"Senior Brother, teach me?"
Gu Mang suddenly opened his eyes. His blue eyes glowed with moisture in the dark night.
It was very quiet in the tent. His chest rose and fell violently and his back was soaked with sweat. He heard his own heart beating loudly in the stillness of the night.
He swallowed his throat. What did he dream of just now?
The last image was of Mo Xie pressing down on him and sucking on his lips. The boiling heat was completely different from the man's usual cold demeanor. He could almost feel the overflowing emotions pouring out from the dream, covering the sky and covering the earth as they annihilated him.
But what were these feelings? He didn't understand. He only felt that they had an amazing heat and terrifying tenacity. They could actually cross between waking and dreaming, making his heart beat wildly and his blood boil.
It was too sweet and too dangerous.
Gu Mang subconsciously raised his hand to touch his lips and then turned over.
He saw Mo Xi sitting on the chair beside his bed, sleeping with his face turned sideways. His face was clearly different from the young man in his dream.
He was no longer so young and naive. He was no longer so reckless.
He was even no longer so sincere.
Time didn't take away the beauty of his facial features, but it stripped away the frivolity and naivety of his youthful appearance. Gu Mang looked at him and remembered that when they first met, Mo Xi said, "We used to know each other."
Gu Mang didn't take these words seriously before, but now he was suddenly at a loss. They used to know each other, right?
They seemed to be very close. They hugged and laughed together, rolled around on the bed. At that time, Mo Xi was like a rice bag and didn't mind that he was dirty at all.
Were these all real …
And the last one — the intimacy of lips touching lips.
He didn't know what it meant, but when he thought of that feeling, his heart felt very hot, even though there was pain in the heat. But he was really curious about what this feeling was and what would happen next after their lips touched.
He longed to know, but after waking up from the dream, he couldn't remember anymore.
Gu Mang's clear blue eyes blinked. He really couldn't chew on these things that were too thin. In the end, he stretched out his hand and leaned over the bed.
He hesitated for a moment, then curiously touched Mo Xi's thin lips with his fingertips.
How strange. Why was it so cold? It wasn't as hot as it was in the dream.
Or maybe the dream was fake?
Before he could finish his thoughts, he saw Mo Xi being awakened by his touch. His eyelashes fluttered and he opened his eyes slightly.
Mo Xi was probably still in a deep sleep. His eyes were unfocused and he looked at Gu Mang for a while. When he lowered his eyes and saw Gu Mang touching his lips, he felt that he was still dreaming.
He sighed softly, almost sorrowfully. He held Gu Mang's hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently.
"Senior Brother … I dreamt of you again …"
"It's only in a dream that you won't be angry with me and will stay with me obediently like this …"
Mo Xi's soft and cool lips rubbed against the back of his hand. He lowered his head and seemed to be choking.
Gu Mang stared blankly at him. Ever since they'd met, this person had never been so soft and gentle. Looking at him like this, Gu Mang didn't know why, but his heart suddenly ached.
Why did it hurt so much?
This person had just hit him yesterday, chased him away, and said that he was dirty.
But he just felt that something was wrong. He felt that their hearts weren't like this. The two of them … shouldn't … shouldn't be like this …
Gu Mang hesitated for a while and said softly, "I dreamt of you."
"…" Mo Xi was stunned and slowly looked up.
The hazy feeling brought by the candlelight and the long night was fading away. Mo Xi's dark eyes gradually focused and became clear.
Gu Mang watched helplessly as the confusion and tenderness in his eyes faded away. What was exposed was a large area of shock and pain.
He suddenly let go of Gu Mang's hand.
Mo Xi woke up.
He suddenly stood up and stared at Gu Mang for a while. His face was full of different colors, but he didn't speak immediately. He held his forehead and closed his eyes. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'm sorry, don't take it seriously. My mind wasn't clear just now, I … "
Gu Mang interrupted him, "I dreamt of you."
Mo Xi probably thought that he was talking about a messy dream, so he didn't care. Seeing that he insisted on talking about this, he asked, "… What did you dream of of me?"
Gu Mang sat up. He knelt on the bed and looked at the man in front of the bed who was much taller than him. His gaze wandered unabashedly on Mo Xi's lips and finally fell on Mo Xi's eyes.
"When I dreamt that you were warm, you would also smile."
"…"
"When I dreamt of you, I wasn't as sad as I am now."
"…"
"You called me 'senior brother'."
Mo Xi's pupils suddenly contracted. His fingertips were trembling. He held the back of Gu Mang's head, forcing him to not turn his head, forcing him to only look at him like this, forcing him to sacrifice all his expressions to his eyes.
Mo Xi's voice trembled violently, "What … did you say?"
"You're still young. I'm young too. Together, in the tent. "Gu Mang thought for a while and said softly," You're 20 years old, I'll accompany you. "
Mo Xi's face was frighteningly pale.
Gu Mang softly said the sentence he remembered, "I'll accompany you when you're young and frivolous, I'll accompany you when you're 20 years old."
Suddenly, he felt as if lightning had struck his body and his muscles and bones were trembling. Blood seemed to rush to his head. The waves were so strong that his vision turned black and his limbs were ice-cold. Mo Xi's eyes were frighteningly bright, but his expression was frighteningly dark. He seemed to be torn into contradictory pieces by the rapid current.
Did Gu Mang remember? Was this Gu Mang's first memory when he came back?
He remembered the night when he was 20 years old, when they risked universal condemnation and did that kind of thing.
"I'll accompany you."
Mochi took a step back. The emotion he should have felt was shock, or perhaps he should have let out a sigh of relief. But he didn't expect to be caught off guard and hear these affectionate and gentle words from back then.
He thought he would never hear it again in his life … He thought he would never hear it again in his life! He had to rely on his pitiful memories to suppress the pain of not being able to get what he wanted in his life.
Why did Gu Mang say it?
The sweet words of the past were like a heavy hammer, hitting his heart so hard that he almost subconsciously bent down. This indestructible man was defeated by these simple words to the point that he could no longer stand. He sat back in the chair and buried his face deep in his palms. He couldn't say a word.
He had slapped Gu Mang before, and Gu Mang's words were enough to break his heart.
Gu Mang looked at him. Gu Mang originally wanted to ask if it was really a dream. Or did he finally remember a little bit of the past? But seeing Mo Xi's current state, no matter how much he didn't care, he also understood.
It was real.
They really did have that kind of time, but it was abandoned in the past when they were still young and fearless.
That night, Mo Xi left the tent in a hurry as if he was escaping.
And for the next two days, Mo Xi seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.
In the past, his face was full of disdain, but now it seemed like he didn't know how to face him calmly. Gu Mang wanted to ask several times, but Mo Xi didn't want to be alone with him. He always saw him and walked away.
Mo Xi really didn't know how to face Gu Mang. He didn't know how much Gu Mang remembered. Did he only remember the first half of the night when he was a teenager, or did he also remember the ridiculous things that happened after that? He wanted to ask, but he didn't dare to.
Besides, what was the point of asking?
Their relationship was already broken to this point, and there was no way to mend it. Why should he pick up the fragments of warmth and increase his own sadness? He was still wearing the valiant Crown Prince's ribbon on his head. How could he forget the blood feud between Gu Mang and Chong Hua?
They didn't speak along the way. On the third day, they finally arrived at the Abyss of Summoning Souls.
It was an abyss with a fissure in the ground. One couldn't see where it started, nor could they see where it ended. There was a rapid current at the bottom of the abyss, flowing from the east to the west. When the army arrived, it was dawn. The rising sun pierced through the dark night, solemnly rising from the horizon. The dazzling but not glaring golden light sprinkled over the land of Jiuzhou.
Jun Shang rode out of the Emperor's army on a fine horse with golden wings. His stirrups were golden, and his long robe pierced the snow. After him, all the nobles and retainers dismounted one after another. The rising sun shone on the golden edges of their robes, making them look like heavenly royalty, majestic and imposing.
The Ceremonial Master sang, "Hold the Sacrificial Lotus — —"
Each noble's retainer presented a lantern burning with whale oil and handed it to their master. These lanterns represented the sacrifice of each noble family. The master of each family held them with both hands and followed Jun Shang to the Abyss of Summoning Souls.
Murong Lian, Yue Juntian, Mo Xi … these Chong Hua nobles stepped forward one by one. Their robes were sapphire blue with a bat pattern, snow-white with a hatchet pattern, pure black with a soaring snake pattern …
Every master's ceremonial robe was extremely extravagant and solemn. Only one type of dark pattern embroidered on the back was enough to awe others. Moreover, these nobles who held supreme power were spread out in a row. Their wide robes and wide sleeves were fluttering in the wind. The golden edges of the sleeves shimmered with a magnificent light.
They were imposing without being angry.
The Ceremonial Master said, "Kneel — —!"
The retainers knelt behind them like a tide, forming a golden wave of different colors.
"Drop the lantern — —!"
Mo Xi and the others placed the lanterns at the edge of the abyss. There was a light feather incantation on the lanterns. Under the bright light of the lanterns, they fell very slowly, slowly sinking into the abyss.
The sky shone through, the world was glorious.
The masters of the noble families also knelt on one knee in succession. Da Nuo's voice of worship reverberated in this vast and empty world. "In the past, there was a son who passed away with a sword. His blood sank into the sand and his bones were difficult to return. This skeleton is still as beautiful as jade. This body was laughing last night. Jun Yi's heart, I will pass on Jun Yi's noble spirit. On the day when the heroic souls return to their homeland, there is no place in the world that is not green. "
The voice of the sacrificial song reverberated. Countless sparkling and translucent light spots floated up from the Abyss of Summoning Souls. Those were the rumored remnants of the deceased's consciousness that overflowed into the world.
Under the worship of old friends, they flew towards the boundless golden light.
Gu Mang looked at this scene, listened to the continuous chanting, and watched the named lanterns sink. The souls of the Yue Clan, the Mo Clan, the Murong Clan … they were all remembered by people. They were repeatedly recalled in the Soul Summoning Songs and were engraved in their hearts.
But what was stuck in his heart seemed to be some other unsightly names.
He could not remember, but at this moment, they washed his heart like a tide. Those names, most of them were not nice. They were very simple. Some were even just a surname with a number. From the names, there was a sense of inferiority.
There were so many of them, and they lingered in his ears sorrowfully. Like the dead nameless pawns, calling him from the bottom of the abyss, scolding him, complaining about him.
Gu Mang, Gu Mang.
You said that if we called you Gu Mang, you would bring us out of hell.
You would bring us home … You would give us a name …
But you lied.
Even you don't remember what we are called, even you don't remember who we are … The broken limbs have rotted, the green blood has dried … Nothing is left.
Is there a soul lantern that belongs to the nameless martyrs? Guide us back to the old land that we once protected, to see where the old friends are, the mountains and rivers on the surface.
Gu Mang … Gu Mang …
My name is … My name is …
There was a buzzing sound in his ears, and his eyes were almost red. Gu Mang could not breathe. In a daze, he saw countless dead people crawling out of the abyss. Those blurry faces were surging towards him.
"Gu Mang?" The last thing he remembered was the captain of the guards beside him exclaiming in a low voice.
He wanted to respond, but his throat was so blocked that he could not make a sound. It was all those names that he could not remember that were choking him, demanding his life.
In a daze, he really did hear a deafening roar. It was his own voice, piercing through the air from the thick smoke of war.
"Go!! Those who are not dead, get up!!! "
"Call me Gu Mang. Those who are dead, I will erect a monument for you. Those who are alive, I will bring you home!!!"
"Go!!!"
That voice was dripping with blood, piercing the bottom of his heart. He felt guilty, he felt pain. He had the sorrow and unwillingness of not being able to fulfill his promise.
Gu Mang raised his hand and held his forehead in pain. There was a buzzing sound in his ears, and then he fell down with a splitting headache, falling into the dust.
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