TDSDE 28

28. I only care about you

Feeling the cool touch on his back, Bai Yuanxiu wanted nothing more than to cover his face in shame.

How could he react like that?

Xiao Qing was just trying to check his injury. How could a single word send his mind spiraling that far?

The fleeting coldness on his back made Bai Yuanxiu uncomfortable. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and stammered, “It’s probably not that serious, maybe we—ow—”

He winced and yelped in pain before he could even turn around, only to hear Xiao Qing’s voice: “Don’t move. I’m applying the medicine.”

Bai Yuanxiu sat back down in silence.

Behind him, Xiao Qing frowned and pressed his lips together. Still, his hands moved carefully, gently brushing over the swollen bruise on Bai Yuanxiu’s back.

Bai Yuanxiu had always been frail as a child. He was the youngest in his family, and his parents and older brothers catered to his every whim.

He was afraid of pain. What might leave only a red mark on others would leave him with large patches of bruises—black and blue, badly swollen.

Adults would panic at the sight of his injuries and hurry to comfort him. But as children often do, the moment he was coddled, he’d cry even harder—until his throat was hoarse. After a few years of this, his family handled him with even more care.

He’d always been pretty, and had a sweet tongue. Spoiled over the years, Bai Yuanxiu grew up delicate and pampered.

When he got older, his father tried to rein in his unruly nature. But the once-obedient child had grown, and no longer listened to orders. Furious, his father resorted to beatings.

But Bai Yuanxiu was headstrong to the core. That first blow pushed him down a path completely opposite from his father and brothers.

He was still scared of pain, but martial arts training didn’t come without injury. His grandfather liked to tease him for it, which only made Bai Yuanxiu more determined to tough it out, pretending nothing was wrong.

But pretending caused other problems.

He couldn’t actually endure it. He’d act like everything was fine while his body was screaming in pain. That pain had to come out somehow—and eventually, it found its way through his eyes.

Over time, he lost control over those tears completely.

Not many people knew about this issue. The first time he got hurt after joining the Demonic Sect, his face was covered in tears and blood, sniffling and sobbing—and scared the Azure Dragon Hall Master half to death.

Remembering that expression, Bai Yuanxiu figured he’d done a good job hiding it these past three years. At least he hadn’t cried in front of Xiao Qing.

Otherwise…

Just picturing it made Bai Yuanxiu shudder. Then suddenly, he heard a quiet voice behind him: “Does it hurt?”

Bai Yuanxiu shook his head at once. “No. Not at all.”

It totally hurt. His back felt like it was on fire, and he couldn’t even lift his right arm—but he didn’t dare show the slightest hint of discomfort.

Seeing that Xiao Qing didn’t seem suspicious, Bai Yuanxiu just started to relax when he heard:

“Good. If it doesn’t hurt, I can go ahead and massage the bruising out. If not, it won’t heal for months.”

Bai Yuanxiu: !?

He spun around in panic, staring at Xiao Qing with pleading eyes. “That’s really not necessary. It’s just a bump—it’ll go away on its own.”

Xiao Qing said nothing, just looked at him.

That gaze made Bai Yuanxiu feel more and more guilty. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and say, “Fine, fine.”

He pouted. “Can’t I just listen to you without the scolding?”

By the time the bottle of medicinal oil was finally empty, Bai Yuanxiu’s brain was practically fried.

He sniffled, tears falling in fat drops down his cheeks. The more he tried to hold it in, the harder he cried, like a pitiful, helpless thing. If he had ears on the top of his head, they’d definitely be drooping.

Then suddenly, something soft brushed against his back. Before he could react, something cool touched his forehead.

Bai Yuanxiu reached up, dazed, and touched his own forehead.

That was… Did Xiao Qing just kiss him?

No way, Bai Yuanxiu thought. Xiao Qing had always been shy. Back when they were close, even leaning in a little too close made him blush. There was no way—

And then he looked up—and froze.

Because in that split second, he’d seen the bright red flush spreading from Xiao Qing’s neck all the way to his ears.

A strange impulse surged up in Bai Yuanxiu’s chest. He reached out and tried to grab Xiao Qing’s wrist—but the wide sleeves of his robe slipped through his fingers, and all he caught was fabric.

They locked eyes. In Xiao Qing’s calm, expressionless gaze, Bai Yuanxiu’s emotions churned and twisted.

He was just about to say something—when a voice suddenly rang out nearby.

“Left Protector, I’ve found what you—”

The person stopped mid-sentence.

A gust of wind blew through the forest, brushing past that sect member, past Xiao Qing, and past Bai Yuanxiu—whose half-undone robes still hung loosely on his body.

In the desolate woods, the Demonic Sect’s cold and ruthless Left Protector stood tall, expression unreadable.

And before him, a man sat on the ground, clothes half off, body covered in glaring red marks. His eyes were red too, with tear stains still on his cheeks. He held onto the Left Protector’s sleeve with a trembling hand, as if begging him to stay.

The sect member screamed, “AHHH I SAW NOTHING!” and vanished into the trees in a blur, leaving behind a stunned Xiao Qing and Bai Yuanxiu.

Bai Yuanxiu looked at Xiao Qing, feeling utterly lost on where to begin. But as usual, his mouth moved faster than his brain.

“So… when did you put the mask on?”

Xiao Qing lifted his hand, unhooking the silver-white mask at the edge and smoothly tucking it away. “Just now.”

Bai Yuanxiu: ……

Bai Yuanxiu put on a look of sincerity. “If you ever quit the Demonic Sect one day, you should become a bandit. You’d definitely hit it big.”

“Tch.” Xiao Qing shook off Bai Yuanxiu’s hand and walked over to pull his clothes back up. “Stop running your mouth.”

A gentle breeze stirred the trees, the rustling of leaves filling the silence.

Xiao Qing crouched in front of Bai Yuanxiu, slowly wiping away the tears still clinging to his cheeks.

Being treated so gently made Bai Yuanxiu’s nose sting again. He hurriedly blinked and muttered, “Don’t you think… I look pathetic like this? Embarrassing?”

Xiao Qing looked up at him. “Not like it’s the first time I’ve seen you cry.”

Bai Yuanxiu’s eyes widened instantly. “Huh?!”

He’s seen me cry before? When!?

I’m doomed.

Xiao Qing didn’t say another word. Bai Yuanxiu’s mind was a mess, nerves tied in knots, but he stayed quiet too. The silence stretched out until—

Bai Yuanxiu suddenly snapped out of it and asked, “That guy just now—wasn’t he wearing a Vermilion Bird Hall uniform?”

Xiao Qing let out a faint “Mm,” and crouched there, meeting Bai Yuanxiu’s gaze.

Bai Yuanxiu said, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Xiao Qing: “…Yeah.”

Turned out, their instincts were spot-on.

Bai Yuanxiu stared at the flower vendor passing in front of him, veins on his forehead twitching with rage.

Unbelievable. They weren’t even trying to act anymore—just swaggering right up to them now. How many times had it been since they left the Demonic Sect’s old grounds?

At first, those spies at least tried to stay hidden, watching from the shadows. But lately, they were getting bolder and bolder. Just the other day, a little girl selling flowers had followed them down two whole streets, smiling all sweet and innocent.

Bai Yuanxiu still remembered how the girl had cupped her face and asked if they wanted to buy flowers for their sweetheart, so soft and pure it made your heart melt.

And in the end?

She was a sect member using bone-shrinking technique in disguise!

This was outrageous! Utterly shameless!

Grumbling under his breath, Bai Yuanxiu picked out a dew-damp flower, plucked away the thorns from one blossom, and shoved it into Xiao Qing’s arms. He was fuming, but his hands didn’t stop moving.

Feeling the stares falling on him from all directions, Bai Yuanxiu was close to grinding his teeth—when suddenly, a voice floated over.

“What, does it really bother you?”

He turned his head to look. Xiao Qing was walking slowly, holding the flowers in one hand, his pace steady and unhurried.

He wasn’t wearing the silver mask of the Left Protector now, but his face might as well have been a mask—expressionless, unreadable.

He looked straight ahead. The street was full of noise and people, but it was as if none of it existed to him. In his eyes, those merchants, buildings, and passersby were no different from rocks and weeds.

Bai Yuanxiu suddenly remembered the first time he’d seen Xiao Qing. He’d had that same bearing.

Back then, even facing three brawny bandits—one already reaching to touch his face—Xiao Qing had looked just as indifferent.

Bai Yuanxiu suddenly found himself thinking: Xiao Qing had joined the Demonic Sect at fourteen. Two years later, his face had been ruined. After that, he’d almost always covered his face, and after becoming a Protector, the mask became a permanent fixture. There were even rumors that the Left Protector of the Demonic Sect was actually a mechanical puppet.

He was too much of a mystery. No one knew what he looked like. No one knew what he was thinking. He always wore white, drifting through the world like a ghost with no ties.

Back when they were just fellow Protectors, Bai Yuanxiu used to say he was just being pretentious.

But now that he thought about it… Xiao Qing really was pretending—but not pretending to be aloof. Quite the opposite—he was pretending to be normal.

A normal person.

A sharp discomfort twisted in Bai Yuanxiu’s chest. He took two quick steps to the other side and grabbed Xiao Qing’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Then he turned to grin at the two tea-drinking woodsmen nearby—bright and bold—until they lowered their heads and turned away.

He bent down slightly and brushed a kiss against Xiao Qing’s cheek.

“Why care what they think? I only care about you.”

In this season between spring and summer, sunlight streamed brightly from above. The young man in his blue robe stood in that light, dazzling more than the sun itself.

Xiao Qing stared blankly at him, caught off guard. He almost instinctively let go of the flowers and reached out—wanting to touch that smiling face.

But he didn’t make it.

A loud shout cracked through the air like summer thunder.

“Bai Yuanxiu!”