7 Days CXS - 7 END

CHAPTER 7: Day Seven

This time, having learned my lesson, I woke up well before dawn. Treading Snow, startled awake by my movements, gave an unhappy stamp of its hooves. I hurriedly scrambled up, bowing, scraping, and grooming its mane for a good long while before finally smoothing down its feathers.

Neither Eldest Brother nor Eldest Brother’s horse was anything I could afford to provoke.

Stepping out on tiptoe, I saw that Yin Cheng was still fast asleep among the pile of straw. Figuring that waking him would likely prove even more troublesome than waking Treading Snow, I kept quiet and grabbed my water bucket to head out.

By the time I returned, dawn had yet to break, and Yin Cheng was still sleeping right where I left him.

Having finished my morning chore, any lingering sleepiness had vanished, so I simply parked myself beside him, keeping one eye on Treading Snow while waiting for the morning steamed buns Ouyang usually sent over.

As the sky turned pale, Ouyang failed to show, but Yin Cheng stirred.

Before I even had a chance to turn around and offer a morning greeting, a sudden chill grazed against my throat.

"I really misjudged you!"

I scrambled to offer profuse explanations and placating bows, putting far more effort into it than I ever had for Treading Snow. After babbling away for what felt like the length of an incense stick—even eagerly feeding him half a spoonful of the fresh water I'd fetched—he finally lowered the small dagger he’d pressed against my windpipe.

That little blade was the one I usually kept tucked at my waist for shaving. He had managed to pilfer it right off me without a single sound—his sleight of hand was every bit as light and effortless as advertised.

Rubbing my neck, I turned around only to find him lying right back down, still clutching my little knife.

"I'm going back to sleep. Don't bother me."

"What about the steamed buns?"

He seemed to twitch slightly, his tone instantly thick with heavy annoyance:

"Leave the buns if they come, and beat Ouyang to death if he shows up."

I truly hadn't misjudged him. Not only was Yin Cheng sharp-witted, but his capacity for environmental adaptation was also top-tier.

Though I didn't beat Ouyang to death, I did secure the buns.

When I brought the steaming-hot buns over to Yin Cheng, he had already stowed away the straw and was currently stroking Treading Snow's mane while murmuring things I couldn't quite catch. I gave a dry cough, causing him to turn his head toward me.

"If you're thinking of tricking Treading Snow into running away with you, it's not going to be that easy." Even though pointing it out so bluntly felt a bit awkward, to prevent him from pulling any more reckless stunts, I went ahead anyway. "Aside from Eldest Brother, even Shen Pian can barely manage a pet... Look at me, I feed it every single day, and what do I get at night? Still kicked black and blue like this."

Yin Cheng flushed slightly, briskly walking over to pluck a bun right out of my hands—unbothered by the heat—and turning his back to me.

"I was wondering about that earlier. For such a massive estate like the Shen Manor, why is there only a single horse in the stables?"

"This is Eldest Brother's private stable. Treading Snow doesn't get along with other horses, and nobody else dares tend to it besides me..."

"Ah, I see. A prize steed with a fierce temper—that's standard enough."

"By the way..." I added between bites of my bun. "Ouyang works down in Eldest Brother's private kitchen, too. The buns he makes are the absolute best; I've never tasted anything quite as fragrant anywhere else."

Yin Cheng's movements froze for a fraction of a second. Knowing what he must have linked it to, I hastily slapped on a clarification:

"Er... though, mind you, Shen Pian's spot really is just an ordinary pigsty, not anything reserved for Eldest Brother..."

Having fallen behind on chores over the past few days because of Yin Cheng, I had a mountain of physical labor waiting for me. I instructed Yin Cheng not to wander off before diving headfirst into my work.

Yin Cheng settled down beside Treading Snow, watching me go about my tasks. Though he didn't pitch in to help, he at least refrained from adding to my workload; and having him sit there gazing quietly in my direction somehow filled me with a sudden surge of renewed energy.

"You're always telling me I can't leave," he suddenly piped up around midday. "Exactly when is the right time?"

"To be completely honest, I don't want you to leave." I replied while hauling a bundle of straw.

Silence stretched from behind me.

"It's not easy for Ouyang to win a wife, you know. Once he squares things away with Eldest Brother and makes an honest match of it, you settling down here in the Shen Manor wouldn't be a bad gig at all... Don't let Ouyang's eccentricities fool you, he's actually a pretty decent..."

Crash.

When I whipped my head around, all I saw was a water ladle shattered into eight pitiful pieces lying on the ground, while Treading Snow gave me a threatening scrape with its hoof.

Yin Cheng had vanished.

It took me a tremendous amount of effort to track him down and talk him back into the stables.

"I genuinely wasn't trying to make fun of you," I coaxed him with a fawning smile.

"And I genuinely want to kill you," he shot back with a chilling sneer.

I believed him; he certainly didn't believe me.

Left with no choice, I tearfully packed up my bedding and headed back to bunk by Treading Snow's corner.

Just as I was sighing and lamenting how many more bruises my body was bound to accumulate tonight, I noticed Yin Cheng had already smoothly laid out his straw bed with practiced ease and stretched out upon it, back turned toward me as usual.

Swallowing hard, I decided to put the master plan I'd hatched the previous night into motion.

Once his breathing grew slow and even, I crept over on tiptoe, slid in beside him with utmost caution, and carefully settled down.

A good spot really is a good spot, and quality straw is truly top-tier; even with an extra body squeezed in, it was remarkably comfortable.

Somewhere in my semi-slumber, I thought I heard a soft chuckle escape from the person in front of me, though I couldn't catch it clearly.

And then I drifted off to sleep.

That night, I had a dream. In the dream, I secretly sneaked Yin Cheng out of the estate; after a long stretch of time, he finally began to trust my words. Along the way, I shielded him from his adversaries as we wandered haphazardly across every corner of the jianghu, only returning when Ah-Ke's wedding rolled around. If Ah-Ke hadn't insisted that she still wanted to see me, the two of us probably would have been kept locked out of the gates by Ouyang and Eldest Brother's pack of dogs.

Still, we managed to get inside in the end, draining several cups of wedding wine, listening to countless rounds of congratulatory well-wishes amidst the lively, joyous atmosphere of the entire Shen Manor.

That night, Yin Cheng and I shared the exact same room and the exact same bed, just like we used to out on the road.

I suppose we were simply used to it by then.

Though, to be entirely fair, I never would have imagined that dream would actually come true down the road.

END