Still Secretly In Love With My Enemy Today - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: 

 

When I received a letter from the City Lord this morning, Xie Huaishuang was busy polishing his sword.

 

Lifting my eyes from the calculating machine, I caught him stealing a glance at me. The moment our eyes met, he hurriedly looked away in a panic.

 

Remembering how he had been frantically searching for his sword last night, I found it amusing. “Why are you looking at me? Looking for an opportunity to kill me?”

 

He didn’t say a word. He put down his sword, walked over, grabbed my hand, and very forcefully wrote on my palm, stroke by stroke:

 

“I will not say a single word to you today.”

 

After writing, he shoved my hand away, sat back down, and lowered his head to resume polishing his sword.

 

I had truly made him angry.

 

When I went to embrace him, his body stiffened for a moment, but he didn’t move away. He just kept his head down and ignored me.

 

“Don’t you want to know what the City Lord wrote to me?”

 

Xie Huaishuang glanced at me from the corner of his eye—a look that said, Speak if you must.

 

“The City Lord said the Temple sent a message to Iron Cloud City. They’ve invited her to come out and talk.”

 

Xie Huaishuang immediately dropped his sword. “Talk about what?”

 

I thought you weren’t going to say a single word to me?

 

“The City Lord says it looks like the Temple wants both sides to take a step back… the Temple is in a very passive position right now.”

 

“The City Lord agreed?”

 

“She’s already on her way.”

 

Believing that the old geezers at the Temple are actually ready to put away their malicious intentions is like believing I’m the God of West Wing. But from the first line of the letter, I knew the City Lord would go. Iron Cloud City hasn’t gone to direct war with the Temple for all these years simply because she wants to keep the inevitable collateral damage to the civilians as small as humanly possible.

 

“Even if the talks fail, it’ll be somewhat useful. People’s hearts are wavering; at the very least, it shows Iron Cloud City’s stance.”

 

Xie Huaishuang still frowned. “But those people from the Temple… the City Lord might be in danger on this trip.”

 

“We know.” I mimicked his earlier gesture, pressing my fingers to the space between his brows to smooth them out. “The City Lord is no pushover, and she took Senior Brother He and the others with her. There are also Iron Cloud outposts in that area. Don’t worry too much.”

 

That said, I wasn’t entirely at ease either. When I replied earlier, I asked for her opinion—she must have known about Xie Huaishuang’s situation from Senior Sister Chen long ago. I didn’t say much, only that if necessary, it would only take me and Xie Huaishuang a day’s journey to get there from Iron Cloud City.

 

Xie Huaishuang’s expression softened slightly, and he nodded. “Good. If I’m needed, I’ll go with you.”

 

Aside from these matters, the City Lord also added a casual question: she asked if the kidnapped High Priest was still “in one piece,” and warned me once again not to kill him, but to wait for her return.

 

I don’t understand why the City Lord always feels the need to remind me of this. Before, it was illogical; now, it’s just unnecessary.

 

Could I even bring myself to kill Xie Huaishuang?

 

I glanced at him. Having finished discussing official business, he had resumed his refusal to speak to me and went back to polishing his sword.

 

Judging by the look of it, he’s the one who looks like he wants to make a move.

 

…

 

Two days later, Xie Huaishuang and I arrived near Iron Cloud City.

 

Familiar peaks were already faintly visible through the clouds. I pointed them out to him. “There—past that mountain is Iron Cloud City.”

 

Xie Huaishuang pressed both hands against the glass as usual, staring outside intently. He was watching particularly closely this time; even when I sneaked a kiss, he didn’t have much of a reaction, only a slight flutter of his lashes.

 

“What did your Senior Sister say?”

 

The City Lord mentioned that Senior Sister Chen is temporarily handling all affairs in Iron Cloud City. I sent her a letter the day before yesterday, telling her I was bringing Xie Huaishuang back.

 

I didn’t say too much in the letter; she’s known his identity for a long time anyway. Since the City Lord hadn’t said anything, and she, the Vice City Lord, hadn’t either, perhaps Iron Cloud City wouldn’t hold Xie Huaishuang’s past identity against him.

 

“I told her I’m bringing you back. She didn’t say much, just told us to be careful on the road and return soon.”

 

He had changed out of his High Priest robes long ago; they were currently balled up in a corner. Xie Huaishuang stared at the misty mountains for a long time before shifting his gaze to that pile of clothes.

 

“Will it be… troublesome?”

 

“No.”

 

Embracing him from behind, I could feel his shoulder blades protruding sharply. Following the line of his shoulder down led to his distinct collarbones and pointed chin. He was still very thin; only his waist and abdomen were somewhat soft, though they were still slim enough to be spanned by a single hand.

 

As I was measuring his waist size with my hands, he pinned them down. “Don’t fidget—it tickles.”

 

“Why are you ticklish everywhere?”

 

Xie Huaishuang went quiet, a faint red flush appearing behind his ears again. He stepped on my toe.

 

“Don’t worry so much.” I touched his fingertips against the glass. “Didn’t we agree? I’ll be the one to explain to them. Senior Sister Chen, Ye Jingwei, Zhou Xun—they all know something about this.”

 

Xie Huaishuang remained silent, his fingertips curling slightly.

 

“Besides, everyone knows by now that the High Priest of the Temple was kidnapped by me. The City Lord and the others are well aware that if you didn’t want to leave, I certainly wouldn’t have the skill to kidnap you.”

 

His earlobe was so close to me; I felt it would be wrong not to kiss it. Sure enough, he flinched the moment I touched it.

 

“We can explain it clearly. And even if we can’t right away, we’ll just go somewhere else first.”

 

I’ve begun to notice a pattern. Whenever a problem can be solved with a sword—killing, breaking through sieges, inciting chaos, deserting—Xie Huaishuang is incredibly bold and won’t even blink. But when it comes to social interactions that can’t be solved with a blade, he becomes clumsy and overwhelmed, secretly hesitating and wavering for ages.

 

I can’t blame him. Being used as a human weapon for years by the wickedest Temple in the world, anyone else would have fared much worse than him. Xie Huaishuang is already incredibly, incredibly remarkable. The person I like is the most remarkable person in the world.

 

“Why did you kiss me again?” Xie Huaishuang’s gaze flicked up, those green pools staring at me.

 

I told the truth: “I like you.”

 

Since he was looking at me like that, I might as well kiss his eyes too.

 

“I think you’re especially, especially amazing. I want to kiss you.”

 

Xie Huaishuang covered my mouth with his hand. His fingertips were cool like porcelain, still carrying a bit of condensation from the glass. His eyes darted around.

 

“How can you say anything so easily now?”

 

“Do you not like hearing it?” I waited for him to lower his hand before asking sincerely, “If you don’t like it, then in the future I won’t—”

 

“No.” Xie Huaishuang answered quickly, but his voice was so low it was hard to hear if I didn’t listen closely. “…You can say it if you want.”

 

He lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.

 

“You don’t have to force it.” I rubbed his cheek. “Worst case, I just won’t say it—” I’ll just say it secretly in my heart.

 

“No!” Xie Huaishuang suddenly looked up at me, then glanced away, blinking rapidly twice. “I like hearing it.”

 

As if afraid I hadn’t heard clearly, he raised his voice slightly and repeated it with almost frantic urgency. “I like hearing it.”

 

…

 

West Wing is a land of deep mountains and valleys. Iron Cloud City is nestled between two mountains, which serve as a natural barrier, keeping it isolated for years.

 

The buildings in the city are built into the mountainside, hundreds of them scattered at different heights, connected by long ladders and tunnels. Brass and steel gave off a somber luster under the sunlight. Various models of kite-machines glided through the air from time to time, and looking down, one could see the winding tracks of the iron-skinned carts.

 

I pointed it all out to Xie Huaishuang. Through the milky mist, the giant building at the highest point was the Library, the wind chimes under the octagonal eaves tinkling away.

 

From the moment we entered the city, Xie Huaishuang’s eyes were wide. He didn’t even have time to talk, looking up, down, left, and right through the window.

 

I watched his expression and asked tentatively, “Do you like this place?”

 

Xie Huaishuang was staring at a carved tower we had just passed. He paused for a second before nodding vigorously. “I like it—I’ve never seen anything like it.”

 

I let out a sigh of relief.

 

The City Lord had told us before that the people in West Wing who understand these iron contraptions best are either in the Temple or in Iron Cloud City. But the people in the Temple use all their energy for power and wealth, only letting a tiny bit of knowledge trickle down to others. Actually, the entire West Wing was meant to look like this.

 

The hatch was heavy and required force to pull open. Just as a crack appeared, a line of bright sunlight along with a wave of noisy voices rushed in.

 

“A total victory! A total victory, Junior Brother!” “The Temple really lost face this time! How did you do it?” “Why are you back by yourself?”

 

It was a chaotic mess. The moment I jumped down, I was surrounded by a swarm of people. People in Iron Cloud City always carry various tools on them, making it look like they’re ready for a fight at any moment. In the middle of the hubbub, a grey blur jumped in front of me.

 

“Where is the person? Sister Chen, you said…”

 

Dali had grown a bit taller since I left. It looked like she had just sneaked over from the smelting yard behind her master’s back; pliers and hammers were tucked into her waist, and there was a smear of soot on her face that hadn’t been cleaned off. She looked me up and down once, then looked behind me with great urgency.

 

What are you looking for?

 

“Finally decided to come back?”

 

I hadn’t found anything behind me either. Then I heard a voice an octave higher than everyone else’s. I looked up to see Senior Sister Chen standing not far away, one hand on her hip, watching me.

 

“Why are you alone? And…” Her voice suddenly trailed off. Her gaze moved past my shoulder and fixed on a spot.

 

I followed her gaze. Xie Huaishuang had poked his head out from the hatch at some point. Meeting the gazes coming from all directions, he instinctively shrank back. After a moment’s hesitation, he jumped down gracefully and stood beside the drooping wing of the Iron Vermilion Bird.

 

The boisterous noise suddenly died down.

 

Why are they all staring at Xie Huaishuang like that?

 

I took a few steps back toward him and reached behind me to hold his wrist.

 

“Senior Sister, he…”

 

“No need to say more, I know everything.” Senior Sister jerked her chin. “The City Lord said before she left that your business was to be handled by me.”

 

Our business? She must mean the matter of the High Priest.

 

Xie Huaishuang looked at me, his fingers twitching. I carefully observed Senior Sister’s expression, trying to deduce if she had any sudden intention to attack.

 

No one in the crowd seemed ready to charge. Dali was standing close, still staring up with a dazed expression. Xie Huaishuang thought for a moment, pulled out a handkerchief, and after a brief hesitation, offered it to her.

 

Dali didn’t react, still dazed like a sleepwalker. When Xie Huaishuang tentatively extended his hand a bit further, she finally snapped out of it. She took it in a flurry and began rubbing her face haphazardly with her head down.

 

I remembered that Dali, and everyone else for that matter, were never like this. Xie Huaishuang wouldn’t think the people of Iron Cloud City don’t like him, would he? I sneaked a look at him; he smiled and shook his head.

 

“What… what should I call you?” Dali looked up. Her voice had inexplicably become much higher. I wasn’t sure if I should remind her that even after rubbing for so long, that smear of soot was still there. “Sister Chen said your surname is Xie. Can I call you… Brother Xiao Xie?”

 

“Wait a minute,” I couldn’t help but interject. “You call me by my name; why don’t you call me brother?”

 

“That’s different!”

 

“…”

 

“Enough. You’ve come a long way. Go back and rest; we’ll talk about everything tomorrow.”

 

Senior Sister Chen waved her hand, actually dispersing the crowd. She turned to study Xie Huaishuang for a moment, her lips curling into a rare smile. “Xiao Xie’s eyes are better?”

 

Xie Huaishuang nodded. Senior Sister Chen turned to look at me.

 

“Xiao Zhu, Iron Cloud City is busy lately, and I don’t have much free time.” Senior Sister Chen looked at me. “I was thinking, since you’ve already waited two months anyway… we can wait until the City Lord returns to handle the matter of your wedding, right?”

 

Oh, it’s about the wedding. I thought it was— …The wedding?!

 

Is someone here getting married? Who? Me? Me and Xie Huaishuang?

 

Xie Huaishuang suddenly snapped his head up, his eyes widening as he stared at me.