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Jun Wuwang Side Story - The Night ends without Meeting You 01


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The timeline is after the first time Jun Xuanheng dies in Zhongli Court, the second reincarnation.

The night ends without meeting you¹.

Jun Wuwang x Ye Tan

Jun Wuwang, who knows everything, doesn’t understand where Ye Tan’s fear comes from.

Jun Wuwang, who controls everything, can never win Ye Tan’s heart.


01]

Yaksha was waiting to die.

There was nothing else he could do aside from waiting to die.

He had drank the potent medicine to dissipate his qi and then had his inner breath personally drawn out by his Master, so every single meridian in his body was torn and shattered, and then he had received heavy torture for a day and a night, so the skin on his whole body was lacerated. He clearly would have been free forever if he’d been tortured for one more sichen, but his Master stopped at that moment.

He didn’t understand why the Second Young Master specifically sent him, a dying, useless person, back to the Nightrunner’s shadow guard training camp he came from. Carelessly burying him on the spot would have been easier.

He should have died three days ago, he didn’t know what the point of dragging it out until now was.

Yaksha waited to die while dreaming in a daze.

Late at night ten years ago, when he was still a fervent young man, with the light of the star-filled sky shining down on him, his only friend had said: “According to your undefeated record, you’ll be chosen as ‘Yaksha’. Since you want the title of ‘Ye Jun’, you need to lose to me tomorrow.”

He had shaken his head and refused: “If that’s the case, I’m probably better suited for Yaksha.”

The light in his friend’s eyes had flickered, and he only said: “I’m afraid you’ll really regret it.”

His friend’s words had turned out to be tragically prophetic, and he really became Yaksha.

The fate of past generations of Yaksha the Blood Demon had been either killing their Master or going into qi deviation.

It’s not that he didn’t know.

But he always clearly knew that, compared to himself, his friend was really more like Ye Jun.

That day, when Ye Jun let him down from the torture rack, he asked: “Yaksha, after so many years, do you regret it?”

He still shook his head.

Ye Jun smiled bitterly: “I would rather you did regret it.”

Yaksha had never been happy in his life.

And he had never been able to do do the things he’d wanted to do.

He didn’t even think it was unfair or miserable, nor did he think about what a good day would be like.

He’d long since become numb, how could he speak of regret?

He had painstakingly studied martial arts since he was a child, and finally rose above the rest and pulled himself to the top, but because his edge was too sharp he was put aside in a high shelf and became a burden on the Nightrunner. Afterwards, he was fortunately bought by Young Master Qin Qi and vowed to protect Qin Qi for his whole life, but in the end he had no choice but to personally kill him under Qin Qi’s own instructions, still desperately trying to stop his blackened name as a Master-killer. The Second Young Master of the Zhongli Court took him in, but he was worried he would be unable to control him and guarded against him in every possible way, until he crippled his life-long power.

Yaksha dragged his broken body to huddle in a corner of the Nightrunner’s branch, in so much pain he almost lost consciousness, and as his mind was turning over the events of the past his heart was so cold and deathly still that nothing could make the slightest ripple in it. He was already extremely worthless, no one would want him anymore….. he would soon step into the Yellow Springs, and no one would know about these trivial matters.

Yaksha was just calculating his time of death, at most, he could last for three more days, but actually he couldn’t find a reason to persevere until that time. Should he give up at dusk, or wait until nightfall to die? Would it be better to die in the first half of the night, or to wait until dawn?

As he suffered in a daze, someone suddenly rushed into the shop. They quickly scrambled in front of him, and suddenly stopped. They paced back and forth around him a few times, but finally didn’t dare to step forward.

When Ye Wuqi, the bookkeeper that doubled as shopkeeper, saw him, he spoke up and asked: “Young Master, did you come to buy a shadow guard?”

As if he hadn’t heard, the person that came in just fixedly stared at that dying, injured man in the corner. Ye Wuqi spoke: “I’m afraid that one isn’t too suitable, the Nightrunner doesn’t fool it’s guests, that one is useless…..”

Ye Wuqi had just said those words when he was grabbed by the neck and knocked against the wall, so the second half of his sentence was crushed inside his throat. That person clenched his teeth and coldly said: “If you dare say that again, I’ll make you useless first.”

The Nightrunner’s shopkeeper was also not an easy man to deal with, and he was astonished to actually have been grabbed by another person without being able to react. The Nightrunner had never been a peaceful place, countless people came to cause trouble, so the hidden guards in the surroundings were all on guard, but they didn’t dare act blindly with the shopkeeper in his hands.

But the person loosened his hand indifferently, going back to stand in front of Yaksha.

Yaksha tried his best to open his eyes and look at him. The young man that stood in front of him for a long time seemed disconnected from the mundane world. His creamy, jade-like skin didn’t have a single flaw, as if he hadn’t been dirtied by the dust of the earth since his birth, there was an astonishingly beautiful scarlet cinnabar spot between his brows, his inky², satiny hair trickled down over the side of his shoulder, and he was wearing intricately detailed, precious brocade clothes. He was clearly standing against the light, but his pupils still shone with radiance, and his whole body had a layer of faint, warm light shining softly around it.

The corners of his mouth were filled with the joy of having his wish fulfilled, but his eyes had the dense sorrow of loss in them.

This person was so beautiful he simply looked like a mannequin, and Yaksha though that his eyesight had probably gone bad.

“Does it hurt?” That person seemed ill at ease, walking back and forth in front of him, seeming like he wanted to touch him but also like he was reluctant. He lifted his hands up and then put them back down, not knowing what to do, and muttered, “I, I was late….. I’m sorry….. A-Tan…..”

Yaksha thought: Who is A-Tan?

Ye Wuqi already believed he’d come to cause trouble and quietly pushed down on a mechanism, but that person turned his head and threw a heavy bag towards him, saying: “I want all these guards to go with me.”

Ye Wuqi cautiously checked that there was nothing strange with the bundle, then opened it carefully, finding that the inside was filled with pure gold bars.

Ye Wuqi lifted his head: “No problem. I still have to trouble the Young Master to make a record with the Nightrunner.”

That person immediately exploded: “I don’t have time to wait, your procedures are so annoying! I’ll do it later!”

The person was unpredictable, which was really troublesome. Ye Wuqi was vigilant as he pressed on the hidden knife in his cuff, calmly saying: “The Nightrunner has its rules, I’ll trouble the Young Master to please wait for a few moments.”

“These workers next to you can do it, right?!” The person frowned.

Ye Wuqi: “There’s no harm in that, just pay the deposit.”

That person nodded, immediately instructing them: “You guys, help me go look for the best doctors and medicine nearby, quickly. I have no patience, don’t make me wait long.”

The people agreed and quickly left. Ye Wuqi opened up the account book and began writing as he asked: “Does the Young Master want to leave a name and address? These are not compulsory, it’s fine if the Young Master doesn’t wish to reveal them.”

That person knew the process. In his previous life, he’d left the name blank. Now that he already had a name, he had already grabbed the pen and written down the words “Jun Xuanheng”.

It was not until later that he would realise that the ‘he’ at that time, and even the ‘he’ in the future….. was already no longer qualified to use that name.

Like ephemeral flowers in the endless night, there was no hope of winning his heart³. He was simply the Jun Wuwang who wandered miserably, desperately seeking something he couldn’t get. He was no longer that Jun Xuanheng who was cherished and adored by Ye Tan.

At that time he hadn’t realised this yet, and only felt glad in his heart when he thought of that name. He still had a chance to start over, to protect him completely in this life, and he would repay Ye Tan for all the suffering and injustices he had endured one by one.

Jun Xuanheng put together a few tables and bought bedding and a mattress to place on top of it, then he ordered someone to carefully lift him up onto it, fetched warm water, and carefully wiped away the dried up blood. Yaksha didn’t understand why, but let himself be moved around.

A moment later, the doctors stepped into the store, gathering into a crowd. They examined him one by one and bandaged him on the spot, then prescribed medicine.

Jun Xuanheng stopped his hands and withdrew a few steps, giving up his seat and crouching down next to the bench, holding his knees while staring at him.

For a moment, the group of doctors, the surrounding guards who had nothing to do while waiting for their Master’s orders, that future Master whose motives were unknown, and the onlookers whose attention was drawn by the spectacle, all turned their undivided attention towards him. Yaksha had very rarely been the focus of so many people, so he felt very uneasy.

“We are more or less done with the treatment, you just need to go back and recuperate.” The doctors said.

Jun Xuanheng was stunned: Go back? Go back where?

He didn’t have anywhere to stay, the tavern was too noisy, and he didn’t have time to go out and buy a house now, he didn’t want to leave Ye Tan here in the cold for a moment longer.

Jun Xuanheng suddenly remembered a quiet, elegant spot, and he came to a conclusion: “Outside of the city, the Ye Residence.”

That was the private residence of Zhongli Court’s Eldest Young Master in Changluo, he’d gone there a few times in his last life, and he really liked it there. Borrowing it to stay for a few days now would be just perfect.

As for whether he would agree or not, that was up to the Eldest Young Master.

There were a few labourers and maidservants in the Ye Residence, Jun Xuanheng went ahead and discussed borrowing the place for a few days with them. A stranger suddenly arrived, saying he wanted to come in and live there, and the Master was not currently there, so the housekeeper naturally didn’t agree, but Jun Xuanheng didn’t feel like trying to persuade them and just tied them all up and threw them into the firewood shed.

When Yaksha was carried inside in a palanquin, Jun Xuanheng was already the only person in the Ye Residence.

He had held a post in Zhongli Court for three years, so he knew this place was the Eldest Young Master’s property. Looking again at his new Master, who couldn’t have been a local, a faint guess arose in his heart.

The palanquin was the most expensive one that could be bought, so it was twice as large an ordinary palanquin and couldn’t be brought in more than a few steps after going through the main entrance. They were still dozens of steps away from the main northern building, so Jun Xuanheng lifted open the curtain in the palanquin and leaned inside, suddenly wrapping his arms around Yaksha’s waist.

Yaksha stiffened.

Jun Xuanheng sensed he was uncomfortable and pacified him: “The palanquin can’t go in, I’ll carry you. Tell me if I hurt you by accident, don’t endure it.”

Yaksha avoided his hands, lowering his brows and speaking: “This lowly one dares not bother the Master, this subordinate can walk.”

Jun Xuanheng said: “What are you being polite with me for?”

Yaksha frowned. You and I are complete strangers, and we are also Master and Servant, how could I not be polite? But his tone and demeanour were all so naturally intimate with him, it was really like…..

Like he’d mistaken him for someone else.

Yaksha supported himself on the wall of the palanquin as he wobbled to a stand, but he hadn’t even found his footing when Jun Xuanheng had already taken him into his arms without explanation, urging him: “Listen to me, don’t make trouble, alright?”

Yaksha had never been so close to anyone before, he grabbed the other’s arms, wanting to push him away, but he also clearly knew that he shouldn’t defy his Master’s wishes. Jun Xuanheng saw his rejection and his heart became unreasonably panicked, so he unconsciously tightened his arms until the person in his embrace let out a muffled, pained groan.

“Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…..” Jun Xuanheng quickly let go and continued apologising, speaking again, “Your wounds will reopen if you move around, let me carry you in, okay?”

Yaksha lowered his head, simply saying: “There’s a difference between Master and Servant, it can’t be like this.”

Jun Xuanheng couldn’t do anything about it, so he could only ask again: “Then, is it fine if I find someone else to carry you in?”

He had conceded to this point, so Yaksha could only nod.

Jun Xuanheng was extremely unwilling, but ordered someone to carry him into the pearwood bed in the main room. Soon after, he arranged for everyone else to decoct the medicine that had to be decocted, prepare the food that had to be prepared, and drove the rest away. Then returned to the bedside by himself and began staring at Yaksha.

Yaksha thought that since this person was his new Master, he couldn’t always remain ignorant, so he asked: “Are you Yue Changsheng?”

Zhongli Court’s Eldest Young Master had been persistently pursuing Yue Changsheng for many years, and only Yue Changsheng had the ability to walk into the Eldest Young Master’s residence whenever he wanted. Yaksha had never met him, but he’d heard that the person’s appearance was remarkable. Thinking of those rumours, whichever way he looked at it, it had to be the person in front of him.

Jun Xuanheng couldn’t help but laugh. He had guessed wrong once in his past life, and this time he had guessed wrong again. The sense of loss from that unfamiliar feeling of rejection just now gradually disappeared a bit, he was still that original him. Jun Xuanheng shook his head and answered: “I’m not.”

Jun Xuanheng had never kept anything from him, so he added all the information he knew: “Yue Changsheng is already dead. It’s been almost two years since he died….. This is only really known by a few people….. You also shouldn’t bring it up in front of the Eldest Young Master.”

Hearing this, Yaksha looked at him. His face was calm, but a haze of doubts and suspicions continuously rose in his heart. He knew that the Eldest Young Master had never stopped searching for Yue Changsheng for many years, but how did his Master know something not even the Eldest Young Master knew? Moreover, he was so confident, as if he had seen it personally.

On top of that….. when his Master mentioned this, why did he laugh?

A life was lost, and there was someone still desperately searching without knowing the truth. What was funny about that?

Yaksha knew that his first Master, Young Master Qin Qi, was gentle and carefree, and that his second Master, Zhongli Zixi, was cautious and good at planning.

But he couldn’t see through his new Master’s nature, only feeling that he was strange in all aspects.

Yaksha asked: “Can I ask for Master’s name?”

Hearing this familiar sentence, Jun Xuanheng’s heart jumped with excitement and anticipation, his beautiful eyes curving gently: “I don’t have a name, help me pick one.”

Yaksha didn’t know why his Master suddenly smiled more happily, but he remembered that before, at the Nightrunner, when shopkeeper Ye Wuqi had asked if he could leave his name, his Master had clearly taken the pen and written something down.

Was this a test? Or for amusement?

Yaksha had no intention of trying to figure out his Master’s intentions, even the greatest hostility and vigilance was normal for him. He lowered his eyes, looking at the corner of the bed, and only said: “This subordinate is too lowly for this great task.”

Jun Xuanheng hurriedly said: “It doesn’t matter. You just have to pick one.”

Yaksha remained silent.

Jun Xuanheng stuttered as he tried to persuade him again, his voice becoming smaller and smaller.

Yaksha didn’t answer with a single word.

Jun Xuanheng waited a long time.

As he waited, his heart began to grow cold.

He endured the bitterness and opened his mouth with difficulty: “I…. I am called Jun Xuanheng, and you are called Ye Tan. I’ll call you A-Tan from now on….. okay?”

Yaksha nodded calmly: “Thank you for the name, Master.”

But in his heart, he thought: If you already had a conclusion in your mind, why come to ask me?

And just, who on earth is Ye Tan?

At this moment, Yaksha still didn’t know.

This question would torment him from then on, like a lingering ghost, for the rest of his life.