Chapter 74—The life of lies has shattered
by Bocchan13
The rest of the day went by a little slower.
Song Yu felt the lack of presence from the ever so comical Wang Cheng and the steadfastness of Yu Ci. Even Wu Ding who had only stayed for a short period of time left an indelible mark on the home. Song Yu had been alone the past few years, taking the entirety of the upkeep on himself.
Now that there were more people, the backbreaking work was reduced significantly. It even made Song Yu laugh that in order to become a salted fish, he had to employ more people.
With the three of them gone, the house was also a lot quieter.
Song Yu finished a field and drove the big massive machine back into the garage. The grains were already separated and would only need to be dried in the sun. That work could be done tomorrow.
Lu Jingxiu was currently putting the new inventory into the house, separating all of the games Wang Cheng had found. Song Yu slumped on the sofa and watched as the tower of DVD’s leaned dangerously as it continued going higher and higher.
“C’mon! Why the hell would Wang Cheng get all of these? It’s not compatible with the PS***!! Should we just toss it?”
Lu Jingxiu threw the unusable games towards a pile and grumbled some more.
“If their trek diverts, they can go to Y City for a bit and exchange for the game console. Y City is currently owned by a gangster though.” Shaking his head, Lu Jingxiu just mumbled some more.
“No, if they go they might get kidnapped.”
Song Yu quietly laughed to himself at his antics but did not touch on the matter. Xiao Zi was in the kitchen prepping for dinner. During their time in N City, Xiao Zi had also stopped at a bookstore. Since Lu Jingxiu was the one carrying it, he couldn’t take much. Some of what he brought back included very niche foods from other countries, which was something Song Yu forgot about when he downloaded loads of PDF’s.
The four of them ate dinner and cleaned up quickly. Xiao Zi and Song Yu wanted to play a few games in the arcade room, so Lu Jingxiu and Lan Zhou decided on a small sparring match outside the gym and work out.
The entire day passed in comfort, and they would start harvesting the rest of the vegetables tomorrow. They would also go bamboo cutting, where Song Yu would teach them how to weave the net for the zombie pits.
The more everyone learned, the more Song Yu could continue to be a salted fish. When it came around 6pm, the radio in Song Yu’s workroom whizzed and whirred, sending a coded message. Lan Zhou was the one to pick it up first.
Right on track. At Point B on the ridge. No signs of abnormalities. No swarm. Confirmed zombie kills: 23.
Lan Zhou wrote down the message before sending a code back.
Message received. Noted 6pm.
Lan Zhou told Song Yu about the message giving him relief. They quickly got ready for bed and slept in each other’s arms.
When it was deep into the night, Song Yu gently pried Lan Zhou’s arm off his waist and got dressed, ready to go out for another night of purifying. He quietly exited the house and walked barefoot to the lake. It was pitch black with nary a star in the sky and the moon seemed to have disappeared for the night. Song Yu could only use his senses to reach the familiar path.
He once again didn’t sense another figure silently following behind him. Song Yu reached the lake and slowly walked into the shallow depths. The mud under the lake turned to gravel before stone. Song Yu breathed deeply at how cold it was before opening up his space.
The blue light shimmered in the night, dancing across the surface like bioluminescence. Song Yu dunked his head in the water and expended his space to let water filter in. More and more of the water furled around Song Yu as purified glowing water extended outward.
Song Yu didn’t mind purifying the lake. In his last life, despite how much it made him hurt, he always felt at peace just beneath the surface of the water. Song Yu soaked in the water for an hour. By this time, the water was shimmering like blue silk.
Unexpectedly, he heard a shark snap. Instantly opening his eyes, they immediately narrowed in on the sound. Song Yu dropped his feet to the lake floor, spatial blades opening in his palms. Its reflection looked like demonic wings coming out of the water.
The same blue lit up his eyes, as he inhaled deeper and deeper, keeping his heart calm.
A second.
Two.
Three.
A shadow separated itself from the trees and approached Song Yu. Song Yu’s heart clenched. Who was it?
The moon that seemed to have disappeared made its way past the black cloud, shining directly into the lake. The shadow’s movements were the all too familiar gait of his lover. Song Yu anxiously looked at himself drenched in the lake with shining blue water emanating from him body.
What did he look like now?
No. No. No.
He tried to breathe deeply but the air was stuck in his throat as the familiar face of Lan Zhou calmly walked through the trees to the shoreline. Song Yu avoided his gaze, hugging himself, the spatial blades disintegrating. He had nowhere to run to. He was already caught.
Song Yu grit his teeth and closed his eyes as he felt those eyes penetrate his body. He heard the sound of footsteps stop, before the slosh of water. Song Yu lifted his head to see Lan Zhou wading in the shallow water towards him. The purified water swirled around Lan Zhou, but Lan Zhou didn’t seem to care about the water properties, his eyes still fixed on Song Yu.
When he reached, Song Yu opened his mouth to speak, to once again close not knowing what to say. Lan Zhou reached out a hand. Seeing it, Song Yu flinched. What did he want to do?
Lan Zhou’s hand stopped before regaining confidence. A small trail of his face, Lan Zhou pressed Song Yu’s head into his chest. Feeling the familiar embrace, Song Yu was shocked numb.
“You’re going to get a cold.”
Lan Zhou held him so lovingly. So preciously. Tears brimmed his eyes and the clogged throat once again found its voice.
“I’m sorry for not telling you.”
Song Yu hugged Lan Zhou tightly, his tears pressing into Lan Zhou’s chest.
“I’m the pure ability user.”
“Mn.”
“I’m also reborn.”
“Mn.”
“You were supposed to be a one night stand. I just wanted to be loved for one night.”
“Mn.”
“I wanted to tell you so many times.”
“Mn.”
Song Yu spilt everything into the wide chest of his lover, each word coming out lessening the burden in his heart. Song Yu was incoherent as each confession overwhelmed him. Lan Zhou was silent as he listened to the hurt Song Yu suffered, the silence he endured, and the vivacious tenacity of his will to survive.
Song Yu’s voice dwindled down to nothing as he gasped and cried. Lan Zhou could only hold his dear one and watch as the shimmering blue water circle around them.
“Song Yu.” Song Yu hiccupped and looked up to see the most beautiful gaze he had ever seen fall on him. Such…deep encompassing compassion, love and understanding.
“Song Yu. I love you.”
Song Yu gripped Lan Zhou’s shirt tight as those words struck deeper than they ever had before. Lan Zhou loved him unconditionally to the point of madness and sanity.
Song Yu could only reply with his heart.
“I love you too. Lan Zhou, I love you too.”
His mouth opened, spilling honeyed words; each syllable prolonged and deep.
This was the sound that Lan Zhou had wanted to hear since the very beginning of his life.
This was the first time Song Yu had ever said those words to Lan Zhou. The evasion of those three little words spilled forth, opening his heart bare and defenseless.
It was the most a person could ever feel in their life.
Song Yu gasped as Lan Zhou kissed his wet lips, licking the salt from his tears. Song Yu let him consume him, wrapping his arms tightly around Lan Zhou’s neck. Their kiss was unlike any before it. It was sweeter than the sweetest candy, softer than the softest pillow, kinder than a saint.
Through their mouths, they repeated that phrase over and over and over again.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
💗💗💗