Yun Bizi swiftly cleared the bloodstains, wrapped Gu Dichu’s still-warm, petite frame, and vanished from the courtyard, heading deep into the mountains.
I returned to the front yard, where Qin Kezou stood in a daze beneath the eaves of the corridor.
After a moment, Yun Bizi patted him on the shoulder, startling him back to reality.
"Xiao Yun..."
Yun Bizi spoke with perfect composure. "Rest easy. Sister Gu has agreed; she is willing to marry you."
"But..."
Yun Bizi leaned in closer. "Though I cannot tell you the details of the plan, she was allowed to know. Once she heard my idea, she was so happy she kept praising how clever her Brother Yun is."
Qin Kezou looked bewildered. "I see."
"It’s getting late. You should have gone to offer toasts long ago; the guests are all waiting for you. You look pale—are you feeling unwell?" Yun Bizi urged.
Qin Kezou nodded. "A little."
"It’s just pent-up frustration and overthinking. Come to the hall in a while and share a few cups with me; you’ll be fine." Yun Bizi gave a hearty laugh and departed on his own.
Once he was gone, Qin Kezou sat back down, lost in thought again.
I felt a surge of anxiety watching him, but then I remembered this was the last day of his life, and I found myself wishing no one would disturb him.
A maid from the front hall came to urge him to receive the guests. He gave a faint response, saying he would be there shortly.
After another moment of silence, he sighed and stood up. Suddenly, his footing faltered, and he quickly grabbed a pillar for support.
A look of shock crossed Qin Kezou’s face. He slowly raised his right hand to press against his left wrist. After a pause, that flicker of surprise spread, turning into utter disbelief.
"Ye Sha," Qin Kezou whispered, his voice trembling.
The familiar figure instantly knelt before him.
"...I... I have a favor to ask of you..." Qin Kezou’s expression was one of agony.
Ye Sha replied steadily, "I await Master’s command."
Qin Kezou said, "In a moment, I will go to the main hall to offer toasts. I beg of you... when the time comes, kill me with your sword."
Only then did Ye Sha look up, a trace of doubt flickering in the depths of his eyes.
Because of that single spark of doubt, the murderous aura surrounding him softened slightly, making him seem a fraction more like the little shadow guard I knew.
"...I have been poisoned." Qin Kezou closed his eyes in despair. "It is Taihang Ravine’s 'One Day After Autumn'."
"A thousand years condensed into a day; once autumn passes, the execution is final," Ye Sha said, his voice cold.
"Yes... Ye Sha, you are also a master of poisons; you must know that once this poison is administered, no one can detect it. But once twelve hours have passed, death is certain." Qin Kezou’s breath was growing weaker. "Both the Qin and Taihang families are gathered here. If I die from a poison unique to Taihang Ravine, the consequences will be catastrophic. Ye Sha, I beg you... help me hide this. After you kill me, take my body away and destroy it... do not let anyone discover the truth..."
After a brief pause, Ye Sha replied, "As you command."
"To make you shoulder this crime... I am truly sorry." Qin Kezou’s strength failed him, and he sank slowly toward the ground. Ye Sha caught him instantly.
"My life belonged to Master from the start." Ye Sha’s expression was calm, almost indifferent.
"Help me... give a message to Xiao Yun." Qin Kezou leaned against his shoulder and whispered, "Tell him... I know who killed me. I expected this day would come... I only regret that I cannot... with Xiao Yun..."
His breathing became labored, and he could not finish. Ye Sha propped him up against the edge of the corridor.
Then, Ye Sha retreated seven steps, unbuckled his sword, and placed it before him. He prostrated himself on the ground, performing three perfectly standard kowtows.
"What are you doing!" Qin Kezou suddenly grew frantic.
"After fulfilling Master’s request, I shall follow Master into the beyond," Ye Sha said calmly.
"No, you mustn't." Qin Kezou shook his head. "There is no need for you to throw your life away. You must find a way to survive... Bring me paper and brush. I will write a letter for you to take back to the Night Walkers. Though it goes against their rules... since your Master is dead anyway, I hope they can show some leniency."
Ye Sha swiftly returned with the writing materials. Qin Kezou urged him repeatedly, "Go to the main hall first, hurry... I cannot hold on much longer."
Ye Sha nodded and left without looking back.
I glanced at Qin Kezou but found myself instinctively following Ye Sha.
Even though I knew he couldn't see me, I still didn't dare get too close.
...Mm, I felt that Ye Sha in his prime was quite terrifying.
Entering the hall, he went straight to Yun Bizi’s side and sat down. Before long, Qin Chenyuan noticed the silent shadow guard and offered him several cups of wine.
Ye Sha remained silent, but he accepted and drained every cup.
Someone nearby whispered, "Is that the legendary Blood Demon, Ye Sha?"
"Don't they say shadow guards never touch a drop of alcohol?"
"Even a follower gets a seat at the guest table. Young Master Qin really does treat his servants well..."
They were ostracizing him.
It was unpleasant to hear.
A short while later, Qin Kezou stumbled in, his face flushed with a drunken red. Others laughed, thinking he was intoxicated, but I knew he simply lacked the strength to walk steadily.
Even when he grabbed Ye Sha and slammed him against the wall—when I moved around to look, I saw clearly that Ye Sha had leaned into it himself, even reaching out to steady Qin Kezou’s swaying form.
A trace of sickly, dark-purple blood seeped from the corner of Qin Qi’s mouth.
He said, "Xiao Sha, kill me. I beg you."
Ye Sha did not hesitate for a single second.
As Qin Qi wished, he pierced his heart, left his scripted lines, and vanished easily with the corpse.
He moved too fast; I lost him almost immediately.
I was standing there in a daze, unsure which way to go, when I saw him return, carrying Qin Qi’s body.
He walked a few steps and then stopped, as if waiting for someone.
The person who caught up was Yun Bizi, his expression bordering on madness.
"Ye Sha! Leave Qin Qi behind!!" Yun Bizi’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared in a low voice.
"I am not here to fight you," Ye Sha said. "Master left some words for you."
Yun Bizi had already begun to strike, but he froze. "You... what did you say?"
"Master said he knew who killed him, and that he had long expected this day would come," Ye Sha recounted.
"...Impossible..." Yun Bizi said, stunned.
"Master said he only regretted that he could not... with Young Master Yun..." At this point, Ye Sha stopped, because Qin Qi’s sentence had ended there; it was never finished. Ye Sha thought seriously for a moment, then added, "Could not spend the rest of this life with Young Master Yun."
Hearing those words, my mind was suddenly flooded with a thousand thoughts.
The sword in Yun Bizi’s hand hit the ground with a clang. He stood frozen.
Ye Sha turned and vanished again.
Relying on the plugin’s assistance, I barely managed to lock onto his position.
What followed was a long, arduous journey of pursuit and escape.
Amidst the dense attacks and searches, Ye Sha did his utmost to preserve that long-cold corpse. He even continued to act with the etiquette of a servant to his master.
I couldn't bear to watch, so I skipped ahead half a month.
Ye Sha was kneeling in this poplar grove, with extreme tenderness tidying Qin Qi’s already decaying remains.
His own body was covered in scars, his hands a bloody mess, yet not even a corner of Qin Qi’s robes was damaged.
"Master, allow your servant to disobey you just this once," Ye Sha said respectfully.
He did not destroy Qin Qi’s body. Instead, he buried him in the poplar grove. With his bare hands, he snapped his own sword, entombing it with his master beneath the Yellow Springs.
After the burial, he did not leave. He remained kneeling upright in the grove.
That resolute, indifferent Blood Demon gradually became lost.
Ye Sha asked, "Master, why did you insist that I live on?"
I knew that this was the only thing that truly caused him pain.
He hadn't hesitated when he killed Qin Qi, nor had he been lost. Death was too familiar to him; it made no difference whether it fell upon his master or himself. He had wanted to end it cleanly with one stroke, and then happily follow his beloved master to the grave.
I felt a surge of irritation.
Suddenly, I didn't want to watch anymore.
