HMIME Chapter 57

Bai Lu, feeling completely puzzled, followed Chu Ya out of the bedroom and into the nearby study.

He was still wearing the revealing attire he had put on to sleep, but Chu Ya draped a small woolen cloak over him to ward off the chill of the autumn night breeze.

Bai Lu stood by the screen in the study, watching as Chu Ya manipulated a landscape painting by a famous artist, then suddenly heard a low, rumbling sound of heavy objects moving nearby, accompanied by some fine dust rising into the air.

Following the sound, Bai Lu saw a hidden door appear on the left wall, about one and a half times the height of a person and wide enough for one person to enter. The inside of the door was dark, making it hard to see clearly.

Bai Lu was dumbfounded. Despite having rummaged through the study so many times before, he hadn’t discovered this hidden door. How many mechanisms were installed in this study? With so many secret chambers accessible to outsiders, wasn’t this a paradise for extramarital affairs?

Bai Lu couldn’t help but comment, “Do you spend your free time playing escape rooms here?”

Chu Ya smiled, “After all, this stuff is important. It needs a safe place to be stored.”

He then walked towards the hidden door and disappeared inside.

Bai Lu quickly followed suit, only to realize with dismay that he didn’t need to duck to enter the door due to his height…

The secret chamber was very dark, with Bai Lu unable to see his hand in front of his face. Chu Ya lit a candle in the corner with a tinderbox, allowing Bai Lu to see the interior clearly.

The chamber wasn’t large, but it was more than enough to accommodate the nearby Emperor. However, it was clearly not a rendezvous hideout for affairs, but rather a secret vault where Chu Ya stored important items.

Bai Lu saw that each of the three walls was lined with bright lacquered cabinets, stacked neatly with piles of documents. Some of the pages had turned yellow and brittle, and with a slight flick of Bai Lu’s finger, they crumbled into bits and floated in the air along with the dust.

Chu Ya warned, “Don’t touch them randomly.”

Bai Lu thought these documents must be state secrets that outsiders couldn’t see, so he obediently withdrew his hand.

Chu Ya continued, “These things haven’t been cleaned for years and have accumulated a lot of dust. You just took a bath, don’t get your hands dirty.”

Bai Lu: “…”

He casually flipped through some of these old items, “What do you want to show me? Just these old books that are probably older than me?”

“Not those, it’s this.”

Chu Ya opened a drawer below and took something out from inside.

Bai Lu took a closer look and saw that it was a completely black mask, carved with the simple and concise outline of a demon.

This was clearly the mask Xuan Gui usually wore.

Bai Lu’s mind was not quite clear before going to bed, so he hadn’t connected the dots yet, and asked in a daze, “Did you catch Xuan Gui already?” Chu Ya ambiguously replied, “More or less.”

“Really, so fast?”

Feeling delighted at the news of his enemy’s capture, Bai Lu’s drowsiness vanished instantly, and he became alert. He hurriedly asked, “Where did you lock him up? Take me to see him quickly. I want to give this pervert a good scolding!”

Chu Ya carefully phrased his words in his mind before cautiously saying, “He’s right here in this secret chamber.”

“Right here?”

Bai Lu looked puzzled. He glanced around, realizing it was just a small room of about ten square meters, where you could see everything at a glance. The three walls were all cabinets, and one wall had the hidden door and a candle embedded in it, with no place to hide anyone.

Bai Lu stared at Chu Ya with annoyance, “Are you kidding me? There’s no one here. Could it be that Xuan Gui is really a ghost that only I can see?”

“He is indeed here.” Chu Ya closed his eyes, prepared to face the consequences, and said in a low voice, “It’s me.”

Bai Lu was momentarily dumbfounded, “Huh? Huh? Huh?!”

Bai Lu widened his eyes in disbelief, raising his voice, “It’s you?! You’re Xuan Gui?! You’re Xuan Gui?!”

Chu Ya nodded, “Yes, it’s me.”

Bai Lu was completely stunned. It felt like his brain had turned into a bowl of mush, his thoughts in disarray. Then, he suddenly realized a very serious matter.

He, Bai Lu, a young man of integrity, kindness, and enthusiasm, had scolded Chu Ya in front of Xuan Gui, and scolded Xuan Gui in front of Chu Ya. And it turned out they were the same person. He had cursed at him twice in different roles? Bai Lu’s face turned pale. No wonder Xuan Gui seemed somewhat angry when he cursed at Chu Ya earlier, and Chu Ya wasn’t too happy when he cursed at Xuan Gui…

Now Bai Lu just wanted to say one thing to Chu Ya: Thank you for not killing me, my dear husband!

Chu Ya cautiously gauged Bai Lu’s expression and tentatively asked, “You’re not angry, are you?”

Bai Lu echoed, simultaneously asking, “You’re not angry, are you?”

Chu Ya: “??”

He couldn’t understand, “Why would I be angry?”

“Well…” Bai Lu awkwardly scratched his face with his finger, avoiding eye contact with Chu Ya.

“Well, when I was brought to the Sky-Wolf Sect, didn’t I say a lot of bad things about you? Later, in the bedroom, when Xuan Gui… you took out the knife and asked if I would kill you, I said I would…”

Hearing Bai Lu’s explanation, Chu Ya smiled relievedly, “So that’s what you were worried about. A-Bai, I was really happy to hear your answer at that time.”

“Huh?”

Bai Lu didn’t understand. Generally speaking, hearing hurtful words from one’s lover firsthand would not make one happy. Even if it was understood to be necessary, there would still be some lingering resentment.

Chu Ya took Bai Lu’s hand, gently rubbing his fingers, then leaned over to kiss his forehead, gently saying, “For me, I would only be angry if you surrendered yourself in the enemy camp. I’m glad to see you put your life first in a critical situation, rather than endangering yourself for those lofty but empty words.”

Bai Lu felt warm in his heart, awkwardly turning his head away and muttering softly, “Of course, I’m not stupid.”

Chu Ya couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. He knew that the previous Bai Lu would never have said such contradictory words, as he had no worries or burdens back then and would never submit to anyone.

But now, Bai Lu was different. He cared about Chu Ya, made a pact to grow old together, and would definitely not break that promise.

Bai Lu withdrew his hand from Chu Ya’s palm, breaking free from the sticky atmosphere of intimacy. He returned to his initial question, “You said you’re Xuan Gui.

How did you become the head of the sect?”

“Oh, that.” Chu Ya casually explained, pointing to his chest with his index finger, “Because the Sky-Wolf  Sect was established by this Emperor himself.”

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