Ashina Suwu's voice boomed like a great bell, clear enough for everyone at nearby tables to hear. The room abruptly fell silent, and all heads swiveled in their direction.
Ashina Suwu detected something amiss from Xiao Jinyu's livid expression and withdrew the finger he had pointed at Xiao Jinyu's nose. Chewing on his fingertip thoughtfully, he mumbled, "Hmm... seems it's not the wedding ceremony..."
Wu Jiang, who had silently rushed over to protect his lord, couldn't bear it any longer. "Does the Khan mean... sworn brotherhood?"
"Yes, yes! Sworn brotherhood!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and with peace talks between the two nations just concluded, Xiao Jinyu mentally paid respects to all of Ashina's ancestors while calmly uttering a single "Good."
Ashina Suwu had assumed they would follow the same ritual as Xiao Jue and Leng Yan's ceremony earlier. He was quite displeased when Wu Jiang thrust three incense sticks into his hands. After the ceremony, he dragged Xiao Jinyu off to drink. Officials who rarely had opportunities to curry favor with Xiao Jinyu seized the chance to offer celebratory toasts, ultimately getting him thoroughly drunk. Xiao Jinyu ended up playing drinking games with them until nearly fourth watch (1-3 AM) before Wu Jiang persuaded him to leave. Consequently, when Ashina Suwu departed for the Turkic territories the next day, Xiao Jinyu remained unconscious from hangover.
After Ashina Suwu's departure, Xue Ming also packed to return to Liangzhou, taking with him Qi Lian—who still dared not face others but trusted Xue Ming alone—claiming he needed to atone for his father's misdeeds.
Though stomach pain had plagued him for three days, Xiao Jinyu remained unwilling to leave his bed. He had a fever, but not severe enough to require strict bed rest. He simply felt utterly exhausted now that major events had settled, temporarily delegating all affairs great and small to Wu Jiang and others. Using his illness as pretext, he continued sleeping fitfully in bed for several more days.
Ye Qianqiu claimed Xiao Jinyu's main ailment was "lacking mental acuity in the five elements." Chu Chu never understood what this meant until the fifth day of Xiao Jinyu's bedridden state. When she brought him medicine, Xiao Jinyu finally sat up, drew her into his embrace, gently kissed her forehead, and rested his hand on her still-flat stomach. "Chu Chu," he said earnestly, "from now on I won't investigate cases. Let's live quietly, just our family. Alright?"
Only then did Chu Chu understand he had been tormented all these days by the dilemma of whether to continue solving cases.
"Alright," Chu Chu blinked, answering readily before frowning slightly. "But... I just heard from Detective Tang something major happened in the capital. Several households have had people dying consecutively, all dismembered alive with intestines strewn everywhere in their homes. It's terrifying."
Xiao Jinyu stiffened. "When did this happen?"
"Just these past few days. Two deaths daily, very regular."
"Any suspects?"
"How could there be suspects? The households are completely unrelated, all died in tightly locked rooms without any noise heard by family members. Detective Tang and others say such cases are definitely unsolvable and should be closed as ghost hauntings..."
Before Chu Chu finished speaking, Xiao Jinyu's brow darkened. "Preposterous! Summon Tang Yan, I—"
Xiao Jinyu's words were cut off as Chu Chu burst into helpless laughter in his arms.
Xiao Jinyu's face darkened. "Chu Chu..."Chu Chu finally lifted her head after laughing heartily. Gazing at Xiao Jin Yu's darkened expression, she giggled and rubbed his chest soothingly. "See? I've accepted it, but you still can't... Don't even think about abandoning your duties!"
Xiao Jin Yu sighed silently, a bitter smile gracing his lips as he patted the head nestled against his chest. "Didn't you say we've never had a peaceful life all along..."
Chu Chu beamed with warmth. "How could anyone claim all the good things in life? Besides, you've been investigating cases for over a decade – old habits die hard."
Xiao Jin Yu admitted she spoke the truth. If it were truly that easy to let go, he wouldn't have spent days torturing himself in bed. Still, he insisted earnestly, "If you truly desire a tranquil life, I could try..."
"We just tried it moments ago! You didn't see your own face when you heard about the case – like a starving wolf spotting a skinned rabbit, your eyes gleaming fiercely!"
Xiao Jin Yu flushed with embarrassment, caught between laughter and exasperation. "You're no different when you start talking about corpses..."
Chu Chu chuckled. "Exactly! You keep handling cases, and I'll keep conducting Corpse Examinations..." Noticing his lingering hesitation, she playfully traced his collarbone. "If I stop examining corpses and only get to look at your body every day, what if I grow tired of the view someday? I might just discard you!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Xiao Jin Yu tightened his embrace around the troublemaker in his arms. "You are..."
He wanted to say: You are mine. You'll be mine this lifetime.
He had never spoken such words before. Given the thickness of his skin, heaven knew when such impulse might strike again.
Unfortunately, his declaration was swiftly intercepted by Chu Chu's decisive interruption.
"You're the one the Emperor bestowed upon me!"
Fine. If he was hers, then so be it – the outcome remained unchanged.
They would never be parted in this lifetime.
(The End)
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