Jin Se

Chapter 60

Bai Li seemed agonized. Even though he was unconscious, his hands and feet twitched unwittingly. He huddled there, his messily strewn hair concealed his dusty face. He seemed like an injured, wretched little animal.

Shi Wuduan's ice-cold fingers touched Bai Li's equally ice-cold neck. He heard Bai Li making an indistinct noise.

He wavered for a moment, but in the end, he leaned down and heard that Bai Li was vaguely mumbling, "Wuduan..."

Shi Wuduan startled. His finger lightly touched Bai Li's cheek. Seemingly sensing something, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was in great pain. The icy cold light on his forehead grew even dimmer and colder; when it shone on Bai Li's face it made him seem especially frail.

"Wuduan..... go... hurry....."

Shi Wuduan paused, then asked quietly, "Go where?"

"Leave.... don't...... don't fall in....."

"Fall in?" Shi Wuduan leaned closer, "Fall where?"

Bai Li's lips opened and closed, seeming a bit green, yet he wasn't able to make a sound. His hands unwittingly balled into fists, pitch-black nails extending and stabbing into his palm, "Don't fall... in... to....."

His voice was awfully hoarse. Suddenly, he started seizing, so agonized he wasn't able to make a sound.

The thread at Shi Wuduan's fingertips sliced a few strands of Bai Li's hair. He hesitated for a long while, but finally, he sighed, withdrew his hand, and once again concealed the starsilk. He pressed down on Bai Li's shoulder and said softly, "It's alright, it's alright."

Bai Li's chest heaved with rapid breaths. He stuttered out, "It hurts... ah... it hurts... hurts....."

He doesn't want me to fall in.... fall into what?

Out of the blue, Shi Wuduan recalled the black mist that had appeared in the fox's cave of Cangyun Valley. Back then, after Bai Li had arduously thrown him out, he'd witnessed the black qi stab through his body as if... it was going to tear him to pieces.

The pained cries that Bai Li hadn't been able to suppress back then suddenly intertwined with the pained moans that he heard now.

Shi Wuduan blanked out for a moment, then, clumsily, he circled his arm under Bai Li's, reaching across his back. Bai Li was like a human-sized puppet that he could move as he pleased. His head lolled weakly on his shoulder. Shi Wuduan, as if he was comforting a child, started patting him on the back. He heard the faint, almost whimpering, sound by his ear become weaker and weaker. He thought, somewhat disturbed: so, this day has come to you as well.

When Bai Li woke again, it'd be many hours later. In the darkness, it was remarkably easy to lose one's sense of time. He blearily opened his eyes and found that his head was pillowed on something soft. Bai Li astonishedly turned to look, and nearly leapt up off the ground. He unconsciously stroked his hair, goosebumps rising on his skin - Shi Wuduan was far too wicked; he'd actually put the buxu's corpse under his head.

Shi Wuduan was sitting not far from him, a straw of grass held in his mouth. He was gripping a small stick he'd gotten from somewhere, scrawling odd symbols into the ground. Upon hearing the ruckus, though his actions paused, he went on as if he hadn't heard anything; he didn't so much as look up.