*Each rustle of a parasol leaf, a sound of autumn;*
*Each drop on the plantain leaf, a touch of sorrow.*
*Midnight dreams return, and midnight passes.*
*The lamp-flower falls, the chess game remains unfinished;*
*A sigh for the lonely traveler in the Xinfeng inn.*
*Ten years of memories upon the pillow,*
*All come rushing back to the heart.*
—Xu Zaisi, *Water Fairy: Night Rain*
***
His mother had been very fond of green plum wine during her lifetime.
In the childhood memories of her second son, Zhongli Zixi, the height of summer and the golden days of autumn were forever permeated by the fruity fragrance of green plums. For her sake, a vast plum grove had been planted on the back mountain of Zhongli Manor. Their mother had taught them how to distinguish the ripe fruit and how to brew it into a fine vintage with honey and rice wine.
After Madam Zhongli was implicated by her second son and met her end by execution, no one in Zhongli Manor ever opened a jar of green plum wine again.
During his ten years in the Hall of Rebirth, Zhongli Zixi had lived a life of hardship. Upon returning home, he went to that long-abandoned plum grove and tried to brew a jar of wine himself. He couldn't quite remember the steps and botched the process many times. His elder brother, who had been in a cold war with him over their differing opinions, finally couldn't bear to watch any longer and stepped in to teach him personally. It served as a subtle breakthrough, allowing the relationship between the two to thaw.
From then on, an unwritten rule was established between the brothers: if a rift formed, one would set a banquet with green plum wine. If the other attended, all past grievances and old grudges would be wiped clean, never to be brought up again.
That wine carried the meaning of "I forgive you."
As the years passed, the two gradually drifted apart. Every time the Second Young Master felt uneasy, he would bury a jar of green plum wine beneath the weeping willow in the central courtyard. After ten years of twists and turns, the courtyard was nearly filled with his buried jars.
Yet, even up until the day he was driven from the house, the Second Young Master never saw the day those jars of plum wine would be opened.
He had spent his life plotting and calculating, but now, with one wrong move, the entire game was lost. Instead of despair, he felt an incomparable sense of relief.
He had stood too high and carried a burden too heavy, living in constant trepidation for far too long. Now, he finally had nothing left to lose, and thus, nothing left to worry about.
The jars of plum wine filling that courtyard no longer had anything to do with him. He no longer had to harbor futile hopes.
At this thought, the presence beside him—as constant as ever—became even more of an eyesore.
Zhongli Zixi knew that sooner or later, he would have to get used to this crippled body with one useless hand and one useless leg. Leaning against the wall, he wobbled out the door, preparing to depart from Changluo. He didn't know where he could go, and he didn't have a copper to his name, but he was too exhausted to think about it.
He had barely stumbled to the doorway when the returning Ye Jun hoisted him up with one hand and carried him back into the inner room. Plunking him down on the bed, Ye Jun began to briskly strip off his clothes.
"If the Young Master wants to go somewhere, just give me the word. Look at you, dressed so haphazardly—what sort of state is that?" Ye Jun undid the messy, almost comical knot of his belt, peeled off the crumpled inner robe, and fetched a new set to carefully dress him.
Since Zhongli Zixi could no longer stand, Ye Jun had grown accustomed to kneeling on the ground to dress him. Watching the shadow guard’s posture, which was even more humble than before, Zixi drifted into a daze.
In just a few short days, he had fallen from the clouds into the mire. The way those around him looked at him had changed drastically, yet Ye Jun remained exactly the same. His attitude—a blend of playful banter and submissive obedience—hadn't shifted in the slightest.
He was like this today, but what about the future? Zhongli Zixi didn't have a shred of certainty.
"I've rested enough. It's time to go," Zhongli Zixi said.
Ye Jun replied in the tone of one accepting an order, "Yes."
Zhongli Zixi added, "I am no longer the Second Young Master of Zhongli Manor. You don't need to follow me anymore."
Ye Jun simply said, "You will always be my master."
His tone was flat, devoid of any discernible joy, sorrow, or sincerity.
Zhongli Zixi felt a surge of irritation. He asked, "Why? Because I received your rites of master and servant? Because of the responsibility of the 'Night Sovereign'? Because that is how the Night Walkers have always taught you? If those are your answers, you don't need to follow me any longer."
He felt a sudden flare of anger with no outlet. In truth, he had known all along that there was no fundamental difference between Ye Jun and the others who followed him with their own hidden agendas.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jun gazed at him quietly. It wasn't until Zhongli Zixi turned his eyes away that Ye Jun asked, "Young Master, why did you choose me back then? You question everyone in the world, so why have you never doubted me? No matter what I did, you would never kill me. Why?"
Zhongli Zixi was suddenly at a loss for words.
Ye Jun answered his own question, enunciating each word: "Because I am the 'Night Sovereign.' It doesn't matter who it is, as long as they are the Night Sovereign. You know this better than I do, don't you, Young Master?"
Zhongli Zixi opened his mouth, but not a single word of rebuttal could escape.
Ye Jun asked, "The ten-year term is almost up. Once I cast aside the title of Night Sovereign, will you still believe in me?"
Zhongli Zixi remained silent for a long moment before finally shaking his head.
Ye Jun let out a soft sigh. "Since you treat me thus, why care whether I have a heart for you or not?"
It seemed there was nothing left to say between them, leaving only a heavy, suffocating silence. Ye Jun finished dressing him, carried him on his back to bid farewell to their host, and stepped out of the Ye Estate one pace at a time.
Zhongli Zixi felt the same soul-crushing despondency he had experienced when his brother first betrayed him. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, he leaned against Ye Jun's back and closed his eyes.
For a fleeting moment, he wanted to bury Ye Jun in the central courtyard of Zhongli Manor, right alongside those jars of green plum wine.
But the snow was so heavy, and the vast world was cold to the bone. Only the palms of Ye Jun's hands still held a trace of warmth.
He was both loath to let go and truly powerless to do anything else.
Leaving Changluo, Ye Jun headed south, trudging through the snow with uneven steps. Before long, he complained, "Young Master, hold onto me. Stop sliding down."
The Second Young Master kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, hugging himself across the chest as if he were simply waiting to fall.
Ye Jun said with a smile, "If you don't hold on tight, I'll have to change positions and tuck you under my arm like a sack."
Weighing the pros and cons, the Second Young Master reluctantly reached out and wrapped his arms around Ye Jun's neck.
Ye Jun looked down at the Young Master's wrists, which were flushed red from the cold, and shook his head. "Forget it. I'll get a carriage."
Ye Jun was a man who cared deeply about the aesthetics of the seasons.
For instance, spring was for admiring flowers, autumn for the moon, and winter for the snow. Summer was for eating watermelon—chilled. A wealthy family should have the facade of wealth, and a flight from danger should look like a flight from danger; one shouldn't have fragrant carriages, noble steeds, or fine silks and delicacies.
This was why he had refused Jun Xuanheng's help and insisted on setting out on foot.
But having grown accustomed to the good life following the Second Young Master these past few years, Ye Jun suddenly didn't want to wrong himself anymore.
Ye Jun tethered the Second Young Master in a small tea house and slipped away to "borrow" a relatively simple and worn-out carriage.
The carriage creaked and groaned its way southwest. By the time early spring arrived, they stopped beside a mountain stream.
The mountains and rivers here were beautiful, the grass lush and green. There were a few scattered hunters nearby, and the nearest village was a short half-day's journey away. It was usually deserted and suitable for recuperation, yet convenient enough if they wanted to trade in the village.
This dense forest was secluded and lacked proper paths, so they had to abandon the carriage. It was the beginning of spring, and the mountain was plagued by constant showers. They hadn't walked far before a drizzle began to fall. Ye Jun shielded the Second Young Master, wrapping him up tightly, and carried him around for a long time before finally finding a cave beneath a cliff.
Ye Jun peeled the Second Young Master layer by layer like an onion, pulling the frail young master out from the bundle of fine silks. Ye Jun found it incredibly endearing and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
The outer layers of clothing were soaked through, but fortunately, the inner layers were untouched. After checking that he was fine, Ye Jun built a fire and placed the Second Young Master and his clothes beside it to dry.
Zhongli Zixi hadn't been touched by the rain, but Ye Jun had been drenched the whole way. His face was pale, and no matter how composed he tried to appear, he looked somewhat bedraggled. Zixi said, "You're soaked through. Aren't you going to take those off and dry them?"
"I can't have you living in a cave forever, Young Master. I'm going to make the most of the time and build a simple temporary shelter." Ye Jun hurriedly added a few handfuls of firewood, then stood up to head back into the rain.
Zhongli Zixi said, "What's the rush? Wait until the rain stops."
Ye Jun simply shook his head and walked out.
Zhongli Zixi loathed the rain.
The Hall of Rebirth was a warm, humid place where cruel poisons, punishments, and gloomy rainy days were always intertwined. It was a shadow he could never escape, to the point that he became exceptionally irritable whenever it rained.
He hated the damp, he hated running water, and he hated rainy days. Yet, when Ye Jun chose a place that ran completely contrary to his wishes, he didn't voice any objection.
He thought that he would have to get used to it eventually.
After the sky had turned pitch black, a sodden, freezing Ye Jun finally returned, carrying a plump rabbit.
He looked at his master and clicked his tongue. "Strange. Your mood isn't as bad as I expected. Usually, whenever it rains, you're like a pufferfish pushed to its limit."
"You knew I hated the rain, yet you chose a place like this," Zhongli Zixi frowned with displeasure.
"But I like the rain," Ye Jun's lips curled into a faint smile. "I like seeing you when you aren't hiding anything—whether it's vulnerability or anger. I hope you'll rely on me a little more."
Zhongli Zixi whispered, "Then I certainly can't let you have your way."
It took Ye Jun five days to build a temporary residence that was so crude and simple it couldn't even be called a house—it was merely a thatched shack.
The space was tiny, containing only a table and a bed, but at least it had a door and a window. The surrounding scenery was indeed pleasant, making it a passably habitable place for a human being.
Ye Jun made several trips to the village, bringing back bedding and cotton fabrics. However, because the mountain paths were too rugged for horses, the amount he could carry each time was limited.
Ye Jun hurriedly arranged the room, tucked the Second Young Master inside, and then immediately began building a proper, large wooden house for their long-term residence.
Ye Jun was always in a rush.
Busy and frantic.
He had to fell trees, measure the terrain and dimensions, go to high, dry places to gather fallen branches for firewood, fetch water, hunt, prepare meals for the Young Master, serve the Young Master during his washing and dining, go down the mountain to buy supplies in the neighboring village, and even resort to trickery and theft. He was often on his feet all day, never resting for a moment.
Zhongli Zixi told him many times, "There's no rush. Take it slow."
But Ye Jun only grew more hurried, even beginning to work on the house through the night without sleep.
His night vision was excellent, so his work was entirely unaffected by the darkness. He would climb onto the roof beams to drive nails by the light of the moon. Lately, he had been so busy he had no time to speak with the Young Master at all. Throughout the day and night, there was only the rhythmic thumping of the hammer, striking one blow after another against the heart of the sleepless Zhongli Zixi.
Once, Zhongli Zixi finally couldn't help but say to him, "Stop rushing to build the house for a moment. Come talk to me."
Ye Jun only shook his head. "There won't be enough time."
Ye Jun finished the wooden house at a lightning pace. In the middle of the night, he carried the half-asleep Zhongli Zixi from the thatched shack into the wooden house and laid him on soft bedding. This wooden house was a proper home, with a main hall, an inner room, and even a kitchen.
"Young Master, this is the kitchen. The bowls and chopsticks are in the first cupboard, and the seasonings are in the second. I've put some non-perishable food here; take a look."
Zhongli Zixi didn't pay much attention to the new house; his gaze was fixed on Ye Jun.
His hair was a mess, his hem was covered in stains, and he smelled faintly of sweat. Ye Jun had always been someone who cared about his appearance; this was the first time Zixi had seen him looking so unkempt.
Ye Jun didn't care about his gaze at all. Having introduced the layout of the rooms, he began to explain other matters. For instance, how to get to the nearest village, how to recognize the path, what was sold where in the village, where to gather firewood, and how long it would take for the vegetables planted by the door to be ready to eat.
Zhongli Zixi listened half-heartedly, seemingly indifferent.
Once Ye Jun had finished explaining everything in one breath, he asked again, "Young Master, have you remembered all of this clearly? If there's anything you don't understand, I'll say it again."
Zhongli Zixi listened to his instructions in silence, not responding. After a moment of quiet, he spoke instead: "Ye Jun, it's been ten years, hasn't it?"
Ye Jun remained silent.
Zhongli Zixi said, "Tomorrow, it will have been exactly ten years since we met."
Ye Jun nodded. "So you remembered all along."
Zhongli Zixi said, "The Night Walkers will be choosing a new Night Sovereign. After tomorrow, you will no longer be the Night Sovereign."
Ye Jun smiled. "Correct. I won't be the Night Sovereign starting tomorrow. But I don't have a name yet."
Zhongli Zixi looked at him earnestly, a thousand thoughts swirling through his mind. Finally, he said, "I will give you one tomorrow."
Ye Jun nodded. "Good. This subordinate will go back to sleep now."
A frantic, swelling urge to ask him to stay rose within Zhongli Zixi's heart, but in the end, he didn't say a word.
"Night Sovereign" was his shackle.
And he was about to be free.
***
