How to Survive As a Villain

Chapter 34: You can’t go without turning back.

The altar of the Temple of Heaven was located at the ninety-nine steps halfway up the mountain, the sunset was like the blood of the sun. This solemn altar was particularly awe-inspiring.

Besides the steps, looking splendid in jade and gold, was the temple. It was filled with incense smoke, quiet and solemn.

Yan Heqing frowned: “Is it here?”

“This is the place where the ancestors are worshipped and where the relics are stored in the Northern Kingdom. You can wait for me here for a bit, I’ll go.” Xiao Yuan looked at Yan Heqing’s face and said carefully.

After all, the memorial plate of the late Emperor is still in there.

Yan Heqing nodded his head.

Xiao Yuan brushed the ash off his body, fixed up his clothes, got up and walked into the temple.

The place of worship was heavily guarded by soldiers. Although the guards were surprised by Xiao Yuan’s suddenly appearance, they didn’t dare to stop him. Xiao Yuan walked into the Hall smoothly and unhurried.

Inside the main hall were placed the memorial plates of the ancestors, all of which were decorated delicately and engraved with golden characters. The Incense was burning in the hall, and there were fruits plates with pork heads. Xiao Yuan thought for a while, and bowed down.

In the original book, on the third day after Yan Heqing’s attack at the Northern Kingdom, he burned this place to ashes.

The memorial plates of the ancestors, including the one of the late Emperor, were heavily smashed and then discarded at the gate of the city, trampled by thousands of people, like it was garbage.

Xiao Yuan raised his head and looked at the solemnity in front of him, thinking that now Yan Heqing was waiting for him outside, at this time, he felt like it was a dream.

After sighing with emotion, Xiao Yuan remembered the purpose of this trip and started to look around.

Yan Heqing waited patiently outside the temple, and after a quarter of an hour, Xiao Yuan’s figure appeared before his eyes.

Xiao Yuan went in empty handed, and when he came out, he came with a sword in his hands. He walked towards Yan Heqing and handed it to him: “Here, this is yours.”

Yan Heqing’s eyes were round and surprised, he took the sword and rubbed the sheath carefully.

On the hilt of the sword was carved a golden Dragon, the body of the sword was thin and sharp and had a faint cold light surrounding it. Blowing away his hair, Yan Heqing lowered his eyes. After a while, he choked: “This is…”

“Yes.” Xiao Yuan replied.

This sword was once the sword of the Emperor of the Southern Yan Kingdom, the father of Yan Heqing. After the Southern Yan Kingdom was destroyed by the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom, Yan Heqing’s father used this sword to commit suicide in the city wall, weeping in blood and mourning.

However, the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom took it as a war trophy and used it as his sword. Eventually, it became the only relic that wasn’t buried after his death, instead, it was placed at the temple for the future generations to worship. This was the reason Yan Heqing hated this place so much.

Yan Heqing calmed down and raised his head to look up at Xiao Yuan: “What does this mean?”

Xiao Yuan said with a smile: “It’s yours, take good care of it.”

It belongs to Yan Heqing anyways, sooner or later he would’ve obtained it.

Yan Heqing stared closely at Xiao Yuan, his eyes were moving and had a flash of complicated feelings, after a while, he murmured: “Thank you.”

Xiao Yuan shrugged: “It belongs to you, I was just returning it to it’s original owner.”

Yan Heqing glanced at him again, then turned his back to the temple, put his sword on the ground with both hands, lifted the hem, and knelt down without hesitation.

Facing his destroyed homeland, underneath the mountains and rivers, and above the blue sky.

Xiao Yuan turned around, unwilling to see it, fearing that Yan Heqing would raise his head. His eyes were full of resentment against this country, and his anger would eventually develop into a sharp edge that would cut his own neck.

After a while, Xiao Yuan suddenly heard Yan Heqing calling him, he turned around and saw that Yan Heqing had already stood up. He was holding the sword and there was no resentment and sadness in his eyes anymore, they were bright and calm as the water, then, he said: “Let’s go back?”

Xiao Yuan replied with a smile: “Yes, let’s go back.”

It’s said that is easier to go up the mountain than to going down, but for Xiao Yuan, it was extremely difficult to walk up the mountain already, and now, he just wanted to roll down like a ball.

Seeing the bright moon at the starred sky, the mountain path wasn’t clear enough, and every step had to be taken carefully, which takes a lot of time, Xiao Yuan was holding his inconvenient long clothes and mocked himself: “I don’t want to keep going, I want to just lie here and wait for someone to collect my corpse.”

Yan Heqing pointed to a clean and flat stone on the side of the road: “Sit down and rest for a while.”

Xiao Yuan sat down on the stone and rubbed his ankles while smiling: “Don’t you get anxious if I walk so slowly.”

Without him holding him back, Yan Heqing would’ve returned to the palace in about an hour.

Yan Heqing looked at him quietly, and replied with a light tone: “You also gave up traveling on the Imperial carriage because of me.”

Xiao Yuan didn’t expect Yan Heqing to notice this, he was stunned for a little bit, and didn’t know how to answer.

The two of them were silent for a while, around them the mountain was quiet, Xiao Yuan coughed lightly trying to break the silence, Yan Heqing suddenly narrowed his eyes and rushed to his body: “Be careful, behind you!”

Xiao Yuan suddenly turned his head and saw a green snake with red spots on his head!

Yan Heqing hit the seven inches green snake with a tiny stone and then strangled it in front of Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan was really too frightened to stand and yet stepped back a few steps, fell to the ground, and rolled down the stairs.

After a while, Xiao Yuan was lying on the ground with his arms folded, staring at the stars in the sky.

A handsome face appeared looking down on him, blocking the sky.

Xiao Yuan asked: “Are you here to collect my corpse?”

Yan Heqing said: “… No.”

Xiao Yuan waved his hand and asked him to move his head away: “Then let me count the stars, I just found a constellation.”

Yan Heqing kindly reached out his hand to Xiao Yuan, who estimated that had injured himself, and said: “Can you stand up?”

Xiao Yuan took Yan Heqing’s hand and started to stand up, but he felt an extreme pain in his ankle. Xiao Yuan frowned: “It hurts, I don’t know if it’s twisted or dislocated.”

It was indeed very slippery.

Xiao Yuan covered himself in fallen leaves, he wasn’t angry or sad. Instead, he joked to Yan Heqing: “Anyway, you can just leave me here, after all we’re already outside the palace, with your skills, escaping should be easy.”

Yan Heqing stared at his mischievously smiling eyes, and without a flinch he stood up, walked without turning back, hurrying away.

Xiao Yuan was stupefied.

Hey!! I was just joking!! You can’t really go away!!

“Yan…” Xiao Yuan came to himself and wanted to call out for him, but found that Yan Heqing’s figure had disappeared into the vast night.

You’re too heartless!

On behalf of the socialist core values, I strongly condemn your unfriendly behavior!!

All of a sudden, he was abandoned just like that in a remote path, even if he says to himself that it’s impossible for him to not feel wronged, Xiao Yuan sighed and felt sad. He lied on his back and continued to count stars, completely abandoned: “Dubhe, Merak, Phecda*…”

(T/N: *Dubhe is the second most brilliant star in the ursa major constellation, also known as the Great Bear. Merak forms part of the same constellation and is the fifth star. Phecda, phekda or phad is the sixth star from the same constellation)

While counting on phecda, Xiao Yuan’s ears suddenly heard the sound of a wooden stick being cut.

Xiao Yuan was so frightened that he sat up suddenly and saw Yan Heqing, which he didn’t know at what moment came back. He was cutting some branches with his sword, Xiao Yuan didn’t know why he was doing that.

Wow, this splendid sword was being used to cut wooden sticks. Can’t you hear it’s cry?

No, I’m wrong, that’s not the point at all.

Xiao Yuan said: “You, you didn’t leave.”

Yan Heqing didn’t understand why Xiao Yuan thought so unjustly of him, he was simply too lazy to take care of others. He cut two wooden sticks, teared off a piece of his clothing, fixed Xiao Yuan’s injured ankle, and then squats down to carry Xiao Yuan up on his back.