Chapter 56: CH 53

It was Bai Zhi’s first time this serious, staring at Gesius in a way that said he wouldn’t be fooled, he stared at him until his eyelids twitched.

“…Okay.”

Gesius sunk into silence for a long time, then finally gave up resisting. His eyes rested on Bai Zhi in front, for a long time, before he let out a sigh:

“I’ll tell you.” He straightened up, slowly saying: “Have…you heard of the witch’s curse?”

Bai Zhi’s pupils shrunk, and he looked towards Gesius in disbelief: “You–”

“En.” Gesius nodded very lightly, confirming Bai Zhi’s thoughts: “Before when we were in the forest, I had already been cursed.”

“I had not planned on taking her life. Although the witch was detestable, it wasn’t to the point of wanting to cut her into a thousand pieces.” Gesius said: “But I didn’t think that, more than death, what she couldn’t accept even less was her own defeat.”

“Curses belong to witches alone. The stronger their magic, the mightier the curse, but at the same time, the price the caster pays becomes greater.”

“She chose to sacrifice herself to complete this curse.”

As Gesius finished, Bai Zhi couldn’t help biting his lip.

He suddenly understood why the forest witch turned into bones after she died, why the method of passing was so cruel. It definitely wasn’t something that Gesius, as a knight, would do.

Love will become your grave, you will die at the hands of your beloved.

The words of the witch before her death rose in his mind again. Bai Zhi’s hands trembled slightly without knowing it. He thought for a long while before slowly lifting his head, his eyes surging with emotion:

“What does this sentence mean?” Bai Zhi inhaled deeply, then repeated what was said just now:

The knight he called didn’t say anything for a long time, he only reached out slightly and grasped Bai Zhi’s trembling shoulder:

“Don’t be afraid.”

He lightly bit his lip then quickly relaxed. His complexion was ashed, yet he tried hard to smile:

“Actually it’s not a big deal, probably…” Gesius said until this point. Slightly downcast, he concealed his expression: “Probably…”

“Hurry and say it.” Bai Zhi’s voice carried a few hints of forcefulness, and his voice had also lowered.

Hearing this Gesius looked up, suddenly grasped Bai Zhi’s hand, and in one move he pressed it against his own chest. A familiar warmth came from his palm, and Bai Zhi was suddenly dazed.

Gesius had used a lot of strength. His eyes fixed on Bai Zhi unwaveringly, and it was hard to discern the mood from his voice, yet it unexpectedly made others earnest:

“This heart that you’ve touched, has a dragon hidden inside.”

The person whose hand was pressed heard this. His breathing hitched, and the familiar voice once again sounded in his ears:

“The so-called curse, as well as its threat to my life, was to force me to drive this dragon away.” Gesius smiled: “But this dragon of mine ah, he’s both foolish and infatuated. If I drove him away, where would he stay?”

What Gesius said burst forth into his ears. Bai Zhi’s eyes heated, and the rims of his eyes reddened. With great effort he looked in another direction, and only after a long time did he suddenly speak, his voice carrying several degrees of hoarseness:

“Your dragon…can live anywhere.”

“Once driven away, he can watch over you from a place without people. As long as you live well, he’s okay with staying anywhere.”

A long period of desolate silence, and only then did a voice answer.

“But, I’m not okay with it.”

Bai Zhi turned his head back, and saw Gesius shaking his head with a smile:

“This dragon that my heart has so carefully protected…if that dragon left, I wouldn’t be able to live well.”

Listening to this, Bai Zhi was both touched and uncomfortable. His mood fluctuated violently, and he suddenly spoke relentlessly:

“Leaving is just leaving! Drive him away! Don’t like me anymore!” As he spoke and spoke, tears started falling. He couldn’t stop them even if he tried, so Bai Zhi simply didn’t wipe them, straightaway seizing Gesius’s collar, roaring:

“Don’t like me anymore, you will die, I don’t want you to die…”

It was the first time the lively and rambunctious youth lost his composure like this. Gesius’s heart ached all over, he reached out and wiped his tears for him, and just like before he worked hard to steady his voice, so that he could at least speak calmly:

“Don’t cry, I like you.”

“I don’t want you to like me…”

Gesius kissed the little demon out of breath from crying, and said softly: “I’ve been cursed. If I become weak, will you like me then?”

Bai Zhi lowered his head, and didn’t speak for a long time.

So Gesius asked once again: “Will you like me then?”

The person who had been asked inwardly clenched his fist, yet held back and didn’t say anything.

“You would.”

“Bai Zhi, I am very clear in my heart about your affection towards me.” Gesius said: “Your expressions, your actions, your words, the feeling of being loved, I have always felt it very clearly. You can’t fool anyone.”

Bai Zhi slowly lifted his head:

Gesius then continued: “You don’t need to feel sad because of this. In actuality, if I was given the chance again, I would still be very willing to fight for you.”

“It would be my honor as a knight.”

“But, what about the curse?” The rims of Bai Zhi’s eyes were still red, and his voice still carried traces of his crying earlier:

“I don’t want you to leave, I want you to live a happy life.”

“Living is very easy. But living happily is too hard.” Gesius said: “This period of time that I’ve spent with you has been the happiest in my life. Looking at it this way, I’ve profited, right?”

“Your logic is crooked.” Bai Zhi said word for word.

“So what if it is. I was willing, and have not a shred of regret.” Gesius’s tone was full of earnestness: “Up to now, I have always felt proud about the things I’ve done.”

“Pride…”

Bai Zhi’s lips parted slightly, his eyes slowly drifted to another direction, his lashes quivered, and his finger unconsciously curled.

A type of indescribable emotion diffused through his heart. Bai Zhi’s heart tightened faintly, and he seemed to be in trance.

He indeed didn’t understand emotions of the human world. Everything Bai Zhi had done was according to the instincts of a demon. In his first world he lived together day and night with Fang Jingmo, and received forty-six total years of care.

Even a rock would have crumbled.

In the worlds that followed, Bai Zhi only thought of treating this person well, being together with this person, staying with this person until old age. It was as if falling in love brought him only sweetness. Bai Zhi had never thought that sweetness was not the entirety of love.

“I like you, I also hope you like me. But if there is a day our mutual love becomes an obstacle to living…” Bai Zhi hung his head, and slowly stood up:

“Gesius, what should I do?”

The knight’s words only came after a long while:

“I love you, more than life itself.”

Hey this is your translator moss! The website title should have my name in it, I don’t allow reposting my tl’s

A few more days passed. The weather gradually turned cooler, and it began to drizzle.

Bai Zhi gave Gesius a thick coat to wear. Holding a steel umbrella on the way, he carefully escorted Gesius to the carriage.

Very soon the carriage wheels started turning. Gesius’s complexion was pallid, and he quietly leaned against the wall.

A charcoal fire burned inside, and its warm air filled the carriage. Bai Zhi sat on the side, face pillowed on Gesius’s leg, singing a ditty for him in a soft voice.

His gentle singing was full of affection. Gesius’s finger gently caressed the little demon’s hair, his heart melting. Bai Zhi’s head was extremely comfortable from being kneaded, and he couldn’t help tilt his head up. After a moment he realized that person’s hand had gradually stopped; he froze, but then realized Gesius’s breathing had evened out, his eyes had closed. It turned out he had already fallen asleep.

So Bai Zhi lay down like this, looking at him for a long time. Only then did he stretch his legs and discreetly slip out from the carriage.

The horse pulling the carriage walked very slowly. Bai Zhi sat on the canopy, watching the surrounding scenery slowly pass by.

A few days ago he had already asked the system whether the curse could be lifted, and whether Gesius could be saved.

It was the first time the omnipotent system sunk into such a silence. Only after a very long time, did it slowly say:

“Nephew, I’m sorry, I…”

Bai Zhi had understood the system’s meaning. Dejection flashed in his eyes, yet he had shaken his head to express it was ok:

“Uncle, I know you treat me well, you also did your best.” He took a breath, lifted his head towards the sky. The clean white clouds had been slowly drifting across the sky. Bai Zhi’s eyes had moved:

“I’ve thought it through. Leaving is the worst way to solve this problem. I don’t want to hide from him, and Gesius has also promised to talk things through with me if something happens in the future. Regardless of the hardship, we will go through it together.”

Time passed, second by second, minute by minute. The bright sky gradually changed into a dusky yellow. Gesius slowly opened his eyes.

Upon not seeing Bai Zhi, he was somewhat worried. He extended his hand and parted the curtains–Bai Zhi was currently hugging his knees, facing forward and lost in thought. He wasn’t aware of the situation behind him in the slightest. As he watched his silhouette from the back, Gesius suddenly had an idea.

“Foolish little dragon, come here.”

Hearing his name called, Bai Zhi turned around. Eager to hear what Gesius would say, he instantly pounced over:

“I’m here, what is it?”

Gesius reached out and pulled him into the carriage with an embrace. He covered his icy hands, furrowing his brows:

“Next time don’t get chilled by the wind outside.”

Bai Zhi obediently en’d, extended his hand, and took a few candies out from his pocket:

“For you, the cotton candy I’ve saved for so long.”

Gesius couldn’t help smiling. In the end he simply unwrapped two of them, feeding one to a certain evil attention-hungry dragon and putting the other on the tip of his tongue.

The soft feeling melted in his mouth. Gesius’s heart also sweetened inside:

It was very sweet, he thought.

Seeing that his complexion had greatly improved, Bai Zhi finally let out a breath of relief. He subtly leaned into the embrace, saying: “Let’s spend the night at the next stop and rest a bit, we can continue on our way tomorrow.”

Gesius naturally agreed: “All up to you.”

Bai Zhi instantly smiled, kissing his cheek: “Actually I have to tell you something?”

“What?”

“I just received news from the princess. She says she and the prince have already left for the kingdom. Who knows, they might even arrive earlier than us.”

Hearing this, those thoughts of Gesius’s surfaced once again. He tried to hold back, but in the end he wasn’t able to:

“Bai Zhi.”

“I’m here.”

“The princess has returned. Will you…are you willing to…return with me?”

Gesius’s voice carried a few rare hints of uneasiness. He was a little afraid…afraid that Bai Zhi wouldn’t agree, but also afraid that he would instantly agree.

If he didn’t agree, at most he himself would be sad. If he agreed, he was afraid that after he himself left, Bai Zhi would be sad.

Thinking up to this point, Gesius was suddenly somewhat regretful. He shouldn’t have said something like that just now.

As his head was lowered in vexation, that person unexpectedly smacked his shoulder. Stunned, Gesius looked up, and saw Bai Zhi’s eyes that were filled with happiness:

“You’re finally taking me back to marry me! I’ve waited for these words of yours for a long time, a very long time.”