something wrong?” Bai Yuanxiu asked hurriedly, only to find the young man before him holding a speckled pigeon in his arms, looking innocently at him.

“I just heard something rustling in the bushes, and found this,” Xiao Qing said, offering the pigeon toward Bai Yuanxiu. “But it’s fine. It’s not hurt—just tired from flying, I think.”

Bai Yuanxiu let out a breath of relief—and silently gave thanks.

Xiao Qing was just too kind, too softhearted. Thankfully, he had been far enough away while dealing with that brute—if Xiao Qing had seen it, he’d definitely be in trouble.

Worried about bugs in the bushes, Bai Yuanxiu gently pulled Xiao Qing closer to the carriage and briefly explained the situation with the woman he had just rescued.

Xiao Qing listened quietly, still cradling the pigeon. When Bai Yuanxiu casually grabbed a piece of clothing to head back, Xiao Qing quickly tugged his sleeve. “Take the new one at the very bottom of the bundle.”

Bai Yuanxiu immediately looked reluctant.

If it were just an ordinary new robe, he wouldn’t have minded—but that one was Xiao Qing’s!

He hadn’t even worn Xiao Qing’s clothes before!

Seeing Bai Yuanxiu frozen in place, Xiao Qing added, “She’s a young lady, it wouldn’t be right for her to wear something that’s already been worn by a strange man.”

That made sense. Bai Yuanxiu internally praised his Ah Qing for being so thoughtful and meticulous, and obediently took out the white new outer robe.

After Bai Yuanxiu left, Xiao Qing walked over and pulled out the stack of clothes. He shook them out and folded them one by one with exacting care.

He looked at the now neatly stacked pile of garments, then gently ran his fingertips over the front of the topmost robe—inch by inch. His movements were slow and light, as if what he was touching wasn’t fabric, but the robe’s owner.

Once everything was in order, Xiao Qing picked up the pigeon that still didn’t dare move a feather. With a flick of his fingers, a small tube appeared in his hand.

He opened it and read the note inside carefully, then tore off a few words and replaced the rest. After confirming no one was around, he flung the pigeon up toward the tree.

The pigeon instinctively tried to flap its wings and fly—but a sudden chill descended, and it was as if some invisible force had pinned it down. It froze, landing stiffly on a branch, not daring to move again.

A while later, Bai Yuanxiu returned.

Turned out, after hearing what the big man had to say, the woman had broken down in tears. Being alone with her wasn’t ideal, so he’d backed off to give her some space.

From how heartbroken she looked, Bai Yuanxiu and Xiao Qing thought they’d have to wait a while—but to their surprise, it wasn’t long before she came walking over.

From a distance, Bai Yuanxiu called out, “If you’ve made up your mind, shall we go now?”

The woman ran up, rasped a thank-you, and climbed into the carriage, where she fell silent.

The carriage rolled along steadily. Bai Yuanxiu was guessing how long the brute would last when suddenly, he felt a tickle by his ear.

“Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”

Bai Yuanxiu sighed, adjusted Xiao Qing’s slightly crooked bamboo hat, and lowered his voice. “There’s no other way. She has to see it with her own eyes, or she’ll never understand.”

She’d said she wanted to go home—but could a place like that even still be called “home”?

Xiao Qing didn’t reply, just gently leaned against Bai Yuanxiu’s shoulder and absentmindedly rubbed his fingers together.

Despite the blazing summer heat, Bai Yuanxiu suddenly felt a strange chill.

He touched his forehead, rubbed his nose, and muttered to himself—was he coming down with something?

He shifted his position so Xiao Qing could rest more comfortably. But when he looked up, he saw a hawk circling in the sky.

The hawk had brown feathers all over, but under the blazing sun, the two pale feathers at the tips of its wings gleamed like they were made of gold.

It was none other than the infamous “Golden-Winged Falcon” of the Demonic Sect.

Bai Yuanxiu: !?

Did it really have to show up now!?