Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

182. Biyu’s Love

Jin Shu stepped up to Biyu’s door and knocked lightly. A few seconds later, footsteps approached from the other side, and the door swung open to reveal Biyu with her evergreen hair still damp. She held a towel in one hand, absently drying the water from her locks.“Sorry, did I interrupt your bath?” he asked.

She shook her head, scattering droplets. “No, I’d just finished…”

Her gaze drifted past him, settling on his shoulder.

“Hello, Big Sis Biyu!” Yin’er chirped, waving from her perch.

Biyu waved back distractedly, eyes fixed on the sight before her.

It took Jin Shu a moment to realize what she was staring at—and he couldn’t deny it was odd. Yin’er sat on his shoulder, and perched on hers was a tiny yellow chick. Somehow, after their earlier spat, the two had already declared a truce and become fast friends.

“That’s Ji Ji,” Jin Shu explained. “She’s the daughter of a friend of the Grand Elder’s. I’m looking after her for a while.”

“Oh, she’s cute.” Biyu nodded, then looked back at him. “So, what brings you here?”

He opened his mouth to answer, ready to tell her about the mission to hunt demonic beasts—but the words stuck in his throat. Instead, he stood there silently, his thoughts scattering in a hundred directions.

Now that Long Jinshu was gone, no longer meddling with fate… was she still in love with him? He knew how he felt. But her? How did she truly feel? That question burned at the forefront of his mind.

“Jin Shu?” Biyu tilted her head, curious.

“Ah… sorry.” He shook himself from his daze and turned to Yin’er. “Take Ji Ji and go play for a while, alright?”

“M’kay!” Yin’er flapped her wings and shot off like a bullet, dragging Ji Ji along. The chick’s startled squawk echoed on the wind.

“Will they be okay?” Biyu asked.

“They’ll be fine… probably… I think,” he muttered. Then he straightened. “Anyway, I’ve got a few things I want to talk to you about. Mind if I come in?”

“Sure.” She stepped aside, motioning him through the door.

They sat on cushions with a low table and a tea set between them. Biyu poured two cups, sliding one toward him before taking her own. She lifted it delicately, blowing across the steam, while Jin Shu left his untouched—his mind consumed by a single burning question.

“Do you love me?” he asked bluntly.

Cough!

Biyu nearly spat out her tea, choking as her face flushed—whether from embarrassment or lack of air, he couldn’t tell.

“W–w–why?” she stammered, setting her cup down with trembling hands. “Why are you asking me something like that?”

“Well,” Jin Shu said evenly, “you once told me you’d marry me. People don’t usually say that unless they mean it.”

Her blush deepened.

“I did say that… but it was only to win an argument with Li Xue…”

“Really? So then—”

“No! I mean… I…” She faltered, caught between denial and confession, then fell silent. For several long moments, she simply breathed, as though steadying herself. Finally, she rose, circled the table, and sat at his side.

She looks serious, Jin Shu thought, his chest tightening when her fingers slipped around his hand.

Calmly, Biyu met his gaze.

“I wish we had more time together,” she said softly. “It’s been almost four years since we met, but truly, we’ve only spent about a year side by side. Even so…” She drew in a breath, her grip tightening. “I do love you. I know something’s weighing on you—probably because of what happened recently. Whatever it is, I’ll always be here if you need me.”

The rush of emotion hit him too hard to speak. He pulled her into a fierce embrace, and after a heartbeat of surprise, she melted against him, arms circling his back.

Slowly, he lowered his forehead to hers, their breaths mingling, lips hovering a whisper apart. “Can I?” he asked.

“…Yes,” she breathed.

His hand rose to her neck, fingers tangling in her still-damp hair as she leaned into his palm. Their lips brushed once, tentative, before he kissed her deeply—hungrily—as though afraid the moment might slip away. By the time they parted, both were breathless.

“Thank you, Biyu,” he whispered against her ear. “You’re right, I’m confused. I don’t know how much of my life has been mine, and how much was stolen by that bastard dragon or fate’s meddling. But this—your feelings, my feelings for you—I know they’re real.”

He pulled back just enough to meet her jade-green eyes. “I love you, Biyu.”

Her cheeks bloomed red, but she held his gaze, unwavering.

“Biyu, will you marry me?”

She flinched, her jade-green eyes trembling like ripples across a disturbed pool of liquid jade. Slowly, she nodded. “I will.”

“After we return from the southern region… let’s hold the ceremony, alright?”

“Sure.” Her lips curved into a faint smile. “But what about Li Xue and Tian Li?”

Her raised brow and teasing look made him squirm. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly awkward.

“Well… I was planning to ask them too. Is that… okay?”

“Honestly? No.” She shook her head, her smile turning wistful. “I’d rather keep you to myself. But… I’ve already been preparing for this for a while now.”

“Preparing?” His brow furrowed.

“Yes. You do know who my master is, don't you?” She let out a light laugh.

That only confused him more. “What does my mom have to do with you marrying me?”

Biyu tilted her head, amused. “She taught me how to be the best wife for you. Though, truthfully… I never thought it would come to this. Not even when we first met. But fate had other plans.”

“…Sorry,” Jin Shu muttered reflexively, apologizing on his mother’s behalf.

“It’s fine.” Her sweet smile softened the words.

He hesitated, then asked anyway, bracing himself. “So… what exactly did she teach you?”

“The most important lesson was that the wives should love one another—otherwise it ends in a bloody mess, like the imperial harems.”

“Oh…” Jin Shu blinked, surprised. “That actually… makes sense. Not what I expected her to say, but still.”

He smirked. “Is that why you kissed Li Xue back then?”

“Um… that was… a weird situation.” She scratched her cheek, flustered. “But… yeah, kind of.”

Her cheeks flushed as she looked away. “My emotions were all over the place from my physique awakening. I acted without thinking. Still… it worked out, I suppose.”

She gave her head a little shake, gathering herself. “Anyway, this isn’t why you came here, is it?”

“No.” He straightened. “I wanted to ask if you’d join me on the demonic beast extermination mission.”

Her eyes lit. “Oh, that? Yes, of course. Just come fetch me when you’re ready. You probably still need to ask the others, don’t you?”

“I do.” He rose to his feet. “Thanks, Biyu.”

“For what?”

“For sharing your feelings with me. For loving me. For… everything.”

She only smiled, wordless but warm, and walked him to the door. Just before he stepped out, she tugged him back and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Goodbye, Jin Shu.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden crash echoed from somewhere nearby, followed by the muffled bickering of Yin’er and Ji Ji’s high-pitched voices.

“I’d better check on that…” he sighed, rubbing his temple.

“Preparation for the future,” Biyu said with a soft laugh.

He blinked, unsure what she meant, but the rising squawks and protests down the corridor left no time to ask. With a quick wave goodbye, he turned and went in search of the two little troublemakers.

Jin Shu walked down the pathway toward Tian Li’s workshop. He had originally planned on visiting Li Xue next, but that plan changed thanks to the sulking tiger cub dangling from his grip in one hand and the squirming chick clenched in the other—his fingers forming a cage around her tiny body.

“This is all Ji Ji’s fault!” Yin’er pouted.

“Is not!” Ji Ji snapped back.

“Quiet, both of you,” Jin Shu barked. His patience was thinning. “Yin’er, you put a hole in the wall and tore your robe. Why?”

“Because Ji Ji attacked me, so I fought back.”

“And why did she attack you?”

Yin’er glanced away.

“Yin’er,” he pressed, voice firm. “Why did she attack you?”

“…Because I asked her to duel me,” she admitted at last, her ears drooping.

“So whose fault is it?”

“…Mine,” she whispered, eyes watering.

“Alright, don’t cry.” His tone softened. “We’ll go to Tian Li so she can fix your robe, and then we’re apologizing to Chen Ai Yun. Deal?”

“Okay…” Yin’er sniffled.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong!” Ji Ji protested indignantly.

“You should’ve known better than to fight indoors,” Jin Shu countered. “And since you’re the older one, you share the responsibility.”

“Hmph!” Ji Ji puffed up but didn’t argue further.

By the time they reached Tian Li’s workshop, Jin Shu lifted a hand to knock—then paused, realizing both hands were still full of troublemakers.

“I’m letting you two go,” he warned, lowering them to the ground. “If you bolt again, I will spank you both.”

He remembered vividly how they’d scattered in opposite directions during their last quarrel, as if they’d rehearsed it beforehand. He’d been forced to trap them with the wind element just to catch them.

To his surprise, this time they stayed put—sulking, but obedient.

Satisfied, Jin Shu knocked. The door swung open almost at the same instant, and the sight that greeted him made him blink, then rub his eyes to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

———

Got some adorable art for yall!^Yin’er, Ji Ji, and Jin Shu^Jin Shu & Yin’er ^Yin’er ^All Together ❤️ ^Color! (Colored by my little sister ????) 

Artist: Nebula_Freyja