Engraved in Bone Volume 3 extra part3

Fu Yuan disbanded this demonic cult, and helped settle down the people of the cult at the time. Not knowing what incited the people of the right sect, unexpectedly, without a care for the outside view, they went to set the mountain on fire.

The supposed right sect, were no more different.

Although he evacuated the people in time, there were still some casualties, including when he returned to the mountain to find those children, and got ambushed by those people.

What did they say? Oh, right, he was a demon head- he deserved to be killed.

The still innocent child in his arms in tears asked him, “Leader, what does it mean to be a demon head? Are they saying we are really really bad people?”

When Fu Yuan carried the child as he fled, he lightly coaxed, “Chao Chao isn't a bad child- think, didn't Doctor Xie really like our Chao Chao? If Chao Chao was a bad child, how could he make people happy?”

It was his fault- he should have not let these people stay in the demonic cult, and should have settled them down outside. If not, how could they have bore a bad name because of him?

That day, the sounds of chasing and cursing behind him could not keep out the sobs of Chao Chao that was in his arms,

“But it is not precisely because Chao Chao is a bad child, that Doctor Xie left?

Fu Yuan's heart ached, not making a sound as he carried the child.

Of course not- but it was because he was a bad guy, that old man Heaven would let Xie Zhi An leave his side.

Arduously escaping unnoticed[1] under everyone's eyes, after sending Chao Chao back to his parents, he once again returned to the demonic cult, and changed into his own marriage garment.

He could not give up- even if he was a demon head, he also wanted to keep a tight grasp of his little bit of moonlight[2]. He still wanted to go see Xie Zhi An once again.

When he entered Xie Zhi An's house, the other person had still not woken up. Fu Yuan changed the other person into the marriage garments, tying the waist belt. Then, Xie Zhi An opened his eyes, listlessly staring up, as though he could not see himself.

Fu Yuan swayed his hands in front of him, after biting down his teeth to restrain himself, he opened his mouth, “Quack?”

The other person's hands felt all around, and he saw the other person intentionally talk with him in a relaxed manner, as though nothing happened. He could not see, and it seemed his body could not feel anything either.

He held the other person, and used a bit of arts and headed towards the direction of the demonic cult.

“Fu Yuan, are you still there?”

“I am still here.” Quack, I will always be here, you don't have to be afraid.

How could he not be afraid- Fu Yuan deeply experienced this kind of helplessness- everything that the other person was suffering was in place of himself.

Fu Yuan brought Xie Zhi An up on the ease they previously sat on, with only dilapidated walls as far as the eye can see. He thought, this was a good thing. It was a good thing Xie Zhi An could not see- if he could see, he would probably have a hard time.

He described to Xie Zhi An the scenery in the regular day, but unfortunately, with the shrivelled and burn marks all over, the place did not carry even a little bit of fresh ‘life' at all; he had also told the other person that during the night the stars were the best-looking, but dark clouds spanned throughout the entire sky, and even the moonlight would come and go.

Xie Zhi An asked him, what he looked like now.

Right now, due to a long period of not having a good rest, the entire person had turned haggard, and the area under his eyes were black and blue- aside from the full body of marriage clothing that was intact, no other place could be worth seeing, but he had still gently stroked the other person's face, "It's the look when you thought I looked best."

Fu Yuan hoped Xie Zhi An would be able to see, but also hoped he could not see as well.

He had very much wanted to return to the time at the demonic cult. he should have listened to Xie Zhi An, and get married earlier- perhaps then both people would not leave behind so many regrets.

Chang Ge told him, after Xie Zhi An exchanged blood, the poison that was originally inside his body had instantly been triggered, and was madly engulfing Xie Zhi An, making his five senses gradually disappear.

That day when the mountain was burning, the other person simply looked on, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised up.

Fu Yuan had never understood the other person- even this time as well. He asked him, “Do you like Xie Zhi An?”

Apart from this, he could not think of any other reason why the other person would hate himself so much, that they would let so many people die together.

“No, I only wanted to see is all- after all, people are mostly a two-faced and helpless bunch.”

After that, he never saw Chang Ge once again.

That's right- people were mostly two-faced and helpless, just like him right now.

Xie Zhi An let him send him back, and so he settled him back down on the bed, and quietly sat by his side and looked at him, silent without a single word.

“Fu Yuan?”

“I'm still here.”

"Fu Yuan, I like you."

All his memories came rushing forth in a single wave, and Fu Yuan felt both his heart ache, and grieve.

Even now, it was still Xie Zhi An who confessed his feelings to him first. But could he be a bit excited and take it as no matter in what condition Xie Zhi An was in, he would still like himself?

He lowly laughed, and covered his face, with tears as big as beans that finally could not be held in, falling out from his eyes. He lightly said, “I know, I always knew.”

“Xie Zhi An, I also like you.”

But after a long time, he could not hear the other person's response. The other person even lowly laughed- after laughing and laughing tears fell from the outline of his face and fell down onto his hands. He held the other person's hand, and a bit dumbfounded, he lightly called out, “Quack?”

Xie Zhi An did not reply to him.

The sound of terror grew louder and louder, that it even summoned the Valley Master here. The other person could not care for him breaking his promise at that moment- after checking on Xie Zhi An's condition, the entire person in the next moment once again looked to grow old some ten years, and shook head towards him.

With sobbing from Xie Zhi An's senior sister by his ears, Fu Yuan held the other person's hand, constantly calling out the other person's name, that even his voice was hoarse in the end.

But Xie Zhi An still did not give him a reply.

That night, he took advantage while the people of the Doctors' Valley did not notice, and took Xie Zhi An away. He took a person that did not have any sense of the outside world, and hid from the chase of the Doctors' Valley and the right sect,. The person was so discomposed that he looked like a wreck, but he still protected the person in his arms soundly.

Fu Yuan promised Xie Zhi An, he would take him to step through the human realm's smoke and fire- every night, he would chatter on in Xie Zhi An's ear to talk about what interesting scenery he saw that day. Even though the other person did not react whatsoever towards himself, he would still not mind at all.

It was much like them previously, only that the roles had been switched.

Fu Yuan had also thought of giving up, but he thought if he had died, what would become of Xie Zhi An. He would really be by himself living inside his own world then.

He carried Xie Zhi An and went through numerous mountains and rivers, and in the end, ended up going around- Fu Yuan had brought Xie Zhi An back to the very beginning. The previous demonic cult had long turned into a pile of ruins, overgrown with weeds, in which the two people quietly snuggled together.

The stars up in the sky were still as good-looking as ever, but the body of the person in his arms had long withered away, and he too was no longer like how he looked that year. He thought, it was for the best Xie Zhi An could not see- if he could see, he would not be the best looking person in his heart any more.

The chase had never stopped after all these years. Fu Yuan did not have the time to attend to the stabbing pain in his heart- he was still concerned with the person in his arms whether he was safe and sound, whether his own blood had spilled onto the other person's body.

His consciousness gradually turned hazy, and he tightly held Xie Zhi An's hand, the familiar sound that he had not heard of in a long time had made his eyes damp.

“Fu Yuan.”

“I am still here.”

I am always here.

[1] Literally, escape like a cicada casting off its skin. Slip away from ensuing chaos.

[2] Refer back to first story of the Princess and Grand Tutor.

Chapter end