Ink Blade

Treating Affection (part 2)

The black hair stretched on the ground in a startling manner, like long thin branches in winter.

"What's your crime?"

"This subordinate doesn't know what is good or bad, forcing the Master..."

Boom!

Before he finished speaking, Chu Yan first slapped the table.

The movement involved the wound, and the pain made his face turn three points pale, but the dark fire between his brows was even worse.

Mo Ren said in shock, "This subordinate made an indiscreet remark, begging the Master to cherish himself!"

Chu Yan looked at him sideways with deep eyebrows, and said word by word, "Why, then this Master took the sword in vain?"

Mo Ren stared blankly at Chu Yan's handsome but bloodless cheeks under the candlelight, his breathing relaxed and tightened again. He almost gritted his teeth, and choked with difficulty, "You, why do you...not cherish yourself..."

"Cherish myself?...Ah Ren, this Master cherishes himself much more than you." Chu Yan wrapped the bandage around the wound, bowed his head, bit one end with his teeth, pulled it over and tied it tightly.

Then Chu Yan put on his robe and sat down in front of Mo Ren, "Hand."

Mo Ren was startled, Chu Yan had already cupped his hands, and carefully rubbed the blood away with the medicine.

"Master, please allow this subordinate to do it on his own..." Mo Ren could not ask Chu Yan to take care of his wounds. He rushed to grab the ointment, but when he stretched his hand halfway, he paused suddenly, and then retracted it back.

Chu Yan was both angry and funny, "Why, are you afraid that this Master will be unhappy and hurt himself again?"

"How can this subordinate not be afraid of the Master acting like that?"

Mo Ren pursed his lips and turned his eyes to the side. After a while, he closed his eyes and said softly, "It's this subordinate...who underestimated the Master's will. But you also can't...!"

He wanted to vent but stopped again, his throat felt stuffy for a while, but it turned into a sigh, "From now on, what the Master wants Ah Ren to do, you can…..just order it directly. Ah Ren will dare not refuse to listen."

Chu Yan fiddled with Mo Ren's hand with his eyebrows lowered, and said calmly, "That's wrong, Ah Ren. This Master just scared you like that, not trying to force you. Whether you like to hold the sword for this Master, or whether to stand behind this Master, as long as you're happy. This Master thought about it…..it will all be up to you."

Mo Ren was slightly puzzled.

Chu Yan smiled bitterly, "But there's only one thing, this Master will never let go…..this Master should have told you well, but you didn't believe it."

He stood up, and with a tap of his foot, he took Mo Ren's long sword off the beam.

There came a soft sound. Chu Yan put "Mo" beside the guard, and said solemnly, "You were reborn, and you could have left, but you didn't. Inside the Jiuzhong Palace, when you woke up, this Master confessed, drove you away yet you still did not leave. That sword just now, even if struggling to death, you wouldn’t let it pierce this Master... Ah Ren, you insist on staying by this Master’s side.”

Mo Ren responded obediently, "Yes. It is this subordinate who insists on following the Master."

Chu Yan lowered his face sharply and looked at the scabbard of the long sword with his fingers firmly and said, " But this Master refuses to believe that he can keep you by his side forever! This Master  has treated you without emotion, you—"

The more the palace master spoke, the more he became furious and his sculpted eyebrows became twisted, hating iron for not becoming steel and said, "——do you still call this Master a human being!?" (TL: dissatisfied with the expected person who is not up to date and does not make progress, and eagerly hopes that he will get better)

Mo Ren was speechless. "......."

"You are afraid that this Master’s friendly sentiments with you will be exhausted, this evening, this Master proved his heart to you, this Master’s life is yours…..You can refrain from it, but even if you still don't believe it, it’s okay…..this Master is only begging you, don't end up torturing yourself in the end."

"...Master." Mo Ren's eyes were shaken by the shock, and he stared absently at the pitch-black long sword placed by his side, then followed the hand holding the sword upwards, and returned to Chu Yan's face again.

That's right... He obviously loved peeping at his handsome and flamboyant little master since the first time he saw him when he was young.

Since when did he get used to bowing his head and no longer be daring?

"This Master," Chu Yan's voice was sonorous, and his eyes were helpless but warm. He slowly clasped the guard's cool hands, "This Master is here."

"Ah Ren, don't force yourself to be so tired anymore….this Master will love you dearly forever."

".....!" Mo Ren trembled slightly. Although he tried his best to endure it, the corners of his eyes still suddenly turned moist with a hint of redness.

Thoughts were churning like waves, and many things similar to memories became fragments, spinning up, and then sinking.

These words, he vaguely felt as if he had waited for a long time, a long time, so long that his whole life had passed.

The eye sockets became more and more sour, and his vision suddenly blurred. Mo Ren suddenly panicked, but his hand was still held by Chu Yan...

When at a loss, a great mistake would be made in a moment of weakness. The guard in black suddenly leaned forward……..and buried his face on Chu Yan's shoulder in a rebellious manner.

Chu Yan didn't expect that, he was actually taken aback by Mo Ren's sudden boldness, but he suddenly understood what was going on. He helplessly rubbed the guard's bundle of hair, bent his lips and smiled.

——Later, Chu Yan often teased him about this, saying that Ah Ren could be so charming and cute even when he was being coquettish. In fact, the two of them had a tacit understanding, but they just didn't say anything.

——Where is the coquettishness? It's just that Mo Ren accidentally shed tears and didn't want the Master to see it.