Liu Bei POV
Bo Fu was drinking tea silently as she sat in the main hall and was looking at her tea, perhaps at the tea leaves that were at the bottom of her cup.
“Big sis, I’ve brought Imperial Uncle here for you.”
I felt that Bo Fu was weird but Sun Quan didn’t seem to feel anything. She continued to smile and speak as usual, but this liveliness made me feel even more off.
“Un, I’ve troubled you.” Bo Fu said as she set down her tea cup. Her countenance now was cold and distant, unlike her usual cheerful self. With those eyes of hers, I felt the aura of a beast which I hadn’t felt in a long while.
I was still joyful before but when I saw how Bo Fu was like, I couldn’t even smile.
“Bo Fu, how do you feel?”
These words seemed off to me at first but after I thought about it, asking how she was was alright given the circumstances behind my visit.
“I’m alright, I just woke up.”
“Un, that’s good.”
She still didn’t look at me, and continued to look into her tea cup. She didn’t say anything either, and neither did I. As I predicted, the atmosphere took a nosedive. If this was some other time, Sun Quan would say something. But when I looked at her, I saw that she was just smiling and standing there.
“Ah, Quan. Zi Bu was looking for you.” Bo Fu said as though she suddenly thought of something.
“Ah! I forgot about it, I still have lessons today!” Sun Quan cried out loudly and flew out immediately before stopping at the gate and bowed to me, and then carrying on her way.
That’s one way to rush to your destination, I thought as I shifted my gaze back to Bo Fu and sensed Bo Fu taking a deep breath.
“Xuan De, have a seat before we speak.” She extended a hand and gestured for me to sit.
“Ah, un.” I nodded and then sat down in a cross-legged position, before changing to a seiza as I felt that it was rude otherwise.
After sitting down, I took a good look at Bo Fu again, and saw that she was healthy and felt more at ease. But Yu Ji’s words continued to trouble me and I didn’t know what to say to Bo Fu. There was also the matter of Jing state as well.
“Xuan De, I want to ask you a question.” Just then, Bo Fu spoke up first with a very serious expression that made me feel serious as well, “Should I already be dead?”
“Eh?”
Bo Fu’s sudden question stunned me. I didn’t know how I should answer her.
In an instant, it felt like the air in the room froze up, and all I could see were Bo Fu’s beast-like eyes on her beautiful face.
Calm down, I told myself, as I forced a smile out.
“No, no way. Bo Fu just got a little sick, that’s–”
“No need to continue the act.” Bo Fu interrupted me, and opened her mouth to continue.
At this moment, I felt an inexplicable pressure in my heart. It was as if, it was as if Bo Fu was about to expose who I actually am.
But that’s impossible–
“Xuan De, you’re not from this era right?”
“… Eh?”
— Right?
What did Bo Fu just say about me?
“Bo, Bo Fu, what’s with you? Why are you saying such things all of a sudden…”
“Back then when you spoke with that Taoist, I heard everything.”
“Eh?” I wanted to continue feigning ignorance but Bo Fu did a slam dunk on me.
“You heard… Everything?” I frowned, as I didn’t want to believe it. How could she have heard it? Bo Fu’s state then was…
“My body was in a very weak state then but I was conscious.” Bo Fu began explaining with a frown, as though she herself didn’t believe it, “But I heard what you both said then. Yu Ji said that I should have died, and you seemed to know about this too.”
“Bo Fu, don’t listen to her nonsense…”
“Xuan De!” Bo Fu roared at me and didn’t give me a chance to explain. I looked at her, and saw that she had a pained expression as she continued.
“Please tell me the truth. The Xuan De I know isn’t someone who lies on and on.”
“… Sorry.”
I lost. And my apology was a tacit admission to what she said before.
How could this be? She actually knows it all.
I saved someone who ought to have died. But now this person knows that she should have died. What does Bo Fu feel now?
Rejoice? Pain? Or anger?
I don’t know, and I don’t dare to ask. Even if I did ask, I doubt I’d get an answer.
Liu Bei POV
Bo Fu was drinking tea silently as she sat in the main hall and was looking at her tea, perhaps at the tea leaves that were at the bottom of her cup.
“Big sis, I’ve brought Imperial Uncle here for you.”
I felt that Bo Fu was weird but Sun Quan didn’t seem to feel anything. She continued to smile and speak as usual, but this liveliness made me feel even more off.
“Un, I’ve troubled you.” Bo Fu said as she set down her tea cup. Her countenance now was cold and distant, unlike her usual cheerful self. With those eyes of hers, I felt the aura of a beast which I hadn’t felt in a long while.
I was still joyful before but when I saw how Bo Fu was like, I couldn’t even smile.
“Bo Fu, how do you feel?”
These words seemed off to me at first but after I thought about it, asking how she was was alright given the circumstances behind my visit.
“I’m alright, I just woke up.”
“Un, that’s good.”
She still didn’t look at me, and continued to look into her tea cup. She didn’t say anything either, and neither did I. As I predicted, the atmosphere took a nosedive. If this was some other time, Sun Quan would say something. But when I looked at her, I saw that she was just smiling and standing there.
“Ah, Quan. Zi Bu was looking for you.” Bo Fu said as though she suddenly thought of something.
“Ah! I forgot about it, I still have lessons today!” Sun Quan cried out loudly and flew out immediately before stopping at the gate and bowed to me, and then carrying on her way.
That’s one way to rush to your destination, I thought as I shifted my gaze back to Bo Fu and sensed Bo Fu taking a deep breath.
“Xuan De, have a seat before we speak.” She extended a hand and gestured for me to sit.
“Ah, un.” I nodded and then sat down in a cross-legged position, before changing to a seiza as I felt that it was rude otherwise.
After sitting down, I took a good look at Bo Fu again, and saw that she was healthy and felt more at ease. But Yu Ji’s words continued to trouble me and I didn’t know what to say to Bo Fu. There was also the matter of Jing state as well.
“Xuan De, I want to ask you a question.” Just then, Bo Fu spoke up first with a very serious expression that made me feel serious as well, “Should I already be dead?”
“Eh?”
Bo Fu’s sudden question stunned me. I didn’t know how I should answer her.
In an instant, it felt like the air in the room froze up, and all I could see were Bo Fu’s beast-like eyes on her beautiful face.
Calm down, I told myself, as I forced a smile out.
“No, no way. Bo Fu just got a little sick, that’s–”
“No need to continue the act.” Bo Fu interrupted me, and opened her mouth to continue.
At this moment, I felt an inexplicable pressure in my heart. It was as if, it was as if Bo Fu was about to expose who I actually am.
But that’s impossible–
“Xuan De, you’re not from this era right?”
“… Eh?”
— Right?
What did Bo Fu just say about me?
“Bo, Bo Fu, what’s with you? Why are you saying such things all of a sudden…”
“Back then when you spoke with that Taoist, I heard everything.”
“Eh?” I wanted to continue feigning ignorance but Bo Fu did a slam dunk on me.
“You heard… Everything?” I frowned, as I didn’t want to believe it. How could she have heard it? Bo Fu’s state then was…
“My body was in a very weak state then but I was conscious.” Bo Fu began explaining with a frown, as though she herself didn’t believe it, “But I heard what you both said then. Yu Ji said that I should have died, and you seemed to know about this too.”
“Bo Fu, don’t listen to her nonsense…”
“Xuan De!” Bo Fu roared at me and didn’t give me a chance to explain. I looked at her, and saw that she had a pained expression as she continued.
“Please tell me the truth. The Xuan De I know isn’t someone who lies on and on.”
“… Sorry.”
I lost. And my apology was a tacit admission to what she said before.
How could this be? She actually knows it all.
I saved someone who ought to have died. But now this person knows that she should have died. What does Bo Fu feel now?
Rejoice? Pain? Or anger?
I don’t know, and I don’t dare to ask. Even if I did ask, I doubt I’d get an answer.
