SC Chapter40

Shen Guan was pushed awake in a daze. He rubbed his eyes and saw that it was clearly still night outside. He closed his eyes lazily, wanting to snuggle back up next to Xiao Ning to sleep. But he felt only empty space. Xiao Ning had already gotten up and was dressing.

“Do we have to get up this early?” Shen Guan squinted through his sleepiness, his voice heavy with drowsiness and a faint nasal tone that made it soft.

Xiao Ning said, “Lord Shen slept in my arms like a lump of mud all night. You have no vigilance when traveling, aren’t you afraid of dying in your sleep?”

Shen Guan curled up in the quilt languidly, half-seriously, half-jokingly saying, “If I die by Boss Xiao’s hand, I’ll accept it.”

No sooner had the words fallen than he felt a chill; the quilt was actually lifted directly by Xiao Ning. Shen Guan jolted, instantly wide awake, and instinctively tried to pull the quilt back. Xiao Ning grabbed his wrist and dragged him off the bed.

Shen Guan had taken medicine last night, and his body would not be well for a few days, so naturally, he was no match for Xiao Ning. He could only resign himself to hastily putting on clothes, forced to get out of bed.

Xiao Ning pulled Shen Guan out the door with him. Shen Guan thought they were heading to the early market, but Xiao Ning grabbed a wooden shovel on the way and led him farther and farther into remote areas. Luckily, both were skilled in martial arts and moved quickly, reaching a suburban graveyard before dawn.

Shen Guan looked at the scattered graves in the distance and did not speak. He simply followed behind Xiao Ning, stopping at one particular gravesite. There were no weeds in front of this grave, and the tombstone was also free of dust, indicating that someone often visited the spot. The inscription on the stone read: ‘Tomb of beloved wife Shen Yunjie,’ and on the side was carved the 19th year of Yong’an.

Shen Guan’s heart sank. In the 19th year of Yong’an, he had been severely wounded on a mission. When he woke up, he remembered nothing. Jiang Lingxin spent nearly two years helping him re-establish himself in the Tianyi Division. All his memories of the past were given to him by Jiang Lingxin. The 19th year of Yong’an… Shen Yunjie… The similar appearance—could everything be a coincidence? Jiang Lingxin had once asked him not to leave Jinling.

A few months ago, Jiang Lingxin received a secret imperial decree to go to the Lingnan area. It just so happened that the clues to the case Shen Guan was handling were here. The Right Emissary of the Qinglian Evil Cult had fled here and changed his appearance. If they could capture him, they could certainly wipe out the entire cult. He truly did not want to miss such a good opportunity and left Jinling with the thought that he would accept the punishment when his master returned.

Then he met Xiao Ning. Shen Guan considered himself not a person of strong desires, and he had never been emotionally attached to anyone over the years. Yet, it was this most low-key Master craftsman in the martial world who stirred up different feelings in him.

The wooden shovel dug up the soil from the gravesite. Shen Guan was stunned and couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

Xiao Ning ignored him, focusing only on digging up his wife’s grave.

Shen Guan’s scalp tingled as he watched the clods of dirt fly. He wondered how much hatred Xiao Ning carried to keep the person in the grave from resting even after death. Soon, the coffin came into view, and Xiao Ning’s stance made it clear he intended to open it right there. Shen Guan couldn’t help but speak: “The deceased is paramount, you should still…”

Before he could finish, he saw Xiao Ning leaning against the coffin and chuckling quietly. Shen Guan choked, unable to utter another word.

Xiao Ning’s expression was mournful, his smile full of ridicule. Beneath his palm on the corner nail of the coffin, another mark showed that the nail had been removed before. Shen Guan, what a man you are.

The grave had been reburied. Xiao Ning left without a glance back, and Shen Guan followed in silence, both of them quiet the entire way.

When the two returned home, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Shen Guan suppressed a low cough. His health was already poor, and this trip had exposed him to some cold air. His face looked paler, and his forehead was throbbing. Xiao Ning was about to order him to cook, but seeing his state, he could only say, “Go upstairs and rest for a while.”

Shen Guan held onto the stairs, walking upstairs while saying, “How can I be so imposing?” After a few steps, his vision blackened, and he nearly fell down the stairs. Fortunately, Xiao Ning was quick. He stepped forward instantly, reached out to support him, scooped him up by the back of his knees, and carried him upstairs. After placing Shen Guan on the bed, he felt his forehead, only to find that his palm rested on a burning hot surface.

After one dose of medicine, Shen Guan slept for most of the dayw while sweating profusely. Xiao Ning brought water to wipe his body. As he loosened the sash at his waist, he noticed several new scars that had appeared on his body over the years. The one that made him unable to look away was the inch-long scar on Shen Guan’s abdomen.

Xiao Ning’s heart ached. Distraught, he leaned down and kissed the now faint scar.

Niannian blinked his round eyes, leaning by the door, and called out softly, “Big Father.” Xiao Ning immediately straightened up and cough lightly as he pulled Shen Guan’s clothes closed, covered him with the quilt, and beckoned Niannian to his side, holding him in his lap.

Niannian looked at the uncle lying on the bed with some curiosity and quietly asked, “Why did Father kiss Uncle?”

The back of Xiao Ning’s neck flushed red. He covered Niannian’s soft little mouth: “Shh.”