Sun Huaijin wasn't planning to run anymore.

He was advanced in years and it wasn't convenient to move, and most of his family business was in Qizhou. The old master had struggled all his life, seeing only prosperity and peace throughout the country. How could he have imagined that after a hundred years, he would see a time of turbulence and chaos.

Sun Huaijin dismissed the uneasy servants, keeping only the old servants who had followed him for most of his life. The Sun family had stored a lot of food and medicine, enough for them to live for some time. As for later, whether they would be attacked by bandits or plundered by barbarians, it was all fate.

If there was one regret—in the face of national crisis, the younger generation of the Sun family had divided up the gold and silver wealth and ran away faster than rabbits. Not a single one was willing to stay and accompany this old man.

Sun Huaijin sat alone in the small courtyard, slowly sipping cold tea.

The emperor had summoned the Divine Descent Sage of Luojiu, and those barbarians were now organizing their troops, planning to take over local government offices along the way. According to the agreement, the Divine Descent Sage would arrive in Yi City in a few days to formally meet with the ill Xu Jingxing. However, a few days ago there was a nationwide earthquake, and the Divine Descent Sage, contrary to his usual swift and decisive style, became extremely cautious.

The old man put down his teacup and let out a long sigh.

Recently, natural disasters had been rampant and wars had broken out everywhere. Perhaps the gods protecting Dayun had already left. Thinking of his life's ups and downs, having enjoyed a hundred years of life, it was time...

"Master!" An old servant hurriedly came, his face pale. "There... there are people from the palace outside!"

Sun Huaijin doubted his ears for a moment. Qizhou was like an abandoned place, and most of his family property had been taken away by the younger generation. What did the court want to see him for? He was just an old man waiting to die here, what was there to visit?

"Did they say why they came?"

"They... they said... they even brought live geese, gold and silver, saying they came to propose marriage."

Sun Huaijin suddenly realized. So that's it, he must have accidentally fallen asleep and was dreaming. He only had a group of elderly men and women left here, how could anyone come here to propose marriage, let alone people from the palace—most of his younger relatives were good-for-nothing, hardly any had official positions.

Wait, hadn't he heard someone mention this marriage proposal before?

Sun Huaijin broke out in a sweat, nearly knocking over his teacup: "Help me up, quickly help me up!"

The old master changed his clothes shakily and rushed to the hall. The hall was empty, with only a pale-faced Xu Jingming, a jubilant Shi Jingzhi, and his old Brother Su with an evasive gaze.

Sun Huaijin's thick phlegm surged to his throat, nearly choking him on the spot. He looked fearfully at Xu Jingming the Prince Rong, finding a trace of familiarity on his face—this old and young pair were both frowning, their faces scrunched up as if they had sucked on old vinegar, just short of writing "bullshit" in big characters.

However, with Xu Jingming present, looking respectful in his attitude, were the Xu family planning to count Shi Jingzhi back into the royal family?

The old Sun had heard the rumors of rebellion a few days ago. Shi Jingzhi hadn't come to him, so he didn't intervene. How come after not much time, the wind had changed again? Now proposing marriage, clearly meant to have Shi Jingzhi marry and become a proper prince...

...But why come to the Sun family to propose marriage?!

Sun Huaijin was meticulous in his thinking and extremely skilled at deducing the political situation. Unfortunately, a series of inconceivable events struck him, causing the old man to sway on the spot, his limbs and head simultaneously going numb.

Seeing the old man's face full of fragmented bewilderment, Shi Jingzhi coughed. Yin Ci gathered his wandering gaze and walked to Sun Huaijin's front.

"Su Zhi" had never been particular about his attire, always dressing plainly and casually. Even when he was the master of Red Hook, Sun Huaijin had never seen him pay much attention to this matter. When others sent him elaborate fancy clothes and jade ornaments, Su Zhi would casually give them away. His face was truly outstanding; even if he wore a straw rain cape or a quail-feather coat, he still had a unique style.

However, this time he had clearly dressed up meticulously. Sun Huaijin could tell at a glance that the fabric was the finest material only available in the palace, without a trace of the dejection of ordinary clothes. The man's usually loose long hair had been tidied up impeccably, with only the white jade hair tie looking somewhat old.

It was evident that Yin Ci wasn't accustomed to formal attire; his waist was bound a bit too tightly, making him look even more like an unsheathed sword. Behind him were piled some thick gifts, and judging from the gift list presented by the servants, great effort had been put into selecting these gifts as well.

Unusual events must have a reason; Sun Huaijin's reverence and wariness mixed together, turning him into a startled old bird on the spot: "Su... Su... Su... Young Brother Yin, wh-wh-what's the matter?"

The old man had lost his usual calm composure, his voice trembling.

Yin Ci wasn't much better off. He usually appeared to have everything in the world under control, but now he showed signs of nervousness.

"Huaijin, Jingzhi and I are indeed well-matched. Now with the country in turmoil, time is precious. We've combined the first four of the six rites this time. We've set a date, and I've come... I've come to request the wedding date from you."

Sun Huaijin: "..."

Sun Huaijin: "...Big Brother Su?"

This "Big Brother Su" was full of helplessness, even Xu Jingming's face showed some awkwardness—he had been kicked here by his elder brother to do this difficult task, and now it seemed like they were abusing the old man.

Old ginger is spicier, and after a moment of nervousness, Yin Ci's face became resolute. He let out a long breath, his tone becoming calm: "I said before, this isn't on a whim or playing with him."

Sun Huaijin wiped his face hard: "You... you are both men, if you really want to be together, just be together. Now with turmoil everywhere, why make such a... such a big fuss, it's simply—"

The old Sun mouthed the word "nonsense," but with Yin Ci in front of him, the old master didn't dare say it out loud.

Such a serious marriage proposal was no joke. Sun Huaijin had seen men fall in love with each other before. Those people would at best live together under the guise of relatives, or at most let the neighbors know vaguely, but none had ever dared to formally marry.

Yin Ci: "We are a pair for life, what's wrong with letting the whole world know?"

"For life?"

Sun Huaijin's head was still buzzing, but hearing this, his weak appearance faded somewhat. The old man struggled to lift his eyelids, his eyes showing some sharpness, his words carrying a faint warning.

"I haven't known Jingzhi for long, and can't say we're very close, but he is after all my flesh and blood. Big Brother Su, since you say 'for life', have you thought through all the future consequences?"

"Yes, to share the same bed in life, and the same grave in death."

For the current Shi Jingzhi and himself, these words were more than just a simple vow. Now that their blood was connected, they were literally living and dying together.

Looking at the worried Sun Huaijin, Yin Ci couldn't help but smile. Three hundred years had passed, but the Sun family was still the Sun family. Even at the very end, they still worried about their blood relatives. His gaze passed over the old man's hunched back, through time, looking at another faint shadow.

Sun Huaijin was stunned for a moment, his eyes gradually reddening. He said nothing, only moving his lips. A few murky tears seeped into the wrinkles on his face, breaking into bright wet spots.

"Congratulations to Big Brother for getting your wish," he said softly. "If you two are truly in... in love, this old man is naturally happy."

Xu Jingxing was in a hurry to recruit the two to lead troops, so the court people moved even faster than before. The next day, an eight-bearer sedan chair was paraded through the main streets of Qizhou.

At this time, most of the people in Qizhou had fled, leaving the streets desolate. The emperor had surrendered, bandits were rampant, and people didn't even dare to properly hold funerals. Now, someone daring to beat gongs and drums in the street was indeed a strange sight. Hearing the festive music, many people couldn't help but peek out from their hiding places, carefully watching from the shadows.

This procession was also strange. Although the sedan chair was very beautiful, and the ceremonial procession was so lavish it seemed extravagant, the procedure seemed a bit off. In ordinary families, they would fetch the bride home, but this looked like both fetching and sending off a bride. The curtains of the sedan chair were occasionally blown open by the wind, clearly showing it was empty. On top of the sedan chair sat two men in wedding attire, looking extremely intimate.

Those who saw shook their heads repeatedly—with the country on the brink of destruction, all sorts of absurd things were happening!

However, the two men were extremely handsome. Even if people had a belly full of anger and dissatisfaction, after seeing those two faces clearly, the onlookers' desire to find fault faded. Those with worse tempers just picked up the silver beads and copper coins scattered on the street. Those who enjoyed watching the excitement even started to cheer.

Above the sedan chair was a clear blue sky.

This time, the wedding attire was of excellent material, the colors extremely vibrant, as brilliant as summer flowers. Shi Jingzhi happily enjoyed the breeze, one hand interlocked with Yin Ci's.

"Not getting into the sedan chair?" Yin Ci asked amusedly.

"No, I want everyone in the world to see," Shi Jingzhi narrowed his eyes in pleasure. "I've found the best match in the world, and I think there are still too few people watching! If it weren't for that Luojiu's trouble, we would definitely have chosen the busiest day."

After speaking, he tilted his head and kissed Yin Ci's cheek. The latter didn't dodge or avoid, only shaking his head helplessly.

Yin Ci: "Come a bit closer."

"What is it?"

"Master is so greedy, don't you feel this grand ceremony is missing something? No matter how lavish the gifts, they were prepared by the emperor, not gifts from your disciple."

This indeed hit Sect Leader Shi's soft spot. He raised an eyebrow and turned his face away: "The circumstances are special, neither of us had much preparation. If we delay too much time because of this, causing the border people to suffer, you'd feel guilty in your heart."

"I have an idea."

Shi Jingzhi perked up, moving a bit closer. Under the sunlight, those eyes were full of bright vitality.

Yin Ci extended his right hand, his thumb pressing against Shi Jingzhi's lips, his fingertip touching the hard teeth.

"Bite me."

Yin Ci deliberately leaned in closer, his voice finally showing some wickedness.

"I'm no longer immortal, and injuries will now leave scars. This is the first scar I'll take to my grave, and I hope it's from you."

Shi Jingzhi's pupils dilated, the smile on his face becoming somewhat twisted. He said nothing, his teeth slightly opening.

"I knew you'd like this idea," Yin Ci laughed loudly. "Even on the battlefield, I won't let those petty villains harm me—this scar will be my only scar. Come on, Jingzhi."

Shi Jingzhi bit down on the base of Yin Ci's thumb. He bit deeply, and the pale, flawless skin split open, fresh blood immediately gushing out. Pain and warmth came together, but Yin Ci's face still bore a beaming smile, showing no trace of suffering. As they had expected, the wound indeed did not heal immediately. Fresh blood flowed over Shi Jingzhi's lower lip, trickling down Yin Ci's wrist.

Yin Ci slowly withdrew his hand, and with the fresh blood, he kissed Shi Jingzhi in front of everyone's eyes. Both their lips were stained with blood, showing a sharp and alluring color.

After the long kiss ended, Yin Ci casually licked the wound at the base of his thumb, his gaze sweeping over the onlookers around the sedan chair. The spectators had all forgotten to pick up the coins, watching with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

In the closed and decaying city, amidst the thunderous sound of gongs and drums, the jubilant atmosphere was shattered by the wind, with specks of blood staining the red clothes. At that moment, no one knew what waves would rise over the land of Dayun after this unremarkable day in Qizhou had passed.

People only remembered the eight-bearer sedan chair slowly moving, heading straight for the Sun family. Those two figures nestled together, facing the fresh breeze on their own.

Author's Note:

Eight-bearer sedan chair √

Sect Leader Shi starts crossing off items from his little notebook of life goals (?)