UCTOOT CH140.2: Extra

Shi Shu looked up, having only a strange feeling. He turned his face away. Seeing Xie Wuchi sleeping beside him, his features magnified up close for the first time, eyebrows pitch black, lips thin… Seeing this made Shi Shu’s heart thump, face blushing: “Uh… that…”

“What’s wrong?”

Shi Shu smelled the faint sandalwood in the air. Could imagine this person used incense after washing clothes, simply… so fragrant.

Shi Shu pulled the quilt with both hands: “Brother Xie, then, then I’ll sleep first…”

Avoiding the awkwardness of close contact with a man again, Shi Shu squeezed his eyes shut.

He seemed to hear a very light breath by his ear.

Away from home, in an unfamiliar place, and having been scared, Shi Shu curled into a ball, heart palpitating, taking a good while to fall asleep.

Perhaps due to restlessness, Shi Shu had a dream. Dreamed of a similar dilapidated house. Deep winter, rain and snow falling, an unprecedented blizzard enveloped the deep mountains. Snow mist was violent, blinding the eyes. Young Shi Shu ran home from the mountain, holding an injured pure black fox in his arms.

The child was just over ten years old. This black fox had a huge gash on its body, blood coagulated, flesh torn. After Shi Shu carried him home, he quickly lit the stove to warm up.

Father Shi came back and saw: “Where did you pick this up? A fox?”

Father Shi leaned in to look: “Whoa, these big claws, let go quickly! If it suddenly attacks and tears your throat to drink blood, let go!”

Shi Shu: “He’s injured, no strength to hurt me.”

Father Shi: “Throw it away! Throw it away quickly. Never seen a black fox, and in a blizzard too, its appearance is problematic.”

Shi Shu hugged the fox’s neck: “I won’t throw it! I won’t! I found it!”

Father Shi had a headache. Bai Mo looked and was also startled: “Where did this child pick this up from?”

Shi Shu: “I went out to play, saw the center of the blizzard, chased after it, didn’t expect an injured fox inside.”

Father Shi got more scared listening, picking up a broom: “Throw it out quickly, believe I’ll beat you?”

Shi Shu cried “Wah!” hugging the fox without letting go: “I won’t throw it, I won’t throw it!”

The blizzard was raging. Shi Shu hugged the frozen black fox by the copper basin to warm up, crying loudly. When the black fox’s body softened, large drops of blood fell on the floor, and the smell of the blood was foul. Father Shi snatched the black fox and threw it out. Shi Shu trotted into the snow and carried the black fox back again.

“…You!”

Bai Mo said, “Forget it, forget it. This blood is everywhere. See if it can be saved first. Dying at home isn’t good.”

Father Shi frowned: “Go find Uncle Li at the village entrance yourself. He feeds pigs all year round. Ask him how to treat livestock?”

Shi Shu wiped his tears, tucked the black fox into his clothes pocket, holding it like a baby, and ran out the door in this heavy snow.

Bai Mo: “Ai, he’s just a child…”

“Let him go himself. Let him understand, doing anything requires paying a price.” Father Shi entered the door.

Shi Shu ran all the way to Uncle Li’s house who treated livestock in the village, asking for herbs. He promised to help him herd cows for a month in the spring before Uncle Li chewed some herbs and spat them on the black fox’s wound.

Shi Shu’s eyes were moist. Seeing the black fox retract its claws, open its eyes weakly to look at them, hiss at Uncle Li, revealing fangs.

Uncle Li raised his hand. Shi Shu quickly protected its head: “Don’t hit it!”

Uncle Li clicked his tongue, giving him another handful of herbs: “Only you kids are this bored, picking up a livestock like a treasure, never thinking about its smell, how much effort to raise it, how much thought it takes.”

Shi Shu didn’t want to talk to him, just hugging the black fox again: “Thank you, I’m going home.”

“Remember, herd cows for me in the spring!”

Shi Shu hugged the black fox and ran home. The black fox’s dark golden eyes stared at him. At the intersection, it jumped out wanting to run, but got buried by snow after two steps. Shi Shu approached: “What are you running for?”

Picked it up again, tucked it in his bosom, until returning home.

Bai Mo was sitting by the Eight Immortals table waiting: “Family doesn’t allow raising animals. If you really want to raise him, you have to be obedient at home recently. The Four Books and Five Classics I ask you to memorize every day, must be memorized, okay?”

Shi Shu: “Can raise it if I memorize them?”

Bai Mo said: “Correct. If you can’t memorize, Mom won’t let you raise it. Playing saps the will.”

Shi Shu: “I definitely can memorize them!”

Father Shi wanted to say something else, but Bai Mo stopped him: “Forget it, he’s the only child in the family, let him play.”

Father Shi had to keep a straight face: “Put him down, go wash your hands, eat after washing hands.”

Shi Shu put the black fox into the bamboo basket, lined with his own clothes, placed it by the stove to warm up. He went to the table to eat, saving the meat parents put in his bowl into his palm, taking it to the bamboo basket to feed it.

“Eat, eat, this is meat.”

Shi Shu squatted like a little stump, handing the meat to the black fox’s mouth: “Eat.”

The black fox stared at him with dark golden eyes.

“Too big pieces?” Shi Shu tore the meat into small strips, feeding again, “Will you eat like this?”

The black fox was injured and bad-tempered. Shi Shu coaxed for a long time before the black fox ate a mouthful of cold meat. Until Shi Shu fed him full bite by bite, and it even ate a small lump of rice.

While Shi Shu was feeding him, Father Shi was closing the door: “Heavy snow seals the mountain. Nothing to do this winter, can only stay at home!”

So this winter, Shi Shu concentrated on raising the injured black fox he found, changing medicine daily, bandaging the injured leg, feeding it food and water. For the first few nights, Shi Shu put it in the bamboo basket by the fire basin, warming it with embers. But the embers went cold by midnight. Deep in the night, the black fox curled up from cold, seemingly freezing stiff.

It curled into a ball in Shi Shu’s clothes. When Shi Shu went to hold it, it seemed angry, jumping down from his feet.

Shi Shu thought: “Oh my, what to do?” He then sneakily carried him to bed, hugging the black fox in his arms, on the heated brick bed, covering its head with the quilt.

The next day before parents woke up, he hurriedly put it back in the bamboo basket. The black fox was injured and lethargic. Sometimes not yet awake, put in the bamboo basket and froze awake again.

After several repetitions, as expected, discovered. Bai Mo said: “Don’t let the fox on the bed, the fox has a foul smell!”

Shi Shu hugged it and sniffed again and again: “No smell!”

“Still can’t go on the bed.”

Shi Shu hugged the black fox and cried sobbing: “What if, what if it freezes to death?” Tears fell on the black fox’s fur. The black fox licked the damp fur.

Parents were helpless: “Whatever you want. That bed of yours, Mom won’t look at it again this winter.”

Shi Shu finally slept with it openly on the bed, tucked in his bosom at night, warm and fluffy fur. Shi Shu pinched its leg and smelled several times: “Really doesn’t smell…” Then leaned close to its belly and took a breath.

Shi Shu noticed a black mark branded on the fox’s balls area. He looked carefully: “Is this a wound?”

Reached out to pick at it.

The black fox extended claws wanting to kick people. Touching his warm forehead, retracted sharp claws, getting annoyed by his picking. Shi Shu happily raised the black fox, hugging it to sleep at night, hugging it to the table to eat during the day, even holding the black fox while memorizing books and learning characters when free.

Strange to say, Shi Shu was someone who didn’t love studying and couldn’t calm down, but so parents wouldn’t stop him raising it, he actually worked hard and memorized many chapters. Parents turned a blind eye.

And this black fox ignored everyone, just lying on Shi Shu’s knees every day, curled up sleeping, recuperating, actually very quiet.

Occasionally, ran around, letting Shi Shu chase to play.

Only parents saw the clue: “Is this Xiao Shu teasing the fox, or the fox teasing Xiao Shu? Can’t understand.”

In a blink, spring arrived. Shi Shu went to herd cows for Uncle Li every day as promised. In the grass, Shi Shu held the rope sitting in flowers, memorizing books. The black fox lay beside him or walked around, its health long recovered.

But the black fox didn’t leave, staying by Shi Shu’s side instead.

Back and forth, the whole village knew Shi Shu raised a rare black fox, going out with him every day.

But good times didn’t last. For a period, chickens in the village were always bitten to death. Gradually, people said it was Shi Shu’s black fox. Shi Shu didn’t believe it, the family didn’t believe it either, but couldn’t stop people coming to the yard with dead chickens every few days to complain.

Shi Shu knew the black fox was innocent, so he didn’t take it out, tied its neck with a collar, and leashed it in the home yard. Waited a few days, chickens still died in the village. Despite proving this, people in the village were hard to persuade.

Shi Shu went to school. Coming back this day, saw several kids throwing stones at the fox in the yard. The black fox revealed sharp fangs. That moment scared the kids into crying loudly, running home. A while later, adults surrounded with sticks.

The whole family had no choice. Shi Shu hugged it tightly, but was shaken off by it. It jumped out of the fence, looked back at him when reaching the hillside.

Shi Shu understood it was leaving, hurriedly shouting: “Don’t go!”

The black fox disappeared into the woods with a few leaps. Not long after, it came back with a weasel bigger than itself in its mouth, throwing the bloody corpse in front of everyone, looked at Shi Shu again, turned, and disappeared into the spring forest.

Dreaming this, Shi Shu wanted to cry. He looked for the black fox everywhere in the mountains but couldn’t find it. Cried for days. To comfort him, his parents adopted a small local dog, named Lai Fu.

Shi Shu dreamed of this fox again. The dream was incredibly bitter. Adults quarreling in the yard, he crying while chasing on the hillside, eyes wet.

Slurp, a sound of wet light licking. The tears at the corner of Shi Shu’s eyes seemed to be licked away by something.

Shi Shu finished this dream, followed by the next one.

In the cramped wardrobe, footsteps getting closer to the door, chilly wind sticking to his back, heart tense, daring not breathe, holding breath until suffocating.

Beside him, the other person was hiding in the wardrobe with him.

This hand was scorching hot, clasping his chin. Shi Shu held his breath until he almost fainting, lips were suddenly kissed.

Shi Shu made a confused “Mn?” sound in the dream.

Being kissed by this person named Xie Wuchi, Shi Shu’s breathing was obviously smoother. A breath was pouring into his lungs, cool and comfortable, but his lips and tongue were stirred by something, licking inside his mouth, filled with a strange lustful state.

In the dream, Shi Shu saw clearly the stranger named Xie Wuchi’s features, pitch-black brow tips, cold eyes, and the tactile sensation between lips and tongues. Cold sweat streamed down his body, but the space in the wardrobe was narrow, forcing him to have his face held by him, deepening and intensifying the kiss.

Shi Shu struggled in the dream: “Let go of me, let go…”

Reaching out to pry his wrist, but daring not make noise, only remembering sweating all over, fingertips tense, strength no match for him at all, jaw pinched by a big hand kissed until speechless…

Accompanying this, there was also the ambiguous dizziness of his youthful body, no longer unfamiliar…

“Ah!” Shi Shu opened his eyes abruptly from the bed, snow-white sunlight piercing his eyes.

“Dawn? Morning?!”

Shi Shu turned his head, dazed like a dream. That noble gentleman Xie Wuchi stood by the table, raising his hand to pull together the embroidered black clothes. Dark muscles on his shoulder and neck flashed by. Shi Shu’s Adam’s apple rolled violently, fair, handsome face looking at him: “You… Brother Xie, you’re awake?”

Xie Wuchi turned around, brows indifferent: “Awake. Early weather, time to travel?”

Seeing him, the images from the dream floated into Shi Shu’s mind. Vision went dark, wishing to punch himself.

Shi Shu oh Shi Shu! You are confused… Sleeping in the same bed, did you have a wet dream about him?

And he’s a man!

A tall, handsome man with obvious male characteristics! Dreaming about doing what with him isn’t good enough, actually dreamed of tongue kissing him!

Shi Shu jumped off the bed, ears bright red: “Let’s go, let’s go, need to travel. Overslept accidentally. Need to walk tens of miles today, find an inn to stay, can’t sleep in these desolate temples anymore. Last night was too scary! Go go go…”

Xie Wuchi nodded once, following behind him. Shi Shu went out. Xin Bin was setting up firewood to boil water in the courtyard. Xie Wuchi passed by, filling water into Shi Shu’s canteen: “Drinking river water causes illness; you should drink some boiled water.”

Shi Shu accepted, touching his fingertips again, withdrawing with barely concealed speed: “Okay… Brother Xie, really thank you very much.”

Xie Wuchi looked at him, smiled slightly, and handed over a warmed meat cake: “Here, today’s breakfast.”

Shi Shu was embarrassed: “Really, no need, my mother made me cakes.”

“It’s okay, eat. I bought a lot. Passing through the city today, can buy more.”

Shi Shu thought about refusing, but seeing Xie Wuchi’s face, immediately remembered last night’s dream, not only heart beating faster but blushing and sweating: “I, I, you… Brother Xie, you treat people too well…”

Xin Bin said, “Our Young Master does big business in his estates; these two meat cakes are nothing. If you treat our Young Master as a friend, accept it.”

Shi Shu: “If you treat me as a friend, don’t be so nice to me. I’m afraid after living the good life with Brother Xie, parting ways in two days, I won’t be used to being alone next.”

Shi Shu looked refusing. Xie Wuchi’s brow raised slightly, a flash of gloominess passed, unnoticed by Shi Shu, restoring a calm and distant expression: “Little Brother Shi is worthy of being a scholar, consistent in nature, truly admirable.”

After eating together, preparing to leave this deserted temple, Shi Shu noticed: “Eh, didn’t many traveling merchants come last night? Where did they all go?”

Xin Bin glanced at Xie Wuchi, slyness flashing in his eyes: “Young Master Shi got up late; these merchants left early!”

Shi Shu blushed, found it hard to argue, and said: “So that’s it, then. Let’s go too.”

Xin Bin took his book basket, humming as he walked in front. Shi Shu said, “Hey” wanting to take it back, chasing a few steps in the tomb forest, “Big Brother, no need to trouble you!”

Xie Wuchi walked at the very back, shoes treading on mud but unstained by dust. His brows cold, he turned around. Those few wooden doors slammed shut with a clang, leaving only a few strands of fox fur on the bed, gently floating to the ground.

In the main hall on the other side, the corpse hanging on the beam had hands nailed to the wall, black blood dripping. Bursts of black resentful spirit energy circled the beam, screaming loudly “Give back my life!” “I hate you… so hate, so hate…” “Hate me to death!” “I want to kill you!” “Let go of me!” “…I want to find him to reincarnate…”

The entire temple instantly transformed into dilapidated ruins, broken walls burnt by fire, covered in dust, crows circling and screaming.

Just a tomb forest, where was the temple that stayed in last night?

Xie Wuchi put a finger to his lips, blowing gently, Hoo…, the mournful howling of resentful souls dissipated.

Xie Wuchi withdrew his gaze, stepping on blood-red, rotting human bone and flesh mud, not stained by dust at all, following unhurriedly behind Shi Shu.

Shi Shu was barking woof woof, chasing Xin Bin: “Big Brother, no need to trouble you! I’ll carry the luggage myself!”

Xin Bin ran wildly for a hundred meters: “Young Master Shi, I am a servant, feeling bad if I don’t work!”

Shi Shu really couldn’t catch up, thinking he only focused on studying, abandoning the running he was best at in childhood. Rounding the mountain ridge, he had to turn back. Xie Wuchi’s hem brushed over grass and trees, a few zhang away from him, getting closer.

Shi Shu said suspiciously: “I was near here yesterday, that farmer told me to stay in this temple, didn’t say it was haunted?”

Shi Shu looked left. Xie Wuchi raised a finger; the white skeleton in the field on the right-hand side disappeared, and he saw nothing.

Xie Wuchi said lightly, “Perhaps old age, muddled.”

“Possible, true.”

Shi Shu’s mood cleared up, running and skipping on this mountain path, immediately realizing the loss of composure: “Hey, the weather isn’t very hot today, can travel more distance.”

“Very good, happen to go together.”

Shi Shu then traveled with Xie Wuchi. Walking on the road, the sun shining warmly for a while, he forgot last night’s dream, chatting idly while walking with him.

Xie Wuchi: “You are eighteen, such a young age, how could your parents rest assured letting you travel far alone? No one to look after, don’t you know how many penniless scholars get entangled by fox fairies and wild ghosts?”

Shi Shu said, “No choice, have to take the exam. However, I have a cousin named Du in the prefecture capital. When I arrive, I’ll stay at his house, come back after the exam.”

Xie Wuchi: “Cousin named Du.”

Shi Shu didn’t detect anything, said, “This is my first time traveling far. The academy for studying is in the county town, only a few tens of miles away. Going to the Provincial Examination this time, first time walking so far.”

Xie Wuchi seemed to laugh: “Really remarkable.”

“…”

This Gentleman Xie looked arrogant and cold, keeping strangers away, but spoke very friendly to him. Shi Shu felt a bit weird inside too. Looking at him, inevitably remembering the night’s events again, reaching out to scratch his soft hair again.

Eating lunch together at noon, there happened to be a wine shop by the road. Shi Shu simply ordered two dishes. Gentleman Xie ordered lots of beef and chicken, placing them in the middle of the table to eat together. Shi Shu felt quite embarrassed. Gentleman Xie just said be at ease, picking meat into his bowl.

Walking tens of miles together in the afternoon, Shi Shu couldn’t walk anymore; his feet got blisters, and he limped. Fortunately, the weather had been breezy; the severe summer was actually not hot anymore.

Tonight, found an inn. Shi Shu asked upon entering, the boss said: “Only one guest room, and a woodshed available.”

Shi Shu: “I’ll stay in the woodshed.”

Xin Bin: “Young Master Shi stays in the woodshed, where do I stay? Me a servant staying with my Young Master?”

Shi Shu: “This…” Although Xie Wuchi was friendly to him, Shi Shu could clearly perceive that Gentleman Xie had a strict hierarchy with servants, showing no good face.

Without explanation, Xin Bin went to stay in the woodshed himself. Last night’s dream reappeared, clicking tongues with him in the wardrobe. Shi Shu bit the bullet and said, “Brother Xie, I have to trouble you tonight, sleep with me for another night.”

Xie Wuchi smiled: “No harm, away from home shouldn’t stick to trifles.”

Shi Shu had to enter the room. Clean and small room, bed barely enough for two to sleep, and even standing space was small. Shi Shu had a blister on his foot, thinking of finding a needle to pop it while soaking feet.

By the dim oil lamp, Shi Shu looked at the blister on his heel. Xie Wuchi sat by the bed: “Need my help?”

Shi Shu: “No need, no need, no need.”

Xie Wuchi: “It’s okay, the lamp is too dim, you seem unable to see clearly either, let me look for you.”

Shi Shu’s face flushed to his ears instantly: “No need, no need, really no need—”

Xie Wuchi: “Pop the blister early, let the wound recover, we rest early too, have to travel tomorrow. Don’t be so distant.”

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