Although it was unexpected to see this unpleasant elder brother on this night, judging by the situation, it seemed that the other man had saved him. Gongxi Chou tried to open his mouth, but even such a simple action had him so anxious he nearly broke into a sweat. His lips still could not move in the slightest.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
It seemed both incredibly long and incredibly short.
His elder brother, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, exhaled a breath of turbid air and released his prayer gesture. Visible weariness filled his brows and eyes, as though something had drained away his very essence and spirit. The instant he rose, the gorgeous sacrificial robes of the priest who served the gods melted away from his body.
Revealing a scholar's robe covered in blood and scratches.
He raised a hand and tested the artery at Gongxi Chou's neck.
When his fingers touched the young man's fresh, supple skin, the vigorous pulse brimming with life throbbed again and again beneath his fingertips. The exhaustion from moments ago vanished. Looking as though he was crying and yet not crying, he wrapped both arms around Gongxi Chou's head and buried it against his chest, choking out, "A Nian..."
Gongxi Chou could smell the blood and sweat in the other man's embrace, as well as the salty, fishy liquid that dripped onto his cheek and slid into the corner of his mouth.
His mind was somewhat muddled.
So my elder brother really loved me. Then why had he always looked at me as though my eyes weren't eyes and my nose wasn't a nose?
Immediately afterward, his body was lifted into the air.
At that time, he had not yet grown into his full height. His adult elder