Chapter 137: Climbing the Mountain, Asking for One More Favor

The people in the private room were stunned. "When did you get back?"

Li Zhao patted him on the shoulder. "I lost a game and sent you that message on a whim. I didn't actually expect you to show up."

"I happened to be nearby." Gu Shiyan’s reply was brief, offering nothing more.

"Well, that works out perfectly! Join us!" Li Zhao called the waiter and ordered a separate round of drinks for Gu Shiyan. "Haven't seen you in ages. For a second, I thought you cared so much about me that you teleported here."

Gu Shiyan was pulled into a seat by Li Zhao, who immediately filled his glass to the brim.

"Playing games?"

Gu Shiyan lifted his glass, tilted his head back, and downed the liquor in one gulp.

"Whoa, easy there! We’re just playing for fun." Li Zhao was startled by his desperate way of drinking.

"I’m not playing. Get me a few more bottles."

The group gathered there were his close friends, and Li Zhao could tell that Gu Shiyan was in a foul mood. "I’ll order some food for you, then."

Gu Shiyan sat on the sofa, one hand dangling his glass, staring blankly ahead as if he hadn't heard a word. He didn't even blink. Once the food and drinks arrived, he ignored the dishes entirely, focusing only on the raw alcohol.

At first, Li Zhao tried to look after him and persuade him to slow down, but as the others got caught up in the festivities, they naturally stopped paying attention to Gu Shiyan.

Glass after glass of strong spirits went down. When Gu Shiyan accidentally spilled some from his overflowing glass onto his knee, he frowned. It stung.

A waiter who had come in to change glasses and clear the table noticed and immediately stepped forward to ask if he needed to go change his clothes.

After a dozen rounds of games, everyone was drunk. Yi Chuan, who had consumed the least, noticed the situation. "What’s wrong with you?" He pushed aside the drunken Li Zhao, who was leaning on him, and tapped Gu Shiyan on the shoulder. "You’re bleeding, didn't you notice?"

Yi Chuan had someone bring a first-aid kit. Gu Shiyan kept his eyes lowered, his gaze dull. He didn't even make a sound when the alcohol splashed onto the torn skin of his wound.

When Yi Chuan reached to pull down his trousers, Gu Shiyan finally reacted, pinning his hands down. "What are you doing!"

Yi Chuan was speechless. "I’m not interested in you, but if you don't treat that wound, it'll be infected by tomorrow."

"Wound?" Li Zhao, swaying with intoxication, leaned over, his head resting against Gu Shiyan’s thigh. "What wound? Who’s hurt?"

"No," Gu Shiyan said, holding Yi Chuan's hands back to prevent him from pulling at his pants.

Left with no choice, Yi Chuan used scissors to cut open the fabric over his knee, praying that the trousers weren't obscenely expensive.

"Are you... really not feeling any pain?" Yi Chuan wiped away the surrounding blood and dust, ready to apply the medicine.

Even as the pale yellow antiseptic was dabbed onto his kneecap, Gu Shiyan didn't show the slightest expression.

"It hurts..." Gu Shiyan nodded. "It hurts in my heart..." He had been drinking so heavily that his face hadn't even flushed yet; at a casual glance, one might not realize he was drunk, but those familiar with him knew the truth from his demeanor and reactions.

Yi Chuan cursed, "It’s alcohol, not a knife. How could it make your heart hurt?" He replied dismissively, "You’re just misinterpreting your senses. It’s your knee that should be hurting, not your heart."

Gu Shiyan didn't answer. He remained hunched over, clutching his chest as if a dull blade were slowly carving into it, saying nothing.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Yi Chuan was still holding the medicine when Gu Shiyan suddenly toppled forward. Caught off guard, Yi Chuan instinctively blocked with his knee, hitting Gu Shiyan on the forehead, which sent him falling back limply, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The dim, moody neon lights of the room made his face flicker between light and shadow. Yi Chuan put away the medicine and went to steady his slumped body, only then noticing that his shirt was soaked.

"Good grief, how much did he sweat? It’s still damp..." Yi Chuan looked at Gu Shiyan’s closed eyes; the corners were slightly moist. He hadn't been unaware of the rumors about Gu Shiyan pursuing Luo Xing, but he had assumed that someone like Gu Shiyan would never let himself become so wretched and pathetic in his pursuit. He had imagined him as someone who would just beckon, and his prey would willingly take the bait. To see him reduced to this state... it was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

"He's truly lost his mind," he muttered.

"Hmm..." Gu Shiyan frowned. The sensation of several bottles of hard liquor hitting an empty stomach was far from pleasant. "Fate..."

Yi Chuan didn't catch what he said. He only saw Gu Shiyan’s wet, tear-stained eyelashes flutter as he slowly opened his eyes.

"No..." Gu Shiyan tried to stand, but stumbled forward, sweeping the drinks off the table and sending them crashing to the floor with a series of clangs. His freshly treated knee was drenched again, but he didn't seem to notice as he began to walk toward the exit.

"What are you doing now, huh?" Perhaps seeing Gu Shiyan so drunk made Yi Chuan bolder, and he raised his voice. "Stay put. I’ll take you home."

"Right, home, home," Gu Shiyan said, gripping Yi Chuan’s arms. "Take me home, I need to go ask for one more."

"Ask for what?" Yi Chuan looked at him, bewildered. "I said I’m taking you home—where are you trying to go?"

"Up the mountain, to ask for one more. What if it works this time..."

When Yi Chuan finally understood, he laughed in frustration. "Are you insane? You're this drunk, and you want to go climb a mountain in the middle of the night? And for what? You were never superstitious before!"

Gu Shiyan shook his head slowly. "I... I'm not drunk. I'm not superstitious. I'm not at all. I just..." He slowly slid down to the floor, his voice a whisper. "I just want to try. What if..." He looked up. "This isn't called being superstitious."

Yi Chuan: "..." He's lost it. "Go by yourself if you want. Am I crazy? I’m not spending the middle of the night climbing a mountain with a drunkard just to pray to some gods!"

...

Half an hour later.

Yi Chuan and Li Zhao were rubbing their arms and looking up at the peak, casting a glance at Gu Shiyan. "Is this the one?"

Gu Shiyan nodded and started to climb. Li Zhao, whose drunkenness came and went quickly, felt a bit helpless. "No, I really want to sleep."

Gu Shiyan was already trudging upward. Yi Chuan kicked Li Zhao. "Who told you to send him that message? It’s easy to summon a demon, but hard to send it away."

"Sigh," Li Zhao tapped his head. "Who is even up on this mountain? It’s the middle of the night. We're going to disturb the immortals and get kicked back down."

"Hurry up!" Yi Chuan urged.

The group followed Gu Shiyan with flashlights. The two of them huddled together. "Brother Yan, aren't you afraid? It’s so dark."

Gu Shiyan climbed on in silence. It usually took people a full day to reach the top, but driven by some unknown perseverance, the three of them arrived just as the first light of dawn appeared.

Li Zhao and Yi Chuan reached the temple and nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"Whatever wish Brother Yan is making, it better come true," Li Zhao said slowly.

Yi Chuan raised an eyebrow. "You love him that much?"

"Heh, I just don't want to have climbed all night for nothing."

"Whoa, why are there so many people?" They followed Gu Shiyan inside, only to realize the temple was at its busiest.

Li Zhao looked over and spotted a banner. "A group from Xingda University's club?"