HS Chapter 262

I apologize for the delay, my return coincided with presidential elections in my country, the government decided to restrict internet access nationwide 😑. It was a boring time, but I’m back now.

Ever since he fainted at Taiye Lake, a shadow of a demon started clinging to Xin Hexue’s side.

Even if he chased him away, he wouldn’t leave; hit him but he wouldn’t get angry, like a complete dog-skin plaster. Xin Hexue was so annoyed by his pestering that he decided to move out of his bedroom to the west wing room.

By the moment he did this, this great demon would possess the chairs and stools in his new room, and shamelessly joke about how soft his butt was.

Xin Hexue was very angry. He sprang up and kicked over the chair like a rabbit attacking an eagle, which instead pleased the man.

The good thing about this demon was that he held no murderous intent toward him, and was obedient and subservient, with the servility of a slave. He had just this one good point.

The remaining ninety-nine points were ten out of ten bad, because this demon was full of lustful intentions toward him, he was purely a lust-demon!

He spoke lewd and obsequious words, wagged his tongue and stirred trouble, and always acted coquettish.

“Pa, pa, pa!” Henzhen’s face was all smiles as his palms clapped lightly in the air. “A scholar is indeed different. Even scolding someone sounds like singing a tune.”

Henzhen asked him, “Have you ever scolded anyone else like this?”

Xin Hexue shook his head.

Henzhen then said, “That’s very good. It means I’m already your intimate person now. Otherwise, why would you be so unrestrained only with me?”

Xin Hexue was startled; this twisted logic suddenly gained two points of credibility. However, the truth was not like this. It was because the people Xin Hexue usually encountered were humans, while the one before him was a mangy dog.

Toward a mangy dog, naturally, one’s attitude differed from that toward ordinary people.

“Do you have even a little bit of liking for me?” Henzhen asked. “Have you remembered your husband’s name yet?”

Xin Hexue spat the words coldly, “Shameless.”

Oh.

So there wasn’t a shred of liking for him.

Because that old tree bark said, although he could not actively reveal his name, if Xin Hexue gradually came to like him, he would remember his name, remember his appearance, and remember their shared past.

Xin Hexue couldn’t see the face of this blurred ghost, but he could clearly feel the gloom covering Henzhen like a net.

He had done more shameless things, yet he could still feel upset because of someone’s criticism?

It was probably not that reason.

But Xin Hexue had no interest in probing.

The gatekeeper came to report, “Young master, the eldest son of the Zhou family is here for a visit.”

“Understood. Take him to the study.” Xin Hexue smoothed the wrinkles on his robe, and adjusted the green jade crown on his head in the mirror, assuming the demeanor for receiving guests. He stepped out, the hem with red hidden in green shifting lightly like a lotus flower. As he moved into the courtyard and was submerged under golden sunlight, his jade-like figure looked elegant.

“Tinglan, Tingzhu, go brew a pot of tea.” Xin Hexue instructed. “Take the Longjing tea that Father purchased this spring.”

Henzhen leaned casually against the doorframe. The shadow from the corridor divided the inside and outside into two worlds of alternating light and dark, distinct as dawn and dusk.

He had already chased away the Lin family’s guy, now who is this Zhou family’s?

Could it be that his love rivals were going to collect all the hundred surnames?

As if hearing the doubt in his heart, these two maidservants whispered to each other while carrying hot tea to the study.

“This Zhou Heng and our young master are really close. This is his third visit this month, right?”

“That’s true. His mother is distantly related to the master. It’s only right to care of their family a bit.”

As for Zhou Heng, his mother was the cousin of the Yushan County Magistrate. After her husband died of illness, she became a widow. Her maiden family originally tried to arrange a remarriage for her but didn’t succeed. In addition, she was a widow with a child. Just then, the Yushan County Magistrate came to take up his post here. Remembering she was a cousin from his paternal aunt’s side, he provided some care.

So it seemed, Zhou Heng and Xin Hexue were cousins.

Henzhen swaggered through rooms and courtyards, arriving outside the study window. The coming and going servants could not see him.

Looking through the curtain, he saw these two cousins with their backs to him, getting close together intimately. Xin Hexue was looking at the scroll spread on the desk. The handwriting was familiar to him, uniquely elegant with crane-bone dragon-tendon style.

Zhou Heng was tall, with honest brows and eyes carrying a heroic, straightforward air. Contradictorily, when facing Xin Hexue, there was a touch of clumsy shyness mixed in.

“Cousin, I’m really disturbing you. It’s just that I just finished this essay but couldn’t make up my mind, so I wanted to hear your opinion…” Zhou Heng lowered his head. The ink on the scroll wasn’t even dry before he hurried over, the ink flowing like his hastily concealed fondness. “I hope cousin can give me corrections.”

“How can it be called corrections? Cousin, your essays have always been well-written.”

Xin Hexue’s attitude toward Zhou Heng was worlds apart from his attitude toward Henzhen. He was always smiling, with lips curved and all. When the two discussed and reached an agreement, they leaned even closer. The distance kept between them couldn’t even fit a “小三” (mistress).

As he watched this, Henzhen’s jealousy burned fiercely, twisting and burning up his internal organs.

Hate! Hate! Hate!

Why is it another person surnamed Zhou?!

Someday he would annihilate all people surnamed Zhou in the world.

His killing intent flared, and the candle on the study desk fell over without any wind. The wick touched the thin paper of the scroll, and flames suddenly shot up, devouring the words.

Xin Hexue was startled. He snatched up the teapot and splashed it. The tea drenched it thoroughly, but it was still a step too late. Only half a scorched remnant and half a cup of Longjing fragrance remained.

Burning without wind was strange already, and Xin Hexue instantly had a guess. He turned to look outside and indeed saw a dark red hem of a robe.

He immediately felt angry, but with Zhou Heng present, Xin Hexue couldn’t show it.

Turning back to face Zhou Heng, naturally he felt three parts apologetic. He looked at the mess. “Cousin, this…”

But Zhou Heng was magnanimous. “It’s fine, cousin. No need to apologize. This essay was done carelessly. It’s fine if it gets burned. Anyway, it wasn’t the best. I’ll go back, revise it, and come again to seek your advice.”

“I heard Lin Zhixue came looking for you the other day. He didn’t make things difficult for you, did he?”

Xin Hexue was touched. He told him about the matter with Lin Zhixue, only simplifying and omitting the parts related to Henzhen, saying that Lin Zhixue went mad for no reason at all.

“Who knows if his madness is permanent or temporary. If he comes looking for you again, tell me.” Zhou Heng said seriously.

Xin Hexue glanced at him with a smile. “And what if I tell you? Will you stand up for me, Cousin, and fight him?”

Zhou Heng, who was teased, flushed and stammered, “I naturally have a way. I can’t let him bully you.”

Henzhen, who was eavesdropping from behind the curtain, nearly tore Zhou Heng apart from jealousy.

When had Xin Hexue ever used such a tone with him?!

Over there, Xin Hexue was still smiling at Zhou Heng, saying leisurely, “I understand cousin’s intentions. But if you offend the prefect’s grandson because of me, that would instead be my fault.”

He drew out the word “intentions”, making Zhou Heng’s heart skip a beat. But realizing he was only talking about the protective heart of cousins, his gaze darkened again.

Xin Hexue: “If he dares to come again, I also have ways to deal with him. Just rest assured.”

Releasing the mangy dog to bite people wasn’t a bad method.

He saw Zhou Heng off with a smile, and returned to his room with a cold expression.

“Why did you burn his scroll?”

His voice felt like it was tempered with frost and snow as he questioned.

Xin Hexue looked around the room. “Come out.”

Though his face was unclear, Henzhen’s overall silhouette was clearer than during their first meeting. He said carelessly, “I burned it, so I burned it. The fact that I didn’t burn him into ashes too already counts as me showing mercy. Otherwise, your lover would only be a handful left.”

Xin Hexue frowned. “He’s not my lover.”

Henzhen’s heart relaxed a bit.

‘Not a lover? Then death could be spared.’

Having probed successfully, he changed his attitude, moving close to Xin Hexue with a smile. “This time was my fault, my dear. I promise I won’t do evil next time.”

Being controlled was good.

He liked being disciplined by Xin Hexue.

He handed over a bamboo switch, his attitude sincere as he asked for punishment and forgiveness. “If you’re still angry, how about you hit me then? Just don’t anger yourself sick.”

“It wasn’t my scroll that was burned. It’s not my place to be angry.”

Xin Hexue said coldly, turning and walking out of the room.

The sounds of a group of meowing, mewing cats rang out.

The Yushan County Magistrate had brought back three black cats from Bixia Temple last time, and was raising them in the courtyard. They meowed and purred all day, begging for food from the family’s young master.

Right now, they were rolling over, shamelessly licking Xin Hexue’s fingers.

Henzhen felt a fire rise in his heart again. Fortunately, he restrained his temper, knowing Xin Hexue was angry and giving him the cold shoulder. He had decided to be a good husband who cultivated himself and nourished his nature.

*

At midnight, it was just after the third watch’s bell rang out and all was silent.

Late at night, when everything was quiet, the gatekeeper leaned back in his chair dozing off, the candle flame weak.

Henzhen knew Xin Hexue’s anger wasn’t dispelled yet, so like a toothless dog, he didn’t go harass Xin Hexue either, just quietly accompanied him in the same room.

Xin Hexue slept on the bed, while his gloomy shadow hid beneath it, pressed close to Xin Hexue, able to hear his soft, shallow breaths.

He really couldn’t be blamed for his abnormal thought process; anyone who had lost a wife would go this mad.

Now he couldn’t take a single step away from Xin Hexue. If he tried to leave, separation anxiety would set in.

Henzhen was having a grand dream. He dreamed of taking Xin Hexue right there on that bed, licking him clean from head to toe until his body was covered entirely in his scent, then prying those fair, smooth thighs apart to their widest.

Making Xin Hexue remember just how they used to do it before.

It was truly strange…even after leaving the Warring States period, there could still be such spring and autumn dreams.

Before long, the dream was shattered by a covert disturbance.

There was demonic energy.

Henzhen snapped awake instantly. His shadow flickered to the door and saw that the three black-haired cats from earlier had transformed into foxes.

Demon foxes!

The three demon foxes were heading straight for Xin Hexue’s bedroom.

A black wind howled, and the shadow on the ground vanished, replaced by a crimson dragon circling in the air.

In his previous life, he had already cultivated from a blood koi into a blood dragon through the path of slaughter. Now, when he resumed his original form, he naturally was still a dragon.

His vertical pupils were as dark as ink, with crimson clouds churning within. The dragon scales covering his body were a deep, blood-like red, as if gleaming with bloody light, which was very terrifying.

The crimson dragon soared and rain clouds churned, then with a surge, he dove down toward the mountain foxes attacking the courtyard. The chairs and stools in the yard were blasted apart by this force, splitting into pieces and scattering in all directions.

This was the scene Xin Hexue saw when he rushed into the courtyard…

There was blood splattered everywhere, it dotted against the walls, and fur was scattered on the ground.

Henzhen turned to look at him. His dark robe was stained with sticky blood, and an intense, soaring aura of bloodlust surrounded him. Xin Hexue had never so directly realized that the person before him was, after all, a demon.

He looked again. The three cats in the courtyard were clearly gone.

Xin Hexue’s lips trembled, unclear whether from anger or shock. “What did you promise me during the day? To guarantee you wouldn’t commit evil again?”

Henzhen began to explain: “I…”

“I originally thought… never mind, I was wrong about you. I willingly added a few favorable impressions, but a demon is still a demon in the end,” Xin Hexue said, his heart aching to the extreme as he looked at the blood and fur filling the courtyard. “Harming living beings…you’re so stubborn and unyielding.”

The deep autumn weather was gradually turning cold, especially at night. The cold was one thing, but hearing Xin Hexue’s words made Henzhen feel chilled to the bone, and his heart sour. He didn’t care how others viewed him…those people were ants in his eyes. Who cared about the opinions of ants?

Only Xin Hexue was different.

On one hand, he didn’t want Xin Hexue to think of him as that bad; on the other hand, he felt that indeed, in Xin Hexue’s heart, he was just that bad, that hopeless.

“If it were Zhou Heng standing here today, would you still have this attitude?”

Henzhen demanded.

What he wanted to ask wasn’t just about Zhou Heng, but also many, many other names. Did he occupy even a small place in Xin Hexue’s heart?

Xin Hexue was stunned by his inexplicable question.

What did this have to do with Zhou Heng?

Seeing him not answer, Henzhen thought he was hesitating.

Instantly, rage surged in his heart, and he stormed off in a fit.

One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.

Why wasn’t he calling him back?

Henzhen’s fourth step was heavy as lead, impossible to lift anymore.

How could that be?

If he left Xin Hexue, it would be like a fish leaving water…he would die.

Henzhen made up his mind. His pride and face didn’t matter anymore. He turned back, only to look up and see that the door to Xin Hexue’s room was already tightly shut.

“…”

Fine. Tomorrow, he would definitely catch those three severely injured demon foxes that had fled and confront Xin Hexue with them.

The blood dragon, like a dog, slunk back and curled up at Xin Hexue’s door to lie down.