Mo Xi stared at the pouch for a long time, anger roiling in his chest before finally managing to spit out, “Who gave this to you.”
“….”
Gu Mang, as though he could feel the furious burn of his gaze, tucked the pouch back into his clothes, close to his heart, and gave an evasive, two-word reply: “It’s mine.”
His?
Absolutely ridiculous, for him to claim such a thing when he’s in this state. He couldn’t even scrounge up a single cowrie for the jar, and now he’s saying he could afford a brocaded pouch like this one?
Mo Xi felt angered almost to the point of laughter.
“Where did you get the money.”
“Traded for it.”
“…with whom?”
But Gu Mang only repeated his words: “I traded for it.”
A flash of anger flared up in Mo Xi. “With whom, with what did you exchange it? What do you even have in your possession? You—“
His words came to a sudden halt.
Gu Mang lived in the pleasure district[1]. Who could he have met in this sort of place? What sort of tokens would he have used to cash in this sort of pouch?
The answer was self-evident, and yet he’d still been foolish enough to continue to force this line of questioning.
As though it had been run over with rough sandpaper, there was an aching, itchy pain in his chest. Mo Xi closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure, but even the slightest tell of clenched teeth showed through on a clean, delicate face like his own.
In the end, he gave up, opened his eyes in one quick movement, and spoke, voice pressed low with menace. “What use would you even have for this sort of thing!”
Gu Mang didn’t seem to know what he would use a pouch like that for either. Even so, his grip on it did not loosen, and he glared intently at Mo Xi. He did not make a single sound.
“Does it look good?”
“Does it please you?”
“You must have a reason for doing something so ridiculous.”
Finally, as though unable to bear being interrogated by Xihe-jun like a criminal, Gu Mang slowly answered, “Someone gave it to me…”
“Didn’t you say it was a trade? You would lie to me, even now?”
“There was someone…”
For a moment, it seemed like Gu Mang wanted to keep talking, but, for some unknown reason, he hesitated, bit his lip, and decided to remain silent.
And this silence was the last straw for Mo Xi’s rationality.
His gaze flashed with sudden violence, sharp and dangerous and prying as a knife would a clam’s shell. “Keep talking.”
He stared at Gu Mang’s face.
Perhaps he was too angry, or the light inside the room was too dim, but, for some reason, Mo Xi did not notice the slight change in Gu Mang’s eyes.
“What, you’re not going to talk? I thought there was nothing in the world you wouldn’t say?” Mo Xi’s throat bobbed as he spoke, as though every word he said was squeezed out with tremendous, painful effort. “Come on. Speak. No matter how ridiculous, I’ve heard worse. You––“
But Gu Mang’s voice was steady when he said, “Someone was kind to me.”
These words hit him with the impact of a stick to the back of the head.
This time, it’s Mo Xi who’s left speechless, words stuck in the dry passage of his throat.
Someone was kind to him?
What a joke. Who would show kindness to a traitor?
But then again, in the past, whenever Gu Mang needed his help, he’d pester Mo Xi with smooth-talking eloquence. Even now, even in disgrace and exile in the Fallen Blossom Court[2], it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to continue to smooth-talk and lie until someone took pity on him.
It’s just… just…
Anger filled his vision with spots of black. After a while, he still could not find a way to complete the thought.
“Good… very good…” Mo Xi paused for a second, the force of his fury rimming his eyes with red. Finally, his voice hoarse, he said, “Gu Mang, Gu Mang… you’ve really managed to surprise me this time.”
Gu Mang remained silent, leaning against the wall, staring at Mo Xi’s face.
Mo Xi lifted his head up, as though there was something he wished to take back and hide it away behind his eyes. Just like that, he kept his head held up for a while longer, and then dropped his forehead down into his palm, laughing bitterly. “I really don’t know just what I’ve been holding onto so stubbornly for all these years, for what reason I came to see you tonight…”
The more he thought about it, the sadder and angrier he felt, until his voice finally started to shake softly as he spoke.
His fist struck the wall Gu Mang was leaning on, grazing his knuckles and streaking them with blood. The swaying light of the candle swung back and forth between the two.
Mo Xi’s face, as he was pressing Gu Mang to the wall, was twisted in the sort of hatred that threatened to tear the other apart at any moment.
Through clenched teeth, he gritted, “General Gu.”
“…”
“How lucky you are, to have fallen to this point, and still have someone willing to treat you kindly.”
“I…”
“Gu Mang!” This sudden call from Qin madam came like a strike of lightning, ringing from outside. “Master Zhou has arrived, hurry and clean yourself up. You’d best keep him in good company!”
With this shout, Mo Xi was snapped sharply back into reality, seeming to have recovered his wits almost immediately. Though his chest still rose and fell fiercely, the frenzied fury in his eyes was now somewhat restrained.
Mo Xi lowered his head slightly, breathing slowly, in and out, near Gu Mang’s ear. His eyes were closed.
When they opened, the wild, dumb beast locked within had disappeared completely. Instead, those black eyes reflected only a small hint of wetness, shining in the dimness of the room like the evening star in the sky.
“Master Zhou?”
“...”
“Was it he who gave you the pouch?”
Though Gu Mang seemed not to understand the hatred in his heart, his response was still too calm as he looked directly at Mo Xi’s face and shook his head.
Master Zhou… Master Zhou. Mo Xi repeated the name in his head, until he remembered– he was the youngest son of the Zhou family. Mo Xi knew of him. One of the most vicious characters in the imperial capital, though the young master had little talent to speak of, his deviousness seemed to have no end.
Mo Xi looked towards Gu Mang. Though his expression was unmoved, his hand unconsciously moved to rub at a scar on his wrist.
After a moment of silence, Mo Xi laughed coldly, almost self-effacingly. “So, are you just going to ignore the one who treated you so kindly.”
“...” Gu Mang sullenly tucked the pouch away without a word.
After some contemplation, Mo Xi asked another question. “Is Master Zhou one of your regulars?”
Gu Mang nodded.
Mo Xi stared at him, his handsome face seeming to conceal some nebulous emotion. Hesitant, he held the gaze, then sneered. “I thought you’d changed. Now, though, I feel that you’re the same as you’ve always been. Still flattering and pleasing to all sorts of people.”
The shadows under his eyes darkened, as though there were memories suspended above, wishing to drop at any moment.
“Take care of yourself.”
Saying this, he stood up from the round table he had been leaning on, threw on his cape, and walked towards the door.
“You’re leaving?”
Mo Xi inclined his head, half-facing Gu Mang. “I’m leaving,” he said calmly. “I will not interfere with your business.”
“But I–“
Mo Xi paused his steps. “What is it.”
“I’ve already accepted your cowrie…”
A pause. “Then take it as repayment for your past kindness.”
Gu Mang furrowed his brow, as though pained. “Past kindness…”
Even though there was something strange about Gu Mang’s expression in that moment, Mo Xi did not have much time left. If he stayed past Master Zhou’s arrival up the stairs, he wouldn’t be able to leave even if he wanted to.
So Mo Xi spared him a final glance, and turned to push the door open.
But then, at this moment, Gu Mang had to raise his voice, speaking softly. “You’re rich. You have money. I want to know who you are.”
His hand, already on the door, halted.
Mo Xi stood stiffly, stopped in his tracks. Then, he turned his head back sharply. “…What.”
“…”
“You’re rich.”
“After that!”
“…you have money.”
“After that!”
Taken aback by his reaction, Gu Mang’s next words were hesitant. “I want… to know… who you are?”
There was a pounding in his ears like the crash of waves breaking over the ocean[3], with the force of a boulder pushed down a cliff.
Mo Xi’s breath stilled, staring with intense focus at Gu Mang’s face. His dark pupils constricted tightly, and the light reflected within shook.
“Gu Mang.” Though his insides felt cold, his voice was still fierce as it came out through gritted teeth. “Are you fucking playing with me?”
Obtusely, Gu Mang replied, “You are a customer. You’ve paid. Aren’t you the one who’s playing with me?”
The expression on Mo Xi’s face was distorted as he ran through their encounter in his mind. Noting Gu Mang’s strange behavior, his heart beat tumultuously, shocked to the point where he found himself still unable to process the realization.
Then, at that moment, the door behind them moved with a sudden creak.
From behind the door, slightly cracked open, came the lazy voice of another man. “Gu Mang, your Zhou-ge has paid for your time. Don’t you know to get the hell out and kneel to greet this customer?”
Mo Xi’s head snapped up sharply at this, but it was already too late.
That Zhou brat had already started to move, still speaking as he casually swaggered in. And with a flutter of his eyelids, his drowsy line of sight sweeping up–
This was not good for General Mo. This upright man, within two short hours, had to face two unsettling situations in close succession. The last one had been manageable, but this time, he had no means of relief, no means of escape. After all, a junior officer was about to catch him in the act.
Though Mo Xi’s temper felt like it had finally reached its breaking point with Gu Mang’s “You’re rich. You have money. I want to know who you are”, he did not have the luxury to linger upon it further. With a soft curse, he pushed Gu Mang against the wall, pressing down on it with his formidable height and build. His hand on the wall, supporting his weight, conveniently hid both their faces.
In his arms, Gu Mang’s eyes widened. “You…”
“Silence.” Mo Xi lowered his head and lifted up Gu Mang’s chin with rough fingers, his grip firm. He turned his face slightly to the side, and leaned in.
His cold lips were soft. Their hot breaths were far too close.
He had long since sworn off touching this traitor, and so naturally, he would not bring himself to actually kiss Gu Mang. But, in order to not let anything seem out of the ordinary, he still pressed himself close, almost nose to nose, lip to lip. The space left between them was almost nonexistent. Like reeds on an autumn’s day, limply swaying.
Earlier, when he was avoiding that madam, Mo Xi had thought that was the peak of his misfortune, that his day could not possibly get any worse.
He had been too naive.
Still holding on tightly, Mo Xi spoke in a low tone to Gu Mang, “Don’t make a sound.”
Pressed down against the wall, Gu Mang could not think of much else. Mo Xi’s presence was too forceful, his pressure too intimidating. It felt like being crushed by a mountain, knocking the breath out of him.
Because he didn’t want to put himself in more discomfort, Gu Mang could only nod on instinct.
“Come closer.”
Gu Mang came closer.
From the doorway, their position looked as though they were locked in a passionate kiss, stuck to each other like glue, as though they were moments away from falling onto the bed. Any normal person, seeing this, would have been shocked enough by the sight to turn away and leave them be.
But, ruffians weren’t normal people by any means.
Master Zhou was taken aback at first, retreating two steps. He turned to look back at the sign suspended before Gu Mang’s door, rubbing his eyes. “No, the words are written in black, there shouldn’t be anyone else here…”
After that initial doubt, this Master Zhou’s spirits seemed to have been lifted even higher. He continued his way into the room, laughing, “Oh, my most sincere apologies. The spiritual power on the sign seemed to have weakened, I didn’t think there’d be anyone else still in here.”
“...”
“This brother, you must be a patient one. Our General Gu here is the most prickly prick in the Fallen Blossom Court, but look at how you’ve tamed him, so obediently letting himself be kissed in your embrace. Such impressive method, how about you teach this humble one how it’s done, to let this one partake in this pleasure?”
Saying this, he chuckled.
“Rather than enjoying yourself alone, why not share in the wealth? Let’s all have fun together, hm?”
Author’s Notes:
Mo Xi: What is wrong with you? The comments section says you’ve been touched in the head.
Gu Mang: And, and?
Mo Xi: And touched in the spirit and soul.
Gu Mang: And, and?
Mo Xi: And that you’ve been afflicted with terrible tragedy.
Gu Mang: And, and?
Mo Xi: And that you’ve been tortured to the point of amnesia.
Gu Mang: And, and?
Mo Xi: And there are some who say you’re only pretending to be insane.
Gu Mang: And, and?
Mo Xi: And… no, really, what is wrong with you???
Gu Mang: Only one of these answers is correct, Mo-shidi, so please fill out the answer you believe to be true on the scantron with a 2B pencil~ No cheating off of shixiong!!!
Translator's Notes:
[1] 瓦肆勾栏 wǎ sì gōulán: A Yuan dynasty term referring to the city’s activity hub, the centre of musical and artistic life. Commerce in this sector mainly focused on entertainment. In this case, though, the “entertainment” they offer would be of the sort provided in red-light districts.
[2] 落梅別苑 luòméi bié yuàn: Name of the locale can be taken to be a pun on 落梅別怨, meaning “do not complain when the plum blossoms fall.”
[3]飞湍争喧豗 fēi tuān zhēng xuān huī: A reference to Li Bai’s poem 蜀道難. An English translation of the poem could be found at this link.
Dante's Notes:
Thanks haystack for translating! Had a talk with the other translators, and we've made some small edits to previous chapters (grammar, consistency, etc).