Chapter 66 - Cementery

At that hour, the morning sun had yet to rise, and the big cemetery was covered in cold, humid fog.

Unlike on Earth, the fog in the cemetery was man-made and it lacked the vitality of natural weather. It had an inorganic quality to it; perhaps it lacked the scent of desert earth or the aroma of camel thorns. In any case, it looked exquisite and unreal.

As he walked, Fu Yucheng thought casually, sure enough, I still prefer the Earth better, even despite what it has become.

He walked through the fog for a while until he spotted a person ahead.

Yao Ning was standing next to a tombstone, his head lowered deep in thought. He had a tall, thin figure, with a subtle limp, looking exactly like he used to many years ago.

It was a pity that the old man was the only thing left from the Light Knights of old.

Yao Ning seemed to hear his footsteps and looked up at Fu Yucheng.

Fu Yucheng was not in a hurry, so he walked over to him leisurely. “Did you bring it all?”

Yao Ning nodded and handed him a thick brown paper bag. “All the information about the other Light Knights is here. They’re all newcomers who have been promoted over the past few years. If you really intend to do something, you have to take a good look at these documents.”

Fu Yucheng weighed the bag in his hand. It was a heavy pile of papers, three to four centimeters thick. “Thank you.”

Yao Ning whispered, “Are you sure you want to do this? Do you want to attack him during the Ceremonial Hunt?”

Fu Yucheng said lightly, “Yes.”

Yao Ning was silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “But you’ve lost your psionic power. Even though Bai Mo is very powerful and I will help you from behind the scenes… our side is too small to win.”

Fu Yucheng smiled. “So what?”

Yao Ning looked at him for a long time and suddenly sighed. “Why don’t you give up? Take Bai Mo, leave this place, and never return. Stop worrying about this matter. You could have a better life.”

Fu Yucheng looked at him. “Yao Ning, you don’t seem to be the sort of person who can say such things.”

Yao Ning gave him a wry smile. “Maybe I’m trying to persuade you precisely because I know you won’t agree.”

The thin knight was silent for a while. He looked down and brushed a small dead leaf off of the tombstone. He said hesitatingly, “Besides, I have discovered one more thing.”

As he watched his movements, Fu Yucheng suddenly got a bad feeling.

After a thought, his eyes hesitantly moved to the side to look at the tombstone. It was just a simple, gray metal steele, unmarked and with no dates on it. It was completely bare.

Yao Ning noticed his expression and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “It seems you already guessed it… that’s the reason I asked you to come here.”

Fu Yucheng closed his eyes. “I didn’t guess anything.”

“You obviously guessed it.” Yao Ning took a deep breath and said slowly, “…this is Lin Shu’s tombstone.”

Fu Yucheng stared at the bare tombstone without saying a word.

Yao Ning couldn’t bear it and comforted Fu Yucheng. “Dust to dust. To be able to die for his ideals was a good death for your teacher. There’s nothing to be too sad about.”

Fu Yucheng was silent for a long time before asking, “How did he die?”

Yao Ning muttered, “Shortly after you were exiled, he committed suicide… he used a new type of cyanide and passed quickly without any pain.”

Fu Yucheng nodded. “So that’s what happened.”

Yao Ning had thought that the other man would cry bitterly after receiving the news.

After all, as far as he knew, Fu Yucheng used to be a very emotional person that never hesitated when expressing his emotions. However, at that moment, he saw no tears in his dark green eyes. Instead, they looked empty and bleak, like an autumn sky after all the wild birds had flown away.

Expressionless, Fu Yucheng looked down at the cold metal tombstone.

After an undetermined amount of time, he finally raised his head slowly and said to Yao Ning, “Thank you for telling me.”

Then he turned around and left without hesitation.

Yao Ning stared at the man’s tall, energetic figure gradually disappearing in the mist. Fu Yucheng’s back was straight, as if no amount of pressure could force him to bend down.

After a long while, Yao Ning sighed.

…

Bai Mo carefully wiped a bone china dish in his hand and then placed it back onto the dish rack. He raised his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall once more.

Eleven twenty-five in the evening.

And Fu Yucheng had still not come home.

Bai Mo closed his eyes, took another plate, and wiped it slowly.

He had just gotten halfway through when his hand suddenly stopped, as if he had sensed something. Then he set the plate down hurriedly and opened the door with a bang.

Fu Yucheng quietly toppled over on the stairs.

For an instant, Bai Mo felt that even his heart had stopped.

“Yu-ge, what’s wrong with you?” He knelt down in a hurry, holding up the other man with his arms, when a breath carrying a strong scent of alcohol hit his face.

He was just drunk.

Bai Mo sighed in relief and then looked at the man carefully.

Fu Yucheng’s eyes were tightly closed, his face dyed bright red, his hair sweaty and messy and his lips dry. His breath carried the heavy, pungent scent of alcohol, and his dark eyelashes were shining wet, either from sweat or tears.

Bai Mo’s heart trembled, as if it had been poked at with a sharp nail.

Fu Yucheng, who usually looked carefree, was actually very reserved and good at hiding his emotions. Bai Mo had seen him laugh and be sad, but he’d never seen him like he was now.

Back at the Twilight Belt, Bai Mo had heard from the bar’s owner that Fu Yucheng used to get wasted and would pass out at the bar. Back then, Bai Mo had felt confused, because, to his knowledge, Fu Yucheng seemed pretty debauched, but he was actually very restrained and it was hard for him to imagine the man that drunk.

However, on that day, Bai Mo witnessed it.

As Bai Mo held him, Fu Yucheng struggled very slightly and muttered, “Teacher…”

Bai Mo made a vague guess and felt a pang in his heart. He coaxed the man softly. “You’re home now. I’ll help you up, alright?”

Fu Yucheng muttered something in a low voice, ignoring the other man completely.

Bai Mo simply carried him up, cautiously walking into the living room, and then he gently placed the man on the sofa.

He prepared some warm honey lemon water in the kitchen, brought it to Fu Yucheng’s mouth, and coaxed him. “Yu-ge, drink some water.”

Seeing that the other wasn’t moving, he said patiently, “Yu-ge, I’m going to drink your water.”

“…No, don’t drink it!” Fu Yucheng whipped around nervously, striking the cup with his hand and spilling it all over Bai Mo.

The young man was not discouraged. He got up again, poured another glass and brought it in front of the man again, saying softly, “Yu-ge, drink some. It’s honey lemon water, the one you like.”

Fu Yucheng closed his eyes tightly and ignored him altogether.

Bai Mo sighed softly. “If you insist on being like this, you’ll feel very uncomfortable tomorrow. Since you won’t drink anything, then the only thing I can do is feed you.”

He took a sip of the honey water himself and then he gently squeezed the other man’s cheeks, feeding him the water from his mouth. His movements were very gentle and careful, without any erotic or sexual connotation.

Fu Yucheng struggled a bit, and then, once he had tasted the sweet and sour honey lemon, he drank it without hesitation.

Continuing the same way, Bai Mo got him to drink a whole cup of water with great effort.

He breathed a sigh of relief and touched the other man’s flushed cheeks. “Alright, that’s a good boy.”

Fu Yucheng still looked dazed. He seemed to think that the scene before him was a bit funny, and he slurred out, “…did you— what did you say? You, how old are you? You’re trying to coax me? Heh.”

Seeing his drunken bravado, Bai Mo’s heart ached.

The cold moonlight that illuminated the sofa through the tall windows cast everything in an ambiguous light.

The man was half lying under him, his cheeks burning red, his hair messy and sweaty. He seemed to be almost in a drunken stupor, and even his collar was askew, revealing his long neck and his collarbone. His defenseless look was impossible to resist.

But at that moment, Bai Mo only felt distressed.

After drinking a bit of water, Fu Yucheng’s eyes finally seemed to become focused again. He stared up at the man hovering over him, and he suddenly said, “…Little Mo, do you want to do it?”

Bai Mo stared at the other man blankly, completely stunned for some time.

""

After a long moment, he answered quietly, “Of course I do. You can’t imagine how much I think about… But this is not the time. You are not sober now, and the mood is not right… Right now, I can’t…”

Fu Yucheng looked at him and suddenly chuckled, “You… why are you being so nitpicky? So unmanly, tsk.”

Bai Mo gritted his teeth, closed his eyes patiently, and then said softly, “I only want to do that with you when you’re… when you are awake, when you are completely willing… if you still want to do it then, then all the better.”

Fu Yucheng laughed and shook his head. “What a silly boy.”

Bai Mo looked down at him. “You… would you still want me?”

Fu Yucheng looked up at the other quietly without answering.

Bai Mo waited for a long time, but he did not get the answer he wanted. He didn’t mind, and bowed his head to kiss the other’s forehead. “I’m sure you will want me, you will.”

…

After struggling hard for some time, Fu Yucheng finally managed to open his eyes reluctantly. He looked at the snow-white ceiling only to feel a headache bursting in his head.

There was a man at his back hugging him tightly. Those powerful arms made him feel a little breathless.

Fu Yucheng didn’t need to look back. He knew who it was.

Bai Mo moved slightly and asked in a low voice, “You’re awake?”

He seemed to realize something and loosened his arms a little. “Sorry, I fell asleep just now and didn’t notice my strength. Was I crushing you?”

“No.” Fu Yucheng had barely opened his mouth when he realized that his voice was horribly hoarse. “My head hurts.”

Bai Mo got up and poured him a glass of water. “Why did you drink so much yesterday…? Fortunately you drank some honey water afterwards, otherwise you would feel even worse.”

Fu Yucheng sat on the bed blankly holding the cup of warm water, and fragments of his memory came back to his mind little by little.

After he had left the cemetery the day before, he wandered like a lost soul until he found a bar as he usually did, spending all the coins he had on him to drink deep into the night.

He didn’t remember how he came back at all. He only remembered that Bai Mo took him into the house and gave him water.

What did I do afterwards? Oh, I took the initiative to ask him if he wanted to… Damn.

Sure enough, I drank too much.

Seeing his face go red and blue, Bai Mo knew that he had to have remembered something and couldn’t resist muttering defensively, “I knew that you had drunk too much… I– I didn’t do anything.”

“Shut up.” Fu Yucheng grabbed a pillow and pressed it onto his face, not wanting to say anything.

It’s too fucking embarrasing.

Seeing the way he looked, Bai Mo pursed his lips and went downstairs to make him breakfast.

""

Fu Yucheng lay in bed for a while. Bai Mo walked in with a plate and a hot towel. “I knew you wouldn’t be feeling well today, so I had already prepared porridge in advance in the morning… It’s your favorite fish porridge, and I have removed all the bones.”

“Ah, thank you.” Fu Yucheng took the bowl and drank the porridge in small sips.

It was really delicious.

After drinking half a bowl of porridge, he suddenly remembered something and looked up at Bai Mo. “There are five days left before the pledge.”

Bai Mo nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“I heard that there will be a ceremonial hunt to accompany the pledge. Are you prepared? Those mutant beasts won’t be easy to mess with. However, if you can hunt the most beasts, you’ll gain a lot of glory,” Fu Yucheng said absentmindedly while drinking the porridge.

“Yeah,” Bai Mo responded faintly, with his eyes down.

He told himself, what I want isn’t to kill mutant monsters or to have glory… I don’t care about such things at all.

I’ll kill that man. I’ll have supreme power and status and I’ll be able to give you everything… then, will you like me then?

“You’ll be fine.” Seeing him in a gloomy mood, Fu Yucheng touched the other man’s neck to soothe him. But suddenly, his fingertips touched something cold. It was a small piece of metal shielding tape.

Fu Yucheng was stunned, and he asked quietly, “You haven’t taken out the control chip yet?”

Bai Mo looked at him in silence, and then he said softly, “I don’t trust anyone. Unless… unless you do it for me.”

Fu Yucheng looked at those dark eyes and involuntarily had to look away. He gazed at the false blue sky with white clouds beyond the window. His expression was weird and it wasn’t possible to glean what he was thinking.

After a long time, he whispered, “After the pledge ceremony, I’ll find a time to get it out for you.”