Title: Did We Agree To Be Arch-Rivals?
Original Title: 说好成为彼此的宿敌呢[穿书]
Author: 轻风白杨 (Qingfeng Baiyang)
Translated by: ~PurpleLy~
Su Yang’s expression was still not very good until he returned to his residence.
He sent Mei Shisan away to guard outside the courtyard while he asked Lian Jiu to help him pack his bags and prepare water for a bath.
Gu Feidi regarded Su Yang and guessed something from the look on his face. Once he found an interval where the servants were absent, he coaxed: “You don’t have to vent your anger on the flower aides. After all, Devil Sect Leader is currently still venerated and your background is… it stands to reason that Sect Leader would assign someone to follow you.”
Su Yang nodded but still looked depressed: “I thought I was powerful being the Devil Sect’s Young Saint. In the end, I still have to be closely monitored.”
Gu Feidi placed his hand on Su Yang’s shoulder and couldn’t help laughing: “He’s your elder who’s been managing the Devil Sect for over twenty years. How can you compare with him? Besides… even the guards around me are all appointed by my father, and not all them are loyal to me.”
Despite this being true, Su Yang released an exaggerated sigh: “You don’t understand…”
In the script, both Gu Feidi and the Devil Sect’s Young Saint were regarded as outstanding figures among the younger generation—one being the protagonist and the other being the villain. As for the masters and experts of the older generation, they basically existed only in dialogues and backgrounds. This was especially true for the Devil Sect’s Leader: although he was powerful, he only had a little screen time during the suppression of Devil Sect, and he was immediately beaten.
Unlike the present, this Devil Sect’s Young Saint of his was actually being controlled by everyone everywhere.
Was it possible that this adapted script had evolved to the extent where even the original author could no longer recognise it?
“Although I don’t understand, but…” Gu Feidi turned his head and looked at Su Yang’s eyes. “If you need to, you can tell me at any time.”
Su Yang said in his heart: I can tell you about anything, but if it was with regards to this world being fictitious… it’s better if you don’t know about it.
The two briefly discussed the matter of packing up their bags and preparations to start travelling to the southwest. Seeing that it was getting late, both of them had a bath and went back to their respective rooms to rest.
Earlier, when they were in the stone chamber of Devil Sect’s Forbidden Area, the sense of time was lacking. Su Yang often went into meditation or fell unconscious, causing his whole biological clock to be thrown into disarray. As a result, he hadn’t slept through an entire night for a long time, and it developed into insomnia that night.
The strange thing was that the more he couldn’t sleep, the more active his brain was, and the flurry of thoughts within made him even more restless.
Countless anxieties and fantasies circulated in his mind. Sometimes it was about ‘intimate love’ idol dramas and at other times, it was about bloody ‘life-and-death’ martial arts dramas. Later, it became a melodrama where Tengyun Pavilion gave him a million taels of silver to leave Gu Feidi. Finally, it developed into an ethical drama in which Gu Feidi was forced to marry and have children under family pressure, where he could only maintain a secret love affair with him…
Su Yang grabbed his hair in irritation and flipped over to get up. After putting on some clothes, he grabbed his thin sword, headed into the middle of the courtyard, and began to practice swordsmanship as usual to calm his mind.
After practicing swords for a few rounds, the chrysanthemums that had been blooming in the courtyard had all been chopped and scattered to bits everywhere by his sword’s aura.
There was a slight noise of a door hinge, and the side house door in the courtyard opened. Gu Feidi stepped into the cascading pool of moonlight, dressed in a sky-blue outfit.
Caught off guard and coming face-to-face with him, Su Yang subconsciously asked, “Why haven’t you slept yet?”
Gu Feidi looked at Su Yang and said softly, “…Can’t sleep.”
Su Yang let out a light cough. “It’s freezing outside. Just lie on the bed if you can’t sleep. Why do you come out?”
After a moment of silence, Gu Feidi looked up at the sky and said, “…Admiring the moon.”
Upon hearing this answer, Su Yang couldn’t help laughing.
“Admiring the moon?” He asked with a smile, “How can you admire the moon without wine? Where’s your wine, ne?”
Gu Feidi looked at Su Yang for a while and chuckled softly: “Right here before me.”
Su Yang: ……
……Help, save me!
Su Yang only felt a burst of heat on his face and ears. Luckily, the night was so dark that he surmised his blush couldn’t be discerned.
He forcibly displayed the Devil Sect’s Young Saint character, which had almost collapsed into nothingness, raised his chin, and snorted disdainfully: “Oh, you want to acquire this beauty? This Young Saint doesn’t belong to you.”
Gu Feidi exhaled softly and leisurely replied, “No matter, I’ll get drunk by myself.”
Su Yang heard his heart trembling, subconsciously licked his lips, and swallowed: “Oh, since you’re drunk, I’ll head back now.”
He finished speaking and turned to leave.
Gu Feidi took hold of his sleeve and said with a smile, “If you can’t sleep, how about calling the attendant to warm up some wine, so we can admire the moon together?”
The other party had issued an invitation, and Su Yang naturally couldn’t relent, so he replied, “Alright.”
The night-shift attendant was hailed over, wine heated, supper prepared, and brought to the end of the winding corridor of the small courtyard. A fire was lit nearby to drive away the cold.
After drinking two cups, Su Yang cast a sidelong glance at Gu Feidi and asked, “You used to fall asleep in during the Hai period*, why are you unable to sleep now?”
(*TN: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
Gu Feidi smiled and looked up at Su Yang: “Every time I go to bed, I’d think about it and keep tossing and turning.”
Su Yang was dumbfounded: “…Aaa?”
Seeing his blank expression, Gu Feidi opened his mouth and finally laughed helplessly before asking, “Why are you unable to sleep?”
“Ah, routine insomnia.” Su Yang leaned on the pillar of the corridor and looked up at the star-filled sky. “My thoughts are rather chaotic.”
“Your thoughts are chaotic, so you came to the courtyard to wreak havoc on the flowers?” Gu Feidi asked with a smile.
“Wreak—” Su Yang’s eyes widened, and he glared angrily at Gu Feidi, “You peeped at me?!”
Gu Feidi took a small sip from the wine cup and said, “Clearly you’re the one who’s practising swords in the middle of the night and woke me up with your noise.”
Su Yang rolled his eyes, upended the cup, and gulped down the wine furiously: “I haven’t seen you waking up due to the noise when I used to practice swords in the middle of the night last time.”
Gu Feidi smiled and looked down at the wine cup in his hand. After a long while, he said in a low voice, “I kind of miss the early days in Lesser Jade House.”
Su Yang nodded and agreed: “Yes, Lesser Jade House was a simpler time. Back then, I should have chosen not to complete my discipleship and remain inside the House like Di Ling shijie and Mo shixiong. They can still instruct shidis and shimeis* which is also very good…”
(*TN: shidi = junior martial brother, shimei = junior martial sister)
After saying that, Su Yang suddenly felt that it was a really good idea.
He sat up straight in excitement, raised his eyebrows to look at Gu Feidi, and smiled: “What if, once I’ve eliminated the Gu, we’ll return to Lesser Jade House to remain inside and never leave?”
Seeing the real expectation rising in Su Yang’s eyes, Gu Feidi suddenly fell silent.
He put down the wine cup, picked up the wine jug, and steadily poured another cup of wine. He slowly picked it up and stared at the slightly quivering wine for a long time before downing the cup with a gulp.
“I am the Young Master of Tengyun Pavilion.” He looked down and said, “Responsibility… cannot be avoided.”
Su Yang frowned and looked at Gu Feidi, then he laughed lightly: “Responsibility?”
Gu Feidi also looked at Su Yang and said, “Yes, and moreover, you too—”
“You are the Young Master of Tengyun Pavilion, and it is your responsibility to undertake Tengyun Pavilion.” Su Yang interrupted Gu Feidi, narrowed his eyes, and spoke hurriedly, “You are the only child of Leader Gu, and it is also your responsibility to produce a male heir and carry on the family line too?”
Gu Feidi was astonished, instinctively sitting upright, and said in surprise, “Su Yang—”
“Then what were those words you said in the Forbidden Area stone chamber?” Su Yang used his drunkenness to be overbearing: “Oh, you wouldn’t tease me on one hand, and on the other hand, still intend to go home to get married and have children?”
Gu Feidi was stunned: “I didn’t—”
“You want to walk this path but haven’t made preparations to cut off your children and grandchildren?” Su Yang snorted, “Jerk!”
Gu Feidi gave a wry smile and said, “Su Yang, you’re drunk.”
Su Yang poked a finger at Gu Feidi’s nose and said, “You’re avoiding the problem.”
Gu Feidi was silent for a long time and finally heaved a sigh, saying, “I admit I haven’t thought properly about how I should resolve this…… but I’ll do my best.”
Su Yang leaned on the corridor pillar with his arms crossed. He raised his eyebrows and stared at Gu Feidi.
Gu Feidi bit his lip; his voice was low, and he asked tentatively, “Su Yang, you… when you ask me like this, can I assume… you’re willing to be together with me for the rest of your life?”
As he uttered these words, his eyes were reflected in the moonlight. There seemed to be an entire galaxy of stars twinkling in them.
Su Yang flattened his mouth, lowered his eyes, and pondered for a while: “I don’t believe this world… I don’t believe the Central Plains are likely to accept two men together. Aren’t you afraid?”
“If it’s with you, if I can be together with you,” Gu Feidi said seriously, “I am fearless.”
Seeing the young man’s gaze exude resolve and fearlessness for danger, Su Yang couldn’t help smiling.
“Have you been possessed by the ‘King of Love Words’ today aaa?” He asked with a smile.
“What?” Gu Feidi didn’t understand.
Su Yang continued to smile and didn’t answer him.
He poured a cup of wine and slowly drank it.
Then he put down the wine cup, looked into Gu Feidi’s eyes, and said, ” ‘The rest of my life’ is too long; I’m unable to say for certain at the moment. But I should be able to walk a part of it with you.”
Gu Feidi leaned forward slightly and he asked in seriousness, “Truly?”
Su Yang didn’t answer.
He stretched out his hand to caress Gu Feidi’s tuft of hair hanging on his cheek, slid his fingers down his cheek, and gently pinched Gu Feidi’s chin.
Then he leaned forward and slowly approached him.
Their breaths mingled with each other’s, and the smell of wine was dense, carrying with it a strange and seductive heat. It seemed that there was a demon whispering in his ear, urging the ambiguous phenomenon to continue.
Their breaths gradually became hurried; Su Yang’s eyelashes were slightly closed; he parted his lips slightly and gently touched Gu Feidi’s lips.
It was like a dragonfly skimming the water—a touch and he withdrew.
Gu Feidi suddenly sat up from his kneeling posture, pressed against Su Yang’s shoulders, and pushed him against the corridor pillar. He lowered his head to deepen the kiss.
Su Yang couldn’t evade and could only let Gu Feidi’s tongue dive right in.
The kiss lasted for a long while, until the time when both were feeling a little lightheaded, before their lips separated little by little.
They gazed at each other and smiled; their faces were so close.
Gu Feidi returned to his seat, lifted up the wine jug that he’d accidentally knocked over on the serving tray, and said in low voice: “This is excellent wine. Pity it’s been spilled.”
Su Yang stared at the wine puddle on the serving tray, inhaling the sweet scent of osmanthus and rice wine in the air, then he abruptly frowned.
“Did I… say it wrong?” He said, “The previous time we ate supper together, we drank this kind of wine.”
Gu Feidi’s hand paused; he calmly placed the wine jug onto the coaster and replied with a soft “ng” sound.
Su Yang moved forward and restrained his wrist, narrowed his eyes and asked, “You only drank three glasses that day, and you were so drunk I couldn’t wake you… how much did you drink today?”
Gu Feidi finally couldn’t contain his laughter.
He licked his lips, trying to worm his way out: “Su Yang, I—”
“You feigned being drunk that day?!” Su Yang tapped his finger on the space between Gu Feidi’s eyebrows a few times.
Gu Feidi held onto his hand and smiled: “I wasn’t feigning drunk; I’m drunk now. Would it… be possible to sleep with you again tonight?”
Su Yang felt his hairs stand on end all over his body when he heard his tone.
He shook off Gu Feidi’s hand, snickered twice, and said, “I’m a little dizzy. I’m going to sleep. I still have to pack my luggage tomorrow… Good-night-sweet-dreams-I-won’t-see-you-out!”
After speaking, he turned and fled back to the room, slamming the door shut without a backwards glance.
Gu Feidi got up and walked to Su Yang’s door and heard the sound of clothes scraping directly behind the closed door. He gave a chuckle and called out, “Su Yang.”
“I’m so happy that you’re willing to accept my affection.”
The autumn night was clear; the moon was bright, but stars were sparse.
The evening breeze delivered wafts of floral fragrance, delighting the heart and refreshing the mind.